USC Football Practice Notes: Sick of road questions (9/26)
As USC football commenced their Arizona Wednesday practice, head coach Clay Helton looked to motivate the Trojans to find mental toughness on the road.
By now it’s no secret: USC football is significantly better playing at home than on the road.
The Trojans are 18-0 at the Coliseum under head coach Clay Helton, but 10-12 away from their home stadium, including an 0-2 record on the road to start the 2018 season.
Naturally, the question of USC’s road form came up on Wednesday with the team preparing for a critical Pac-12 South trip to Arizona.
“I’m sick of that question,” Helton said.
He is so sick of that topic, he used it as a talking point for the team after practice.
“We talked about how important the mental toughness of the game is when you go on the road,” he said.
The Trojans got going when the going got tough at home against Washington State, overcoming a deficit to best the Cougars, 39-36 in Week 4.
But they unraveled on the road against Texas in Week 3 when the Longhorns jumped out to a big lead in the second half.
The trick will be tapping into that mental toughness they’ve found at the Coliseum when they’re in hostile territory.
To do that, Helton challenged each player to do their part to turn things around by telling themselves, “I’m not going to be the guy that lets my team down.”
“We’ve been exceptional at home and now it’s time to go compete for a great road win,” Helton said.
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Notes and tidbits
Taking the bait…
Gap integrity is on the mind of USC’s coaches this week as they prepare to face a zone-read offense looking to trick and misdirect the defense. “You can get caught just taking the bait one time and then you’ve got a guy like Khalil that, if he gets in the second level he’s gone,” Helton said. Complicating matters? Arizona’s offense isn’t a pure zone-read anymore, incorporating a bevy of run-pass options, or RPOs, on just about every run play. That means the Trojans will have the added difficulty of contending with an inside and perimeter option.
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