Practice moved out to Dedeaux Field (baseball) to give the grass a break on Howard Jones and Brian Kennedy Fields.
- CB Nickell Robey and WR Marqise Lee returned to practice, but wore yellow no-contact jerseys.
- There were three fumbles in practice today including Silas Redd and George Farmer coughing up the pigskin.
- The majority of practice was spent in a no-tackling scrimmage, which provided an opportunity for the offense to shine after the defense had dominated most of camp. "We gave up some explosive plays over our head on defense," Lane Kiffin called it a positive and a negative.
Great photo by John McGillen of D.J. Morgan getting behind the defense on a wheel route, but despite the effort, the ball came loose when it hit the ground.- We don't write much about Matt Barkley's play in practice since you all know what he can do in games. However, it is worth mentioning from time to time how sharp he has become. He hit De'Von Flournoy in a tight window for one of the deep touchdown throws to which Kiffin referred.
- Barkley also lofted a perfect swing pass to Silas Redd who took it in for a score. "It has been great playing for a quarterback that is [that polished]," Redd said. "I have not played a real game with them yet, but I've gotten a sense of how talented Matt is and the receivers are."
- Despite a fumble, Redd really shined today by picking up blocks effectively and working as a receiver out of the backfield. He has had a smile painted on his face for his two weeks at USC. "Life's pretty much good right now," said Redd. He thanked Curtis McNeal for being a "big brother" and welcoming him to the Trojan Family.
- Kiffin screamed Max Tuerk's name in praise after one play today. The freshman left tackle has been impressive in Aundrey Walker's stead. "He's really committed to learning the mental aspect of the game," said senior center Khaled Holmes. "He's got some work to do with his technique, but in terms of the mental aspect, he is pretty far ahead for a freshman."
- Freshman CB Devian Shelton made a great leaping play to breakup what looked like a sure touchdown pass.
- While the secondary was burned on a number of deep passes, senior DB Jawanza Starling made a great read staying home on a trick play for an interception.
- Kiffin has pointed several times to "preseason game two," which is this Sunday at the Coliseum. He is hoping to test his backups under live conditions. "Until you've played, you haven't played," the head coach is fond of saying.
- Here's the rest of what he had to offer...
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