Los Angeles Times - 04.03.2020

D6 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2020 LATIMES.COM/SPORTS

Since the COVID-19 virus
was detected in China late
last year, more than 93,000
people have been infected
and more than 3,100 have
died worldwide. Still, as of
early Tuesday, the World
Health Organization had yet
to classify the outbreak as a
pandemic because it has se-
verely affected only a hand-
ful of countries.
Some health experts
have questioned the wisdom
of holding any mass public
gathering in light of the out-
break; others have said it is
too early to make any such
decisions.
The modern Olympics
have been canceled only
three times, during the first
and second World Wars.
They have endured through
various concerns, including
the spread of the Zika virus
around the time of the 2016
Summer Games in Rio de
Janeiro.
This time, there is con-
cern because the co-
ronavirus has caused events
such as international soccer
games and a major car race

to be postponed, moved or

canceled.

Tokyo is expecting more

than 10,000 athletes and an

estimated 600,000 tourists

from around the globe. Or-

ganizers have devoted bil-

lions of dollars to venue con-

struction and other prepa-

rations but would likely have

insurance to cover cancella-

tion for unforeseeable rea-

sons.

American broadcasters

said Tuesday they also

would be covered in case of

cancellation.

“We try to anticipate for

big events what might hap-

pen so that we’re protected

there, and we also have in-

surance for any expenses we

make,” Comcast Chairman

Brian Roberts said. “We’re

optimistic the Olympics are

going to happen.”

As for postponement,

any date later this year or

into 2021 could conflict with

world championships and

other competitions already

scheduled. There is an addi-

tional, historical perspec-

tive.

The Spanish flu pan-

demic of 1918 was relatively

light when it first appeared

during the winter and

spring. But after a dormant

summer, it returned with

greater force in the fall, ulti-

mately infecting as many as

500 million people and

killing 20 million to 50 million

worldwide.

Last month, the IOC

formed a task force that in-

cludes representatives from

the WHO, the Tokyo 2020 or-

ganizing committee and the

Japanese government.

“Of course we will contin-

ue this regular consultation

with this joint task force to

be able to address any devel-

opments which may occur,”

Bach said.

Olympic leaders dis-

missed suggestions of a

postponement, repeating

their expectation that the

Tokyo Games will begin as

scheduled July 24.

“You can come up with all

sorts of speculation, all sorts

of doomsday scenarios,”

IOC spokesman Mark Ad-

ams told reporters. “We

would prefer to stick to the

advice from the experts.”

IOC downplays coronavirus threat to the Games

[Olympics, from D1]

THE CORONAVIRUShas some health officials questioning the wisdom of mass

gatherings. A man in Tokyo passes by an Olympics countdown clock last month.

Jae C. HongAssociated Press

Todd Orlandowants to
take USC to a dark place.
Not the dark place the
Trojans were left in last De-
cember, after their defense
was dismantled by Iowa in
the Holiday Bowl and their
coordinator was fired a day
later. But rather a figurative
dark place, where players
are pushed past their men-
tal and physical brink, where
adversity is earned and in-
testinal fortitude is forged,
and where USC’s new, hard-
nosed defensive coordinator
claims “all the champi-
onships are at.”
As spring practice opens
next week and a new staff of
assistants takes the reins on
defense, Orlando plans to
spend most of the session
trying to pilot the Trojans to
that place, where toughness
is an inextricable tenet
again.
“You have to go [to that
dark place] and see what it’s
all about,” Orlando said
Tuesday. “If you’re never in
those places that are really,
really tough, you’re never go-
ing to know how to go
through them. We’re going
to go through them. That’s
not lip service. It’s not.
That’s the thing.”
That was the overarching
message, metaphorical and
otherwise, as the new mem-
bers of USC’s defensive staff
spoke publicly for the first
time Tuesday since their hir-
ings in the offseason. None
held back in their declara-
tions for how they plan to
change the program.
Orlando used an array of
fighting metaphors to de-
scribe the mind-set he hopes
to instill. Defensive line
coach Vic So’oto talked
about getting back to foot-
ball’s violent, physical roots
up front, and cornerbacks
coach Donte Williams
talked about getting back to
USC’s roots on the recruit-

ing trail, where the West was

“something [USC] rightfully

owns.”

