USC Football Notebook: Trojans Set For Battle of Momentum (8/24)

USC football’s second practice of the mock Alabama game week featured a focus on keeping the momentum in the Trojans’ corner.

As he continues to prepare his team for a tough match up against Alabama, USC football head coach Clay Helton wanted to emphasize the effect of big moments on the outcome of every game.

“In early ball games the team that makes the fewest mistakes is going to win. Usually you beat yourself in those games when there’s two good teams playing,” Helton said. “Momentum is going to be of key importance.”

With momentum and mistakes in mind, the Trojans focused on turnovers, forcing them on defense and preventing them on offense.

Skill players were put through a ball security circuit while USC’s defenders spent time working on stripping the ball out of runners hands.

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The strategy is sound, as the Tide’s one loss in 2015 involved a minus-five turnover margin in favor of Ole Miss.

The other part of Helton’s emphasis on keeping momentum on USC’s side is special teams.

“This is a tremendous special teams team that we’re getting ready to face,” Helton said of the Tide, who had five punt return and one kickoff return touchdowns last year.

“Any time I see Coach Baxter pacing the circle up stairs in the office I know we’re playing a good team and he’s been pacing very much.”

Each USC practice this fall has featured a heavy dose of work with special teams coach John Baxter. Wednesday continued that emphasis.

From the Notebook

• Injury Update:
  • Left tackle Chad Wheeler is progressing on schedule and may be available for some work going into the weekend, but he is 50-50 to play against Alabama. Helton said he needs to get back in action before Wednesday next week to have a full gameweek ahead of the season opener.
  • Safety Marvell Tell was able to do some team work as well as 7-on-7. Recovery from his hamstring injury is on track.
  • Walk on defensive lineman Connor Rossow was out with his arm in a sling.
• Both Ronald Jones II and Aca’Cedric Ware had drops
• Kicker Matt Boermeester had another kick blocked, but hit his four other attempts.
• Kicker Reid Budrovich also hit four of five kicks.
• Cornerback Isaiah Langley had two big pass break ups working with the service team. The first was on a Max Browne pass intended for DeQuan Hampton. The second was against Jalen Greene on a pass from Sam Darnold.
• Browne hit Hampton downfield for a long completion during the first service team period.
• Darnold found Steven Mitchell over the top as well.
• Tight end Tyler Petite had a long gain from Browne during the final service team period.
• The highlight of USC’s good on good period was outside linebacker Connor Murphy leaping to bat a pass. The big man got the deflection but came down hard on his back.