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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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As the USC Trojans begin their fourth week of spring ball, it has become apparent that injuries are taking a toll, as 19 players sat out on Tuesday and two more left practice due to injury.

Both wide receiver George Farmer and defensive back Demetrius Wright were forced to depart the Tuesday practice early due to injuries and there was no word on their status at the end of the day. Wright was walking and appeared to be fine, but there was concern about Farmer, who had to be carted off the field after suffering an apparent left leg/knee injury during a non-contact drill. Results of an MRI for Farmer are expected on Wednesday.

“It was a very physical practice,” USC coach Lane Kiffin said. “I liked the defensive mentality at the end in the goal-line drill. It’s been a very competitive spring. It reminds me of the spring when we first got here. We need that to establish a competitive mindset.”

As Kiffin mentioned, the Trojans ended practice with a goal-line drill that got started with Hayes Pullard stuffing a run up the middle by Buck Allen. Justin Davis tried to slash into the end zone, but J.R. Tavai came across the line and knocked the ball out as he was bringing Davis to the ground, although Randall Telfer recovered for the offense. Davis did punch in a score at the end for the offense. There was also a little skirmish between a few offensive and defensive players after one play.

“It’s always a tough line between physical play and getting penalties with the goal-line drill,” Kiffin said.

Kiffin speaks with Enfield
Kiffin said he talked with new USC basketball coach Andy Enfield on Sunday night, prior to the announcement that Enfield had taken the job.

“I talked to him about the program and about working with Pat (Haden) and Max (Nikias),” Kiffin said. “I think it’s a great hire. He brings an exciting style of play and kids will want to play in that style. He’s also a guy who understands the academic side of being at a private school.”

Brady on campus
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady worked out on the USC campus Tuesday, throwing passes to his new receiver, Danny Amendola. Kiffin said it is common for NFL quarterbacks to use the USC facilities in the offseason, mentioning Philip Rivers, Drew Brees and Matt Cassel as players who had thrown recently on the USC field.

Highlight plays
* Anthony Brown knocked away a pass at the sideline intended for Nelson Agholor. Brown has put together a very solid spring while consistently in the lineup as one of the starting corners.

* A few plays later, however, Brown went for a pick on a rope thrown over the middle by Max Wittek and missed, allowing De’Von Flournoy to go for a long gain. Flournoy also had a touchdown later in the drill when he caught a pass from Max Browne and split the safeties with his speed.

* Victor Blackwell caught a short pass and got loose from Torin Harris with a nice shake move.

* Kevin Greene had a sack on Cody Kessler.

* Ryan Henderson had a pick off Kessler, who was trying to get the ball to Blackwell.

* George Uko had a nice play to move along the line of scrimmage in pursuit of Davis and hold him to no gain.

* Davis provided yet another dazzling touchdown run, this one a 45-yarder behind a block from Kevin Graf.

* Allen had a 20-yard gain down the left sideline thanks to Jahleel Pinner, who got one block at the line and then hustled down field to get another block.

* Browne hooked up on a 25-yard pass to walk-on Robby Kolanz on the right sideline.

Notables in attendance
Nico Falah, Steven Mitchell, Adoree’ Jackson, Dwight Williams, Chase Blakley

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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With two spring practice sessions in the books for the Trojans, it’s time to take a quick look at how a team depth chart might look if it were released today.

Quarterback
Max Wittek (6-foot-4, 235 pounds, RS So.) OR Cody Kessler (6-1, 215, RS So.) OR Max Browne (6-5, 215, Fr.)

Kessler opened up spring camp with a big performance on Tuesday, but Wittek has certainly had his moments, and even the young freshman, Browne, has caught USC coach Lane Kiffin’s eye, making this battle too close to call. And that’s the way it could stay throughout the spring, as Kiffin revealed he’s in no hurry to name a starter.

Tailback
Silas Redd (5-10, 200, Sr.); D.J. Morgan (5-10, 190, RS. Jr.) OR Tre Madden (6-1, 220, RS So.) OR Javorious Allen (6-1, 210, RS So.) OR Justin Davis (6-1, 215, Fr.)

