Just 135 days (but who’s counting?) until the 2024 football season kicks off, but there’s still one crucial component of this practice season remaining: the annual spring football game.
This scrimmage will consist of an irregular game format that pits the Trojans’ defense against the offense and will be the public’s first sneak peek into what’s been brewing this offseason. It’s also an opportunity for the team to play together in a scrimmage that somewhat resembles a real game and become more familiar with plays on the big stage.
The spring game will be a good glimpse into the team’s chemistry, how each player’s positional situation has developed and overall morale. However, don’t expect any schemes or magic trick plays, as there’s much to be saved for the real competition when the season kicks off on September 1 against LSU.
It’s been an intense five weeks of practices, but the Trojans are looking forward to demonstrating the hard work required for adjusting to new coaches, players and schemes.
“We feel hungry,” sophomore defensive lineman Elijah Hughes said. “We’re really excited to get out there for the spring game and show what we’ve been working on. Just excited to dominate and give it our all and showcase what we’ve learned since day one.”
Trojan football should look a bit different since the last time USC stepped foot on the United Airlines Field against crosstown rival UCLA last November. The most notable changes include the addition of defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn and a new defensive scheme.
“We have a lot of disguises, a lot of blitzes, and I feel like that versatility to switch it up and keep the offense on their toes is going to be very effective,” redshirt junior cornerback Prophet Brown said on Thursday. “We’re not letting them dictate what we’re running. We’re coming after the offense and that aspect makes it easier on the [defensive backs], the defensive line gets to get after it — it’s just great overall.”
Senior linebacker Eric Gentry echoed the importance of playing fast and anticipating the offense during the pre-snap moments, a skill he said is senior linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold’s greatest strength.
Gentry also acknowledged the importance of him and Mascarenas-Arnold playing off of each other’s movements.
Over on the offense, sophomore wide receiver Zachariah Branch has also been working on his reaction time in the key moments of a play’s formation. He says he’s improved his football IQ this offseason, which helps him understand defenses better before the snap. With that growth, he’s learning to change his route based on the coverage he’s facing.
“Sometimes they do a certain disguise, but you kind of pick up off it after a certain amount of time watching film. Last year I was kind of just focused on the scheme,” Branch said. “I find the game’s just slowing down a bit for me being able to read defenses a little faster.”
As the Trojans head into the spring game, one thing for fans to keep an eye on is the offensive front. The defense has had an impressive physical transformation since last season, but a crucial aspect in adjusting to the Big Ten will be how USC’s offense can hold up at the line of scrimmage.
“The offense is going to have to get more physical and be able to control the trenches, which means the offensive line is going to have to be able to run the ball and protect, as well as the defensive line and defensive side,” former USC defensive end and former NFL linebacker Willie McGinest said last week.
The Trojans are used to playing a quick-strike offense and getting the ball down the field, and with former star quarterback Caleb Williams, that was never a problem. USC operated from an outside-in format, with strong and skillful players on the outside tasked with handing the ball in an efficient manner.
“[USC] is going to be going up against bigger, stronger, more physical defenders,” McGinest said. “Most of the Big Ten is built from the inside out, meaning big defensive linemen and big offensive linemen are very physical.”
Changing conferences is no simple task, but the more the Trojans continue to work in the offseason to become stronger and more familiar with schemes, the better they’ll be able to combat Big Ten teams.
Saturday’s game will be an interesting insight into whether USC’s offense can handle its own defensive line, but another area of anticipation is at quarterback.
Redshirt junior quarterback Miller Moss has three years of collegiate play under his belt and finished last season with a USC bowl-game record performance against the Louisville Cardinals. Moss threw an impressive six touchdown passes in the Holiday Bowl, sealing a 42-28 victory for the Trojans and likely made himself the team’s starting quarterback going into the 2024 season.
While Moss has the experience to battle it out on the field in true Trojan fashion, he’ll be sharing the limelight on Saturday with UNLV transfer redshirt sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava and redshirt junior quarterback Jake Jensen.
Riley said after Tuesday’s practice the team hasn’t worked out who will be claiming starting quarterback this fall but ensured the players will get their share of experience.
“We’ll rep all three of those guys,” Riley said on Tuesday. “It’s probably fairly similar to how we’ve repped them in spring, which has been Miller and Jake … they’re certainly getting competitive reps every day.”
There are still a lot of unknowns to settle for the Trojans, but if nothing else, the spring football game is sure to get fans excited for a new season of players, coaches and competition.
Saturday’s spring football game will take place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum at 12 p.m.