Los Angeles Times - 02.08.2019

D6 FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 2019 LATIMES.COM/SPORTS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Darnay Holmes and
Kyle Philips were outnum-
bered as they lingered on the
edge of the end zone to field
punts.
Everywhere they looked
stood a UCLA newcomer.
There were Keegan
Jonesand Christian Grubb,
freshman running backs.
Nearby was Jaylen Erwin, a
junior college transfer re-
ceiver. Completing the
group of punt returners was
Charles Njoku, a freshman
receiver.
It was a similar story with
the quarterbacks. Return-
ers Dorian Thompson-Rob-
inson and Austin Burton
flung passes Thursday
morning alongside fresh-
men Chase Griffin, Chase
Artopoeus and Colson
Yankoff.
The Bruins opened train-
ing camp this week with 48
newcomers — 42 freshmen
and six transfers. The expec-
tation is that many will con-
tribute immediately. Even
though the team features 10
returning starters on de-
fense and eight on offense,
coach Chip Kelly is known
for rotating players fre-
quently. Last season, he
played a school-record 21
true freshmen.
“The numbers will tell
you that some of those

young kids are going to have

to play because we don’t

have a lot of older kids at cer-

tain positions,” Kelly said

Thursday before practice.

“Those kids are going to

have to get on the field.”

Sean Rhyan, the most

highly touted freshman on

the team, might push for the

starting left tackle spot. Er-

win, one of the fastest play-

ers on the team, is a candi-

date to start at receiver.

Jones, Grubb and fellow

freshman running backs

Jahmon McClendon and

Sitiveni Kaufusicould get

carries this season.

A handful of the new-

comers, including Erwin and

Griffin, arrived in time to

participate in spring prac-

tice. Others arrivedin June

to commence workouts with

strength and conditioning

coach Frank Wintrich.

Kelly said the team’s vet-

eran players had helped ease

the transition for the new-

comers.

“Our older kids did a

really good job of getting the

younger kids up to speed on

things,” Kelly said, “so I was

really happy with how well

the young kids kind of

showed up on their first day

of training.”

Bruins’ APR

numbers on rise?

Although UCLA’s most

recent Academic Progress

Rate scores for football were

the worst in the Pac-12 Con-

ference, there are signs

those figures may improve.

Kelly said the team’s cumu-

lative grade-point average of

“like a 2.89” was its highest

ever for the spring quarter.

The Bruins also presumably

won’t be shedding as many

players over the next few

years after losing about 30 to

transfer or medical retire-

ment since Kelly’s arrival in

November 2017. Transfers

can negatively affect a

team’s APR scores if the

players are not in good aca-

demic standing at the time

of their move.

UCLA’s multi-year APR

of 948 was significantly low-

ered by the 881 it scored for

the 2017-18 school year.

Schools can lose schol-

arships, face practice re-

strictions or receive a post-

season ban if their multi-

year score falls below 930.

“The issue with the APR

is it’s a four-year rolling thing

that occurred before we got

here, and you can’t go back,”

Kelly said. “You can’t change

something that happened in

the class of 2014 because

that’s just the way it is, so our

job is to make sure that the

classes from ’19 on continue

to do a really good job aca-

demically, and as those

numbers get added to the

cohort, then hopefully your

numbers will go up.”

Kelly is among the

coaches who conduct class

checks, something he said

he’d done at every coaching

stop.

Etc.

Having bulked up to

about 275 pounds, sopho-

more outside linebacker Eli-

jah Wade is also getting rep-

etitions on the line in an at-

tempt to add versatility. ...

The Bruins have added a gi-

ant television screen on one

side of their practice field to

show instant replays as part

of their teaching efforts.

