Wednesday's Game Week Practice Notes & Observations: USC vs. Stanford (9/8)

It’s the same song, a different day. I’m early. I also found a cool little shady grass area under some trees near Bing Theatre. There’s a ton of filming going on around the central part of campus, with walk-thru access detours zigzagging me all over the place. This is how I find new quiet places to hang out, collect my thoughts and get a head start on some writing.

**It’s 2:30, and the weather app says it’s currently 86 degrees—no argument from me, it feels like it. I can also smell a fire burning somewhere in the distance, with the occasional white ash flakes finding their way onto the Macbook.

**Random thought No.1; Hopefully, Coach Orlando is in the mood to talk with the media after practice today. After the win over the Spartans, he politely declined the standard postgame Q&A.
No problem. The coach was ready moments after the media was let back in after we left.

**Hump Day/Wednesday practices during the season, as reported last week, the players are in shorts shells, and the media is allowed to watch for the first 50 minutes, and then we leave to return at a later time for interviews.

**Random thought No. 2; Is KD Nixon available on Wednesdays for interviews, too, since special teams and the defense are available to us?

**At 3:18, I watch Parker Lewis tap in before he steps on the practice field. I love watching to see who does and who doesn’t honor Marv Goux. But it’s not like I’m keeping a naughty list either. I also spy who touches the Sword of Troy at the top of the ramp leading down to the McKay Center locker room. These unique traditions are often overlooked and taken for granted.

**At 3:22, I start seeing the launch of the football high into the air from behind the wall; Ben Griffiths and Co. are getting warmed up.

**Liam Douglass appears to be the first “regular-team” player ready to make his way to HoJo Field as Ralen Goforth rides by him down the ramp on his foot scooter.

**Clay McGuire is next, and I let him know that I want that work of art resting on the top of his head when the season is over. He laughed and said, “I hope it makes it that long.” The coach has a good point. Nevertheless, if given the crusty stiff masterpiece, that sucker will be encased and sent to Smithsonian. And then I’m going to make sure my hands are bathed in sanitizer.

**Backup center Andrew Milek must have a left fist that that is made out of steel. I, unfortunately, discovered this AFTER he and I fist-bump knuckles. The OLine room starts emerging as small groups of big men walk up the ramp together; one group includes Justin Dedich and Mason Murphy.

**Pretty sure it was coach Doege who has his face buried in the play-calling sheet. Anyway, he stops in his tracks and begins scribbling some notes for a minute before turning the menu over and writing some more.

**The tools of the trade for a football player that plays OL for USC; Liam Jimmons has a bulky brace on each knee, and in one hand, he’s carrying his helmet, and in the other, he’s carrying his elbow brace and white medical tape.

**It’s 3:36, and when the music finally started. And here comes Kedon Slovis running up the ramp. He’s not late, but he was the only person I saw running to practice today. Until Coach Naivar comes sprinting by.

**I can hear coach Dane Stevens tell Solo that he’s been doing a great job this week, and Tuliaupupu quickly replies, “Scout Team All-American!!”

**Drake Jackson’s right leg is naked, which means it’s sleeveless. This also means Stanford has #99Problems to deal with Saturday evening.

**Nick Figueroa lost his ice pack that was taped to his shoulder yesterday, and Jacob Lichtenstein is dressed, ready to go.

**Greg Johnson is talking out loud, “Be great today.”

**No Brandon Campbell or Kenan Christon today. Yesterday we reported Coach Helton said that Campbell was out “sick,” and Christon was “unavailable for team activities.” According to one source, Kenan is expected back with the team at some point later this week.
Also still out under the Covid health protocol is Isaiah Pola-Mao and Kobe Pepe. Another player who has been inconspicuously absent the last couple of days, and to be honest, I cannot remember if I saw suited up on Saturday, is Dorian Hewett.

**Korey Foreman is a chiseled rock. The young man looks like a stud now, and by next year at this time when his body is more fully developed, uh yeah, you get the picture.

**For the fans planning to attend on Saturday, you’ll be there to participate in Joint Forces Day, where USC will host over 5000 military and first responders who have been invited to the game. The game will be played on the 20th Anniversary of 9-11, and one of the things you can look forward to seeing are two large American flags being unfurled in each end zone. We were asked not to mention a few of the other tributes they planned to keep as a surprise.

**The Trojans have played twice on 9-11 since that tragic day, winning both against Colorado St. and Virginia.

**NFL teams in attendance include the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins. The gentleman from Miami happens to be Reggie McKenzie, Jalen’s father.

**Love what Camp Naivar was teaching the secondary today. Stanford is known for the big WR’s and TE’s, and today they were being drilled on how to cover those guys one-on-one and with safety help.

**Lots of kickoff coverage and return game emphasized, and mostly walk-thru type of stuff.

**Creating turnovers by attempting to strip the ball coming around the edge on one drill has the guys racing around a tackle dummy and then dives at a ball that a coach is holding like a QB before landing on a pad.

**The QBs threw the ball to the receivers and TEs running routes.

**After practice and the interviews, Josh and I head over to the quad in the back of Heritage Hall, and it always strikes me odd to see USC’s starting QB just sitting by himself like some random dude without any fanfare or people mugging him for attention.