SB Nation - T.J. Bryant

USC Football News and Notes 12/14 - Emerald Bowl Prep, Team Banquet and C.J. Gable News

Paragon SC — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:00:59 -0000

So, the team is back at it this week as they go into bowl prep.

A couple of interesting story lines are taking shape as the season comes to a close.

I noted yesterday that Safety Josh Pinkard is out for the Emerald Bowl because of a knee injury. That makes things very interesting as Pete Carroll will now be giving us a small glimpse into the future as to what players may have a role in 2010.

With Pinkard out, sophomore T.J. Bryant, who has been the nickel back, probably will start. But redshirt junior Shareece Wright and redshirt freshman Brian Baucham also are in the mix.

Wright, a projected starter, is expected to be available for the game after sitting out the regular season because he was academically ineligible.

Baucham, who was ahead of Bryant coming out of training camp, returned to practice Sunday after missing several weeks because of a foot injury related to a September motorcycle accident.

I am not really sure as to just how effective Wright will be after not playing for almost four months. His loss really became apparent in the second half of the season when SC's defense started to struggle. I was not pleased that Wright did not take his classwork seriously...his not being on the team really changed the dynamic of the defense.

The question I have for everyone is academically eligible does Wright deserve to play or should he wait for spring ball? Wright definitely should not start but should he see some playing time? Playing in a bowl game to me is privilege not a given. I know he is talented but is missing the regular season enough of a punishment? It is a fine line but what is the message that needs to be sent?

T.J. Bryant already has some playing time under his belt but we really have not seen anything of Baucham after his motorcycle accident...will he be game ready?

- - -

Last night USC held their Team Banquet and handed out a number of awards...

Sixth-year senior Jeff Byers was named offensive lineman of the year, while Christian Tupou and Jurrell Casey shared defensive linemen of the year honors. Senior quarterback/wideout Garrett Green was recognized as special teams player of the year. And, for the third consecutive year, Green also won the Howard Jones/Football Alumni Club Academic Award for having the highest GPA on the team.

The night wasn't lacking thrills. Cedric the Entertainer performed standup comedy and linebacker Marquis Simmons led a rendition of "Lean on Me" -- along with the tear-jerking presentation of Johnson's award by Jake Olson.

Here's a look at the full list of winners from the 2009 USC football awards ceremony on Sunday night:

Most Valuable Player: Wideout/punt returner Damian Williams

Most Inspirational Player: Tailback Stafon Johnson

Linemen of the year: Center/guard Jeff Byers (offense); defensive tackles Christian Tupou and Jurrell Casey (defense)

Special teams player of the year: Quarterback/wideout Garrett Green

Service team players of the year: Center Michael Reardon (offense); linebacker Marquis Simmons (defense)

Player of the game versus Notre Dame: Tight end Anthony McCoy

Player of the game versus UCLA: Tailback Allen Bradford

Jack Oakie "Rise and Shine" Award (year's biggest hit): Safety Taylor Mays

Howard Jones/Football Alumni Club Academic Award: Quarterback/wideout Garrett Green

Bob Chandler Award (underclassman with outstanding athletic ability, academic achievement and character): Defensive tackle Christian Tupou

John McKay Award (underclassman with the most competitive spirit): Linebacker Devon Kennard

Courage Award: Cornerback Josh Pinkard

Co-Lifters Award: Offensive lineman Jeff Byers, safety Will Harris, safety Taylor Mays

Recognition of the 22 graduating seniors

The awards for Stafon Johnson, Garrett Green and Damian Williams are no surprise.

Speaking of Garrett Green...

Garrett Green has been cleared to hold on placements despite a torn ACL in his right knee.

How cool is that! He definitely deserves it. He has probably been the most under the radar player on this team over the past few seasons. It sucks that he won't have a bigger role on kick returns like he has had but at least he will get a chance to have a hand in his final game as a Trojan.

- - -

So, what about C.J. Gable?

No player has been as much as an enigma as Gable has during his time at USC.

He had the hot hand before going out with an abdominal injury and he had a pretty good season in 2008 until he saw the bench after putting the ball on the turf against ucla and Penn St. At times his attitude has been questioned in the press but that is hard to really know. He made some statements in the past that probably put him in the doghouse but this season he has been completely off the radar.

Last season there were some rumblings that he might go pro but he stuck it out...

But with the season almost over the questions are now being asked...will he stay or will he go?

Gable is one of several draft-eligible Trojans underclassmen who must decide by Jan. 15 whether to go pro or return to school. Unlike many of the others, Gable has played only a bit role this season after being a major contributor a year ago.

Gable started all but one game last season and tied for the team lead with 10 touchdowns. This season the redshirt junior has no starts and just 21 carries as Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford have shared most of the workload.