“They’ll be able to utilize

some instant feedback out

there,” Kelly said. ... Kelly

said receivers Theo Howard

and Dymond Lee were wear-

ing yellow jerseys as a pre-

cautionary measure as they

worked their way back from

injuries. Howard wore a pink

wrapping around his right

wrist in practice Thursday,

and Lee is rounding into

form after suffering an ankle

injury that limited his par-

ticipation in spring prac-

tices. Kelly said Lee could be

cleared to fully practice in

the next day or two. ... UCLA

received two votes in the pre-

season USA Today coaches’

poll.

UCLA REPORT

Kelly not afraid to lean on young players

By Ben Bolch

UCLA COACH Chip Kelly welcomed 48 new faces — 42 of them incoming fresh-

men — to the Bruins’ fall training camp. He says many of them will play key roles.

Gary CoronadoLos Angeles Times

Clay Helton had no choice
but to own it. He understood
the damage a 5-7 season had
done at USC. He knew that
his seat at the helm of one of
college football’s premier
programs was hotter than
perhaps anywhere else in
America. There was no sense
in hiding from any of that.
“When you have a 5-7
season, you’re going to hear
it,” Helton said at Pac-12
media day. “And it’s de-
served. It’s well-deserved.”
Helton has heard plenty of
criticism over the course of a
long, depressing offseason,
and until the Trojans prove
themselves in a down Pac-12
Conference picture, he’s sure
to hear plenty more. But as
Helton enters a make-or-
break campaign at USC, with
his job in jeopardy, the Tro-
jans have the talent to make a
major turnaround, if his staff
can make the necessary
adjustments.
Helton has done his best
to make those changes. He
hired an offensive coor-
dinator with a radically
different approach. He
preached accountability all
spring, stunning his players
with his uncharacteristic
seriousness. Those adjust-
ments, heading into fall
camp, have players believing
that 2018 might’ve been just a
random blip in the budding
career of a great football
coach.
“We had one bad year, it
happens,” USC wide receiver
Michael Pittman Jr. said.
“Think of Nick Saban when
he was with LSU. Was he the
coach he is today? I’m going
to say no he wasn’t. Some-
times it happens for you,
sometimes it doesn’t. Last
season, it just didn’t happen.”
Here are five questions
the Trojans will try to answer
during training camp:

When will JT Daniels take
the reins (again) at QB?
It might seem like a fore-
gone conclusion that Daniels,
the five-star recruit and true
freshman starter already
scripted as the next great
USC quarterback, will at
some point assume his right-
ful place atop the depth
chart. But destiny appar-
ently will have to wait out the
duration of fall camp.
When asked at Pac-12
media day how long a posi-
tion battle might last, Helton
didn’t hesitate. He has no
plans of just handing the
potential star sophomore the
job ... at least for now.
“I do want 25 practices,”
Helton said. “I want our
quarterbacks to have to feel
competition, to improve. I
think that’s healthy.”
Whether USC will actually
drag out a decision that
seems so inevitable remains
to be seen. In a competition
with sophomore Jack Sears,
who has one career start,
redshirt junior Matt Fink,

who nearly transferred to

Illinois this offseason, and

three-star true freshman

Kedon Slovis, Daniels ap-

pears to be the obvious

choice. He started 11 games

as an 18-year-old last season,

throwing for 2,672 yards and

14 touchdowns and, in spurts,

showing the potential to live

up to his five-star promise.

But that freshman cam-

paign wasn’t exactly a picture

of consistency. Daniels had

four multi-interception

games. His completion per-

centage dipped below 54% in

four of his 11 starts. He’ll be

expected to iron out those

inconsistencies in the coming

weeks, as he continues to

further grasp Graham Har-

rell’s new offense.

“I know for Graham, a

large part of it is the decision

making that a young man has

to get the ball to the right

person with a sense of ur-

gency and great timing,”

Helton said. “Is he throwing

that ball accurately? Is he

giving our guys enough time

in space to be able to make

plays in space?”

Will we see top transfers

Bru McCoy or Chris

Steele?

As camp begins, two of

USC’s most talented top

recruits remain in NCAA

transfer limbo, with no word

on when a decision will be

made on their status for this

season.