The new assistants spoke

of pushing USC’s defense to

a place that was no longer

natural. And all four said it

was coach Clay Heltonwho

convinced them to bring

that message and style to

USC.

“Clay Helton to his credit

was the guy who kind of

tipped us over as far as a

boss that you can get behind

and fight for,” So’oto said.

“We’re all kind of cut from

the same cloth. We [believe]

in playing football a certain

way.”

That new brand of de-

fense starts next Tuesday at

practice, where Orlando

promised USC will be more

physical. In talking about

plans for spring, he bristled

at the notion of non-padded

practice — “Saturday, that’s

when we play actual Ameri-

can football” — and noted

USC would be “right under

the [NCAA] marker” in

terms of hitting in practice.

“If you want to be a good

fighter, you have to get in a

fight,” Orlando said. “You

know what I’m saying? You

have to practice that way.”

USC’s defense didn’t put

up much of a fight down the

stretch in 2019, when it gave

up 84 combined points to

UCLA and Iowa to finish the

season. Orlando’s final de-

fense at Texas, for that mat-

ter, also struggled. The

Longhorns yielded 30-plus

points in six of their 12 games

before he was fired in early

December.

But wherever he has

gone, Orlando’s multiple

scheme has seen some mea-

sure of initial success.

At Texas, where he spent

the last three seasons, Or-

lando’s first year saw the

Longhorns improve from

87th nationally to 39th in

yards allowed and 80th to

24th in points allowed. At

Utah State, where he

coached from 2013 to 2014,

Orlando’s inaugural defense

ranked 12th and seventh, re-

spectively.

Orlando credits those

improvements, in large part,

to a shift in mentality. The

question now, as he takes

over a talented Trojans de-

fense, is whether that might

be enough to turn the tide at

USC.

No NFL for Harrell

Graham Harrell had ne-

ver really considered coach-

ing in the NFL.

As the son of a Hall of

Fame Texas high school

coach, Harrell always imag-

ined a future following in his

father’s and grandfather’s

footsteps. Even a collegiate

coaching career came as

somewhat of a surprise to

the record-setting Texas

high school quarterback,

whose first season at USC

saw the Trojans rank among

the top passing teams in the

nation.

So when the Philadelphia

Eagles called in January and

asked him to interview to be

their offensive coordinator, a

future beyond the college

ranks had barely crossed

Harrell’s mind. It gave him

plenty to think about. But at

the end of an offseason in

which plenty of other oppor-

tunities arose for him, Har-

rell decided it wasn’t the

right time to make that step.

“One day it may be the

right time and the right op-

portunity for me to go do it,”

Harrell said. “This just

wasn’t it. So it’s exciting, and

I do think if you look around

and look at a lot of the of-

fenses, they’re moving

toward or doing a lot more

things similar to what col-

lege guys are doing, what

we’re doing here. There may

be more opportunities, and

the time may be right at

some point, and it is an excit-

ing opportunity, but it’s not

something I ever thought

about or thought I had to get

to to feel I made it in the

coaching world.”

New tight ends coach

John David Baker, a close

friend of Harrell, said he

doesn’t believe an NFL job

suits his style.

“The NFL is probably the

last thing on his mind,”

Baker said. “He’s truly an ed-

ucator. He enjoys growing

people and growing kids.”

Etc.

Despite the return of Ke-

don Slovis, last season’s

Pac-12 offensive freshman of

the year, there will be com-

petition this spring at

quarterback, Harrell re-

iterated. Former starter JT

Daniels is expected to be

very limited physically as he

attempts to return from a

torn anterior cruciate liga-

ment. Harrell explained that

USC will also be “very cau-

tious” with Slovis, who in-

jured his elbow in the Holi-

day Bowl three months ago.

Tight end Daniel Ima-

torbhebhe, who left the

team after last spring, has

rejoined the roster and will

be healthy for this spring. ...

All but one session of spring

practice will be open to the

public. The team will hold a

spring showcase exhibition

at the Coliseum on April 11.

USC DEFENSIVE COORDINATORTodd Orlando has had good initial success at Texas and Utah State, but
the Longhorns gave up at least 30 points in six of their first 12 games last season before Orlando was fired.

Shotgun SpratlingFor The Times

New defensive assistants

are talking a tough game

‘If you want to be a good fighter, you

have to get in a fight. ... You have to

practice that way.’

