Usc Football 2017 Spring Prospectus Defending Rose Bowl Champions
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USC FOOTBALL 2017 SPRING PROSPECTUS DEFENDING ROSE BOWL CHAMPIONS Head Coach Clay Helton Bryant Coach of the Year Finalist #14 QB Sam Darnold Archie Griffin Award Winner Freshman All-American Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year #25 TB Ronald Jones II 1,082 Rushing Yards, 12 TDs #74 C #94 DL #7 S #60 OG #7 WR Nico Rasheem Marvell Viane Steven Falah Green Tell III Talamaivao Mitchell Jr. #88 TE #42 OLB #80 WR #4 S #45 OLB Daniel Uchenna Deontay Chris Porter Imatorbhebhe Nwosu Burnett Hawkins Gustin #8 CB Iman Marshall #35 ILB Cameron Smith 6 Career Interceptions Sophomore All-American #FIGHTON #TEAM125 Team-High 83 Tackles 2017 UC Fobl Sh d l #Fgtn WEEK 1 WEEK 2 WEEK 3 WEEK 4 WEEK 5 WEEK 6 WEEK 7 WEEK 8 WEEK 9 WEEK 10 WEEK 11 WEEK 12 #27 CB Ajene Harris #28 TB Aca’Cedric Ware vs. vs. vs. @ @ vs. vs. @ @ vs. @ vs. W. MICHIGAN STANFORD TEXAS CALIFORNIA WASHINGTON ST. OREGON ST. UTAH NOTRE DAME ARIZONA ST. ARIZONA COLORADO UCLA SEPT. 2 SEPT. 9 SEPT. 16 SEPT. 23 SEPT. 29 OCT. 7 OCT. 14 OCT. 21 OCT. 28 NOV. 4 NOV. 11 NOV. 18 #36 P Chris Tilbey #82 TE Tyler Petite #23 CB Jonathan Lockett #50 C-OG Toa Lobendahn USC’S 125TH TEAM 2017 USC SPRING FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE USC QUICK FACTS 2017 USC SPRING FOOTBALL OUTLOOK Location—Los Angeles, CA 90089 Founded—1880 USC has produced some of college including a 453-yard, 5-TD outing that earned Enrollment—43,000 (19,000 undergrad) football’s most legendary players, coaches, him Rose Bowl Offensive MVP honors. The Size—235 Acres games and moments. other returning offensive starters are tailback President—C.L. Max Nikias There have been 11 national championships, Ronald Jones II, who ran for 1,082 yards and 12 Colors—Cardinal and Gold 34 bowl victories, 166 All-Americans, 6 Heisman TDs last season (he is over 2,000 career rushing Nickname—Trojans Trophy winners, 43 College Football Hall of yards), wide receiver Deontay Burnett, who had Band—Trojan Marching Band (270 Members) Famers, 22 Academic All-Americans, 485 NFL 56 receptions last fall (13 in the Rose Bowl with 3 Fight Song—”Fight On” players and 15 Pro Football Hall of Famers. scores, including the game-tying TD in the final Mascot—Traveler VII The 2017 Trojans—the school’s 125th minutes), linemen Viane Talamaivao at guard First Football Team—1888 football team—want to add to that legacy. They (he has started the past 3 years) and Nico Falah USC’s All-Time Record—823*-336-54 (70.1%) certainly are well equipped to do so. at center and tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe Athletic Director—Lynn Swann (213) 740-3843 After all, 81 squadmen return from the (4 TDs among his 17 catches in 2016). Others Conference—Pacific-12 Rose Bowl champion 2016 team (51 of them back with starting experience are wide receivers Stadium—Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum saw action), including 14 starters (6 on offense, Steven Mitchell Jr. and Jalen Greene, center- (93,607 capacity, natural grass) 7 on defense, 1 specialist). Among them are guard Toa Lobendahn, tackle Chuma Edoga, Head Football Coach—Clay Helton some of the top players at their positions in the guard-tackle Chris Brown and tight end Tyler (Houston, 1994) country, including at quarterback, running back, Petite. Helton's USC Record—16-7 (3 Years) linebacker and cornerback. They’ll be joined by USC’s feature players on a defense that last a consensus national Top 5 recruiting class of fall held 7 opponents to season lows in points Helton's College Record—16-7 (3 Years) 23 newcomers, including 5 who already enrolled include inside linebacker Cameron Smith, a —(213) 740-4204 Helton's Telephone at USC and will participate in spring drills. 2016 Sophomore All-American who already Offensive Formation—Multiple USC enters 2017 riding a 9-game winning has notched 161 career tackles (with a team- Defensive Formation—5-2 streak (its longest since 2008-09) that was high 83 last year), cornerback Iman Marshall 2016 Record—10-3 (7-2 for 2nd in Pac-12 capped with the instant-classic last-second (6 career interceptions), outside linebackers South), No. 3 AP final ranking 52-49 Rose Bowl victory over Penn State. That Porter Gustin (68 tackles in 2016, including a Squadmen Returning—81 (48 lettermen) gave USC a 10-3 finish (7-2 in the Pac-12 South team-high 13 for losses) and Uchenna Nwosu, Starters Returning—14 (6 on offense, Division for second place) and a No. 3 final lineman Rasheem Green (a team-best 6 sacks 7 on defense, 1 specialist) national ranking (its highest since 2008 and the in 2016) and safety Marvell Tell III. Safety Squadmen Lost—21 (19 lettermen) highest ever