USC defense taking note of new, physical practice style
New Trojans defensive coordinator Todd Orlando is leaving an early impression on practices
Adam Grosbard (OC Register) — A consistent criticism of the USC defense in recent years was that it wasn’t physical enough. It missed too many tackles. It didn’t practice in a way that prepared it for games.
So when defensive coordinator Todd Orlando was hired in the winter, he promised a new practice style for the Trojans. It took several months for him to get the chance to show his players what he meant, but with fall camp finally here, the defense is seeing the change.
“We really treat practice like it’s a game,” cornerback Chris Steele said Wednesday. “Last year, everything was kinda toned down, but this year our coaches come out with a lot of energy and everybody really competes like it’s a game.”
Fellow corner Olaijah Griffin concurred: “Last year, we weren’t really physical so we didn’t really get the feel of like hitting, even though we know how to hit and be physical. But now just getting the feel of the physicality and practice going against each other, it’s just helping us.”
It’s been a welcome change for USC, especially after a long quarantine kept the team away from football activities for months. And it was a change the players were anticipating coming into fall camp, just based off the personalities of the new defensive staff.
“With Coach T.O. coming in, with the new staff coming in, they kind of brought that new mindset. Run through somebody’s face every single play,” Steele said. “Just the way they talked to us before we got in pads, I knew it would be physical throughout camp.”
Despite that understanding, there’s still a feeling-out period with the new coaches. Cornerbacks coach Donte Williams said the units are still going through the bonding process of becoming “family” with the coaching staff.
But through two weeks of camp, Williams says he’s learning about his players already. He can see the pride with which they play the game, an asset he says corners need given the nature of their position.
“You can play 99 perfect plays and on Play 100 you give up a pass, that’s all everyone remembers,” said Williams, hired away from Oregon this offseason. “So when you’re prideful, you never want to do anything wrong or make a mistake because everyone is looking at you.”
Williams plans to rotate through his corners and says no starting job is guaranteed. Players can earn more playing time based on their performance in practice that week, which he believes keeps competition fierce.
And the players themselves have enjoyed competing at full speed with their teammates. Griffin and Steele said they enjoy going up against Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tyler Vaughns at practice, and have been impressed with young receivers Bru McCoy and Gary Bryant, though the latter has been sidelined recently with an injury.
And the corners have been impressed with quarterback Kedon Slovis in camp.
“He’s really an NFL quarterback playing college football right now,” Griffin said. “Because there will be plays where I’ll make a good play, break on the ball, and he just fits it in a spot where I just can’t reach even if I’m doing everything correctly.”
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USCTrojans.com — Salute To Troy, USC football’s annual kickoff event for fans, will be held virtually this season on Friday, Oct. 30, at 5 p.m. PT. Fans are welcome to view Salute To Troy free online by registering HERE. USC head coach Clay Helton and his staff will introduce the 2020 Trojan players. The event also will feature appearances by the Spirit of Troy, Song Girls, Spirit Leaders and Traveler as well as celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1970 USC team and 25th anniversary of the 1995 Trojans. USC opens its 2020 season in the Coliseum on Nov. 7 against Arizona State.… Read more »
Sam Darnold will be the Jets QB on Sunday, when hosting the division-leading Bills “barring any setbacks”, this Sunday according to HC Adam Gase.
If there are no setbacks, “We’ll roll,” Gase said.
Amazing NFL football stat: The Las Vegas Raiders have had one single winning season in 18 years (12-4 in 2016 lost in Wild Card game). Just hard for me to believe.
Clay Helton — “The practices have been extremely physical, extremely competitive. The kids have brought unbelievable energy to the park every day and I think it really has started with the coordinators.
“I’ve got two guys that are probably the two most competitive souls I’ve ever been associated with in Graham Harrell and TO (Todd Orlando). They’ve made it fun.
“We’ve been very fortunate. We have been in pads every day. It has been physical, but we’ve only suffered bumps and bruises. No major injuries. Knock on wood. Hopefully, that will continue…”
Clay needs to walk the talk. I don’t think he knows what physical is even if it’s staring him in the face! The guy is a good cheerleader for USC, but a horrible Head Coach. I SMH every year he continues on in his role.
Typical Clay. He refused to run this type of practice for four years and now loves them!
Clay has zero credibility. I just wonder how he is viewed in Heritage Hall. Does everyone just roll their eyes when he walks down the hall?
i cant figure out whether Clay could actually come out of this looking like the hero if SC wins the Pac-12, or whether everyone gives full credit to Bohn.
