USC is hoping to boost tight end targets in passing game
Despite tight ends’ low production in 2019 and the Trojans losing two key players, Helton is encouraged by the group
Adam Grosbard (OCRegister.com) — Last season, tight ends weren’t exactly a major contributor in the passing game for USC.
The Trojans received a total of 15 catches and 145 yards, or just 3.3% of USC’s total receiving yards, from the position in 2019.
“I see them being more prevalent in the pass game,” he said Thursday morning.
USC lost two tight ends over the offseason, dampening optimism that they would play a role in passing situations this year. Daniel Imatorbhebhe transferred to Illinois and 2020 commit Jack Yary never enrolled at the school, opting instead to head north to Washington.
Through the first week of camp, though, Helton has noticed offensive coordinator Graham Harrell utilizing the group in passing situations.
While Erik Krommenhoek and Josh Falo provide veteran presences at tight end, Helton has been pleased with the progress of redshirt freshman Jude Wolfe.
“It was really neat to see Jude get involved and gain some confidence and really made two or three nice plays in the scrimmage [Wednesday] and one for a big score,” Helton said. “It’s been nice to see the playmaking ability of those kids.”
PARENT PETITION
Some USC football parents started a petition asking for permission for Pac-12 parents to attend games in person this season. The conference released a statement Wednesday, saying parents would be allowed to attend so long as state and local health officials permit attendance.
“I hope that we continue to see declining infection rates, and when the city and the state feel like it is time and we are in a safe place, I know they will make the right decision for the community,” he said.
FIRST DAY OF TACKLING
USC had its first day of full-pads practice Wednesday. Helton said he was pleased with the team’s tackling performance and the offense’s ball security during the first day of full contact.
He was also happy with the open-field tackling the linebackers and secondary displayed.
“I was extremely pleased with the scrimmage as far as the DB’s physicality and the ability to get the ball on the ground,” Helton said. “The linebackers, the thing I saw that carried over from [defensive coordinator Todd Orlando’s] drills was just the ability to separate from blocks and make open space tackles.”
INJURY REPORT
Wide receiver Bru McCoy returned to scrimmage situations Wednesday after being limited in the first few practices by a hamstring injury.
“Now he’s been cut loose and really has had some good days back to back, to be honest with you,” Helton said. “Really looking forward to continuing to see his progression.”
Helton added that there have been no new, significant injuries in the first week of camp, adding, “Just bumps and bruises. Nothing that is detrimental to anybody, as far as I see, for missing the first game.”
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I just saw this mentioned on internet >>>>> Either Tampa Bay or LA will have 2 of the 4 major 2020 sports championships after World Series .
Great Game Tonight — and Bellinger is not longer the goat.
And you’re right HOF19 — if they win the World Series, they and the Lakers will have done us all proud. 👍
All my family and friends know I am campaigning (and dreaming ) for Urban Meyer to patrol the USC sidelines in the near future ………..That being said after checking over the updated AP TOP 25 (USC at # 24) I noticed Mr.Luke Fickell’s team(Cinn Bearcats) at # 9 in the AP Poll (as of today )……Mr Fickell is starting to pique my interest ! ……Thoughts anyone ???????
@HOF19 Great question. Succeeding at USC is a lot different than succeeding at CIN, that’s for sure. Some guys coach elite players a lot better than others. Funny thing. But some coaches just have an invisible ceiling and it’s a little bit like a box of chocolates. But I like Fickell. He failed at OHIO ST already and has had the opportunity to reinvent himself and climb back up. I’d probably give him a shot because he seems tough, has been around truly big-time athletes, and is all about business (from the little I have seen of him) — but… Read more »
A family member said to me today he noticed I never give a current critique of Clay Helton . I responded “Do you notice that all I ever talk about is who his replacement will be ……That is my critique of Mr. Helton”…..I was then asked what do you want for SC ?….I responded “To get back to being a year-in-year-out Top 10 program ” (even if it means getting out of Pac-12 ).
And I understand my bar might be set high…..When I was in high school and fell in love with USC Football their head coach was one a Mr. John Harvey McKay !!!!!…..(My #1 favorite all-time SC player played from 1978 to 1981 wore #33) ….Played RB (Would go on to have a disagreement with one Al Davis ).
