USC Morning Briefing: Spring Game Lacked Excitement and Other Bullets

Apr 19, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California warms up during the Southern California Spring Game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Three & Out:

1. Spring Lame: Steve Sarkisian warned that USC’s spring game Saturday wouldn’t be much of a “game” in the traditional sense. Still, despite more 11-on-11 football than initially promised, the game was decidedly…uneventful. Of the “touchdowns” scored on the day, two were fan gimmicks (to be fair, the young fan taking a snap and throwing a touchdown pass was one of the feel-good highlights of the day) and the third was an admittedly scrumptious pass from freshman Jalen Greene during the 7-on-7 drill. All in all, Sarkisian’s uptempo offense produced little to talk about and kicker Andre Heidari became the lackluster focal point.
2. Mission Accomplished: To be fair to Sarkisian, the spring game always seemed to be an event to survive rather than show off. If that was the plan, then the Trojans really did win the day. With the exception of Ty Isaac‘s high ankle sprain, no major injuries were suffered and barring a freak accident during the off months, USC should enter fall camp as healthy as possible.
3. Zach Banner is a large human being: On a day when little stood out, Zach Banner‘s massive frame could not be ignored, even from 50 rows up. The redshirt sophomore is listed at 6’9, 345 pounds, so his size was no secret. Still, seeing him line up beside his teammates on the line put that size in perspective. Beside him at right guard, the 6’3, 310 pound Khaliel Rodgers appeared tiny. The best news for Trojan fans, he looked and acted the part at right tackle.

They said it:

"“It was good to get a sack, but I wanted to get even more. We’ve got a long way to go, but this is a great building point for us. We have our chemistry down as a defense, and now we’ve just got to put the final pieces together to be ready for fall.” – Linebacker , on the defensive dominance during the spring game. Scott Starr"

Tweets of the Day:

Morning Links:

• USC Football: Sarkisian Admits Mistake Giving #55 To Toa Lobendahn (Reign Of Troy)
• USC Football: Isaac Hurt, But Trojans Limit Spring Game Injuries (Reign Of Troy)
• USC Spring Game 2014: Recap, Highlights and Analysis (Bleacher Report)
• USC Football: Top Performers from the Trojans’ Spring Game (Bleacher Report)
• USC Spring Football: The Spring Game And Beyond (Neon Tommy)
• Sarkisian brings life back to USC (ESPN.com)
• USC football: Toa Lobendahn has chance to start as a freshman (Los Angeles Times)