Yahoo Sports —
USA TODAY and Erick Smith has the USC Trojans playing in the Alamo Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners in their bowl projections. USC is obviously hoping that it could meet Oklahoma in a New Year’s Six bowl instead of the Alamo. Smith puts Oregon in the Sugar Bowl against Clemson while Alabama faces Ohio State in the Rose Bowl
Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — USC coach Clay Helton won’t name an official starting offensive line until just before the Trojans’ opener against Arizona State on Nov. 7. But on Thursday, he stopped just short of confirming the five who will comprise the team’s previously uncertain front. Offensive tackles Alijah Vera-Tucker and Jalen McKenzie, as well as center Brett Neilon, were all but guaranteed to be a part of that final line. The three have a combined 39 starts and were entrenched on the Trojans’ line at this time last year as well. But over the first two weeks of camp, Liam Jimmons… Read more »
Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program was meant to help those unable to work because of the novel coronavirus, so Munir McClain assumed that he would qualify. The USC receiver, like so many other college athletes, had spent the previous few months stuck at home, unable to play or practice. The income he earned reselling high-end sneakers, which sometimes yielded up to $1,000 a pair, had slowed during the pandemic, and money was tight. So he filed for PUA, which in California promised a minimum benefit of $767 per week. Months later, the state accepted his claim, and McClain pocketed the money, with… Read more »
The 2020 Holiday Bowl has been cancelled due California Covid restrictions and so has the Hawaii Bowl, the Bahamas Bowl and the RedBox Bowl.
I’m kinda glad that USC won’t be able to play in the Holiday Bowl again. ✌
So “soft practices” the past years were the reason for SC under-performing. And all along I thought it was the lack of talent up-front. Silly me.
USC lost many games during the past years for numerous reasons. Poor practice habits and management is just one of the more heavily publicized ones.
We are getting closer to the rubber meets the road. Everything has been talk, talk, talk. This sure seems like eternity for USC football to get started. If these assistant coaches can coach as well as they can talk and CH stays out of the way, we could run the table. Not that we will, but Bohn’s job when the season starts is to make sure CH isn’t getting in the way. Again, as I always say, the whole season is going to depend on performance of the O line.
I just listened to a great interview on WeareSC.com. It was of Kevin Bruce. It is long (about an hour and a half) but well worth the listen. In it, I discovered that Bruce and I attended the same high school – St. Francis (La Canada). Obviously, I predate Bruce. He started SC after I had finished Law School. From listening to him, it is obvious that some young males just need football to mature. Bruce was one of those kids. Very impressive person.
How about very briefly telling us all the five major bullet points you took away from Bruce’s interview?
You’d be saving us all an incredible amount of time and we’d be giving WeAreSC.com some well-deserved credit for such.
I will do it tomorrow
Quick summary five points summary: Best player he played with: Richard “Batman” Woods. The defense called themselves the “brothers with the other” (and you know who the “other was”). Best game: he loved the 1974 ND come back game. He explained what happened at half in the SC locker room and the ND locker room. He also loved playing tOSU in the Rose Bowl. (Played three times: SC 2, tOSU 1) Best opponent: Chuck Muncey at Cal (Bruce said was about 240 lbs and could high jump 6’11”) and Archie Griffin at tOSU. He said Griffin was difficult because he… Read more »
Thanks RJJ. Great update from WeAreSC.com.
Interesting story on how Alabama flew Saban’s 3rd Wuhan test to Mobile in their own private jet. Think USC would do that for Helton? Probably Folt would make them forfeit.
Let’s face it. When it comes to football, ALA just doesn’t mess around. As a result, they win constantly and beat USC by 50 points just four years ago.
I hate to say it, but I don’t believe USC would have come close to beating ‘Bama in the first game this season and yet another walloping very likely could have set USC back, yet again.
I don’t think USC is near ready for prime time yet, but at least Mike Bohn has the program headed in the right direction. I think that much is obvious. ✌
Totally agree. It was worth the truncated season to lose the AL game. It would have set back SC another 5 years. My only hope is that Bohn is bright enough to realize that Clay is simply not HC material (which I think Bohn clearly is – I believe most of the new staff is via Bohn not Clay) and that he can convince Folt that it is to her political advantage to remove Clay and replace him with an elite level coach.
Things have actually worked out very well for USC. We have the easiest Pac-12 schedule of the contenders and ORE has lost a lot more players to opt-out.
There’s no excuses for this USC team to not win the weak sister Pac-12 in 2020. I’m sure Helton will come up with some if necessary, however.
The problem is, winning the Pac-12 guarantees Helton is here through the end of his contract (is that 2022, or 2023?). Tough times at Ole’ SC!
Is Bohn the head coach now? Did i just wake up from a long nap or something?
Bohn may as well be the Trojan head coach. He’s calling all the shots, not Gentleman Clay, who serves at the pleasure of Bohn and now has an OC and a DC who bring in systems and cultures totally opposite Clay’s.
I agree 100%. If not for Bohn I think we would just fade away into mediocrity. The leadership at USC just doesn’t care and it’s obvious.
Another USC loss, this one on the DL:
Alicia de Artola (ReignofTroy.com) — USC football won’t have Trevor Trout (6-4, 315) available on the defensive line in 2020, with the rest of his football career in doubt because of an injury.
