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As the Trojans begin the final week of practices prior to the spring game it was shoulder pads and shorts practice on Tuesday. The team has been hit with injuries during the physical spring and, even though the load was lightened a little, USC coach Lane Kiffin was happy with the intensity.

“We really wanted to focus on keeping guys staying up today and that usually happens when we don’t go full pads,” Kiffin said. “I thought we were still able to have a physical practice.”

Highlight plays

• From deep in his own end, Cody Kessler stood in the pocket against strong pressure and fired late to Nelson Agholor for 12 yards and a first down.
• Max Wittek had his chance with the ball near his goal line and he found Victor Blackwell with a quick strike, and Blackwell put on the jets to race for a long touchdown despite valiant pursuit from Leon McQuay III.
• Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick made a nice catch of a low-thrown ball across the middle from Wittek.
• McQuay popped the ball loose from Cope-Fitzpatrick after a short catch.

Goal-line intensity

One of the most fiery drills of any practice is when the ball is placed inside the 5-yard line and the offense takes its shots at the end zone.

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LOS ANGELES -- Injuries continue to be one of the big stories for the Trojans this spring as it was confirmed after practice that both George Farmer and Su’a Cravens will undergo knee surgeries.

The news was more dire for Farmer after Kiffin confirmed the earlier media reports of a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee, which will force him to miss the 2013 season. For Cravens, he has a torn meniscus in his right knee and will undergo surgery Friday. The injury is the same as the one suffered by Silas Redd. Cravens is expected to miss 4-6 weeks and will be back in plenty of time for fall camp.

“Whenever there is an injury you hope, like Su’a, that’s it’s not going to be a long setback,” USC coach Lane Kiffin said. “With guys like George, those are the ones you feel really bad for. A guy who battles back and was playing well and then to have this setback.”

The Trojans entered the Thursday practice session with 20 players out of action because of injury and two more left practice – Torin Harris and Cyrus Hobbi.

“I don’t see any way we could practice like this in the fall. We wouldn’t be able to play a game,” Kiffin said. “Of the 22 guys who ended up being out today, 18 of them are scholarship players. With the roster reductions we already have we would not be able to give up that many players. We will start fall camp practicing this way, but I don’t think we will end fall camp this way.”

There was some good news on the injury front as Marqise Lee returned, albeit in a limited role, after missing two-and-a-half weeks with a knee injury. Lee seemed to be running fine with no major issues but he was held out of contact team drills. Kevon Seymour and Jordan Simmons also returned to action.

“Marqise was back, which was obviously good to see,” Kiffin said. “He basically took part in the first hour of practice and we’ll add to him as we go.”

George Uko was out today and J.R. Tavai took his spot with the first unit at defensive end. During the final team drill, Aundrey Walker was out and Max Tuerk had moved to center with Hobbi out, so the first unit left side of the line was walk-on Nathan Guertler at tackle and Giovanni Di Poalo at guard.

Receiver shuffle

With Farmer out, that means opportunities for players such as Victor Blackwell and De’Von Flournoy along with first-year players Darreus Rogers and Steven Mitchell. Kiffin also made sure to note the high level of play from Nelson Agholor this spring when discussing the receiver group.

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The Trojans put an emphasis on the offensive line during the Thursday full-pads practice, and coach Lane Kiffin liked what he saw.

“I thought the offensive line responded well today,” Kiffin said. “We had some issues on Tuesday with fumbled snaps and false starts, but the players came out today with good energy along the line of scrimmage.”

Kiffin also noted the continued strong play of quarterbacks Cody Kessler and Max Browne, who have been forced to take extra snaps this week as the only two available players at the position.

“I thought both the quarterbacks did some good things today," Kiffin said. "Cody [Kessler] is really doing a great job and really comes alive in those team settings. Max [Browne] is moving around probably better than we thought this early from pocket movements and getting out of trouble for a tall, young guy."

Kessler hit Nelson Agholor against coverage from Morgan Breslin and the play went for a long gain. Browne had his best practice of spring and it included a pair of touchdown passes to Darreus Rogers. There was also a nice sequence for Browne where he had a pass attempt broken up by Leon McQuay III but he came right back on the next play for a nice completion to Buck Allen.

Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood
It was a breakout day for Rogers. The first touchdown from Browne came on a short throw that he caught and put a spin move to get away from Ryan Dillard for a 20-yard score. The second touchdown was the highlight play of the day on a 40-yard pass reception at the goal line. He also had an impressive play with a sideline catch where it took multiple defenders to bring him down.

“Darreus Rogers had an unbelievable day,” said Kiffin.

Bucking the trend
Buck Allen hasn’t made a ton of noise during his USC career so far, but he’s quietly put together a pair of strong practices in a row. Allen finished the practice off right, first with a 4-yard TD run and then with a 20-yard touchdown dash off the left side on the final play of the day.

