College Football 2011: USC Spring Report Card
Typically, spring practice is when college football programs begin to craft their identities and plan for fall and the ensuing season.
This is when questions regarding depth and strengths (along with weaknesses) are raised and coaching plans are laid out to address these issues prior to the start of the regular-season schedule.
But this isn't a typical year for USC, and this certainly isn't a normal spring for Lane Kiffin and his coaching staff.
Faced with obstacles not normally encountered, Kiffin and company have had to make do in attempting to prepare the Trojans for the 2011 season.
Despite the adversity, the Trojans have soldiered on, and some holes have been filled by players who have stepped up.
However, other questions remain unanswered, and will remain so until fall practice arrives.
So how have the Trojans fared in spring practice?
Lets find out.
No. 1: Coaching
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As stated before, Lane Kiffin and the USC coaching staff have faced some severe challenges this spring.
With 19 players unavailable at the start of practice due to injuries, the coaching staff has had to cobble together units that may not have played together except in this unique situation.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the offensive line, where the Trojans started practice with only six healthy linemen.
Nonetheless, Kiffin and his assistants have done a nice job of making do with what they have, and this has allowed them to find some talent that may not have been evident prior to the start of practice.
Grade
B
No. 2: Offensive Line
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By far, this is the unit that has faced the most challenges.
With only six healthy linemen at the start of practice, and only one (Matt Kalil) playing his true position, the Trojans had only a makeshift line to protect quarterback Matt Barkley and create holes for the running game.
Of those six linemen, two were brand-new JC transfers—David Garness and Jeremy Galten.
For the first 10 days or so, the inexperience of this patched-together line disrupted any offensive cohesion the coaching staff hoped to establish.
However, for the last week of practice, the offensive line came together and actually did a pretty good job.
Those two JC transfers turned out to be pretty good players, and Galten, who hurt a knee about halfway through practice, came back and did a fine job under trying circumstances.
On effort alone, these guys earned a passing grade.
Grade
C+
No. 3: Quarterbacks
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Because of the problems with the offensive line, the quarterbacks sometimes looked a bit shaky.
For the first half of the session, Matt Barkley could not get comfortable and threw some uncharacteristic picks.
So did probable backup Jesse Scroggins and the two new incoming freshmen, Cody Kessler and Max Wittek.
All in all, there were deep concerns for the offense in the first 10 days of practice.
But toward the end of camp, the offensive line began to do a better job, and Barkley began to find his talented receivers, particularly Robert Woods.
Also, Scroggins distanced himself from the two freshmen and now has apparently secured the backup position entering fall practice.
Both freshmen impressed the coaching staff, and the question of who will redshirt will have to be answered in the fall.
Grade
B
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No. 4: Receivers
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When the 2011 season starts, the receiving corps will be the Trojans' strength.
That was not so, however, during the spring.
With George Farmer Jr. and Victor Blackwell, two heralded freshmen, not due to arrive until the fall, and others such as Kyle Prater (injury) and Markeith Ambles (disciplinary problems) unavailable, this unit had issues from the start.
That isn't to say that there weren't bright spots, however.
Robert Woods, quite possibly the finest receiver in the country, showed why he is so highly regarded despite only playing at about 70 percent of his full strength.
And Brandon Carswell, mired deep on the Trojans bench, has emerged to push for playing time in the fall and beyond.
Grade
C+
No. 5: Running Backs
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This is another unit that was hampered by the early camp problems of the offensive line.
Inconsistent blocking meant that runners would have to fight for every bit of daylight available rather than just running free.
Coupled with an early injury to Marc Tyler, the Trojans' best big back, this meant that the running game wasn't in a great position to reveal its strengths.
That isn't to say that spring was a waste of time for the running backs.
Marc Tyler returned and did some nice things, and Curtis McNeal had some real good moments, too.
But the real running-back star of camp was D.J. Morgan.