"It’s been frustrating," Gable said Sunday after USC’s second practice in preparation for the Dec. 26 Emerald Bowl. "Anybody would be frustrated. … Why would you play if you don’t care whether you get in or not?

"I care because I want to play. But I can’t do anything about it but keep on doing what I’m doing, which is work hard and let everybody see what I can do."

Gable made quite an impression Sunday, when, according to USC coach Pete Carroll, "he was the best guy on the field." But being a good practice player — and a good soldier after complaining about playing time last season - hasn’t translated into a greater role during games.

We have heard how great players have performed in practice only to see them disappear when game time comes around so I am not taking Gables strong performance as nothing more than just a snapshot in time.

Personally, I think he goes pro. SC will still have a glut of running backs, four off the top of my head, and that is before LOI Day where SC is in the mix for a couple of more top RB's

Here is a little more for the DN...

After rushing for 617 yards on 107 carries with eight touchdowns last year, Gable has been buried behind Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford in the running back rotation during his redshirt junior season, causing him to contemplate whether he'll return to play for the Trojans in 2010 or explore his value in the NFL draft in April.

"(In the past) I've always been basing my decisions off anger, but now I'm thinking clearly," said Gable, who has seen action in 11 of 12 games, but has rushed for only 98 yards on 12 carries with no scores.

"The most important thing is graduating. I've learned that football isn't everything. There is life after football. It's been difficult, but I just get in a rhythm in practice and I forget that I'm not playing anymore. I don't talk about it unless somebody brings it up."

Gable needs three more classes to graduate, but intends to sit down and talk with coach Pete Carroll following the Dec. 26 Emerald Bowl against Boston College in San Francisco about his future prospects.

"Allen is coming back too, but it also depends on who they might bring in," Gable said. "The only thing I know I'll benefit from by coming back is that I'll graduate. But (this year) they were better than me. The best man won the position."

Gable's mature approach hasn't been lost on Carroll, especially following the Trojans' second practice in as many days since a 21-17 loss to Arizona on Dec. 5.

You know Carroll is going to try and get him stay...but he may be in the same as Mark Sanchez. He can take those three classes and be done next semester so his commitment in my eyes is fulfilled...he has no obligation to stay once he has his degree...

It should be interesting.

BlogPoll Roundtable - Who 'ya got? Who is off your radar and if you had your personal ATM

Paragon SC — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:38:03 -0000

It is that time of year year again.

This years initial BlogPoll Roundtable is hosted by Hey Jenny Slater

1. Without naming names, a few teams seem to have popped up frequently on everyone's "overrated" lists in the preseason, so let's forget about them for the moment and concentrate on a different group: sleepers. Which currently unheralded team are you currently putting at least a few of your chips behind in the hopes that you'll be able to say "totally called that" once they've accomplished big things by the end of the season?

I went back and looked at my pre-season ballot and looked at the teams from #15 down and really could not find anything that I might have missed. So I Iooked at the other ballots to try and glean some knowledge from some of the other voters. Well, two teams stood out... Colorado and Texas Tech. TT is easy, Leach will continue to do well with his easy schedule and he will continue to draw great offensive players with the system he runs. Colorado on the other hand has been doing some solid recruiting and even though they have had some bad losses. Dan Hawkins is building a quality program up there. They could make some real noise in the Big 12 North.

2. In a similar vein, pick a sleeper player on your team whom nobody's talking about right now and tell us why we will be talking about them by December.

WR David Ausberry and CB T.J. Bryant come to mind though with the recent injury to Ronald Johnson and with CB Shareece Wright ruled academically ineligible these are two names that have have spiked within the USC community. We hope to see a lot production out of both of these players.

3. Florida is about as big a consensus favorite as we've seen in recent years, but remember, USC got 62 out of 65 first-place votes in the AP's 2007 preseason poll and still managed to lose to Stanford. Given how difficult it is to go undefeated period these days, where do you think the Gators are most likely to stumble in the regular season?

Well, obviously we know a little about this...The bottom line is this. These are kids who DO read their press clippings so it is easy to buy into the hype. Now, Florida may have it a little bit easier with their schedule but one can never know and they lost at home last year to a better Ole Miss team than everyone thought. Florida has lost a few players this pre-season and they have a few that are banged up so their depth is going to be tested. They also lost their second best weapon in Harvin. The other unknown is that Steve Addazio is now the main play-caller and that will the test for Tebow as he has grown comfortable Dan Mullen. Florida will also have one tough game at LSU (see below) that could trip them up...

4. Which regular-season game not involving your team or conference are you most looking forward to this year?

For a conference game it has to be Florida at LSU - It is not that LSU is better than UF, at least not this year, it is that Baton Rouge is a tough place to play and the Tigers will be looking to make a few sets of luggage out of some Gator trophies. I just don't see any other game on Florida's schedule that would be trouble for them.

