- The injury report has some new names, but nothing major, so head coach Clay Helton was thankful after a physical practice. Injury report: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (dislocated pinkie finger), S John Plattenburg (concussion), RB Vavae Malepeai (shoulder stinger), DL Rasheem Green (elbow/triceps bruise) and OT Chad Wheeler (plantar fasciitis).
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Noah Jefferson's back is the biggest health issue so far. The Trojans are counting on the sophomore defensive lineman to have a big season, but he is relegated to core training for "a week or so." - Tackling technique was the emphasis tonight as Helton continues to mold the Trojans into a physical team. He appreciates his players "wanting to be physical," but he also said, "You never know until you get to that first game exactly where you're at."
- Offensively, the physical identity is established in the run game. The "Texas Two Step", Ronald Jones II and Aca'Cedric Ware, ran hard tonight, per Helton, who also shouted out Toa Lobendahn and Nico Falah, explaining the luxury of having "two quality centers."
- In the competitive team portion, Helton was impressed by the "fluidity by the offense" moving the ball down the field. QB Max Browne created a highlight by throwing a strike to TE Daniel Imatorbhebhe down the seam for a touchdown.
- However, the defense responded with three out of four stops when the ball was placed at the 10-yard line, which is a huge sign of improvement from spring. "I think the defense stepped up," said OLB Uchenna Nwosu. "I feel like we are finally buying into and picking up on [Clancy Pendergast's] plan."
- On paper at least, the strength of the USC defense is in the secondary. "I think we can be great," S Marvell Tell III said about his unit. "We've just got to keep working, not get complacent. Everybody's got to know their role and do their job and we'll do great."
- Tell is still growing as a player after missing most of last season with a broken collarbone. "Being more aware of the offense, what they're trying to do to us. Knowing the plays with Coach Clancy coming in in the spring," he said about his keys right now. "Going through spring, we had our kind of building, learning, learning, learning. But now we got the installs already, so we've got to go in and play and execute."
- Pendergast is excited about the future of his young safety. "He's gotten better and better every time we've stepped out here. He's a very talented guy and I think his arrow's only going up for a while. I'm glad he's only a sophomore, because he's got a really, really good career ahead of him if he continues to make progress," said the defensive coordinator about Tell. "His skill set is one that they're definitely looking for at the next level."
- When asked which freshman are standing out defensively, Pendergast noted rush ends Oluwole Betiku and Connor Murphy as well as CB Jack Jones.
- The Trojans have a day off tomorrow followed by a scrimmage on Wednesday on Howard Jones Field.
- Here is Helton in the Coliseum:
University Southern California Trojans
2016 Fall Camp #5: Notes
August 01, 2016 | USC Ripsit Blog
2016 Fall Camp #5: Notes
USC suited up in full pads and bused to the Coliseum for the first time this camp.
Monday, July 06
Monday, June 29
Tuesday, June 23
Monday, June 22
