- Head coach Clay Helton referred to the basketball national championship in his press conference today as a great example of practicing and then executing situational plays. "Those special plays can win or lose championships," he told his team.
- ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis was at practice today. He tweeted that he was impressed with Uchenna Nwosu, Marvell Tell III and Iman Marshall on the defensive side of the ball and the quarterbacks and wide receivers offensively. More than anything, he was impressed with Helton and the coaching staff running a "crisp, organized practice" and having "great chemistry with each other and the players."
- Without an experienced or massive defensive line, USC will play to its strengths under Clancy Pendergast. Helton explained that the defense has "to win by playing in the offense's backfield with penetration."
- Nwosu is one of the explosive edge athletes that is expected to thrive in Pendergast's pressure-heavy scheme and cause disruption on the other side of the line of scrimmage. "We're kind of young and this is a new defense for most of us, but we're going to be alright," Nwosu reassured. "We have to keep studying and keep learning. We're all savages on the field."
- If the Trojans do bring a lot of blitzes or an eighth man into the box, the corners will be under a lot of pressure to hold up in man-to-man coverage. "I like the aggressiveness," said Marshall about Pendergast's defense. "He has blitzes coming from everywhere. He's got us in receiver's face, getting physical, making sure we're the aggressors, not being passive."
- Pendergast is willing to live with aggressive mistakes. "We're told if you're going to make mistakes, make them going 110 percent," said Marshall. "They let us be athletes and then emphasize the techniques and the fundamentals."
- While Helton reiterated that he cannot stand the word "talent," especially in regards to USC football. He had to use it to describe his quarterbacks, Max Browne and Sam Darnold. In a recent practice, Darnold completed 94 percent of his passes, according to Helton.
- Here's more from Helton:
