Take a look at the Trojan offense as USC heads into Spring Practice
By Ben Malcolmson
USCRipsIt
PeteCarroll.com
Of the 11 positions on offense, the Trojans have set-in-stone starters in only two of those.
The other nine jobs?
Hello, competition.
Spring Practice 2008 will feature epic battles at quarterback, tailback, offensive line and wide receiver as the Trojans look to reload and improve on their Rose Bowl-winning squad in 2007.
We give a position-by-position insider’s peek at the Trojan offense going into Spring Practice, getting each position coach’s perspective on four topics: Who and what they lost from 2007, the new faces this spring (players coming off injury or a redshirt season), what competition means to their position group in particular and what they’re most looking forward to in the next 15 practices.
Quarterback
Commentary from offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian
Moving on: John David Booty, Michael McDonald
Fighting on: Mark Sanchez, Mitch Mustain, Aaron Corp
Filling the role of…
John David Booty • “John David had a great grasp of our offense, he was able to get our message across to the team because he was around us so much. Whoever ends up in that quarterback spot, we need someone who has an overall understanding and grasp of the offense and someone who’s an extension of the coaching staff to the team, because when you get in the huddle, the quarterback’s got to be the guy out there. It’s really important to establish that this spring.”
Backup Michael "Magic" McDonald • “What Mike brought was a lot of stability. He brought a calming effect, a guy who knew our offense, a guy who had been around so long. A lot of times, it was almost easier to come from Magic instead of from a coach in terms of getting something done on the field. He was huge. He’s another guy we need to replace, with that calming effect he brought.”
New year, new faces…
Mitch Mustain and Aaron Corp, both coming off redshirt seasons • “The biggest thing we want to get out them is to see how much they grew, not only physically but also mentally, from the time when they arrived last summer through bowl preparation and now having an off-season to meet, lift, run. Now they need to go out and execute our offense. A lot of what Mitch and Aaron did for the Rose Bowl was running our service offense, so the first thing we need to get out of this spring is where they’re at mentally in engineering our offense.”
The meaning of competition to this position…
“What competition should do for all of us is make us better. It should make these three quarterbacks better, not only to compete against one another, but to compete against our defense. The knowledge they gain and the experiences they have, both good and bad, should make them better players. The want-to, because of knowing the other guys at their position and how they prepare, should make them desire to prepare better and become better football players. It’s really no different for me as a coach, knowing the defense I have to go against every day, it’s very challenging, and should make me a better football coach.”
Most excited about…
“I’m excited to see a lot of things, a million things just ran through my head.
“I’m anxious to watch Mark become the guy. It’s always difficult when you’re trying to fight the uphill battle and trying to overtake someone’s job, which he was trying to do with J.D. And now it’s a level playing field, it’s an open competition between Mark, Mitch and Aaron. Mark’s got a great personality and great leadership qualities about him and I’m anxious for those qualities to come out in him, for him to just be himself. I’m anxious to see him to do that because he’s very, very talented.
“I’m also excited to see a lot of our younger guys on the offensive side of the ball dealing with the adversity that you face in spring football. Whether it’s injuries, whether it’s a tough scrimmage against our defense, whether it’s a big hit, whether it’s a quarterback struggling, because that becomes the make-up of your team, the mental toughness side of it, to see how your kids respond to the adversity they face. We have a lot of young guys who got thrown into the fire last year, especially on the O-line and the backfield and I’m anxious to see how they’ve matured and how they can handle it this year.”
Running back
Commentary from running backs coach Todd McNair
Moving on: Chauncey Washington, Desmond Reed
Fighting on: Allen Bradford, C.J. Gable, Adam Goodman, Broderick Green, Stanley Havili, Stafon Johnson, Joe McKnight, Marc Tyler, Alfred Rowe
Filling the role of…
Chauncey Washington • “Chauncey had a big leadership role on the squad. All the rest of the guys came in together, so Chauncey was the leader. There’s not a clear-cut leader as far as experience-wise right now, but Stafon has played a bunch, Joe has played a bunch, C.J. has started, Stanley has started. In that aspect, they’re all leaders. Stanley seems to be the most out-spoken on the field and assumes the leadership position the most.”
New year, new faces…
C.J. Gable, coming off a medical redshirt • “You better watch out with C.J. C.J. did a heck of a job for us when he started as a freshman. He’s healthy now, and C.J. keeps a chip on his shoulder anyway. He’s been sitting out a year watching these boys run around and have fun. Right now, I think he feels like the forgotten man, so watch out.”
Marc Tyler, coming off a redshirt freshman season • “Marc’s a tremendous athlete. Some people had him rated as the No. 1 player in the country when he came out of college. I expect a lot out of him. I expect for him to come and show he’s quite capable to play a great deal. In terms of his ability, he’s a well-rounded kid. Even though he’s a bigger guy, he can catch the ball. He’s going to push the other guys. He’s a very competitive kid and he’s going to come out and prove who he is.”
The meaning of competition to this position…
“I’m the running back coach, we’ve got 25 of them and they’re all good [laughing]. It means everything. In terms of numbers, we might be the deepest position. There’s a lot of running backs and only one ball.”
