USC Trojans

Robert Nkemdiche committed to Clemson, but that didn't slow down his recruiting. Kipp Adams talks with the nation’s top recruit about his recruitment since committing to Clemson, and his goals for the 2012 season.

ESPN College Football analyst David Pollack explains why he thinks Matt Barkley is the best quarterback in the country and it's not even close.

The John McKay Center was dedicated on Tuesday as the new crown jewel of the USC athletic department. The media was given a tour prior to the grand opening by USC senior associate athletic director Mark Jackson, who served as the project coordinator for the athletic department.

Here are some of the highlights of the new facility, which will serve all 21 USC sports in training and academic services, as well as serve as the home for the Trojan football program:

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In the depths of their offices, some of the best offensive minds in college football are grinding.

Chip Kelly is pondering how to get 10 more plays per game out of his offense.

Rich Rodriguez and Mike Leach are re-re-revolutionizing their attacks.

David Shaw is trying to figure out how to get nine offensive linemen, five tight ends and three fullbacks on the field at once.

Lane Kiffin has more offensive toys than an FAO Schwarz display.

"Option, option spread, I, heavy-I, pistol, triple-backs, full house, triple tights; it's something new every week," said Oregon linebacker Michael Clay. "It makes every week pretty interesting."

The Pac-12 is widely regarded as the conference of offenses. And they are only getting better. Prior to 1990, only twice has a team led the conference with a scoring average of more than 40 points. Since 1990, it's happened nine times -- including USC's conference best of 49.1 points per game in 2005.

That means being a defensive player in the Pac-12 is awfully difficult.

"You get Andrew Luck one week and then Matt Barkley the next," said USC safety T.J. McDonald. "The preparation is on a whole other level compared to other conferences. There are great quarterbacks and great receivers and running backs. But the culture of this conference has changed. They've forced defenses to get better."

As the spread offense became chic and more teams were stretching defenses, they were forced to respond in kind. Gone are the days of everyone lining up in a base 4-3 and slugging it out. Now defenses are evolving into multiple fronts, exotic and disguised coverages and zone blitzes.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham should know. He and UCLA coach Jim Mora are the only head coaches in the conference with a defensive background.

"We're definitely the minority," Whittingham said with a laugh. "It's a broad spectrum. Defensively, in this day and age, you have to be able to defend it all anyways. When the spread became en vogue 10-12 years ago it caught on like wildfire. Now almost everyone has a version of it. You have to be equipped to deal with whatever you come across week in and week out and have a scheme that is flexible enough and adaptable enough that you can cover all of your bases.

"Things go in cycles. The spread becomes en vogue and takes a while for the defense to catch up. Then the zone blitz was giving offenses fits and the offenses had to catch up to that. I think everything in football is cyclical and if offense has the upper hand right now, it won't be too further down the road where that role is reversed."

And that time might be coming sooner than later. Utah, California, USC, Oregon and Stanford all have defenses that are very good and bordering on elite. But the numbers don't always add up because in this conference, you are going to give up yards and you are going to give up points.

"Part of it is innovation," Shaw said. "Part of it is Chip Kelly and Mike Leach and Rich Rodriguez. The thing is, you can use the word 'spread' offense for half the teams in our conference, but they are all different. You can say 'pro-style' offense, which is what you would say about us and USC, but they are so different. The hard part of playing defense in our conference is every single week, you are playing against something you didn't see the week before.

"Cal has a pro-style offense. But their passing is different than our pass game and their running is different than our running game. And theirs is different from USC's. You are going to play a nine-game conference schedule and every single offense you play is going to be completely different. Defensive coordinators -- and we've got a really good group in this conference -- defensive coordinators and players have to flush a lot of what you watched the week before and study film hard the next week because you're going to see a different animal."

The conference also has the players to back up the defensive hype. Stanford linebackers Chase Thomas and Shayne Skov are projected as two of the best at their positions. Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei is regarded as the best defensive tackle in the nation and McDonald is a returning All-American.

And while perception might never really change nationally since the conference keeps chugging out A-list offensive players, Washington quarterback Keith Price says he's seen the difference.

"The difference between us and some of those other conferences is the defensive linemen," Price said. "We've always had good skill players. They say the trenches is what separates the SEC from the other conferences. But you can see now that our conference is starting to get there. When you look at teams like Cal and Utah, their defensive lines are really tough."

LOS ANGELES -- It was another good day for the offense today as the Trojans worked out in full pads on Dedeaux Field.