On Thursday, Clay Helton revealed the redshirt soph will miss the 2020 season because of a back injury. Worse still, his future in football is in doubt and Helton also hinted that Trout may be on his way towards a medical retirement…
A tale of two takes. Mike Bohn loves these comments, Clay? Not so much. Mike addresses our immediate needs while being hamstrung to topple largest domino. That domino is now hearing his own players say practices were “toned down”, or soft for all paying attention. it has to be awkward for him right now.
Chris, as I recall, Allen nailed this some time ago. He wrote that Clay is not a leader. What we are most likely seeing is a reflection of that trait. Thus, under that view, in the past, practice philosophy was set by Clancy Pedergast and John Baxter, with Clay simply going along. Now that culture and practice philosophy is being set by Orlando and his staff. Clay is a relationship guy, not a leader. His goal is to establish and develop relationship, not win football games. Orlando just wants to win football games. Odd isn’t it? We have a HC… Read more »
@Chris It was great to hear some of USC’s players lay the wood to Clay Helton’s soft practice routine.
From the moment I first heard impressive Todd Orlando speak as USC’s DC, it was my impression a new hitting philosophy at USC was now in place. I know talk is just talk, but now USC’s players are backing it up!
Yeah, Chris…. Well it’s been mighty awkward for me down here in SEC-land putting up with all the jokes about the lack of quality about my alma mater’s football team. Just a few years ago, with Pete Carroll, I could say that the SEC was overrated ’cause no one wanted to go out of conference to play the Trojans after we snuffed out Auburn 2 years in a row. Thanks Uncle Hugs–glad you feel…awkward!
Pete Carroll suddenly bolted USC after the 2009 season, a whopping 11 years and three head coaches ago.
USC’s been in NCAA-induced football hell ever since. It’s been a long, bad slide that has already lasted way too long.
Without Mike Bohn, I would have absolutely no confidence that USC football would be even capable of improving now.
I think it is safe to say the USC administration, namely the ADs had alot to do with USC football not recovering from the sanctions, even after 11-years. We will never know, had MG been allowed to stay, if USC football would be in the shape it is still in. Say what you want about MB’s arrogance, but no one wanted to win more than he did. I say that even though we know if it wasn’t for assistant AD Gross, would we have even seen PC. But still, PC was hired. It is not known if Folt will pull… Read more »
Arrogance wasn’t Mike Garrett’s only problem. Not by a longshot, regardless of how much of a Trojan to the core he is. Just one reason Mike had to go was because he completely botched handling the NCAA, before, during and after every stage of the NCAA’s decision to pursue and attempt to kill off USC football. Some will argue there was nothing USC could have done to lessen the eventual penalties. I don’t buy that for a second. USC, through Garrett, decided to fully take on the NCAA as an above-the-board, fair-minded antagonist. Big mistake. Garrett always failed to even… Read more »
You & I have had this debate before…. unless there is hard evidence saying otherwise, the NCAA was going to make an example of USC regardless of what MG or anyone from the administration did or said. The sanctions committee was stacked hard with hardliners so envious of USC’s success. At that point in time, NCAA had a bully-ing presence to it and did as it pleased. And no one can say for a fact the penalties would have been lessened if USC had kissed the NCAA’s hand. But due to the outrage of the sanctions given USC and its… Read more »
Garrett was a horribly obtuse manager of the NCAA/Bush problem. A better AD at the USC helm, with a better supporting admin cast than the Pre-Bohn set-up would have cut down USC’s penalties considerably. I like Mike Garrett just fine, even though I know a few people at USC who were “scared” of the guy to be frank. Nobody ever questioned his desire to see USC do very well. Many questioned his obnoxious-at-best effect on some processes and outcomes. He did build the Galen Center on the back of the amazing Pete Carroll success, and I think Garrett deserves enormous… Read more »
100% correct Allen. And then we hire Haden as his replacement, who had been billed, given his 10+ years with NBC Sports, as being very “Media Savvy.” How’d that turn out?
Good Lord — do you think, in general, that our recruitment of key managerial talent needs some serious tweaking? 😪
Boy, sounds a lot like USC in the PC years. Practice with game intensity, compete for your spot each week. CH is not in the same galaxy as PC, but maybe some of this physical toughness attitude will infect him. Coach O replaced by Coach TO?
I was thinking the very same thing reading the above. What I also want to see is Orlando making defensive adjustments during the game when it needs to happen.
Great to hear from the players about physical practices. The past is hopefully past and even though we still carry CH, the team seems to be moving in a new direction, the culture is changing and the players are enthused about it. To me that really speaks for the new assistant coaches. Now they need to learn how to win, and then that old USC swagger will return.
Why do I have a picture in my head of Helton walking around the practice fields looking for somebody to hug?
He has already jumped on the bandwagon saying how great these physical practices are.
How often in the past 2 or 3 seasons has USC raced out to a lead only to see it get chipped away late in games and the D needing a last drive stop for the win? Hopefully Orlando is the guy to motivate the defense (and the offense) to play hard for 60 minutes.
Sounds like SC is going to be a much better team this year. Unlike prior years when we were promised that they were going to change and practice harder (and exactly the opposite happened), this year looks like the real deal. And tough physical practices will also toughen up the O.