With a full season under his belt at USC, Redd looks comfortable and focused as the starter. Morgan showcased a couple of big plays this week, while Madden looked much sharper than you might imagine a year removed from his knee injury. Davis, meanwhile, has been perhaps the hit of the early-entrant group so far, making the most of his limited carries in practice.

Fullback
Soma Vainuku (6-0, 250, RS. So.); Jahleel Pinner (5-11, 225, So.)

Two of the team's hardest workers, Vainuku and Pinner alternated as the team’s primary fullbacks. It remains to be seen, however, if they’ll take on a bigger role in the offense.

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USC receiver Marqise Lee was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, conference representatives announced Monday.

In a vote of the conference's head coaches, Lee was chosen as the top offensive player. He also was the only sophomore in the conference unanimously selected to the Pac-12 first team this season, during which he totaled 112 catches, 1,680 yards and 14 receiving touchdowns.

One other Trojan, senior center Khaled Holmes, was selected as a first-teamer. Receiver Robert Woods, defensive end Morgan Breslin, cornerback Nickell Robey and safety T.J. McDonald were all second-team honorees, as was Lee as a return specialist.

Thirteen USC players earned honorable mention, with quarterback Matt Barkley, running back Silas Redd, tight end Xavier Grimble and offensive linemen Max Tuerk and John Martinez leading the way on offense.

Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Arizona's Matt Scott, two quarterbacks who beat Barkley this season, were named the Pac-12's first- and second-team signal-callers, respectively.

Barkley will leave USC having never been a first-team all-conference performer, which is remarkable considering the conference records he owns for all-time passing yards and touchdowns.

USC defensive linemen Leonard Williams, George Uko and Wes Horton and linebackers Dion Bailey and Hayes Pullard received honorable mention.

Williams also was named the Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year, after recording a 7.5-sack, two-fumble-recovery season.

Kicker Andre Heidari, punter Kyle Negrete and reserve linebacker Tony Burnett rounded out USC's honorable-mention recipients on special teams.

LOS ANGELES -- Monte Kiffin has a saying he likes to tell his USC defensive players before every game.

"You see a little, you see a lot," Kiffin says. "You see a lot, you see nothing."

It takes a while to process, but it makes sense. Kiffin wants his players to think on the field, but he doesn't want them to think too much. See a little -- enough to make an educated guess as to what the offense is going to do on a particular play. Don't see a lot -- that's going to make it too hard to make a snap decision and leave you chasing after an opponent.

"If you just watch your guy, your gap, you'll be fine," nose tackle George Uko said Wednesday. "You'll get everything done. If you look at everything, you'll really see nothing.

"That's how you get beat, and that's how we got beat."

USC's defense was beaten badly by Oregon on Saturday. The Trojans stopped the Ducks from scoring a touchdown only three times all day, and their defensive line struggled to make any stops at all against the Ducks' running game.

And, considering a no-sack performance a week earlier against Arizona despite Matt Scott's 50 pass attempts, USC's line has been its biggest problem in the last two losses. Ed Orgeron's four-man unit started off the season as the team's biggest surprise but has tapered off considerably.

Head coach Lane Kiffin said he expected it because of the quality of the two teams USC just faced. But he didn't know it was going to drop off to the extent it did.

Still, he said, it's possible the line will show continued improvement against Arizona State on Saturday.

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LOS ANGELES -- Leonard Williams didn't know too many of USC's defensive players when the Trojans were recruiting him around this time last season.

He knew Dion Bailey and Hayes Pullard, the two young linebackers, and defensive backs Nickell Robey and T.J. McDonald. That's about it.

So suffice it to say that Williams, a freshman starring at defensive tackle for the Trojans this season, didn't think he'd playing on an at-times-dominant defense right away at USC.

"I was really surprised, because when I was coming here, I was always hearing about the offense and stuff like that," Williams said Wednesday. "I think the defense is really performing right now."

A significant part of that performing can be traced back to him.
Williams was widely expected to be USC's biggest impact defensive recruit, but few expected the impact would be at this level.

