News Reports out of Spring
USC football: The state of the offensive line
April 6th, 2011,
by Michael Lev, staff writer OC Register
I had a chance to chat with USC offensive line coach James Cregg after Tuesday’s practice. Here are some of the takeaways:
** The current unit bares little resemblance to the projected starting five come fall. The only certain starter currently practicing is left tackle Matt Kalil. Khaled Holmes will get first crack at center; likewise Kevin Graf at right tackle. The guard spots are up for grabs.
** Even though John Martinez is working at center right now, he’ll be in the mix at guard in training camp. Cregg believes playing the more difficult center spot only will help the redshirt sophomore. “It’s going to be a great learning tool for him come fall when he’s playing guard,” Cregg said. “I’ve been really impressed with how John has adapted there. It’s a hard position to play.”
** Cregg likes the way junior-college transfer Jeremy Galten has battled at right tackle. Cregg is keeping the other JC guy, David Garness, on the left side, where he has played both tackle and guard. Both conceivably could start, but the guess here is that they’ll be valuable, versatile backups.
** Cregg and his colleagues believe Martin Coleman‘s best position is guard; he’s been playing the RG spot almost exclusively this spring. “At tackle,” Cregg said, “it’s a lot of space to cover with that big of a body.” The 6-foot-5 senior weighs 325 pounds, but the coaching staff wants him to get down to 310. He weighed 355 when they arrived a year ago. “When he gets down more, he’ll move even better,” Cregg said.
** Every time I bring up Kalil with Cregg, the first thing the coach mentions is “technique.” Considering what Lane Kiffin had to say about Kalil, it’s pretty clear the next step for the ultra-talented redshirt junior is to master the finer details of his position. “Matt’s going to be a good player,” Cregg said. “We’ve just got to keep working on his technique and getting him better there. When he wants to work, he is freaking off the hook.”
Practice Update – 4/7
by Erik McKinney
Asst Editor WeAreSC.com
Garness has been playing left guard mostly, but will slide out to left tackle and is playing a little right tackle as well. With Galten going down today, it was all hands on deck for the offensive line. Martin Coleman saw time at right tackle and Patrick Kim had a bunch of reps at right guard. The plan is obviously to keep Coleman at guard, but when there are no available tackle bodies, he's the guy capable of moving outside.
Interview of OL coach Cregg 4/10:
“We have two returning starters in Holmes and Kalil, and both guys are like having extra coaches on the field. After that, we’re just trying to figure it all out.”
The figuring begins with the returners who might see the most action.
“John Martinez, Martin Coleman and Kevin Graf are all going to play—they’re all getting better (although Graf is not in contact drills yet) and will be bigger, stronger and ready to go this fall.”
He was not as positive, yet, about the two new JC guys. “73 and 74 (David Garness & Jeremy Galten) are learning right now, but they have some work to do to pick up parts of their game they did not have to use as much in the offenses they were involved with in JC ball.”
Where USC Football Is and Isn't Moving Forward this Spring
By Paul "SC Oldtimer" Hoffman
WeAreSC Contributor
Posted Apr 13, 2011
You can tell by simply looking at the stats on Saturday that the emphasis at USC this spring is on the short passing game and running off tackle. Lane Kiffin has stated that because of the offense's patchwork offensive line, they have worked on getting rid of the ball quickly and so the offense has been very conservative.
That means there is not of lot of work being done on USC's vertical game. You can tell by WR Roberts Woods catching 10 passes for only 52 yards that USC is not throwing the ball down field. Kiffin has stated that in his after-practice interviews. So you are not seeing a lot of vertical patterns being run or practiced.
Watch the offense in last year's ND game until USC's final drive, and you will get the picture.
My concern is how do you move forward in a vertical passing game without practicing it? You have to work on it. And I believe that it's in the vertical game that QB Matt Barkley and WR Robert Woods greatest strengths lie. USC has got to play to its strengths and not its weakness. If their strength is in its skill players don't handcuff them with fears about the offensive line.
When WR George Farmer shows up in the fall and with WR Devon Flournoy right now you've got some powerful home run hitters to play alongside of WR Robert Woods. Just throwing them bubble and middle screens would be like asking Babe Ruth to bunt.
QB Matt Barkley's got the arm to get the ball anywhere. The question has been, "Can the OL give them the time and space they need?"
USC's offense is not going to score many points during the season with 20 play drives picking up four yards a play. August could be a little late to open up the offense. I know USC has a patchwork offensive line right now, but is that just an excuse for falling back into the conservative offense that sputtered in the second half of the 2010 season?
Spring Ball Position Recap
By Erik McKinney
WeAreSC Assistant Editor
Posted Apr 22, 2011
Offensive Line
Easily the biggest question mark heading into the spring, the offensive line certainly didn’t provide any answers. Matt Kalil is a guaranteed starter at left tackle and showed that he could be an All-Conference performer. Khaled Holmes missed virtually all of spring ball due to a neck stinger, but he’s set at the center position for the season.
Outside of those two, spring ball was about the Trojan coaches getting a glimpse at players they had basically never seen on the field before. Both John Martinez, at center and left guard, and Martin Coleman, at right guard, may be considered veterans in terms of the amount of time they’ve been at USC, but they are newcomers to the starting lineup. And while both seemed to take major steps forward given the extended playing time, neither locked down starting spots, according to coaches.
Kevin Graf and Abe Markowitz would have been nice additions to an offensive line lacking depth, but both were recovering from injuries and unable to take part. Incoming junior college transfers David Garness, left guard and both tackle positions, and Jeremy Galten, right tackle, jumped right into the starting lineup to begin spring, but with so much ground to cover in terms of making the adjustment to this level of football, neither seems to be a real option for playing time at this point in their careers.
Still in his first year, Giovanni Di Poalo is still getting his feet wet at this level as well. Playing both center and left guard, Di Poalo spent time with the first team this past week, but hasn’t given the coaches enough yet to be considered a solid starting option. Because of the lack of depth, the Trojans also received extensive play this spring from walk-ons Peter Yobo, Nathan Guertler and Patrick Kim.
