USC Football Practice Report: Notes & Observations (9/6)

During the season the media gets to attend practices each Tuesday & Wednesday. For Tuesday’s practices, the Notes & Observations report focuses on the defense. We will also interview the defensive coaches and players. On Wednesdays, the script flips over to the offense.

USC completed its easiest part of the schedule with a 2-0 record. Now the Trojans will step up the competition when Stanford arrives at the Coliseum this Saturday. On Wednesday the team was back on Howard Jones Field in full pads, and WeAreSC has the Notes and observations you need to know.

**Wednesday the team practiced in shorts and shells on a warmer and more humid day than Tuesday’s session. But at least it’s not the 107 degrees forecasted for ASU’s 7:30 PM kickoff when they host Oklahoma St. this Saturday. Just a reminder that after USC plays Stanford, the Trojans will have a bye-week and then travel to Tempe a week later. That kickoff time is still TBD.

**Not sure if he’s the first player out for practice, however, Eddie Czaplicki is the first player I see heading up the McKay Center All-American Walkway. USC hasn’t really needed its punter to flip the field during their first two games yet, although the two against San Jose St. probably qualify. I bring this up because the ball just carries so effortlessly off his foot during practice. He had one punt that had Zachariah Branch backpedaling a good 15 yards to position himself for the catch.

**Bennie Wylie has on some cardinal tights, his dark shades, and a black hoody while eating some popcorn. Walking behind him, Solomon Byrd leaves the locker room wearing gold tights. I’ve got to keep it 100%, guys should not wear spandex tights. Sorry, this is a hill I’m willing to die on.

**Christian Roland-Wallace didn’t tap any of the All-American plaques, although he did show his respect with a double-heart tap and finger-point. Christian and Bear Alexander start singing along to Meek Mill’s “Heavy Heart” diddy.

**This is the last week with the defense wearing their white jerseys and Domani Jackson is walking with Shaun Nua having an adult conversation until Donte Williams comes sprinting by while singing something way off-key. All Jackson could do was smile and say, “He’s like a little kid!”

**Tackett Curtis is a “big kid” and asked me “Wassup?!” I don’t think he wanted to fight me because he was smiling. I don’t about anyone else, but I’d pay good money to watch Curtis imitate Brian Cushing’s Hard Knocks, “How to win friends and influence others” practice challenge callout.

**First of the offensive group players are Austin Jones and Tobias Raymond. Jones has a unique view of the USC vs. Stanford Rivalry since he played for the Cardinal before hitting the portal to Los Angeles.

**The entire Kahuku High School football team, maybe program are being led to practice by Gavin Morris and Annie Hanson. The Red Raiders from Hawaii are considered the state’s top team will play against Mater Dei this weekend.

**Justin Dedich and Elijah Paige are next and Dedich talked about his errors against Nevada following practice. I don’t think anyone should be calling for his backup quite yet.

**Gino Quinones made a cameo appearance when he arrived on his sparkly Cardinal motor scooter.

**The Detroit Lions, New York Jets, and Philadelphia Eagles sent scouts to USC’s Wednesday practice.

** Yesterday the Juggs Machine kickoff drill had the receivers judging kicks kicked away from them. On Wednesday the specialists(same as yesterday) had to handle short wobbly kicks under Kiel McDonald’s watchful eyes.

**While the team is finishing up the strength & conditioning part of practice with 30-yard wind sprints, some of the coaching GAs are trying to throw the football into a trashcan from 30-40 yards away. No one came close.

**The linebacker competition is fun to watch after the team breaks their huddle with, “Work!” Some guys are taking bad angles and reaching, others are doing whatever it takes to finish the tackle.

**The cornerbacks are doing the drill where they backpedal before turning to race for a deep throw cover.

**Shaun Nua has the defensive line group shadow-dancing before they attack the tackle dummy.

**The QBs, WRs, and RBs are way over on the other side of the field running tempo routes while the coaches are using their long sticks to disrupt.

**On Wednesdays we get offensive players and a selected coach to ask questions about, whatever. QB1 wasn’t interested in addressing comments made about his NFL possibilities. I threw a couple of questions at him that he answered. I might not have made the first question clear, however, he understood the question about his acting skills.

 **I asked Caleb about his acting career with his Wendy’s commercials and the Heisman house stuff —-Caleb wants to be 1-Take Drake.

**Duce Robinson was turned loose with the media and talked about his touchdown catch and run, plus his plans for baseball this upcoming season.

**Before Duce took on the media, he took on Brenden Rice challenging Rice’s alleged 40″ vertical. Rice clapped back, “I’m over here working while you’re over there eating a popsicle.” Good ol’ fashioned smack talk!

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