Bru McCoy, a five-star

talent from Santa Ana Mater

Dei, enrolled at USC last

January only to announce his

transfer two weeks later to

Texas. His performance

during spring practice

earned him plaudits in

Austin. But a bout of home-

sickness convinced the top

recruit to transfer back to

USC, where, barring a waiver

from the NCAA, he’ll have to

sit out the 2019 season.

Chris Steele, USC’s other

highly touted freshman

transfer, may have the best

case to play right away. A

four-star cornerback, Steele

committed to USC last sum-

mer before eventually signing

with Florida. He spent one

semester at Florida before

mitigating circumstances

unrelated to football led him

to enter the transfer portal.

Steele committed to Oregon

before ultimately flipping

back to USC, where he could

compete right away for an

open spot at cornerback if he

winds up eligible.

“Hopefully we’ll know

something before Game 1,”

Helton said. “I anticipate

that. But we’re in that proc-

ess right now.”

Will USC’s touted young

playmakers make the leap

on defense?

It didn’t take long for

Drake Jackson to turn heads.

Before celebrating his 18th

birthday, the four-star early

enrollee at defensive end was

already drawing compari-

sons this spring to former

Trojans star Leonard

Williams, who was drafted

sixth overall by the New York

Jets in 2015.

His eye-opening spring

performance hasn’t quite

solidified Jackson’s spot as

USC’s new primary sack

artist just yet. He’ll need

some time to develop, regard-

less of his possible first-

round pedigree. But Porter

Gustin’s departure leaves

that role urgently vacant

heading into the season. The

arrival of a potential super-

star pass rusher would cer-

tainly help matters up front.

“By the time he leaves this

place,” Helton said of Jack-

son, “he’ll be known as one of

our great players.”

Jackson isn’t the only

young playmaker with a shot

to make an outsized influ-

ence on USC’s defense. In

fact, he isn’t the only one in

his own apartment.

Palaie Gaoteote IV, his

roommate, primarily sat

behind departed senior

Cameron Smith last season

but flashed at linebacker in

the few opportunities he was

given. The touted prospect

will be expected to take on a

larger role at weakside line-

backer in 2019. Considering

what has been seen from him,

a huge leap in his sophomore

season could be in the cards.

Will a lead running back

emerge?

It’s not clear yet what type

of role or rotation USC’s new

offense envisions for its run-

ning backs. In some itera-

tions of the Air Raid system,

the running back is relegated

to more of a backfield re-

ceiver role.

Regardless of who carries

the ball and how often, it

can’t get much worse than

last season for USC’s run

game. Only two Pac-12 teams

ran for fewer yards than the

Trojans (1,602) in 2018. Their

leading rusher, Aca’Cedric

Ware, finished with 826 yards

—the lowest total for a lead-

ing rusher at USC in the last

five seasons.

A shock to the system

could help jump-start a

sputtering run game. Air

Raid assumptions aside,

Harrell and Helton have

made it clear that the run

game will remain a vital part

of USC’s new, up-tempo

offense. The question now, as

a stable of running backs vie

for their share of carries in

camp, is which best fits that

new system.

Redshirt junior Vavae

Malepeai, who led the team

with eight rushing touch-

downs a year ago, is the most

likely to lead USC’s rotation

of backs early on. Junior

Stephen Carr has offered

brief glimpses of greatness

between injury issues and

should play a role if he’s

healthy. And redshirt fresh-

man Markese Stepp, who

impressed in the spring,

could offer a different type of

look, given his physical rush-

ing style.

Can USC weather big

changes up front?

Halfway through last

season, amid myriad offen-

sive struggles, USC fired its

offensive line coach. The

change didn’t help matters

much.

Now, the Trojans find

themselves facing even more

wholesale changes up front.

Three of last season’s five

starters are in NFL training

camps. Only left tackle

Austin Jackson and right

guard Andrew Voorhees

return with starting experi-

ence, leaving three spots

presumably up for grabs as

camp begins.