Injury update
Marqise Lee and Max Wittek continued to sit out practice with the knee injuries they suffered last weekend, and Kiffin said both will wait until the first Tuesday practice after spring break (March 27) to get back on the field. Silas Redd and Chad Wheeler both left the Thursday practice with knee injuries, while George Farmer had a shoulder injury. There was no word on the status of those three. Kevon Seymour sat out with an ankle injury and is day to day.

MVP
Xavier Grimble was named the MVP of the day with Rogers a close second. Kiffin gave a lot of praise to Grimble as a guy who is on his way to becoming a potentially great player. Grimble wasn’t even supposed to practice due to a rib injury but he went out and performed well, most notably in a blocking drill against the safeties.

Other highlight plays

Anthony Sarao and Lamar Dawson both had pass deflections. Dawson also added a big hit on Justin Davis. Kiffin said Dawson has put together five great practices in a row after changing his body in the off-season.

Sarao, Devon Kennard and Charles Burks each had a sack.

Leonard Williams had a pass deflection.

Notables in attendance
Nico Falah, Damien Mama, Rey Maualuga and several players from Upland HS including safety Jeff Farrar, QB Tyler Hilinski and incoming ninth-grade receiver Nathan Telfer (no relation to TE Randall).

Quotebook
“The competition between Xavier Grimble and Randall Telfer is good, no issues between the two of them. It’s kind of like how it was with Robert (Woods) and Marqise. They are really close, and they just push each other. They are almost exactly the same size, Randall is five pounds heavier and tests better.” -- Lane Kiffin

“This has probably been my best day here, but obviously still making a few mental errors. We slowed it down today and didn't install that much, so I was able to go out there and play. I felt like today I was the most comfortable and I think it showed in our offense as a whole." -- Max Browne

It’s easy to notice the upbeat style of play through the first two days of USC spring ball, and it was evident on Thursday with a team drill that featured some explosive plays from the offense.

The team drill started off strong for the defense, as the offense was backed up near its own goal line on the south end of Brian Kennedy-Howard Jones Field, and the defense had some stops, led by the interior front with Antwaun Woods, George Uko and Leonard Williams.

After the offense switched to the north end of the field, however, things began to change. Max Wittek hit Nelson Agholor for a short gain, and Agholor showed his burst of speed to outrun the secondary and make it a long gain. With the ball placed again deep in the offense's end, Silas Redd took a handoff and went 85 yards down the left sideline before being driven out at the 10-yard line by Kevon Seymour.

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On a day that perhaps will be remembered more for the signatures the USC staff didn't secure than the ones it did, an upbeat Lane Kiffin took center stage inside the John McKay Center on Wednesday night to officially announce the Trojans' 2013 signing class.

With a total of 13 members comprising the group, it's a class low in numbers but rich in talent, with 12 ranking in the ESPN 300 -- almost all of whom will be counted on to make an immediate contribution on the field for the Trojans.

"A very exciting day for USC football as we welcome 13 new guys into our program," Kiffin said. "We think that these players can come in right away and help us -- all of them. And probably a couple of them will start. Obviously, we have some holes to fill, but they are impact players and players that could have gone anywhere in the country."

Spearheading the class is a standout group of seven players already enrolled in school and set to participate in spring drills in March. They are Elkton (Md.) Eastern Christian Academy defensive lineman Kenny Bigelow, Sammamish (Wash.) Skyline quarterback Max Browne, Stockton (Calif.) Lincoln running back Justin Davis, Murrieta (Calif.) Vista Murrieta safety Su'a Cravens, Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) cornerback Chris Hawkins, Seffner (Fla.) Armwood safety Leon McQuay III and Carson (Calif.) wide receiver Darreus Rogers.

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LOS ANGELES -- Here's a look at everything else that happened with the USC Trojans this week, including their first two bowl practices, an early trip to El Paso and more:

Defensive coordinator plans

USC coach Lane Kiffin won't begin the formal process of searching for a new defensive coordinator until after the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31.

Kiffin's father, Monte, resigned as assistant head coach and de facto defensive coordinator following a disappointing 7-5 season. Kiffin says he plans to hire a true defensive coordinator to replace him, despite defensive line coach Ed Orgeron holding that title this season.

"We'll take our time and make sure that we get the right fit," Lane Kiffin said on Wednesday after the Trojans' first bowl practice.

Kiffin did indicate he will begin the process of sorting out candidates before the bowl game.

"I think you can kind of start it in your head," Kiffin said.

Kiffin is not afraid of a mid-January hire hurting his program in recruiting, even with signing day on Feb. 6. He pointed out that he was hired on Jan. 12 in 2010 and still signed a top recruiting class.

