Two days away from USC's Pac-12 and home opener against Washington State, the Trojans cooled down with a padless practice.
- It's standard for the Trojans to taper down the intensity as the week draws nearer to game day, but coach Kiffin said this Thursday especially, he wanted to give his team a break. Kiffin cited injuries, number of players available for practice and the high intensity of fall camp as to why the team felt tired this week.
- "Every day we're looking at our team and where they're at," said Kiffin. "After yesterday our team was really tired. Obviously as a coach you want your team to be fresh and the last thing you want is to run them into the ground. We know our defense is probably going to play a lot this Saturday."
- Facing an incredibly pass heavy offense means the pressure coming from the front seven will be even more critical this weekend. Kiffin explained that the secondary will often be sitting deep in coverage making the performance of the defensive line a key to success come Saturday night.
- Despite the slight fatigue shown this week, Kiffin says he's not second guessing his decision to be aggressive and physical through fall camp. "I think we ran the ball well (against Hawaii) and I think we stopped the run well. I think that was a product of being physical up front during camp," said the head coach.
- After watching film this week, Kiffin says he's impressed with the accuracy and poise of WSU quarterback Connor Halliday. The offense as a whole, according to Kiffin, has done a great job over the years throwing the ball and consistently running the same plays successfully.
- Gearing up for the game at the Coliseum has been exciting for the Trojans this week after opening the season in a different time zone. Kiffin said it has been good for his guys to be back in a routine, starting classes, and sleeping in their own beds.
- Coach Kiffin gave no answer as to whether Silas Redd or Morgan Breslin will return to the field against the Cougars, but he did express hope they would be back on Saturday.
- Here's Coach Kiffin on preparing to face WSU's Connor Halliday....