At center and left guard,

respectively, Alijah Vera-

Tucker and Brett Neilon took

advantage of their opportu-

nities during the spring. But

at right tackle, the competi-

tion remains especially wide

open. Last year’s backup,

Jalen McKenzie, ran with the

first team most of the spring,

but he could be pushed by

Tennessee transfer Drew

Richmond, who boasts more

starting experience.

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR USC

Trojans may put on a big talent show

By Ryan Kartje

JT DANIELS PASSEDfor 2,672 yards as a fresh-

man but hasn’t been named the starter for this year.

Myung J. ChunLos Angeles Times

camp Friday and its coach en-

ters a make-or-break fourth

season as head coach, it could

ultimately be Helton’s saving

grace.

At the very least, this ap-

proach has already offered

valuable insight as to how and

why a young offense could col-

lapse under the weight of its

own inexperience.

“In years past, they were

great systems,” Helton said,

“but they were very intricate,

detailed, and with a lot of ver-

biage.

“You’d leave that spring

camp thinking, ‘Gosh, we’ve

still got more work to do to be

able to get where we need to

go.’ I didn’t feel that this

spring.”

Instead, he saw sopho-

more quarterback JT Daniels

working more smoothly

through his progressions. He

noted the ease with which

wideouts Michael Pittman Jr.

and Amon-ra St. Brown

flowed freely between outside

and inside receiver positions.

“We’re playing carefree

now,” Pittman said, “and that

lets players make more plays.”

That was especially true

for younger players, whose

understanding of advanced

concepts might have other-

wise hindered them.

They were thinking less

and acclimating more quickly,

Helton found, and that dis-

tinction could carry signifi-

cant weight as USC’s first sea-

son in the Air Raid wears on.

“I think that’s the way foot-

ball has gone,” Helton said.

“Players nowadays are more

advanced, they’re more col-

lege-ready. The only thing

holding them back is how

complicated the system

would be.”

That principle, as far as

Mike Leach is concerned, is

one of the core tenets of the of-

fense he helped popularize

through stints at Texas Tech,

where he coached Harrell, and

Washington State, where he

now presides.

USC’s experience was

hardly unique. Wherever the

Air Raid went, Leach said, it

never took long to integrate.

It’s what happened after the

system’s simple concepts

were mastered that often set

the most successful Air Raid

teams apart.

“It’s one thing to know

what somebody does on every

play,” Leach said at Pac-12

media day, “but it’s another to

react to it where it’s almost

kind of a muscle memory

thing, where you’ve done it

over and over.

“Some of it’s not just this

route or whatever, but it’s the

idiosyncrasies of your receiver

and your running back and

just the timing of who’s where

and when. The biggest thing is

to rep it over and over.”

Which is how the Trojans

found themselves learning

the same system over again

every few days this spring,

hammering home the same

concepts, practicing every

possible iteration of the same

plays.

Time once spent just

combing through every page

of the playbook was now fo-

cused on preparing for every

possible situation that might

actually arise on the field.

Whether that preparation

will be enough to save a strug-

gling offense is still an open

question. The Air Raid won’t

solve every issue that ailed

USC’s offense last season

when the Trojans went 5-7.

But in its simplicity, as

Helton sees it, there is hope.

He thinks back to last sea-

son’s narrow loss to Notre

Dame, when the staff made its

game plan as simple as pos-

sible and the offense respond-

ed in kind.

Daniels thrived with 349

yards. The results were obvi-

ous, even before the Air Raid

was a reality.

Now, with a new system in

tow and his job on the line,

Helton is hoping the same

principle applies.

“I’ve learned how simple

college football could be,” Hel-

ton said. “We all have grand

ideas and grand schemes. But

it’s not what we know as

coaches. It’s what our players

know.”

MIKE LEACH,above, coached Graham Harrell,

USC’s new offensive coordinator, at Texas Tech.

Marcio Jose SanchezAssociated Press

Muscle memory is

key to the Air Raid

[U SC, from D1]