"It was very similar to yesterday," USC head coach Lane Kiffin said. "We were good in all three phases, but especially on offense. The dynamic skill guys showed up again and, as you can see, the timing between [Matt] Barkley and [Robert] Woods is on its way back. Robert looks fast, the best he's been in a while."

Barkley had a touchdown to Woods in a 7-on-7 drill and the two completed a lot of passes in team situation drills. Barkley also had touchdowns to Randall Telfer and Xavier Grimble, as well as a nice completion over the middle to Marqise Lee. Nickell Robey had an early interception off Barkley when the ball was thrown into double coverage.

The highlight pass of the day came on a 70-yard touchdown pass from Max Wittek to Lee, who also caught a touchdown from Cody Kessler in 7-on-7.

Silas Redd had an impressive run when he showed patience to wait for his blocker Cyrus Hobbi and he ended up with a 20-yard gain.

Kevin Graf and D.J. Morgan both returned to action today.

Kiffin quotebook
"Xavier Grimble has had two days in a row with some dropped balls. It happens, it's like a basketball shooter who eventually shoots his way out of it. It's surprising with X because he's such a natural pass-catcher."

"No final answer right now on academic issues for Isiah Wiley or Marquis Simmons. We also haven't heard anything yet today on Darreus Rogers."

"We would like to name a No. 2 QB by the start of the season but we're not in season yet. It's not the end of the world if we don't name one, we could use either guy for different situations."

"We've already seen an impact from the McKay Center on recruiting. For the past six months there have been current recruits who have walked through the building. The players love the players lounge, it gives them a place to hang out if they have an hour between classes. Before they would be sprawled out on the floor in the lobby of Heritage Hall. The building is just a huge advantage -- we used to be behind in facilities but now we've caught up and passed everybody."

"Buck Allen has come a long way, he's still very young football-wise because he missed time in his senior year with an injury."

"There will be walk-ons who give up their scholarships but we're not giving those names now, they could come back later. We will be under the 75-roster limit with the roster we turn in before the start of the season."

"The McKay Center dedication will take place Tuesday night on campus."

LOS ANGELES -- The No. 1-ranked USC Trojans returned to practice on Monday afternoon after Sunday’s scrimmage, which saw a disciplined defense but a lackluster offense. Here are today’s practice highlights:

• The Trojans worked out in helmets, pads, and black shorts.

• Preferred walk-on Nathan Guertler continued to start at right tackle for Kevin Graf, who was suited up but did not participate due to an undisclosed injury.

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College Football Live's Joe Tessitore and David Pollack examine what could be an issue for USC this upcoming season.

Through two weeks of USC fall camp, here is our take on the current depth chart (an asterisk denotes a player who is missing time right now due to injury):

QB: Matt Barkley; Cody Kessler or Max Wittek

Still no word from Lane Kiffin on which back-up quarterback is in the lead for the No. 2 spot.

TB: Curtis McNeal; Silas Redd, D.J. Morgan, Buck Allen,

Redd appears to have moved ahead of Morgan for the No. 2 spot.

FB: Soma Vainuku; Jahleel Pinner, Charles Burks

Vainuku has put together a real nice fall camp as he gets ready for starting role.

FL: Robert Woods; De'Von Flournoy, Nelson Agholor

Woods is looking good on that ankle lately.

SE: Marqise Lee; George Farmer, Victor Blackwell

Farmer and Blackwell have both performed well in recent practices

TE: Randall Telfer or Xavier Grimble; Junior Pomee *, Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick

Pomee was looking real good early in camp before getting hurt

LT: Aundrey Walker; Max Tuerk, Nathan Guertler

Tuerk was impressive while Walker was out, but Walker recently returned to action.

LG: Marcus Martin; Abe Markowitz, Giovanni Di Poalo

Markowitz can also serve as an option at center

C: Khaled Holmes; Cyrus Hobbi

Holmes looks like an All-American in camp

RG: John Martinez; Jeremy Galten

Martinez pairs with Graf to form an effective right side

RT: Kevin Graf*; Zach Banner

Guerlter has moved over to the right side in recent days with Graf out of action.

DE: J.R. Tavai*; Greg Townsend Jr.*, Morgan Breslin

With Tavai and Townsend both out and DeVante Wilson going down for the year with a knee injury, Breslin has flipped over from the right side.

DT: George Uko; Leonard Williams

Uko is showing signs of very good play -- a breakout year could definitely be on the horizon.

NT: Antwuan Woods; Christian Heyward, Cody Temple*

Woods has improved greatly from last fall.

DE: Wes Horton*; Kevin Greene

Greene could be counted on to play an increased role this fall.

