With their sights zeroed in on Oregon State, the Trojans took part in a two-hour full-pads practice session on Tuesday that USC head coach Steve Sarkisian said was somewhat crisper than usual, thanks in large part to the fact that the team is coming off a bye week, which allowed them to hold a more extensive workout on Monday than they typically do.
“We had a good-sized practice for a Monday, which normally we walk-through and just get a lift,” Sarkisian said. “So, we were able to get a little ahead gameplan-wise, which enabled us to be a bit cleaner today, on a Tuesday, than maybe we normally would be. I thought the guys were really efficient, understanding what we’re trying to get accomplished. I thought it was a good, hard, physical practice.”
Coming off a 37-31 upset loss to Boston College, USC quarterback Cody Kessler admitted that after some initial difficulty, the team has moved past the defeat, so that they’re now firmly focused on the task at hand -- which is beating the Beavers.
“It was a tough one, but you have to put it behind you,” Kessler said. “You learn from it, you watch the film, and then after that there’s nothing you can do about it. So, we’ve moved on and I feel like these guys have been working really hard. I think the guys are really excited to get back on the field, and kind of redeem ourselves from the week before, and show that we can play.”
Trojans secondary set to face test
A USC defensive backfield marked by youth, particularly at cornerback, figures to face a stiff challenge from Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion and the Beavers’ potent passing attack -- even with big-play wide receiver Victor Bolden (finger) sidelined. Mannion, who stands 6-foot-5, became OSU’s all-time leader in passing yardage during the team’s 28-7 victory over San Diego State last weekend, and Sarkisian admitted that the Trojans have plenty to prepare for defensively.
“Sean Mannion, I think, is a great player, and he’s been doing it for quite awhile, and he’s in a really good scheme,” Sarkisian said. “Coach [Mike] Riley does a great job with the play-action pass game. They do a really good job with their stack and bunch alignments, and running two-man routes and really forcing your secondary to communicate on the fly. It’s not just the pre-alignment, but also a lot of switch releases, a lot of motions to create stack alignment, to where the secondary really has to work well together. And then they have to be in the right place because he throws such an accurate ball, especially down the field. So, it’ll be a great test for us.”
Jackson to play more?
Freshman Adoree' Jackson saw significant time in the Trojans’ first three games this season, and according to Sarkisian, he’ll likely play even more against the Beavers. The two-way standout has been especially impressive at cornerback in practice as of late, spending more time with the No. 1 group and drawing praise from his head coach -- particularly last Wednesday after he forced two fumbles and also made an interception during one 11-on-11 period.
“I raved about Adoree’ last week, throughout the week, about some of his defensive plays that he was making,” Sarkisian said. “He’s earning more playing time that way, and I would imagine that he’s going to play more than he’s played in the first three ball games.”
Injury update
Leonard Williams (ankle), John Plattenburg (achilles'), Randall Telfer and Greg Townsend Jr. (chickenpox) were all back in action, as was JuJu Smith (ankle) -- who returned late last week but was limited.
Tre Madden (turf toe) did not suit up or participate in practice, but he did work with a trainer on the sideline, looking good as he ran some sprints and cut back and forth between tall bags. "He's much closer to a return," USC head coach Steve Sarkisian said. "I'm really encouraged by what he's been able to do the last few days."
Lamar Dawson was still limited -- taking part in individual drills, but not involved in any of the 11-on-11 periods.
News and notes
Fourth-year junior wide receiver Victor Blackwell was not in attendance, and there are reports that he is upset over playing time and hasn’t been with the team in over a week.
With Williams and Townsend back in action, Chris Wilson’s interior defensive line unit was back to having a solid two-deep. The No. 1 group was Williams at DE, Antwaun Woods at N and Claude Pelon at DT. The No. 2 unit featured Townsend at DE, Cody Temple at N and Delvon Simmons at DT.
With the team, once again, in game-week mode, the No. 1 offensive and defensive groups spent a large portion of time going up against scout teams.