For an out of conference game it has to be OK St. against UGA I am sure Kyle and Doug are much better at discussing this game.

5. In honor of Georgia's opening-weekend opponent and their most prolific booster, let's say you somehow come into T. Boone Pickens money and can buy anything you want for your program -- facilities upgrades, an airplane for recruiting, buy out the contract of that coach you hate, you name it. Where does your first check go?

OK, this one is easy...Better facilities!

It is amazing that USC has been so dominant with such crummy facilities. I am not saying that they need what the Ducks have with all that Nike money they spend and it is not like it helped the Ducks win a title but it sure would be nice to some sort of upgrade for the players.

Q&A With Conquest Chronicles: USC Invasion Edition

Cory Williams — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:54:39 -0000

Thanks goes out to the gentlemen at Conquest Chronicles. You can see my answers to their questions at this link.

1. We all know USC has the richest recruiting program in the country, rivaled only by SEC powerhouses such as LSU. Is there anyone hidden on the depth chart that you are excited to see play in the future?

I really want to see what T.J. Bryant and Chris Galippo can do. Galippo was a redshirt last year because of back surgery and he missed the first three games of the season also because of back surgery. Galippo is the heir apparent at MLB and with SC losing the three starting linebackers after this season he will have a lot of responsibility placed on his shoulders.

Bryant is another player who will have a major impact in the secondary with players like Josh Pinkard, Cary Harris, and Kevin Thomas graduating Bryant will be put in a position to become a leader real fast so he needs to get on the field to start getting some experience.

2. Lets say QB Mark Sanchez can't go on Saturday, which is unlikely considering his toughness. Mitch Mustain would get the start. How do you feel about Mitch, and what does he bring to the table that Sanchez doesn't?

It is not clear what Mustain brings to the table that Sanchez doesn't because we haven't seen enough of him yet. Mustain certainly has the talent; you don't go 8-0 in the SEC without talent. I think if Mustain had regular playing time we would see him progress at a much faster rate then we would see what he does different than Sanchez.

Mustain's biggest problem has been at mastering the USC playbook. The schemes are different than the ones he was used to at Arkansas. I thought it took a lot of moxie on Mustain's part to want to come to USC where there are no guarantees at starting. He clearly understood that he was expected to compete but just competing isn't enough you need to perform.

3. In practice, Mustain is showing weakness against the blitz. When asked about it, Pete Carroll said, "spotty," describing Mustain's performance during the drill. "Guys have to protect him better." Is this the fault of the O-line, or do you worry that Mustain just hasn't been getting enough reps lately?

I would say probably a little bit of both…Our offensive line, while having some great games against Ohio State and Oregon is still coming together, their play against Oregon State showed that. They also have to go up against one of the best defenses in the country on a regular basis in practice so it doesn't surprise me that the defense sometimes gets the better of the offensive line putting pressure on the QB.

I do think that Mustain is probably a little rusty as far as not getting regular reps as the back-up so his timing could be a little off.

4. Lets talk tailbacks. C.J. Gable and Joe McKnight are ridiculously good players. How do they compliment one another in the backfield?

Gable is the most complete running back on the team. He can run between the tackles, a catch pass out in the flat and he is a superb run blocker. There isn't too much that he can't do.

McKnight has an explosiveness that can take a defense by surprise and because of his speed you will see SC put him in all different types of formations. He still needs to work on his ball handling though, too many fumbles. If he gets that part of the game addressed you will see a lot more of what he is capable of.

Don't forget Stafon Johnson either, he has some explosive moves: His TD run against Oregon was reminiscent of Reggie Bush's TD run against Fresno State.

5. LB Rey Maualuga might not be able to make as big of an impact on Saturday due to his knee sprain. Should he be on the sidelines, who steps in, and what can you tell us about him?

Oh Rey is going to play but if for some reason he can't Brian Cushing will move to MLB with Galippo rotating in. There are a lot of people who think that Cushing is actually a better linebacker that Maualuga. I am one of them. I had the pleasure of seeing Cushing play high school ball here in NJ at Bergen Catholic. He is natural MLB but can easily play SLB. His game seems more polished as at time Rey gets a little too aggressive and over runs the play.

6. Finally, what is the biggest deficiency that USC currently exhibits? I know they were tested heavily against the speedy running game of Oregon State, leaving coverage openings for QB Lyle Maevao to throw into.

The Offensive line still needs a little more time to come together. The was no excuse for Sanchez being under pressure against a team that was replacing their whole front seven that seemed to have no difficulty at pushing back out offensive line.

Good luck on Saturday!

Same to you.

My answers will be up on their site this evening.