FIckell’s team is winning on a great defense. If you read about his defense, it sounds alot like Orlando. It is called a multiple defense that switches from 4-3 to 3-4 on the go, where the linebackers are responsible for filling gaps on the run and upping the pressure with blitz packages. Although similar strategies dont mean similar results. I think Fickell would be a great fit, and he is the kind of HC that wouldnt require a huge buyout if he were not successful. There was an article about overpaid coaches and some of these guys have 50 million… Read more »
The case for the USC Trojans — pff.com (Anthony Treash) A PAC-12 team going undefeated and dominating their opponents week in and week out is exactly what the CFP committee’s worst nightmare is — and USC has a good chance of doing just that. Quarterback Kedon Slovis will be looking to build on the incredible true freshman campaign that saw him fall second to only Joe Burrow in accurate-pass rate. He also maneuvered the pocket exceptionally well and made magic on long-developing plays — he even earned a 90.1 PFF passing grade on pass attempts that took longer than 3… Read more »
Allen and Gametv have had an ongoing debate on whether the air raid type O can produce consistent elite level performance, as we have seen from AL or Clemson the last few years. Allen really likes GH and thinks it can; Gametv thinks it works really well against weak teams but cannot produce consistent wins against quality competition. It appears that Gametv may have the edge based on Mike Leach’s performance at Miss St. In the opening game, the Pirate totally smoke Ed O’s LSU Tigers and looked unstoppable. Then the SEC, which has both quality coaches and quality players,… Read more »
Mike Leach’s weirdness and inability to make MISS ST a sudden winner has nothing whatsoever to do with Graham Harrell at USC. These two programs are totally apples and oranges and I’m not buying the Pirate’s consistent failures as indicative of what GH can accomplish at USC, the best program by far in the history of football in the west.
TrojanRJJ – You give me way too much credit (but thanks). I didnt really predict that Leach’s offense would be stopped so easily. Alot of my observations are more about the impact that the air raid has on the overall recruiting efforts and how that impacts the player roster over a long period of time. Because I think that player roster management is critical for long-term success. I have just been mystified by how this year the defensive staff, all new, have far out-recruited the offensive staff that has a year of “success” behind it. How in the world did… Read more »
It doesn’t look like JT Daniels will be beating out GA QB Stetson Bennett anytime soon. Strange how things work out, and change so quickly.
His injury must have really been bad and his mobility impacted. He didn’t have a lot of mobility before the injury, but he definitely could run the offense GA is running. Stetson is ok, but he isn’t a top tier qb.. Feel bad for JT. At least he had one year as a starter.
Stetson had a brutally bad second half. It would be great to see JT get in some meaningful time this season, but I still doubt it.
Agree. I have wondered why Kirby Smart did not get heat for not recognizing that Justin Fields was better than Fromm. I found out tonight that GA blogs and call in shows have called out Kirby a lot.
Totally agree. The announcers said that Stetson had the team behind him. JT was never that type of QB. But, when I saw Stetson miss open receiver after open receiver, I had to wonder. I knew JT would have made those throws. But, Stetson is mobile and JT is not; Stetson is a fiery leader and JT is not.
I really want to see JT get a chance, because he was a good teammate at SC and I felt he got a bad deal. But honestly, he just probably isnt a great QB, because he is not quick-thinking and not mobile. The QB whose tape I really like is Jaxson Dart. The guy can throw a perfect long pass while he is mid-run. And he can take off running if no receivers are open. The one thing I noticed in his film was he didnt seem to be able to get the ball out fast, but Harrell could really… Read more »
GH has been slow giving Slovis the green light to bootleg when he sees some 5-yards open ahead of him. You have to keep the opponent’s D honest as much as you can. You can’t just stay back around the pocket waiting for a sack & injury to happen. With the Trojan OL lame as it is, the QB is it in running the ball when the D is dropping back 7-sometimes even 8, you have to take advantage of that and at the same time give the DC the fear he has to keep more defenders up front.
Dart does look pretty darn good. How that translates to success in college has proven to be an elusive guess. JMHO.
