2018 Spring Practice #9: Notes

With about 1,000 people out on Howard Jones Field, the Trojans had a fun, live-action scrimmage.

DL Brandon Pili was sidelined with a twisted ankle and will be reevaluated next week.

Head coach Clay Helton was talking to new defensive quality control assistant Joe DeForest about the cooperative atmosphere among the team. "[DeForest] said, 'Coach, I've never seen a group that helps each other more or coaches each other more,'" said Helton. "A Marvell Tell or [Ykili Ross] helping a young kid come along. A Porter Gustin helping a Hunter Echols and a Juliano [Falaniko]. That is one of the things that over the last two and a half years that I am so proud of with this team. We preach brotherhood and we preach family where our older brothers help their younger brothers and bring them along."

When asked about safety Talanoa Huganga, Helton said, "Wow. To be, supposedly, still in high school and to make one interception, he came over to me and I said, 'Man, great day' and he said 'Coach, I should have had the other one.'"

Helton thought that the scrimmage was very clean and was mostly impressed with the defensive communication. "When you see those guys and you can probably here them from over here in 7-on-7, anytime we motion, anytime we shift, they're calling out formations, they're calling out motions, they're calling out adjustments and to see that as a Head Coach, it makes you happy," said Helton. "It shows that we have invested three years in a system and the kids get it and they're playing extremely fast with it."

Being more than halfway through spring practice, Helton thinks the defensive is ahead of schedule, "way ahead of schedule. As for the offensive, Helton said, "I am really pleased with the offensive line right now. I think the depth at back is going to be something special. Having Vae and Ced's physicality and a healthy Stephen Carr will be good. The development of our wideouts is going to be important. We have two established wideouts in Michael Pittman Jr. and Tyler Vaughns and we really need that next group to grow up. And obviously we need to progress at quarterback as fast as humanly possible."

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