Murphy's Law was in full effect, at least for the weather at today's practice. Cloudy skies gave way to sunshine, which warmed the spectators at Howard Jones Field. Not needing any additional heat were the fired-up players on the field. A few observations through the eyes of RipsIt...
- Practice began again with special teams drills, incorporating a new kick return exercise where blockers went one-on-one while returners caught jugged balls and attempted to scoot past their oncoming defenders.
- Next, the team broke into position drills and spent a solid hour working on fundamentals.
- During seven-on-seven passing drills, Ryan McMahon intercepted a tipped sideline pass and ran it back for a touchdown. On the next play, Byron Moore nabbed another tipped pass in the back of the end zone.
- Head coach Lane Kiffin said that wide receiver Ronald Johnson likely will miss the rest of spring practice because of an elbow injury. He also said that Johnson probably will have minor surgery on his wrist. "It's a surgery similar to what Matt Barkley had," said Kiffin. "He won't be out long." Kiffin also noted that Johnson's absence the rest of spring shouldn't have much of an effect on him because "he's been the star of spring."
- With a shortage of wide receivers (Johnson, Kyle Prater and De'Von Flournoy), David Ausberry moved back out to his familiar position without losing a step (he has been working mainly as a hybrid tight end this spring). He made several nice catches (some as a wideout and some as a tight end), including a sideline over-the-shoulder grab and a sliding catch over the middle, showing his versatility as a big target.
- Brice Butler had a busy day, making several big plays during drills and continuing his electric play in the full squad action.
- There were only 6 offensive linemen at practice (Matt Kalil was nursing an injury), so those remaining on an already-thin line got lots of repetitions. "It's only going to pay off for them," said Kiffin. "I can't imagine any line in the country whose players are working harder and getting more repetitions."
- One of Kiffin's star players last year at Tennessee, safety Eric Berry, was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs as the fifth pick in the NFL Draft. "That's the right spot for him," said Kiffin. "He'll be a great player in the league for a long time and he'll represent with class." Later in the first round, Tennessee defensive tackle Dan Williams was selected 26th overall by the Arizona Cardinals.
- Max Nikias, who recently was named as the successor of USC President Steven Sample, watched practice along with USC athletic director Mike Garrett and Ed Roski, the chairman of USC's Board of Trustees.
- Weber State head coach Ron McBride observed practice. He is the father-in-law of USC associate head coach/special teams coordinator John Baxter.
- Among the former Trojan players who were present at today's practice: Don Gibson, Matt Gee, Brandon Hancock, Mike Salmon, Rigo Diaz, Alex Holmes, Alex Bottom, Bernard Riley and Allan and Derek Graf.
Check back later for a few photos from today's practice.
- Practice began again with special teams drills, incorporating a new kick return exercise where blockers went one-on-one while returners caught jugged balls and attempted to scoot past their oncoming defenders.
- Next, the team broke into position drills and spent a solid hour working on fundamentals.
- During seven-on-seven passing drills, Ryan McMahon intercepted a tipped sideline pass and ran it back for a touchdown. On the next play, Byron Moore nabbed another tipped pass in the back of the end zone.
- Head coach Lane Kiffin said that wide receiver Ronald Johnson likely will miss the rest of spring practice because of an elbow injury. He also said that Johnson probably will have minor surgery on his wrist. "It's a surgery similar to what Matt Barkley had," said Kiffin. "He won't be out long." Kiffin also noted that Johnson's absence the rest of spring shouldn't have much of an effect on him because "he's been the star of spring."
- With a shortage of wide receivers (Johnson, Kyle Prater and De'Von Flournoy), David Ausberry moved back out to his familiar position without losing a step (he has been working mainly as a hybrid tight end this spring). He made several nice catches (some as a wideout and some as a tight end), including a sideline over-the-shoulder grab and a sliding catch over the middle, showing his versatility as a big target.
- Brice Butler had a busy day, making several big plays during drills and continuing his electric play in the full squad action.
- There were only 6 offensive linemen at practice (Matt Kalil was nursing an injury), so those remaining on an already-thin line got lots of repetitions. "It's only going to pay off for them," said Kiffin. "I can't imagine any line in the country whose players are working harder and getting more repetitions."
- One of Kiffin's star players last year at Tennessee, safety Eric Berry, was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs as the fifth pick in the NFL Draft. "That's the right spot for him," said Kiffin. "He'll be a great player in the league for a long time and he'll represent with class." Later in the first round, Tennessee defensive tackle Dan Williams was selected 26th overall by the Arizona Cardinals.
- Max Nikias, who recently was named as the successor of USC President Steven Sample, watched practice along with USC athletic director Mike Garrett and Ed Roski, the chairman of USC's Board of Trustees.
- Weber State head coach Ron McBride observed practice. He is the father-in-law of USC associate head coach/special teams coordinator John Baxter.
- Among the former Trojan players who were present at today's practice: Don Gibson, Matt Gee, Brandon Hancock, Mike Salmon, Rigo Diaz, Alex Holmes, Alex Bottom, Bernard Riley and Allan and Derek Graf.
Check back later for a few photos from today's practice.
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