"It's not as quick as you think," Kiffin said of the time between the end of the bowl game and signing day. "One assistant coach isn't gonna be a big deal, and we still have over a month after the game until signing day."

Barkley back

Quarterback Matt Barkley missed Wednesday's practice while in New York for an awards banquet and walked into the Trojans' Friday session midway through, wearing sweats but no shoulder sling.

He has not practiced since suffering a sprained throwing shoulder Nov. 17, but he's still on track to start on Dec. 31.

Kiffin told reporters in El Paso on Thursday that Barkley "obviously wouldn't have been able to play if it had been an earlier [bowl] game."

USC's other bowl-game date possibilities were Dec. 22 and Dec. 27.

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LOS ANGELES -- Coach Lane Kiffin provided some much-needed clarity Tuesday when he disclosed which of USC's three former walk-ons have had their scholarships reinstated for the 2012 season and which haven't.

Offensive guard Abe Markowitz is on scholarship; linebacker Will Andrew is not. And linebacker Tony Burnett, Kiffin indicated, was never taken off of his scholarship, so he'll be continuing on. All three of those players initially entered USC as walk-ons and then played last season on scholarship, and at least two of them are now doing so again.

With former walk-on punter Kyle Negrete now on scholarship as well, it appears USC has exactly 74 football players on athletic scholarship as of Tuesday.

Of course, the Trojans are limited by the NCAA to 75 scholarships for the next three seasons, so USC has one more to give out. All indications are that it will go to either incoming freshman receiver Darreus Rogers, if he's cleared by the NCAA Eligibility Center, or back to Andrew.

Rogers has until Sept. 14, the university's add-drop date, to enroll at USC. It's likely the NCAA will announce a decision before then.

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LOS ANGELES -- Here are news and notes from Wednesday's no-pads two-hour practice session that won't make it into our other coverage from the day.

Talking about tiers

Coach Lane Kiffin was all about defining the depth chart Wednesday, referring to his players strictly in terms of tiers during his post-practice session with the media.

First-tier players are starters, second-tier guys are key reserves, and third-tier ones might be needed depth. Whether it goes down to a fourth tier is unknown.

But Kiffin spotlighted four so-called second-tier players for their preparation and playbook knowledge this camp: receiver Nelson Agholor, running backs Silas Redd and D.J. Morgan and left tackle Max Tuerk.

None of the four are starters, but all four figure to play this year. And, interestingly, three of the four haven't been with the team before this summer.

The tier-by-tier description is fitting, Kiffin said, because of the varying amount of readiness the Trojans have displayed in fall camp. Some have proved ready for the season opener; some have proved they won't even be ready by the time it comes around.

"We have some guys who could go play today and some guys who aren’t close," Kiffin said. "So you have all different levels. I think they are in the time of dragging because you’re not really in game week yet but you’ve been going against each other for so long.

"So we kinda change things up."

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LOS ANGELES -- Here are news and notes from Tuesday's practice that won't make it into our other coverage off the session:

Barkley to Woods improving

The Matt Barkley to Robert Woods connection that looked so polished and perfect last season hasn't looked as good this camp, but that's starting to change.

USC coach Lane Kiffin noted Tuesday -- without being asked about it -- that the pair appeared to be hitting on several cylinders in the day's practice. It was the second straight positive day for the two players after a subpar scrimmage on Sunday

"It seems to be on its way back," Kiffin said of Barkley and Woods' timing.

Of course, the main reason why the connection suffered in the first place was Woods' offseason struggle with his ankle injury, so the fact that he has been back on the field of late is almost assuredly why it has suddenly taken a turn for the better.

It's hard to be sharp when you're not on the field, basically.

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LOS ANGELES -- It's bold and it's brash, Mark Jackson admits of the main entrance to USC's new John McKay Center, a decade-in-the-making athletic facility that puts the school ahead of many of its competitors.

"But we think it's appropriate," says Jackson, the Trojans' senior associate athletic director who supervised the building's construction.

Above the front door to the building reads what can only be described as a bold proclamation: "Through this portal enter the world's greatest athletes."

The interior of the structure expresses similar sentiments written differently. "We own L.A." is written in block capital letters behind where coach Lane Kiffin will stand in the Trojans' football auditorium. "We run the Rose Bowl" is written elsewhere.

USC believes the university's traditions -- and the new facility -- backs up the claims. Included in the $70 million, 110,000-square foot facility, which opened last month but got officially introduced to donors Tuesday, is a two-story high-definition screen, a leathered-out players' lounge and an indoor practice field.

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LOS ANGELES -- Here are news and notes from Monday's afternoon practice, once again held on Dedeaux Field, that won't make it into our other coverage from the session:

More urgency

Energy was a big issue in the Trojans' Sunday scrimmage at the Coliseum, with the offense appearing sluggish, lackadaisical and flat-out slow pretty much all throughout the action.

