USC Trojans football fans can get their first look at the 2011 team during today’s spring game at the Coliseum (1 p.m. PT). So far, there haven’t been too many surprises over the past three weeks of practice, though the coaches’ assessments might be a little clearer when the depth chart is revealed after the game.
As spring practices come to a close, here’s a look at some of the main storylines from the last few weeks:
- Matt Barkley is still the same Matt Barkley.
Last year, everyone was buzzing about the Trojans’ new and improved Matt Barkley. He lost 20 lbs in the offseason! He’s in better shape! He’s more mobile! He’s more confident and experienced!
He was expected to have a breakout year and become the elite quarterback he was recruited to be. It didn’t happen.
Barkley was good, but he wasn’t great, and he’s been the same way much of this spring. He’s still the best guy the Trojans have – and they’re lucky to have him – but he’s struggled with interceptions and connecting with wide receivers. He’ll certainly continue to be a solid quarterback for USC but for right now, it doesn’t seem like he’s improved as much as the coaches and fans would like to see.
2. There’s still no one locked down at wide receiver opposite Robert Woods.
Heading into spring, Robert Woods was the Trojans’ top wide receiver and the competition for the other starter’s job was wide open.
Robert Woods has looked like the best player on the USC roster all spring, but the Trojans still need another WR to step into the No. 2 role
As spring winds down, Woods is clearly Barkley’s go-to guy, and there’s still no clear frontrunner for the second spot. Five-start recruit George Farmer, who played with Woods in high school, will arrive in August and, like Woods, will almost certainly compete for playing time immediately.
Kyle Prater came in almost neck-and-neck with Woods their freshman year, before an injury in fall camp forced him to redshirt. Prater missed most of spring with a broken foot, could still snag a starting role once healthy. He’s been cleared for drills but will not participate in today’s game.
With Prater out, senior Brandon Carswell and sophomore Markeith Ambles had opportunities to shine, but they failed to take them. Ambles again made headlines off the field, rather than on, as he spent more time running laps for being late than actually practicing.
3. The defense will be better this year.
The defense will be better this year, if only because it would be harder to be worse. The Trojans avoiding tackling in practices most of last year, and they avoided it in games most of last season, too.
Despite the thin roster – the Trojans had a long injury list even before the spring workouts began – coach Lane Kiffin smartly decided that the risk of even more injuries was a fair price to pay to teach the defense to tackle. The Trojans are still missing a lot of their top players, and they’re just not as talented and deep as they’d been in recent years, but expect them to be prepared to hit hard this fall.
4. The kicking unit will be better this year.
Again, only because it couldn’t be much worse. Look, I’m happy Joe Houston got his chance and his scholarship last season, but USC lost two games by last second field goals last season. There’s a big difference between 8-5 and 10-3, and it’s fair to expect freshman kicker Andre Heidari to help the Trojans make that jump. Heidari is an early enrollee, a rare scholarship kicker for USC, and while today’s game will be his first public performance as a Trojan, reports out of spring camp had him making field goals of 50 yards.
Kiffin used one of the Trojans’ valuable scholarships on a kicker (the Trojans also signed a punter who enrolled early) with the hope that he’ll win close games, rather than lose them. It’ll be a relief to have a kicker who doesn’t make USC fans hide their eyes every time he lines up for a field goal; hopefully Heidari can get the job done.
5. No one knows what the NCAA Appeals process will decide about USC’s sanctions.
The general window of time for making those decisions is long gone, and there’s been no indication that the NCAA has any intention of announcing a ruling anytime soon. It’s almost like the NCAA has forgotten about USC, and to be fair (because the NCAA is always fair), there’ve been a lot of other things happening in the world of NCAA violations. The announcement will obviously have to wait for some time after spring camp, but USC is no closer to knowing the status of the appealed sanctions than at the beginning of practices.
Spring practices might be over, but there’s still a lot of USC news to cover, so be sure to check back for updates on the outcome of today’s game and takeaways from the release of the first 2011 depth chart.