WLB: Hayes Pullard; Anthony Sarao, Dallas Kelley

Pullard will move to the middle if Dawson is out.

MLB: Lamar Dawson*; Scott Starr, Will Andrew

Dawson has been out of action for a while.

SLB: Dion Bailey*; Tony Burnett, Jabari Ruffin

Bailey has seen spot duty in recent days, he should be fine.

CB: Nickell Robey; Kevon Seymour, Ryan Henderson, Brian Baucham*

Seymour has taken advantage of the absence of other corners to make an early impact.

CB: Anthony Brown; Torin Harris*, Devian Shelton

Kiffin has made no secret of how much he misses Harris in the lineup.

FS: T.J. McDonald; Drew McAllister, Gerald Bowman

After missing spring, Bowman started slow in camp but has come on lately.

SS: Jawanza Starling; Demetrius Wright, Josh Shaw

Shaw could play either corner or safety, though the coaches appear to prefer him at safety.

LOS ANGELES - The Trojans held their second scrimmage of fall camp on Sunday at the Coliseum and it was definitely a performance that was dominated by the defense.

Suffice to say, this one will not go down in the offensive scrapbook with five turnovers (four interceptions and one fumble). The offense did score three touchdowns, but one of them came on a defensive miscue when a receiver was left uncovered on a red zone play.

“It was a really good day for the defense,” USC head coach Lane Kiffin said. “It was particularly important for the defense because the offense had gotten the better of them the past few days. It was good to see them get some turnovers because we had really made that an area of emphasis this off-season. On the flip side, it was disappointing to see the offense play like that.”

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LOS ANGELES -- Unconcerned about having been named the AP preseason No. 1 team in the country, the USC Trojans were business as usual Saturday morning, participating in a low-key practice that lasted a little over two hours. Here are the practice highlights:

• Originally scheduled for an 8:45 morning practice, the Trojans pushed the start time back to 9:00. The reason for the early morning practice reschedule from the traditional afternoon workout was due to a youth baseball tournament on Dedeaux Field.

• With defensive ends Wes Horton and Greg Townsend Jr. in attendance but not participating, the Trojans first-team defensive line consisted of ends J.R. Tavai and Kevin Greene along with tackles George Uko and Antwaun Woods. FYI, Townsend was no longer wearing a “boot” on his right foot.There has been no explanation given for Horton being held out.

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Here are the confirmed USC commits with intentions to enroll next spring:

DT Kenny Bigelow

QB Max Browne

FS Su'a Cravens

RB Justin Davis

DE Kylie Fitts

CB Chris Hawkins

RB Ty Isaac

WR Eldridge Massington

It was a very good day for the offense on Friday, as the Trojans practiced once again on Dedeaux Field in shorts, shoulder pads and helmets.

"It was good work for the most part," USC coach Lane Kiffin said. "We pushed them today, and the offense responded, especially the skill guys. Robert (Woods) and Marqise (Lee) looked good, both tight ends, the running backs. It was a good day. I think there's a lot of excitement and anticipation from the players to get to the practice where we will see the most tackling, which is Sunday during the Coliseum scrimmage."

Kiffin singled out wide receiver George Farmer as having a particularly nice day, calling it his best session of the fall. Farmer went over the middle on two occasions to make catches and also had a nice sideline grab. Kiffin also praised Buck Allen after Buck had a beautiful 40-yard touchdown run toward the end of the day.

Cody Kessler ended the regular session of practice with a highlight play where he rolled right and threw deep on the run to Nelson Agholor, who caught the ball in stride and waltzed into the end zone. Kessler also had an earlier nice completion to Woods over the middle against Anthony Brown.

The big highlight of the day came after the conclusion of practice, when Kiffin had Andre Heidari try a 50-yard field goal, which would have earned the players an extra hour of sleep Saturday morning. Heidari hit the kick and the celebration ensued but then senior running back Curtis McNeal took it upon himself to make it double or nothing. Heidari missed the next kick wide left, so it will be another 6 a.m. wake-up call tomorrow. Kiffin joked that he told McNeal, "that's why you have no money."

Other big plays included Matt Barkley completing a touchdown pass to Randall Telfer, Scott Starr batting down a pass intended for Telfer, Barkley hitting Xavier Grimble over the middle and J.R. Tavai and Antwaun Woods combining to get a tackle-for-loss on McNeal.

Lamar Dawson was dressed at the beginning of practice but did not take part. Kevin Graf also did not practice, Nathan Guertler took his spot at right tackle with the first unit. Cody Temple was spotted on the sidelines with a boot on his right foot.