It was not an issue 24 hours later on Monday.

"For whatever reason, we had great energy (today)," coach Lane Kiffin said Monday. "I don’t know why, but it was really good to see.

Kiffin said the team came out with a spark in individual drills and carried it all the way through to the overtime session at the end of practice, two hours later.

And, given Monday's events, he said he was happy with the way the scrimmage went, because it energized his team into a full-go session just 12 days before the season opener.

Defensive ends return

J.R. Tavai and Wes Horton, the Trojans' likely defensive end pairing in next month's season opener, both returned to practice on Monday after sitting out several days due to injury. Tavai did just about everything, while Horton mostly sat out of 11-on-11 drills. Neither player's injury has been disclosed.

It was, in total, a good day for the defensive ends, then, as Kiffin praised Horton and spotlighted juco transfer Morgan Breslin as one of the Trojans' better players in Sunday's scrimmage. Kiffin said he felt "better after watching the film" about the play of the ends in the scrimmage.

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LOS ANGELES -- Here are notes from Sunday's afternoon practice session that won't make it into our other coverage from the day.

Injury updates

Left tackle Aundrey Walker did early work in practice but continued to sit out of team drills with his wrist issue. Middle linebacker Lamar Dawson also sat out, and Hayes Pullard worked at his spot again while Anthony Sarao took over on the weak side.

Defensive end Greg Townsend went down with an apparent ankle injury. Cornerback Torin Harris did not practice with a hamstring issue, but Lane Kiffin expressed confidence he'd be back on the field soon. Offensive lineman David Garness hasn't practiced this camp.

Running back Silas Redd left practice a bit early but did not appear injured.

The status of the O-line

Offensive line coach James Cregg said there are still a lot of uncertainties on the offensive line one week into camp. With Walker still out, freshman Max Tuerk has practiced at left tackle the last two days, but Cregg's not sure that would be the game plan come September.

"We still have a lot of pieces coming in and out," Cregg said. "We need to stay in one piece and work together and find a way to manage ourselves."

Kiffin said moving right tackle Kevin Graf to the left side "probably doesn't make a lot of sense right now," so it seems Tuerk is the legitimate second option for Walker. But Cregg said he hasn't reached the point, yet, where he's worried about Walker's status.

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LOS ANGELES -- USC opened its 2012 fall camp under the lights last night at Howard Jones Field. We had video of Lane Kiffin's post-practice press conference last night, as well as stories on Silas Redd's USC debut and what his new teammates thought of it.

Now, we look at other news that emerged from the camp opener, including injury updates and other personnel changes. Later today, we'll have more from last night's session before resuming coverage after tonight's 7:30 p.m. PT practice.

• Receiver Robert Woods proclaimed himself "100 percent" healed from the right ankle injury that has caused him problems for 16 months now, but he did not participate in the team portions of practice. Kiffin said his handling of Woods could change daily. We'll have more on this shortly.

• Freshman Nelson Agholor practiced at receiver and will be there "permanently." That's his natural position, but Kiffin made a bit of a stir at Pac-12 media day by saying that Agholor was going to play running back unless the Trojans developed more depth there. Redd alleviated that need. We'll have more on this later this week, including details on Agholor's early performance, which included a few drops in team drills Monday.

• Sophomore receiver George Farmer left practice early because of a hamstring strain, an injury that bothered him for most of the spring. We'll have more on this later today.

• Defensive ends Wes Horton and DeVante Wilson left practice early with cramp issues as a result of dehydration. Center Khaled Holmes exited for unknown reasons, and cornerback Brian Baucham sat out with what Kiffin termed a "health issue." Abe Markowitz replaced Holmes at center.

• Cornerback Isiah Wiley and linebacker Marquis Simmons did not practice while USC waits to receive notification of their summer-school grades. Also on the academic front, incoming receiver Darreus Rogers has not yet qualified to enroll at USC but was at practice on Monday in street clothes.

• There were three interesting position changes made official Monday night -- or one position change and one position switch involving two players. Defensive end Charles Burks moved from defensive end to fullback, and freshman Leonard Williams debuted at defensive tackle and sophomore J.R. Tavai at defensive end. Williams and Tavai were supposed to be at opposite spots, but Kiffin and defensive line coach Ed Orgeron evidently decided that the 6-5, 270-pound Williams is better suited for three-technique tackle than end.

• Final notes: Redd wore No. 25, which was originally supposed to be safety Gerald Bowman's. Bowman wore No. 27 instead . . . Freshman linebacker Jabari Ruffin practiced at weakside linebacker. He was listed as a middle linebacker on the Trojans' end-of-spring depth chart . . . Hayes Pullard picked off walk-on John Manoogian and Jawanza Starling intercepted Matt Barkley . . . Anthony Brown got most of the first-team reps at corner opposite Nickell Robey.