Lincoln Riley and Alex Grinch’s trust in Tackett Curtis finally pays off
The freshman linebacker’s usage over veterans who have looked better in pass coverage has left some scratching their heads, but Curtis had a standout game in the loss to Notre Dame
Luca Evans (OC Register) — LOS ANGELES — By all indications, scout team ball carriers’ participation in defensive drills is rewarded with care. With grace. With non-threatening hits from USC headhunters. At least, from what reporters are allowed to see during the viewing portions of practice; wide receiver Brenden Rice once referred to Tuesday practices as “Bloody Tuesday.”
Regardless, in one Wednesday drill on Sept. 27, linebackers approached and tackled ball carriers as if they were bubble-wrapping pieces of fine china. The focus, of course, seemed more about the path to the ball.
Then freshman Tackett Curtis stepped up, hit an oncoming Raleek Brown, and spun him to the turf.
“Once I can hone in my aggressiveness and make sure I’m in the right spot and play that same way,” Curtis continued, “I feel like that’s (when) I reach … closer to my ceiling.”
Joe Cryer, a high school teammate of Curtis’ at Many High in Louisiana, said Curtis “always had that chip on his shoulder about playing mean.” Just was in his nature, born a little man asking his dad for a pull-up bar and just loving to hit. So mean, in fact, that USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said back in September that in instructing his players to “violently uppercut” the football as a means to force fumbles, he had to preface with Tackett that didn’t mean an uppercut at the opponent’s face.
But after disappearing at times in the middle of the field – Curtis figuring out how to balance instinct with technique – things clicked into place on Saturday night against Notre Dame, when he made eight tackles and several one-on-one stops of Fighting Irish running backs who were trying to hit a hole.
