- USC will be without 20 injured players this Saturday, and 18 of them are on scholarship, per Lane Kiffin.
- He also added TE Randall Telfer to the surgery list to fix a torn meniscus in his knee. He will be out 4-6 weeks.
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Due to the depth issues, practice was basically an accelerated walk-thru. The Trojans are down to one tight end and one fullback. During service team, Lane Kiffin played running back and Tre Madden was the quarterback.
- Outside of depth, cornerback remains the biggest issue. The head coach is even considering playing Marqise Lee and Nelson Agholor both ways in the fall. "I did just think about that this week," Kiffin said. "Arguably, they would be our best two corners. I don't know if those guys could take that many plays, maybe in a limited role. My fear there is that if you do that, he's going to be less productive on offense."
- Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, who coaches the secondary, is still preaching patience when it comes to the corners. He pointed out that the defensive backs have had four different secondary coaches in four years, and the techniques are different in each case. "The corners are going to jump out when the big plays happen. They just need to continue to work and master their techniques between now and next fall."
- Initially, the offensive line was seen as a potential weakness, but the group has built chemistry during spring practice. "Especially in the last two weeks, we really have brought it on," said senior RT Kevin Graf. "We have made huge strides since the beginning of spring."
- Graf is one of the last remaining Pete Carroll recruits on the roster. "I feel like I have been here forever," he said. For the seniors, this was there final spring practice ever.
- The offensive line has benefited from the experience of new assistant coach Mike Summers (pictured). "I've been loving it," said Graf about working with Summers. "He's definitely a quieter guy who is very hard to please. He's a joy to work with."
- Last year, the offensive line fell apart against Stanford, which utilizes a 3-4 scheme. With the Trojans switching to a defense with an odd man front, Graf anticipates that the experience will pay dividends in the fall. "We see a lot of odd fronts throughout the year, so it's great practice for us when we get into that."
- Here is Kiffin on the final practice of spring...
University Southern California Trojans
2013 Spring Practice #14: Notes
April 01, 2013 | USC Ripsit Blog
2013 Spring Practice #14: Notes
The final spring practice is in the books with the big public scrimmage due up Saturday at the Coliseum at 1 p.m. PT.
Wednesday, August 05
Wednesday, August 05
Wednesday, August 05
Wednesday, August 05