— Todd Orlando,

USC defensive coordinator

By Ryan Kartje

USC FOOTBALL

UCLA started spring

football practice with the

largest pool of players in

coach Chip Kelly’s three sea-

sons, but the Bruins were

down one significant con-

tributor after the first day.

Backup quarterback

Austin Burton, who partici-

pated in practice Tuesday,

had entered the transfer por-

tal, according to Yahoo

Sports’ Pete Thamel, with

plans to graduate this spring

and be immediately eligible

to play two more seasons.

The redshirt junior

backed up starter Dorian

Thompson-Robinson last

season, filling in as the start-

er against Oregon State

when Thompson-Robinson

was sidelined by injury. Bur-

ton completed 27 of 41 passes

for 236 yards in that loss to

the Beavers and was steady

all season, completing 68.8%

of his passes for 365 yards

and one touchdown without

an interception. He also ran

for 100 yards and a touch-

down in 23 carries.

Burton was among six

quarterbacks who took part

in the Bruins’ first spring

practice, joined by Thomp-

son-Robinson and Washing-

ton transfer Colson Yankoff,

among others. Burton’s de-

parture leaves Thompson-

Robinson as the only

quarterback on the roster

who has thrown a pass at the

college level.

Thompson-Robinson put

plenty of zip on his passes

and showed impressive

poise in the practice session.

Yankoff, who will be eligible

to play this season after sit-

ting out last year, floated a

few passes but displayed the

mobility that prompted

some to label him one of the

nation’s top dual-threat

quarterbacks coming out of

high school.

UCLA’s quarterback

ranks will be bolstered in fall

camp by the arrival of Parker

McQuarrie, a highly touted

freshman from New Hamp-

shire.

The Bruins’ roster was so

depleted when Kelly con-

ducted his first spring prac-

tice two years ago that the

coach stepped in as a

quarterback and threw

passes during some drills.

Last year, the number of

players barely budged. Sixty

players participated in the

spring, just more than half

the team’s eventual roster.

That made the 99 players

who reported for the start of

spring practice Tuesday feel

like an overflow crowd. There

were enough bodies to get in

plenty of repetitions for

third- and fourth-stringers

during team periods.

Kelly did not speak with

reporters but indicated last

month that the increased

numbers would translate

into more than improved

depth.

“Those are things that

will pay off,” Kelly said at the

time, “in terms of how you’re

going to start and how you’re

going to play.”

Demetric Felton Jr. led a

fleet of running backs bid-

ding to replace star Joshua

Kelley and said he welcomed

the competition, particu-

larly before the start of fall

camp.

“It’s better to have more

guys out here,” Felton said.

“Just being able to get more

of the team [accustomed] to

what we have to do in the

spring rather than jumping

in after June.”

Felton said he was open

to doing anything to help his

team, whether it meant be-

coming the every-down run-

ning back or being used in a

variety of roles. He served as

the on-campus host for grad-

uate transfer Brittain

Brown, the player who might

be his top competition to

assume Kelley’s spot after a

promising career at Duke

was beset by injuries.

“He’s a big, strong run-

ner,” Felton said of Brown,

who won’t arrive until fall

camp, “so, I’m definitely ex-

cited for him to come.”

Felton returned for his

senior season after receiving

NFL draft evaluations that

he needed additional sea-

soning.

“I just really saw another

opportunity for me to im-

prove personally and help

this team become better this

season,” Felton said, “and

that’s something that I really

wanted to do and be a part of,

so that’s why I decided to

stay.”

The group of offensive

linemen swelled literally and

figuratively with the arrival

of Atonio Mafi, a 360-pound

converted defensive line-

man. The Bruins need extra

linemen with the departures

of center Boss Tagaloa to

graduation, guard Michael

Alves to a medical retire-

ment and guard

Christaphany Murray to the

transfer portal.

Somewhat ironically, the

position that appeared

short-handed Tuesday was

one that was the deepest up-

on Kelly’s arrival. By the end

of practice, walk-ons Greg

Dulcich and Michael

Churich were the only play-

ers working at tight end after

sophomore Michael Mar-

tinez left the practice field

following a cameo appear-

ance.

Bruins’ depth

immediately

takes a hit

UCLA begins practice

with 99 players, but

backup quarterback

reportedly to transfer.

By Ben Bolch

DEMETRIC FELTON

JR.will try to take over

as the top running back.

Luis SincoLos Angeles Times