Morgan, who had to redshirt last year while recovering from a knee injury, showed why he was one of the most coveted running backs coming out of high school.
Smooth and fast, Morgan will be heard from in the fall and beyond.
Also, Soma Vainuku, who will take over for the departed Stanley Havili, had a real nice camp.
One player who failed to distinguish himself in the spring was Dillon Baxter, but he at least stayed out of trouble.
Grade
B
No. 6: Defensive Line
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At the beginning of spring practice, while the offensive line was struggling, this unit was dominant.
Slowed by defensive tackles DaJohn Harris and George Uko, the offense struggled to get anything in the way of positive yardage.
The defensive ends, especially Nick Perry, also dominated in the early going.
However, about halfway through, the offensive line began to gel and the defense had to work a lot harder to have its way.
The Trojans will benefit in the fall when some heralded freshmen, such as Greg Townsend, Christian Heywood and Antwaun Woods, arrive.
Also, a healthy Armond Armstead is expected to be back.
In the meantime, a spotty effort this spring against a beleaguered offensive line only earns this unit a slightly better than passing grade.
Grade
C+
No. 7: Linebackers
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Another unit that has a lot of question marks attached to it is the linebacking corps.
After a disappointing 2010 season when the Trojan linebackers underperformed (to say the least), this unit will enter 2011 with two new starters.
And many more questions.
We know that Devon Kennard and Chris Galippo will start, but it is anyone's guess as to who starts with them.
Unfortunately, these questions were not answered in the spring.
No one really stepped up and grabbed the other linebacker spot, so that means it won't be until fall that this question will even come close to being answered.
Fortunately, help is on its way with a trio of talented linebackers, Lamar Dawson, Tre Madden and Anthony Sarao, all due in the fall.
Grade
C
No. 8: Defensive Backs
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Along with the receivers, this unit is one of the Trojans' strengths.
With two positions already locked in (Nickell Robey at cornerback and T.J. McDonald at safety), the coaching staff looked for players who wanted the other two starting positions.
They weren't disappointed.
In fact, now the coaches have to sift through a bevy of players whose inspired play in the spring earned them serious consideration for the fall.
Tony Burnett, the former walk-on, has apparently taken the lead for the cornerback spot opposite Robey, and Demetrius Wright will probably enter fall practice with a slight lead to play alongside McDonald.
However, other players, such as cornerback Anthony Brown and safety Patrick Hall, had real nice springs and will be heard from later.
The defensive backs had a real nice spring overall.
Grade
A
No. 9: Special Teams
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One of the big questions to be answered for 2011 is: How will the kicking game perform?
With the disappointment of last year's poor field-goal kicking behind them, the Trojans will be looking to true freshman Andre Heidari to deliver a steady foot in 2011.
So far, he hasn't disappointed.
Heidari has consistently kicked 50-plus-yard field goals this spring and sent the majority of his kickoffs into the end zone.
Heidari's booming leg will ease much of Kiffin's angst when drives stall inside enemy territory.
Meanwhile, Robert Woods, despite not being 100 percent, has been a terror on kickoff returns.
Defensively, the Trojans have covered well and will continue to improve in the fall.
Overall, this unit has done very well.
Grade
A-
Conclusion
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The team the Trojans broke spring camp with will look much different in the fall.
At that time, they will welcome back the 19 injured players missing from spring and over 20 new incoming freshmen.
Who will step in at fall camp and how much they will contribute is very much in doubt, but suffice to say, Lane Kiffin and his staff will feel much better about things with the additional players.
In the meantime, spring camp did allow the coaching staff to learn some new things and formulate plans for later this year.
Although this early camp didn't provide all of the answers needed, it did offer a starting point and a position from which the Trojans hope to provide final answers for the upcoming season.
Only time will tell how well those answers translate into wins and losses for the 2011 season, but USC fans hope that spring is just a starting point for a big Trojans season in the fall.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
