Tuesday practice report: Breakdown
August, 24, 2010
8/24/10
9:09
PM PT
By Pedro Moura | ESPNLosAngeles.com
Notes, quotes and video from Tuesday's practice:
***
Kiffin spoke to the media after Tuesday's practice and addressed a number of in-season issues.
Hear what he had to say:
***
Aside from breaking the scholarship news, Barkley also spoke on his expectations for the team at this point in its preparation for the season opener.
"My expectation is always to be perfect," he said. "That might seem high to a lot of people, but I believe that we're capable of doing that. I'm proud of the young guys who have stepped up and really got a lot of playing time. They seem to know what they're doing -- still struggling here and there -- but we're almost there."
Hear what else the 19-year-old Barkley had to say in a video taken after Tuesday's practice:
- Junior linebacker Ross Cumming and senior kicker Joe Houston were awarded scholarships Tuesday, bringing the total of walk-ons awarded scholarships by Lane Kiffin to three during fall camp. Interestingly, quarterback Matt Barkley was the first to announce the news -- just as he was via Twitter when offensive lineman Abe Markowitz earned a scholarship at the start of camp. We'll have more later on those who earned scholarships.
- Injury report: Redshirt junior defensive tackle DaJohn Harris left the practice field limping and sat out the second half of practice with what Kiffin said was a right foot injury. Left guard Butch Lewis is still not completely healthy but did increase his workload during Tuesday's practice after first returning from a groin injury Monday. Cornerback Shareece Wright was limited because of a sore right hip but seemed confident after practice that he would return at full strength Wednesday.
- Assistant head coach Monte Kiffin, on the injury situation and how it affects the Trojans' defenive plans against Hawaii: "We stayed away from injuries so far because we didn't do a lot of physical scrimmaging the last couple weeks and especially last week -- and we won't this week -- so consequently, if you're not tackling, this offense can make you look silly. The thing they do is they spread you out."
- With freshman Jesse Scroggins unable to practice because of eligibility issues and Mitch Mustain unable to finish practice because of a sore rib, Kiffin said -- not jokingly -- that Dillon Baxter would be the team's emergency quarterback if Barkley and Mustain were to go down during a game week.
- On Baxter, Kiffin also officially announced the freshman will not be making the trip to Hawaii with the rest of the Trojans and will instead stay at school and focus on his academics. Scroggins and defensive back Demetrius Wright -- who both are held out of practice while the NCAA rules on their eligibility -- cannot begin to attend classes until their situations are resolved. The deadline for them to enroll in classes and thus participate in practice would be Sept. 10 -- the university's add-drop deadline.
- Kiffin said the team has not yet decided on its captains for the 2010 season but will do so later this week. The reasoning behind that, he said, is because an early vote would have essentially forced the freshmen to vote for the "household names" and not the players they thought would do the best job as a captain. By waiting until now, everybody knows who will be the on- and off-field leaders for the Trojans -- or so the coaching staff hopes.
- Whereas under Pete Carroll the Trojans would spend at least one practice during game weeks working on nearby Cromwell Field's turf when the upcoming game was to be played on turf, the Trojans will not do so under Kiffin. But the kickers and punters will try it out at some point before Hawaii, the coach said.
- Final notes: Thursday's 4 p.m. practice will now be held at the Coliseum, the school announced. The quasi-scrimmage will not be open to the public. ... Saturday and Sunday's 3 p.m. practices have each been moved and will now start at 10:30 a.m. ... Barkley will join the school's official website for a live chat Wednesday at 12:15 p.m.
***
Kiffin spoke to the media after Tuesday's practice and addressed a number of in-season issues.
Hear what he had to say:
***
Aside from breaking the scholarship news, Barkley also spoke on his expectations for the team at this point in its preparation for the season opener.
"My expectation is always to be perfect," he said. "That might seem high to a lot of people, but I believe that we're capable of doing that. I'm proud of the young guys who have stepped up and really got a lot of playing time. They seem to know what they're doing -- still struggling here and there -- but we're almost there."
Hear what else the 19-year-old Barkley had to say in a video taken after Tuesday's practice:
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Mark Saxon
Mark Saxon is a staff writer for ESPNLosAngeles.com. He spent six years at the Orange County Register, and began his career at the Oakland Tribune, where he started an 11-year journey covering Major League Baseball. He has also covered colleges, including USC football and UCLA basketball.
Arash Markazi
Arash Markazi joined ESPNLosAngeles.com as a columnist and writer after five years with Sports Illustrated. Markazi has also written for Slam, King, Vibe and Playboy and is on the board of directors for the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation.
Pedro Moura
Pedro Moura has contributed to ESPNLosAngeles.com since December 2009. He has covered the Trojans since 2008 and also reports on high school sports. Moura is a native Angeleno and a graduate of USC. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/pedromoura.
2011 TEAM LEADERS
| PASSING | ATT | COMP | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Barkley | 446 | 308 | 3528 | 39 |
| RUSHING | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD |
| C. McNeal | 145 | 1005 | 6.9 | 6 |
| M. Tyler | 122 | 568 | 4.7 | 4 |
| RECEIVING | REC | YDS | AVG | TD |
| R. Woods | 111 | 1292 | 11.6 | 15 |
| M. Lee | 73 | 1143 | 15.7 | 11 |
| TEAM | RUSH | PASS | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 162.6 | 294.2 | 456.8 |
| TEAM | PF | PA | MARGIN |
| Scoring | 35.8 | 23.6 | 12.2 |
You must be signed in to post a comment