Postcard from camp: USC
LOS ANGELES -- Joe McKnight is not allowed to talk to the media. Not yet, anyway. Due to the team's freshman policy all Joe McKnight can do at this point is offer up a smile as he runs off the field after practice.
It's just as well. There aren't many words that can describe his style of play. Much like his "presidential" predecessor, his talents need to be seen not heard to be truly appreciated.
Sure, I could describe how Joe McKnight zigzagged across the field and around would-be tacklers during his first scrimmage under the bright lights of the Coliseum for a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown last Sunday. Or illustrate how he left All-America linebacker Keith Rivers in his dust after catching a simple flare pass and exploded into end zone with the closest defender nearly 20 yards away during his second day of practice. Yet, somehow it wouldn't quite do him justice.
"I remember exactly what I did the first time I watched Joe on tape," said USC coach Pete Carroll. "I quickly turned the thing off because I knew he was the real deal and he could do all of the stuff that we wanted to do. I just wanted to know who he was and where he was from."
While Carroll may have cut short his initial viewing to quickly find out who the elusive tailback was and how he could get him in a cardinal and gold uniform, the Trojans boss watched it over and over again with coaches and the thought that came to their minds was how similar he looked to Reggie Bush.
Although Carroll and other coaches, such as Ken Norton Jr., who helped recruit Joe McKnight out of Louisiana, have tried to reel back some of the comparisons and adjectives they use to describe Joe McKnight behind closed doors when speaking to the media, it's hard to bottle it up.
"We can't help it sometimes," said Carroll. "When we saw Joe and saw the versatility that he displayed in high school as a junior, we started thinking that he could be the same kind of player [as Bush]. Here's a guy that can do all of the running back stuff and be the receiver that we like to move around. We have had that in mind for Joe the whole time and he has not disappointed us."
After Joe McKnight tallied 120 yards on six touches in his first taste of action at the Coliseum (highlighted by the 74-yard punt-return for a touchdown), Carroll simply shrugged his shoulders when asked to describe the freshman's debut.
"We've seen Joe do that so many times," he said. "He told me he ran something like 16 kicks back in high school for touchdowns, so when I saw him out in the open I figured he was gone. He had been there so many times that he knows how to make a great finish."
Despite the hype surrounding his every move, it's not hard for Joe McKnight to stay humble on the sun-soaked practice fields on USC's campus. He is simply one of 10 blue-chip tailbacks on the Trojans' roster, and if Carroll were forced to make a depth chart today for the season opener Joe McKnight would have a hard time cracking the top half of the order with the bevy of veterans in front of him.
"We're trying to see where they all fit and I don't think it's something we'll figure out by the first game," said Carroll. "It might take us a few weeks."
Until then, Joe McKnight will be treated just like every other freshman. A piece of tape with his name scrawled on it will be affixed to the front of his helmet, he will be prohibited from speaking to the media until he is given permission, and he will be hounded by fans for autographs as he tries to walk off the practice field.
OK, so maybe he's not like every other freshman. Then again, Carroll already knew that. And judging from Joe McKnight's progression so far in camp, it's only a matter of time before the nation finds that out as well.
Three observations
1. USC's defense is already in mid-season form and the team isn't even midway through camp yet. When Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said the Trojans may be the greatest team in NCAA history, he was clearly exaggerating. It might not be such a stretch, however, to call this year's USC defense the greatest Carroll has ever coached. Ten defensive starters return from last season, spearheaded by the deepest linebacker corps in the country (Keith Rivers, Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing, to name a few).
"It's the best linebacking group we've ever had," said Carroll. "There are three big NFL draft picks from those starters. It's going to be exciting to see what they could do."
What they've done so far is make life miserable for the offensive units they face in practice. While the defense will certainly be the strength of the team, it's almost impossible for coaches to truly gauge how good the offense could be when they're facing the toughest defense they'll see all year day-in and day-out in practice.
"They're all game changers," says quarterback John David Booty. "It's fun to go out there and compete against those guys each and everyday. It makes us better going against them. Going against these guys is what makes us who we are on Saturdays."
2. Taking a "tip" from last season's passing struggles, John David Booty will line up in the shotgun formation at times this season. After having about a dozen of his passes tipped at the line of scrimmage last season, two of which led to USC losses, the Trojans have installed the shotgun into their playbook this season. While it won't be used with much regularity -- likely only on third-and-long situations -- it gives John David Booty more time and room to operate in.
