USC was back out on the practice field for a hot, Sunday afternoon session in preparation for Thursday night's nationally-televised game against Cal...
- Despite wishful thinking on the part of Lane Kiffin, CB Torin Harris (shoulder) was still unable to practice on Sunday. His status for the rest of the week leading up to Thursday night is still unclear.
- WR Kyle Prater, who has been out of commission of late after re-aggravating the Jones Fracture in his left foot, returned on Sunday in a big way. After recording two physical catches in the red zone against CB Anthony Brown, the redshirt freshman saved his best for last. Despite being tied up with CB Isiah Wiley in the end zone, Prater (pictured right by John McGillen)Â managed to get his left arm around the back of Wiley for a miraculous touchdown catch.Â
Prater on his own expectations: "You always have high expectations, but whenever you are thrown a curveball, you need to respond. The whole time that I have been here, I have been through adversity. [Earning playing time] is just another obstacle I need to overcome, but if I keep the right attitude I will be alright."- Prater wasn't the only one making one-handed touchdown grabs on Sunday. RB Marc Tyler made a nifty right-handed snag in the end zone, prompting one of the stranger chest bump celebrations between he and 6-4, 310 pound center Khaled Holmes.
- Tyler admits that the bye week gave his bruised thigh a chance to heal, but it also gave him an opportunity to see what he needed to improve on following his season-low 35 yards rushing against Arizona in Week 5. "[Having a pass-oriented attack] doesn't make it hard for me to get into a rhythm, we just didn't have a lot of long drives against Arizona," said Tyler. "I think I've done pretty well this season, but I can still personally do a better job of finishing runs and being more explosive hitting the holes. That's what I've been working on the past week."
- CB Isiah Wiley (a JUCO transfer) was the talk of practice for his tremendous coverage skills on USC's top wideouts on Sunday. Although he has yet to crack the CB rotation, Kiffin lauded him for his play over the last week. "He was actually the MVP of the day," said Kiffin. "Maybe he's one of those stories of a guy who pops up during the bye week and takes on the challenge of wanting to play more, and earns himself some playing time."
- Heading into their game against the Golden Bears this week, USC's leading tacklers are currently redshirt freshmen LBs Dion Bailey and Hayes Pullard. While that might suggest a lack of veteran leadership on the defense, Kiffin believes it's a good problem to have. "It just is where we are right now. The bright part about that is that these guys who will hopefully be here for three more years after this season. It's exciting because the position has really changed since we walked onto campus."
- While there are only a few remaining members from the 2008 USC team that lost at Oregon State, WR Brandon Carswell thinks the primetime showcase will be a good experience for the team. "The biggest thing I took from that 2008 game against Oregon State is you can't come out flat or be intimidated by the spotlight," said Carswell. "I feel like everyone in the country needs to see where we are at and what's in store for this program over the next couple of years."
- Kiffin released a statement on Saturday morning following the news that his former boss, legendary Raiders' owner Al Davis, passed away at the age of 82. On Sunday, the coach touched one of Davis' finer qualities. "He was just so loyal to his players," said Kiffin. "Sometimes that caused problems with coaches, but that's who he was. He brought so many guys out of retirement, because he was so loyal to them and to other employees around the office too."
- Here's the coach for an extended version of his post-practice media presser...
