USC Blitz.com - USC Winter Workout News and Notes

Starting Lineup
vs. Arizona (Dec 6, 2009)
Offense

LT	Charles Brown	#71
LG	Butch Lewis	#68
C	Jeff Byers	#53
RG	Butch Lewis	#68
RT	Tyron Smith	#70
TE	Anthony McCoy	#86
SE	Ronald Johnson	#8
FL	Damian Williams	#18
TB	Joe McKnight	#4
FB	Stanley Havili	#31
QB	Matt Barkley	#7
Defense
LE	Armond Armstead	#94
DT	Jurrell Casey	#91
NT	Christian Tupou	#44
RE	Everson Griffen	#93
SLB	Devon Kennard	#42
MLB	Chris Galippo	#54
WLB	Malcolm Smith	#6
CB	Josh Pinkard	#36
CB	Kevin Thomas	#15
SS	Will Harris	#26
FS	Taylor Mays	#2
Special Teams
PR	Damian Williams	#18
KOR	Ronald Johnson	#8
K	Jordan Congdon	#38
P	Jacob Harfman	#48

The Schedule Blitz

2010 Game Schedule

9/2	@ Hawaii
9/11	vs. Virginia
9/18	@ Minnesota
9/25	@ Washington State
10/2	vs. Washington
10/9	@ Stanford
10/16	vs. California
10/30	vs. Oregon
11/6	vs. Arizona State
11/13	@ Arizona
11/20	@ Oregon State
11/27	vs. Notre Dame
12/4	@ UCLA

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USC Winter Workout News and Notes
2010-03-11 10:30:04

It's time to empty the clipboard on some mostly unrelated news, notes, and opinion from the world of USC football:

For whatever it means, College Football News has the Trojans ranked 15th nationally, and 2nd in the Pac-10 (behind Oregon), in one of those "way-too-early-but-people-love-to-read-them-anyways" preseason polls.
To get a sense of what Lane Kiffin's message has been out of the gate and where he intends to take this team in the post-Pete era, here are a couple links to interviews he did with OCR and ESPN bloggers after being hired.
After a great deal of shuffling, here's what the finalized Trojan coaching staff looks like (via The RipIt Blog)
- Lane Kiffin - Head coach
- Monte Kiffin - Assistant head coach
- John Baxter - Associate head coach/special teams coordinator
- Ed Orgeron - Defensive coordinator/recruiting coordinator/defensive line coach
- Joe Barry - Linebackers coach
- Willie Mack Garza - Secondary coach
- John Morton - Passing game coordinator/wide receiver and tight end coach
- James Cregg - Offensive line coach
- Clay Helton - Quarterbacks coach
- Todd McNair - Running backs coach
If you didn't hear, Matt Barkley had wrist surgery earlier in the winter and rehab seems to have gone well. I've seen him whipping it around during throw sessions with no restraint in recent weeks. Even when he wasn't able to throw, he participated 100% in offseason strength and conditioning workouts.
Earlier, I posted a video link to Taylor Mays unofficial 4.24 40-time at the NFL scouting combine. However, he was "officially" clocked in at a 4.43, which was quite a head scratcher to me and many others. Some more head scratching ensued after the NFL Network surfaced this video, which shows Mays clearly beating the second fastest "official" time of 4.34 (Trindon Holliday). The technology side of me screams, "HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN!?" There is literally millions on the line with these evaluations. And while the time difference may seem small and irrelevant to some, they are actually quite huge. To give you a little perspective, the fastest linebacker ran a 4.54, and the fastest defensive lineman ran a 4.64. Heck, the fastest "official" time for a tight end was a 4.40, supposedly faster than Mays.
- Regardless, from a scout perspective, the "official" time should be moot. After all, this is a 6 foot 3, 230 pound safetly convincingly beating a 5 foot 5, 160 pound scat-back (Trindon Holliday) in the 40 yard dash. Remember, Holliday was a semifinalist in the 100m at the 2008 USA Olympic trials.
Some of my skepticism remains after watching this WeAreSC feature on David Sills. He seems like a great kid and has a good head on his shoulders, but he obviously has a long way to go before he's actually taking snaps under center at USC. Considering that I don't really know how to benchmark a 13-year old from a physical standpoint (ie. his size, throwing motion, accuracy, or velocity), I think the best thing that can be said about him is that he's positioned for success. He's committed himself to an ambitious long-term goal. To be an NFL quarterback. His family strong supports his goal. His dream school supports his goal. He works with Steve Clarkson, a quarterback coach with an unmatched reputation. He has had to deal with the accompanying pressure from an early age. And perhaps most important, he seems to believe in himself.
Speaking of people who believe in themselves, Ronald Johnson has started a Heisman campaign via Twitter. My take: RoJo looks like he's physically been working extremely hard. And this isn't just a confidence in himself, it's an inherent confidence in Matt Barkley's ability to get him the football. Pac-10 secondaries are terrified, everytime he lines up, that he's going burn them on a go-route. As has always been the case with RoJo, he needs to prove that he's not a one-trick pony. I think this is the season he does that.
Senior wide receiver Jordan Cameron has made the offseason switch to tight end, while redshirt freshman Simione Vehikite has moved from fullback to linebacker. The RipsIt Blog notes that both have past experience at their new positions.
Spring practice for the Trojans starts on March 30th and Ben Malcolmson, always doing good work, has put together a great schedule with all the key dates. Can't wait!

FIGHT ON TROJAN FANS!

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View Comments

USCFanDan said..."Let me add my own comments. Indeed, there should have been explanation and justification for changing May's 40 yard dash time. I was amazed when Carroll gave the starting QB job to a freshman, who if I recall correctly, had an interception prone high school career. Correct me if I am wrong. So I hope to see Mustain at least given a chance this year. That would leave two more years for Barkley. Putting so much pressure on Barkley too early could be damaging to his NFL hopes. So going with Mustain could work out best for both Mustain and Barkley."

Dave (USCBlitz.com) said..."That makes sense Dan, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Mustain get more of a chance under Kiffin. Barkley has continued to be a little interception prone in spring practices. If Mustain can prove he's the better alternative, I think he gets that shot. From another standpoint, last year would seem like somewhat of a "waste", having started Barkley, if we don't continue to start Matt and get him some valuable experience. I still think the guy has a boatload of talent. Mustain could just as easily turn into Matt Cassel 2.0"

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