Most excited about…
“I’m excited all across the board. I’m looking forward to C.J. coming back healthy. Allen Bradford — he seems to be on a mission. He’s going to ball. Joe’s experienced now, he’s put on 20 pounds since he got here, he’s mature and knows things know. Big Broderick, we’re going to give him a good taste. Look for Marc to show what he can do too.”
Wide receiver
Commentary from passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach John Morton
Moving on: Brad Walker
Fighting on: David Ausberry, Brandon Carswell, Garrett Green, Vidal Hazelton, Ronald Johnson, Travon Patterson, Patrick Turner, Damian Williams, Sean Calcagnie, Caleb Nelan, Scott Stephens, Duron Sylvester, Spencer Vigoren
Filling the role of…
Brad Walker, an underappreciated blocking receiver who played in 50 of 52 career games for the Trojans
“He had toughness, he did a lot of blocking for us. He was valuable and reliable, accountable and ran decent routes. That’s a big part we’re losing.”
New year, new faces…
Brandon Carswell and Damian Williams, two players coming off redshirt seasons • “Brandon Carswell, we got to see him on scout team last year, but we’ve got to see what he can do in a game situation. As far as Damian, we didn’t get to look at him much [because of a shoulder injury in the fall], but he’s a smart kid and we know he can do a lot for us. He has a real knack for going up and getting the ball. We’re expecting a lot of things out of those guys.”
The meaning of competition to this position…
“It brings out the best in everybody. They’ve got to bring their A-game everyday because, as I told them, the depth chart isn’t set and you’ve got to come out and play everyday and prove yourself everyday. And that will set the tone for summer camp. When you say something like that to somebody, that there’s no depth chart and that you have an opportunity to make it better for yourself, they’re excited about it. They’ve already been competing in the film room. They’ve been getting after it and they’re looking forward to being out there.”
Most excited about…
“Whatever they’ve learned in the classroom, I want to see them take that out onto the field. I want to see if they can retain the things they’ve learned from film during the off-season and turn it into success on the field.”
Tight end
Commentary from tight ends coach Brennan Carroll
Moving on: Fred Davis, Dale Thompson
Fighting on: Anthony McCoy, Rhett Ellison, Cooper Stephenson, Jimmy Miller
Filling the role of…
Fred Davis and Dale Thompson, two players who played significantly in their four seasons at USC
“That’s eight years of football experience playing for the Trojans. That’s a lot of ball those guys played. We’ve got a lot of talented young men coming in and they’re going to work hard to duplicate the tight ends’ performances from last year.”
New year, new faces…
Rhett Ellison and Jimmy Miller return from redshirt seasons • “Jimmy’s got some good experience, he’s played in a lot of games, scored touchdowns for the Trojans and he’s got a good attitude. Rhett’s a tough kid, works hard and is a no-nonsense guy. He’s going to bring a big-time attitude to the position.”
The meaning of competition to this position…
“It means playing time. The best competitor and the guy who works the hardest in the classroom and on the field, those guys are going to get the most playing time. It’s always wide open. Competition means everything in this program. It’s great because it makes good players better.”
Most excited about…
“Getting back on the field, working with the kids, getting better and getting a good preview for next year.”
Offensive line
Commentary from offensive line coach Pat Ruel
Moving on: Sam Baker, Matt Spanos, Drew Radovich, Chilo Rachal
Fighting on: Jeff Byers, Charles Brown, Martin Coleman, Zack Heberer, Thomas Herring, Nick Howell, Butch Lewis, Matt Meyer, Garrett Nolan, Kris O’Dowd, Alex Parsons, Michael Reardon
Filling the role of…
A leader on the offensive line after losing four starters to the NFL
“You want to wait until after Spring Practice to answer that question. After Spring Practice, we’ll have a better handle on who is assuming the leadership role and who wants it.”
New year, new faces…
Nick Howell, coming off a medical redshirt season • “Nick Howell made a lot of improvement toward the end of last year which gives me hope that he’s about to make a move.”
Martin Coleman, coming off a redshirt freshman season • “Martin Coleman is another guy I’m excited about because he trimmed up and looks really good.”
The meaning of competition to this position…
“More than any other position on this football team, the offensive line is wide open. I’ve got so many young guys, it’s hard to say which ones are going to step up. I have some guys who want to be the starters. The competition’s going to be really good, and because of that, the offensive line will be really good next year. It’s going to be interesting to see how it’ll sort out.”
Most excited about…
“I’ve got good guys lined up at each spot, and now it’s all about who’s going to step up and win the job. What I’m looking forward to the most is who can sustain their desire to be the guy. They all want it right now, but we’re going to find out in the next month whose desire is going to sustain, who’s going to achieve victory. The group is solid top to bottom in terms of character and ability. Now we’re going to find out who the best competitors are.”
• Ben Malcolmson is the Director of Online Media for USCRipsIt/PeteCarroll.com. You can contact him at Ben@PeteCarroll.com.
“Spring Practice Preview: Defense and Special teams” ... coming Thursday.
