Monday USC Practice Takeaways: Questions for the offense, praise for a young WR, and the inside linebacker room

USC entered its mock game week on Monday as fall camp winds down. Practice opportunities are dwindling and next week the Trojans will be preparing for the season opener against San Jose State. Here’s a look at what Monday’s practice and the media session following revealed, as well as some takeaways from the practice.

Questioning the 2023 USC Offense?

Head coach Lincoln Riley was asked after practice as to which part of the offense he still had the most questions concerning.

“All of it,” Riley said. “Right?”

Riley’s reasoning is that playing offensive football is never truly plug-and-play when it comes to getting an entire unit to come together and play as one.

“Th narrative is all these things return, everybody thinks you just pick up where you left off and that could not be further from the truth,” Riley said. “Everything is different. We’ve got so many different faces.”

There is no doubt the USC offense will get there. But the sum of the parts has to be more than the individual pieces if the Trojans are going to make a real run.

“I think just the group coming together and learning to not just be a group of some talented guys, but be a group that plays very well together,” Riley said of the task over the final two weeks. “We’ve got to close that gap there, and really on all three sides of the ball right now.”

Another True Freshman Standout Receiver

There’s little question that Zachariah Branch will be the true freshman receiver who makes the biggest impact early in the season. But it’s an interesting and contested race right behind him. Five-star prospect Duce Robinson arrived as the big name and Ja’kobi Lane received significant praise earlier in camp. Now, Makai Lemon takes his turn in the spotlight.

He might have been overshadowed in discussions relating to true freshmen impact receivers by Branch and Robinson. Riley said it’s not the case this fall.

“He’s not overshadowed on this field,” Riley said. “He’s been awesome.”

Lemon missed almost all of spring ball due to injury but he clearly still took advantage of being an early enrollee. He did the work over the offseason and was ready to go when fall camp opened.

“He’s had an awesome camp,” Riley said. “We’ve been able to move him around position-wise. He’s handled it well, mentally, he’s stayed healthy. He’s a dynamic playmaker. I don’t know what’s being said on the outside. He’s not ever overshadowed on this field. Not at all.”

USC Inside Linebacker Room

Riley heralded the depth of the inside linebacker room during the spring. It’s been put to the test this fall. Shane Lee was injured early in camp and Riley said they expect him back and to factor in this year. Eric Gentry has also missed time, though not as much as Lee. And Raesjon Davis was sidelined for a bit, though he’s back full-go now.

Gentry’s time away this fall is compounded by the fact that he missed all of spring ball. Riley said the Trojans have “got to get him back,” but added that he’s “close.”

With those three in and out, Mason Cobb, Tackett Curtis, Chris Thompson and Garrison Madden have capitalized with the increased time. Riley said Lee and Gentry are just dealing with nagging injuries and not anything serious. But he also voiced far more confidence in the depth at the position this season.

“It is a deeper room,” Riley said. “Had you been limited last year, I don’t think the answers would have been near as strong.”

More Praise for Tackett Curtis

Riley also heaped praise on Curtis, joining several who have done so of late. Riley said what stands out about Curtis in comparison to many other freshmen is his attitude and energy.

“Other younger guys, you’re coaching the mentality along with the scheme, along with the technique and it’s all this on him at once,” Riley said.

The coaches are working scheme and technique with Curtis, but completely cutting out having to teach a young player how to practice is speeding up his readiness.

“You don’t have to motivate that dude at all,” Riley said. “He’s gonna walk out here ready to practice every single day. And so when they can take that off your plate and you can zero in on those other things, you’re going to progress quickly and he’s done that.

Branch’s Progress

Safety Zion Branch was the standout of USC’s first fall camp scrimmage. Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch remained upbeat about the redshirt freshman this fall. Branch was limited this past spring as he was non-contact. He could do some seven-on-seven work and individual drills, but couldn’t hit. Grinch said Branch put together a solid summer and got his body right heading into fall camp. And there, he’s been hugely impactful.

“He has made as much progress in 14 days as anybody I’ve ever been around,” Grinch said. “It’s been really exciting to see. Credit completely goes to him.”

Nelson’s 180

It was something of a surprise when true freshman quarterback Malachi Nelson participated in as much of spring ball as he did considering he had offseason shoulder surgery. It was clear he was shaking off rust throughout, but he pushed through. Riley said repeatedly that just getting those reps would pay off down the line. And as it turns out, Riley might just know a little bit about coaching quarterbacks.

“Physically, it’s been a 180, and I would say even mentally, too,” Riley said, adding that Nelson was probably operating at below 50% during the spring. “We’re glad that he went through it. He’s glad that he went through it. It certainly made him better.”

Riley said Nelson is playing with more confidence this fall and he clearly possesses a high ceiling with his talent.

Additional Notes from USC’s Monday Practice

* The Trojans worked on full-field special teams for the first time during the portion of practice media is able to view. Zachariah Branch and Raleek Brown were back deep to field punts. Though, other options continue to work on both punt and kickoff returns at other points of practice.

* Anthony Lucas and Sam Greene worked with the defensive linemen today. Greene had been doing that for a bit, but Lucas did as well today. Lucas worked with the defensive line during the spring, and his versatility as a defensive end and rush end was always listed as a strength he brought to the roster.

* Bear Alexander was again described as “explosive” today. This time it was from Grinch. That’s the word tossed around the most, by far, when it comes to players and coaches discussing Alexander. And it’s plenty evident when he takes his turn during drills. The linemen were hitting the sleds and blocking pads today. There is just a different sound when Alexander takes his turn.

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