I think JT regrets that season as a starter for USC under CH. All he did was dodge and get clobbered by tacklers. That he went down so early in his second season turned out bad for him but actually good for USC. Slovis is a better QB, especially in handling pressure. USC has the problem of not much to back up Slovis so a lot of pressure should be being applied to the O line.
Poor JT was literally just “bait” in 2018, when USC had the worst performing Trojan team I have ever seen. He was an unpopular trooper I would say. Many Trojan fans just thought Helton had promised him the spot all along. Personally, I think he earned it!
JT had no choice but to leave. And maybe do it even if he hadn’t gotten injured with the numerous times he & Slovis both got knocked around. You look at the offense especially the last 3-years and being a QB you have to realize what you are getting yourself into playing for a HC that has no clue in how important it is to give the QB some protection. And with the Air Raid, you are putting more pressure on the QB. Just insane….
I don’t see Bennett IV relinquishing the starting role unless he sustains an injury. It would be ironic if that happened and JT stepped in, just like Slovis did for JT at USC. I’m always miffed when people bring up JT’s only starting season as a failure and continue to bad-mouth him. With the coaching of Helton and Tee Martin, JT was doomed, especially as a Freshman. What I’ll remember most about JT at USC is him mentoring Kedon Slovis on the sidelines after his devastating injury. IMHO, that’s what being a team player is all about. Whereas I had… Read more »
Bennett was up against quite possibly the No. 1 team in the nation and Nick Saban. I think in the 2nd half, ‘Bama was able to get in his head as the pressure to keep up with the Rolling Tide just became too great, and he started making bad throws. Bennett doesn’t look to me like he’s gonna get beat out by JT, though I’d love to see JT come from behind here and take over. I just don’t see that happening though because of Bennett’s overall skills and leadership ability. It’s so funny how all of Saban’s former assistants… Read more »
You notice Bennett’s passes were low trajectory where Bama’s D-line could easily knock down passes? Bama, being as experienced as it is in playing in big games, just needed to be patient, not turn the ball over too much and wait for the other team to crumble under the pressure. That’s what happened.
GA hung in there for a half and was leading. At halftime, Saban specifically talked on the field about some adjustments that needed to be made once his staff had time to get it together. After that, it was all she wrote. Saban’s team took over again, as usual. Like him or not, Saban’s one of the greatest college coaches who has ever lived, and he easily proved it again yesterday by totally hammering the nation’s #3 team. I think USC was very fortunate to miss the ALA game to kick off the season this year. Saban would have yet… Read more »
Bama-USC would have been ugly alright…. Helton escapes yet again from being totally outclassed. How many times has that happened?
I went back for the 1978 USC vs ALA Football game and stayed in Tuscaloosa with my Glendale HS best friend who was the ALA swim team manager. He was able to get me a ticket in the ALA student section. I was a first year grad student in USC’s MBA Program and felt like a needle in the haystack. Everyone in town, save us USC fans, was crazy for The Tide. Quite a difference from Los Angeles which is so much bigger and occupied by two PAC-12 schools. In that game, Charles White and Paul McDonald cut up the… Read more »
Nice to see the SEC going through their schedule without their annual 4 cupcake games. Seeing So. Carolina take it to Tennessee. Even Auburn is getting beat. Sure doesn’t look like much of a challenge in ACC for Clemson. Perhaps USC has a shot if they can run the table.
Agreed. The SEC is easily better than the PAC 12, but they’re still Collectively overrated. Go 4-0 or 3-1 OOC and mainly against cupcakes and finish at .500 or barely above in a conference and finish in top 20. That’s just how it is every year, except for this year.
Chris, I have always seen the SEC as two things. First of all they are the sports media’s golden child, they can do no wrong and are the almighty most powerful. Secondly, they are cumulatively not near what the polls say they are. Traditionally 2 or 3 strong teams, the rest mediocre at best. I won’t compare them to the pac12, but to me as a conference they have been over rated for years.
Even so, you can’t compare them team for team physically, below any other Power 5-conference. SEC’s top 6 football teams out number any other conference. 4 teams are good in the Big 10. Right now, only Clemson, Oklahoma and Oregon matter in the other conferences.
Steveg –
South Carolina took it to Auburn, while lowly Kenturkey took it to Tennessee.
