University Southern California Trojans
2019 Stanford Tuesday: Notes
September 03, 2019 | Football, USC Ripsit Blog, Features
Click the play button above to watch USC true freshman QB Kedon Slovis address the media ahead of his first career start.
The Trojans are preparing for their Week 2 game against Stanford with true freshman QB Kedon Slovis at the helm.
- USC head coach Clay Helton expressed his sadness about QB JT Daniels' season-ending injury (ACL and meniscus tear). "I feel bad for JT," Helton said. "He put so much into this offseason with his body and his leadership. And you saw what he was doing in that game. He was being special."
- While Helton acknowledged what a huge blow Daniels' injury was to the team, he found a silver lining on Saturday. "I saw a team that really fought through adversity, which really made me happy," Helton said. "As bad as the situation was, our team fought through adversity and they found a way to win the game. It's 17-13 at halftime and you're going in there with a freshman quarterback ... and you come out and win the game, that's great. And it gave him experience."
- Daniels attended Tuesday's practice in a motorized power scooter and spoke to reporters afterward. The sophomore was complimentary of Slovis, who will replace him as the starting QB this weekend. "He listens to coaching well," Daniels said. "He likes to get better ... I don't think the moment will be so big for him. I think he will trust his coaching. I think he will work very hard and prepare himself for this Saturday."
- Despite his youth, Slovis is showing maturity in his attitude approaching Saturday's game. "Football is just the same game I've been playing forever," Slovis said. "Nothing really changes."
- While Slovis is approaching Saturday with an even keel, he said his parents are having a harder time containing their excitement. "They're excited for me, as always," Slovis said. "I'm sure Mom's a little worried, but that's to be expected."
- USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell is also excited to see Slovis take the field on Saturday. "Throwing the ball, he's extremely talented," Harrell said. "He can make any throw out there ... With him, we just have to do our best to help him make the right decisions every time. If he does that, he's going to be a fun kid to watch."
- In addition to a talented passer, Harrell described Slovis as "young, "smiley," "talkative" and "upbeat."
- Harrell said he would let Slovis air it out on Saturday just like he's have Daniels do if he were out there. "[The game plan] will change based on the opponent, but not based on our personnel," he explained.
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