One of the reasons offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian installed the formation this season is because unlike Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer (who were both 6-foot-5), John David Booty is 6-3. While that might not seem like much, those couple inches were all Oregon State's Jeff Van Orsow and UCLA's Eric McNeal needed to tip John David Booty's passes and hand the Trojans their first two-loss season since 2002.
3. There might be five kickers on USC's roster at the moment, but David Buehler will be the team's placekicker this season. The Trojans lost their kicker to a tragic incident in the offseason, as Mario Danelo died in January after falling from a cliff near his home in San Pedro. Buehler, who assisted on kickoffs and longer kicks last season, is the best bet to take over the starting role. The 6-2, 225-pounder, who moonlighted as a safety and fullback last year, doesn't look like a kicker, but he gives the Trojans their strongest leg in years. Last year, Buehler hit a 49-yard-field goal against Cal -- the longest by a USC kicker in nearly a decade -- and of his eight kickoffs, six were inside the 20-yard line.
He nailed a 57-yard field in practice last week and hit a 49-yarder with room to spare during the team's scrimmage at the Coliseum.
"I'm real pleased with David's kicking," said Carroll. "He's just looked so comfortable and he has tremendous leg strength. The 49-yarder he hit, he hit by a ton. When you need it, he has that big kick in him, so that's a big weapon."
X-factor
After losing both Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith, the Trojans will need to break in a couple new starting wide receivers. While Patrick Turner is a lock to secure one of the spots, whoever occupies the other position will be just as integral to the success of USC's passing attack (see: former No. 2s Smith and Keary Colbert). The heated battle is between Vidal Hazelton, David Ausberry, Ronald Johnson, Travon Patterson and Brandon Carswell. While Johnson, a true freshman who is wearing Jarrett's old No. 8, might have the most potential of the group, Ausberry seems to have the inside track at starting the season opposite Turner, giving John David Booty a couple of 6-4 receivers to play catch with.
"It's always good to have a competition, but these young guys are stepping up to the challenge, and we have two or three guys who could be the No. 2 receiver," said John David Booty. "David showed us a lot last year, but he's really grown up into his body and mind and he's started to feel comfortable in this offense. He's a playmaker."
Keep an Eye On
One of the keys to USC's success on offense this season is the return of redshirt freshman fullback Stanley Havili. Last year, USC lost all three of its fullbacks to injury early in the season and weren't able to use a number of plays designed for the fullback. With a healthy Havili this year, Sarkisian will be able to open up the playbook. Not only will Havili blow open holes for the bevy of tailbacks, but he'll also become a dangerous receiver out of the backfield like David Kirtman was a couple years ago.
"That is so key for us," said running backs coach Todd McNair. "We had a rash of injuries to our fullbacks from training camp to our third game of the season and that hurt us since the fullback is a vital part of our offense. Stanley is a heck of a player and he's going to be vital because we do a lot of two-back stuff where we utilize the position."
Camp Confidential
No coach in the country is as hands-on as Carroll. During practice, he is in constant motion, whether it's slinging passes to ball boys, defending receivers or tossing his keys to the equipment manger so he can run down the field during a special teams drill. "I don't know how to describe what I do," said Carroll. "I have a lot of energy and I have really high expectations for our performance on the practice field and I want to make sure that we as coaches bring everything we've got every day to the practice field and demand that of our players as well and make them practice at such a level where they can't help but get better." ... That is certainly the case as the offensive and defensive coaches jaw at each other during practice to get their units fired up. The most vocal coaches are Norton (linebackers), David Watson (defensive line) and Brennan Carroll (tight ends). "I would be scared if I were a dark shirt today," screams Norton at the offensive players. "You don't want none of Cush [Cushing] today, Stanley. No you don't!" When Brennan starts to talk back, Norton barks right back, "I can't stand you!" It's all in good fun and the players eat it up as they laugh at the coaches while they stretch out before practice. ... The Trojans will pay tribute to Danelo in many ways this season. They painted a cardinal and gold 19 in the practice field end zone where he kicked most of his field goals. No player will wear the No. 19 this season and for the foreseeable future. A chair is left empty for Danelo during team meetings. There will be a banner above the tunnel at the Coliseum with Danelo's name and number. The goal-post pads will also bear his name and number and every USC player will wear a custom helmet sticker with Danelo's No. 19. "I think it's a nice tribute to somebody that we really miss and love, and we hate the thought he's not with us," Carroll said. "In some ways, it's just a demonstration of his spirit and that he's with us and we want to recognize it. Every time we kick one, it goes right over 19, so it's kind of cool."
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