USC Football: 10 Things to Expect from the Spring Game

The USC Trojans have been sweating it out long enough and it's about that time to showcase what they've improved on throughout those spring practices. The spring game will take place on April 14 and is a chance for every player to prove themselves in a game-like atmosphere.

The spring game is just a warmup for the team to see what they need to work on and where their strengths lie. It's also a chance for players at the bottom of the depth chart to improve their ranking. Overall, it should be very beneficial for everybody and answer a few questions for head coach Lane Kiffin and company.

Here are 10 things to expect for the USC Trojans spring game.

A Banged-Up Offense

USC has one of the top offenses in the country on paper, but the spring game may not show that much due to a ton of injuries on that side of the ball. Wide receiver Robert Woods has suffered back issues, George Farmer has hamstring problems, tight end Junior Pomee has an injured foot and another tight end in Christian Thomas has an injured hip.

Those are just a few of the issues they've suffered on the offensive side of the ball, as there are many other players that won't participate in the spring game due to being banged up.

Good news is that they're all expected to be fine by the time the fall rolls around, but don't expect a star-studded offense to put up a ton of points until September.

No Replacement for Tre Madden to Be Discovered Just Yet

Probably the biggest injury of the year for the Trojans was to running back Tre Madden, who recently suffered a knee injury and will miss the entire 2012 season. Madden is a sophomore running back who was having one of the best spring performances and was going to be a huge part of the Trojans offense this season.

Although the Trojans do still have talented runners in Curtis McNeal and D.J. Morgan, they need depth beyond just those two runners.

Expect that to be one of the last things on the coaches' minds, as they aren't thinking about trying to replace one of their most talented players right now. The Trojans are extremely limited at the position and don't see a serious replacement as of yet.

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"[Madden's] probably one of the most valuable guys on our team as of last week," head coach Lane Kiffin said, "because we have a lot of great players, but sometimes we have some guys that are similar to them and we don't have anybody like [Madden], nor do we have anybody coming in like him.

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Demetrius Wright to Continue to Push for the Starting Position

Demetrius Wright is a former 4-star recruit from the 2010 class, but has yet to really stand out in his first two seasons as a Trojan. He's had a hard time staying healthy and finished last season with only 13 tackles and 0.5 sacks. Wright seems to be in a lot better shape this season and may be pushing for a starting position at strong safety.

"Things are going good," Wright said via ESPN. "I feel faster and stronger this year."

Wright has spent a lot of the spring running with the first-team defense and will compete with senior Jawanza Starling for the starting position. Wright has great speed for somebody his size and is great in coverage.

Tony Burnett to Switch Nicely at His New Position

Tony Burnett is an athletic player who played safety last season, but is switching to outside linebacker in the spring. He's a very physical player who should fit in well considering he's a tackle machine and already got an interception in one of the scrimmages off of quarterback Cody Kessler.

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“It’s basically just an extra safety with a little more flexibility to cover slots, so I’ve just got to remain physical like I am,” Burnett said. “[I need to] be a good tackler, and being able to drop into zone coverage is something new for me, but I can do that.”

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Expect this move to pay off for the Trojans as they try to improve that defense to championship caliber.

Aundrey Walker Will Prove He Deserves to Protect the Blind Side

It was a battle between Aundrey Walker and Kevin Graf to protect Matt Barkley's blind side, but it appears that Walker has won the competition already.

"He just fits better over there," Kiffin said. "His length and his size, when you look at left tackles that's what they look like."

Walker is a former 4-star recruit from the 2011 class and nearly started at left guard his true freshman year. His huge size alone should allow him to become a decent left tackle, at the very least.

I expect him to handle the position well and become a nice fit along the offensive line.

T.J. McDonald to Take His Game to the Next Level

Free safety T.J. McDonald had a solid season last year, finishing with three interceptions and third on the team in tackles with 67.

There's no question that he is one of the better players on this defense, but he wants to see the USC defense take that next step. This is a defense that only forced 17 turnovers last season, which simply isn't going to get the job done.

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"I want to take my game from being a playmaker to a game-changer type of player," McDonald said. "I feel like there is a lot I can improve on. There is a lot of stuff left out there that I want to get better at. And as a defense as a whole, we haven't put up great numbers. As far as the score and wins and losses go, we did a better job. But we need to get more turnovers. We need to stop the pass better. I want to be the captain of the defense and be able to fix that."

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There's no better way than to back those words up in the spring game and show the people that you're ready to take that next step.

The Quarterback Battle to Continue

We all know USC is settled at the quarterback position with Matt Barkley, but who's the backup going to be? That's a battle that will come down to either Cody Kessler or Max Wittek and right now, they've both been playing well enough that a decision won't be made anytime soon.

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“I’d be very comfortable with both of them,” Kiffin said. “I think they’re both doing a great job. Neither of them has gone beyond the other one to know who the No. 2 is yet, but I think both of them would play really well.”

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In spring, there are issues that simply won't have an answer just yet; this appears to be one of them.

Greg Townsend to Make an Impact on the Line

Greg Townsend was recruited as a defensive end, moved to defensive tackle and now is expected to go back to his original position.

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"Yeah it was one of those things with all those experiments that we were doing we decided to get him outside after moving him inside. We decided we're going to leave him outside and not move him too much and he's getting better each practice. He's getting more used to it," Lane Kiffin said to the media (via Scout.com).

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Regardless of where Townsend ends up, you can expect him to make a huge impact on the defensive line in the spring game and this season. He's a very athletic player with huge size and can disrupt plays in the backfield in a hurry.

He'll be a impact player regardless of where he ends up this season.

George Uko Will Do the Same

Regardless of where Townsend ends up, George Uko is one of the starters at defensive tackle. He will have the huge task of replacing the two that left during the offseason.

As a true freshman last year, Uko saw limited action, but finished the year with 18 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Expect to see a much bigger role for him this season.

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"He had a dominant practice off the film Tuesday. He’s doing a great job. … Very powerful, very quick. He’s a perfect 3-technique. He’s powerful, he’s quick, he’s explosive, he can run long, he can play the run, he can rush the passer. The sky’s the limit for him," Lane Kiffin said (via Scout.com).

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Uko is only entering his sophomore season, so there will be a few growing pains he'll need to overcome, but as a prospect, he's one of those players that really jumps out on the screen. Expect him to be a difference maker this year and make an impact in the spring game.

Expect a Sub-Par Spring Game

The fact that we know what the Trojans are capable of and with them being a veteran team, I don't expect the starters to see much playing time in this game. With all of the injuries piling up, makes this a spring game that likely won't be very entertaining or answer many questions.

Overall, things are not going well for the Trojans early on and it's safe to believe that we'll find out more about this team when the fall takes place. We know USC is a championship-caliber team, but we'll start seeing just how good they are as we get closer to September, not when they're banged up.