As the final week of spring practice begins, the Trojans are seeing the results of their hard work pay off.
- USC welcomed San Bernadino police officer Gabe Garcia and his family to practice on Tuesday. Officer Garcia was seriously wounded in the line of duty last August and has made a remarkable recovery since then. Head coach Steve Sarkisian and the team have built a relationship with the Trojan fan over the course of the last year, and were excited to host him at practice.
- While it was the offense that shined for most of the practice, Sarkisian noted the defense's ability to finish and get a stop when it counted most. As this has been one of the biggest overall focal points of spring, the head coach was very pleased with the unit's performance. "We're going to have games where one side of the ball might perform better than the other. But at the end of it, we're going to be counting on our defense to get that critical stop to go win the game, and that's exactly what happened today," said Sarkisian. "The defense found a way to get three stops in a row on third down to win the finish challenge and ultimately win practice."
- A major offensive emphasis on Tuesday was the ability to create explosive plays, especially via deep balls from quarterback Cody Kessler. Sarkisian was thrilled with what he saw from a variety of wide receivers including Steven Mitchell, Darreus Rogers, Isaac Whitney and Adoree' Jackson, who will go back to playing defense on Thursday.
- The coaches are still discussing whether Jackson will play on both sides of the ball come Saturday. Either way, the sophomore has used spring ball to remind everyone how much of a threat he is any time he's on the field. Already an electrifying player, Sarkisian believes Jackson's ceiling is even higher than what the phenom put on display in 2014. "Adoree' has been very good in the short and intermediate game. We really feel like the next level of his game is catching those deep balls down the field, which we hadn't done a whole lot of a year ago. We really wanted to take our shots today and it worked out for us."
- The format for Saturday's Spring Game will be similar to last year's. While Sarkisian said he wishes the Trojans could play a full game, the size and health of the team limits its ability to do so. Last year, the offense faced off against the defense in a game format that allowed both sides to score points. The offense scored on traditional scoring plays while the defense collected points based on turnovers and stops. A detailed explanation of this Saturday's format will be posted later this week.
Here is the head coach in the rain after practice...
