With exactly two weeks until USC's first game of the 2015 season, the Trojans endured one last two-a-day on the final day of Fall Camp...
- "I was very impressed with our defense," said head coach Steve Sarkisian after Saturday's practice. "I thought they really controlled the line of scrimmage today and did a good job of punching the ball out at the end of runs - not just getting people to the ground, but getting the ball out. I thought they showed a great deal of physicality."
- Defensive line coach Chris Wilson was impressed with the performance of his unit in the second scrimmage of Fall Camp, specifically with its improvement within the last week. "They care about each other," Wilson remarked. "You've got a bunch of good men on this team, good teammates. They're starting to understand what a good teammate looks like so that's been fun to watch. We've just got to keep improving."
- One member of the defensive line that stood out particularly throughout camp is redshirt senior Greg Townsend Jr. who broke through the offensive line several times in Saturday's scrimmage. "Greg has been very explosive," Sarkisian said. "What I like about Greg is he's different than some of our other defensive tackles. We have a lot of big guys who are physical guys and strong guys. Greg's got more quickness, he's got more suddenness, he's got more pass rush ability than some of our other guys. He's been disruptive all camp long and today was no different."
- Junior linebacker Michael Hutchings also played a role in the defense's dominant effort, snagging an interception off of a Max Browne pass and running it back inside the 10. Hutchings applauded the hard work of the team's pass rushers for contributing to plays like that. "Our pass rushers have been killing it on the edge. There hasn't been one slacker in our room," the junior said. "Coach Sirmon has stated multiple times how everyone is competitive. Everybody's fighting to play."
- Despite the defense's strong day, Sarkisian was not impressed with the performance of his unit on the other side of the ball. "I was disappointed offensively in our execution," the head coach explained. "I thought we would be better up front. We've been really good the last three days, but for whatever reason today we just weren't. We have to find a way as an offense, when things don't go great in the first or second quarter of a game, to regroup, and play good football in the second half. That didn't happen today, so it was a good learning lesson for us."
- One spark for the offense was the speedy performance of freshman running back Dominic Davis who returned a kickoff for a touchdown, ran for a touchdown and had a handful of flashy plays. "This scrimmage to me was about finding out who's going to play when it's time to play," said Sarkisian. "I think No. 16 showed up and said, 'I'm capable of playing football here at USC'. Dom is an electric guy. When he gets to the edge he can create plays with his legs, with his speed. I like him because he's tough, he gets his nose in there."
- A particular area of improvement that the head coach is looking to see after Saturday's scrimmage is the offensive line play, something that can take time to develop fully as the unit requires extra cohesion. "There's a lot of communication that takes place, there's a lot of trust that takes place," Sarkisian said. "That trust factor is critical. I think at the end of the day, it's a unique unit on any team. It takes more than just coming off the ball and beating somebody up. It's doing it together."
- Saturday signaled the official end of Fall Camp as the Trojans begin classes on Monday. With two weeks until USC faces Arkansas State in the Coliseum, Sarkisian feels there's a lot of work that needs to be done. "I wish we had two more [weeks]. We need to get better."
- Specifically within the linebacker corps, Hutchings believes they have the right mindset to accomplish Sarkisian's mission. "We're healthy, we're deep. That's something that's new since I've been here the past two years. We're a super close-knit group," said Hutchings. "I'm pretty confident about what we have to do for the next two weeks of prepping for Arkansas State."
- Here is Sarkisian at the conclusion of Fall Camp...