of any 3-loss team). Troy did all Chris Hawkins and cornerbacks Ajene Harris *Not including 14 wins and 1 loss vacated due to this while playing a schedule ranked among the and Jonathan Lockett also return after being NCAA penalty (original record: 837-337-54, 70.4%) 10 most difficult in the nation. part-time starters in 2016. Others returning USC’s 2016 turnaround from a 1-3 start with starts to their name are outside linebacker USC SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE (the losses were to AP Top 25 teams away from Olajuwon Tucker and tackles Malik Dorton and (213) 740-8480 home) can be attributed partly to Clay Helton, Josh Fatu. Tim Tessalone, Director (Football) who stayed the course in his first full season USC’s 2016 punter (Chris Tilbey, who (cell, 213-725-3572) as the Trojan head coach (he had served as saw only 8 runbacks among his 50 punts last Paul Goldberg, Sr. Associate SID (Football) interim head coach in 2 previous seasons). His season) returns in 2017, as does the holder on (cell, 213-725-3567) steady and consistent hand guided USC to wins placement kicks, Wyatt Schmidt. over traditional rivals UCLA and Notre Dame However, the Trojans do have a number of Darcy Couch, David Tuttle, Associate SIDs th Jeremy Wu, Rachel Caton, and in the Rose Bowl, just the 13 season that holes to fill. Gone from last season’s offense trifecta has happened in Trojan history. USC are wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster (USC’s Katie Ryan (Football), Assistant SIDs was perfect at home (6-0) for the first time No. 4 career pass catcher with 213 receptions since 2008 and undefeated in the greater Los for 3,092 yards and 25 TDs, including 70 grabs SPRING FOOTBALL PRACTICE DATES: Angeles area (8-0). The Trojans beat both with 10 scores in 2016) and Darreus Rogers March 7-9-11-21-23-25-28-30 teams (Washington and Colorado) that played (127 career catches with 11 TDs, including 56 April 1-4-6-8-11-13-15 in the Pac-12 Championship Game. catches in 2016), plus both starting tackles With the way USC closed out the 2016 (All-Americans and All-Pac-12 selectees Zach All practices held on campus season, expect the Trojans to enter 2017 highly Banner and Chad Wheeler), tailback Justin on Howard Jones Field/Brian Kennedy Field, ranked. Davis (2,465 career rushing yards with 19 TDs), except 4/15 at Coliseum “We understand the expectations at 2-year starting tight end Taylor McNamara and USC are high, especially after the successful 2-year starting guard Damien Mama, who like Practice times: season we had last year,” said Helton, who Smith-Schuster declared for the NFL Draft after Tues./Thurs. 3:15 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. in 2016 was a finalist for the Bryant Coach of his junior season. the Year Award and won the Football Writers Missing from last year’s defense are All practices available for free public viewing First Year Co-Coach of the Year Award. “We cornerback-wide receiver-returner Adoree’ welcome those expectations. Jackson, the 2016 Thorpe Award and Jet Award USC Spring Football Game “Just like every year, we will enter the winner, unanimous All-American first teamer April 15, Coliseum, Noon 2017 season with the expectation of winning and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year who (Tickets available at the gate the Pac-12 championship. We have a group had 6 career interceptions, 15 touchdowns or USCTrojans.com ) of players and coaches here that can do that. scored via kick return, punt return, interception This is the 125th USC football team and we and reception and set the USC career records expect great things this season.” for kick returns and yardage (he declared (Schedule subject to change) The 2017 Trojan offense, which last season for the NFL Draft after his junior year), along piled up at least 400 total yards in each of its with inside linebacker Michael Hutchings (118 last 10 games and scored at least 40 points 7 career tackles, with 66 last fall), tackle Stevie times, will be led by quarterback Sam Darnold, Tu’ikolovatu, the Rose Bowl Defensive MVP, and now a leading Heisman Trophy candidate after safety Leon McQuay III, who had 5 career picks, a spectacular 2016 campaign in which he including one with 27 seconds to play in the won the Archie Griffin Award, made Freshman Rose Bowl to set up Troy’s game-winning field All-American and was the Pac-12 Offensive goal. Freshman of the Year as he hit 67.2% of his The return of placekicker Matt Boermeester, WWW.USCTROJANS.COM passes for 3,086 yards and 31 touchdowns, whose 18 field goals last year—including a 1 USC’S 125TH TEAM 2017 USC SPRING FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE 46-yarder at the gun to win the Rose Bowl—were USC’s best since 2005.