Not sure how strong the SEC might be, yet just may be somewhat equal, yet not that terrific Tommy!
As to Clemson, yes it is dominating, but a 73 point outburst against Ga Tech does not prove too much. Do remember today that Syracuse lost to Liberty!!! Not exactly evidence of the competition level in the ACC.
But since the Pac-12 has not played at all, comparisons are still irrelevant.
CLEM looked absolutely awesome in their 73-point romp. They looked plenty legit to me, amazingly precise, tough and formidable…and I’m thinking they’ll probably play ALA for the title, as always. But I’m pulling for GA to beat ALA today. ALA looks better so far though and is winning as usual, 7-0.
CLEM beats most teams so badly, it’s not even funny. They just reduced MIA to complete rubble, 42-17, last weekend. I’m looking forward to CLEM in South Bend on 11/7, and they’ll hammer the Irish too, the same day USC beats ASU at 9 am.
The question is whether they would pick a one-loss team with a tough schedule over a no-loss USC. Or maybe there wont be any one loss teams and Bama, Ohio State and Clemson are undefeated.
Bandwagoner Clay Helton.
Off topic, but man I really hate the Astros.
excited to hear about scrimmage tomorrow.
It is good to see them add some more diversity to this offense, that has been my main complaint against Harrell. Helton said they were adding a two back set and now more use of tight ends – sounds good to me. The top offenses, like a Georgia and Clemson, use principles or elements from the air raid, but have a more complex offense that exploits mismatches for both the run and pass game. If we can combine a better playbook that has more ability to open up leverage against defenses and combine that with high level execution, USC might… Read more »
Gametv, I am always skeptical as we have heard this type of optimistic news in the past. I will believe it when I see it. I do agree that without a run game and a legitimate TE, the air raid does not appear able to consistently produce against quality teams. As to Ed O, what I am seeing this year is he is just as Pat Haden thought – he is not Nick Saban quality. Ed was light years ahead of Clay, but I think a good high school coach could make that claim! Nick Saban, Kirby Smart and Dabo… Read more »
i dont think we are in the same league as alabama or clemson. but the team might be pretty exciting verus the Pac-12 level teams.
Definitely
Great to see GH has the open mindedness to realize the usefulness of the tight end in passing situations. Especially with Drake able to line up there. The kid Trigg from Florida must be really excited to see the TE more active. I am sure the TE was needed to help save Slovis from getting trucked, but perhaps they have more confidence in the ability of the O line to block this season. We will see Saturday if they can open a hole yet or not.
Mike Yam was the best person on the Pac-12 Network before he was let go by the failing network in mid-August. At the time he said, “It can be a bit deflating to lose your job and I’m sure I’m not alone when I say you start to doubt your abilities. The notes have meant the world and it’s nice to get some confidence back.” It’s good to see Yam has now officially landed in a better spot at the NFL Network. Yam — “I want to thank @nflnetwork for the amazing opportunity to join its team. I cannot wait to… Read more »
It is just like Clay Helton’s original top level staff. Only his brother, I think, is still in coaching. Tee Martin is on staff at TN but in what is in essence a non-coaching position. He is a marvelous recruiter and good will ambassador. Thus, the irony of ironies, you find out who is good at their job when they are let go. By good, I mean the actual ability to make a team succeed at its endeavor rather than being good at politics. If they get another job of equal or near equal level, they were good. Yam was… Read more »
Drake London Gets High Marks LAT (Ryan Kartje) — On the doorstep of his sophomore season, a more confident Drake London now has his gaze trained on an even bigger breakout campaign. He spent his quarantined summer focused on getting faster, playing more physically and tightening up his route running. He studied Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans — for his physicality — and New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas — for his hands. During the first week of training camp, USC’s coaches say the results have been apparent. “Drake London is as talented a player as I’ve been around,” offensive… Read more »
agree – drake could even be the leading receiver this year. i think vaughns is going to have to work real hard to get touches, with amon ra and drake both being stellar this year.
and then add in bru and speedster bryant – i am getting more positive the more i hear from these coordinators!
It’s almost okay this shortened season if we see Bru McCoy get some playing time. Also it’s beginning to look like I’m going to have to adopt a player of I want tickets to any games.