Through six games, Williams has registered 5.5 sacks, 18 tackles and two fumble recoveries. He already has progressed from a rotation player at end to a a key reserve tackle to, now, USC's starting defensive tackle, pushing third-year man George Uko to the nose tackle spot and second-year player Antwaun Woods to the bench.

He and defensive end Morgan Breslin might be USC's two biggest surprises this season, and they've been lining up next to each other for the majority of snaps in recent weeks.

USC coach Lane Kiffin and defensive line coach/recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron try to only recruit out-of-state players whom they believe have first-round NFL potential. Williams, from Florida, certainly fits that bill as a 6-foot-5, 270-pounder with plenty of room to add weight.

He's not even 18 1/2 yet, either. But he plays a lot older, Kiffin said.

"He doesn't get rattled," Kiffin said of Williams. "He's just one of those rare guys who can come in as a true freshman and not just play but make an impact."

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LOS ANGELES -- The surprise star of the 2012 USC football team does not like to talk, but he sure does like to sack.

Morgan Breslin, the Trojans' junior-college transfer who has been a revelation at defensive end through four games this year, has steadfastly refused media requests since arriving on campus in January as a mid-year enrollee.

And USC coaches and staffers aren't in any hurry to try to change that -- or change him.

"He does not have a personality," says a smiling Lane Kiffin, the Trojans coach. "At all. He really doesn't."

What Breslin does have is 5.5 sacks, which is tied for sixth-best nationally and second in the Pac-12. He's also the only player in the top 12 in the country with no prior collegiate experience.

He's on pace to match the recent school record of 16.5 sacks set by Kenechi Udeze in 2003.

Breslin's teammates wouldn't mind it if he talked more. Defensive tackle Antwaun Woods, one of the loudest players on USC's roster, says he often tries to make conversation with Breslin in the locker room before and after practice.

They'll make eye contact and Breslin will nod and occasionally throw in a patented, "Nice!"

That's all.

"That's his favorite word," Woods says.

Even that, though, is an improvement from how Breslin was in the spring. Back then, he would provide only yes or no answers and rarely even verbalize those, preferring to shake his head to indicate it.

"He's better now," Woods says. "He actually talks to us."

It's become a running joke: Each Friday night, with the Trojans holed up in meetings on the eve of a game, the coaches will ask Breslin to say some words during a lull.

He won't say much.

"He just says, 'Fight on,' "Kiffin said. "And Coach (Ed Orgeron) likes it that way."

Orgeron mostly just likes Breslin's relentless play. Last week against Cal, Breslin played every defensive snap with the Trojans short-handed at defensive end.

He made a tackle in the backfield on the first play of the game and a sack on the last, an effort-related note not lost on USC's coaching staff.

"That was a pretty cool story to point out to our guys," Kiffin said.

Breslin also likes to downplay his accomplishments -- according to his teammates, of course. Woods is confused as to why he's still not talking after all the sacks he's recorded, and freshman defensive end Leonard Williams says he hasn't met many like Breslin in his short football career.

"He's just a worker," Williams says. "He never brags about himself.

"If I tell him he did a good job, he just downs himself."

USC expects Breslin will talk at some point. Counting on him suddenly becoming a Woods-like character is unlikely, but maybe when he celebrates a year with the Trojans' program he'll say a few words.

Stat of half: 293 total yards
The Trojans have been fairly balanced with 158 rushing yards and 135 passing yards and actually had passed the 300-yard mark of total offense for the half before Matt Barkley stumbled for a loss on USC's final play of the half. To contrast, California has 98 yards of total offense.

Player of the half: USC's defensive line
The Trojans have been able to put good pressure on Cal quarterback Zach Maynard and have three sacks by three different players (Wes Horton, Morgan Breslin and George Uko).

What’s working: USC run game
Curtis McNeal has gone over the 100-yard mark for the fifth time in his career (he has six carries for 113 yards) and Silas Redd added a 33-yard touchdown run.

What’s not working: Passing game precision
It’s not like the Trojans are having a bad day throwing the football, but it could be a lot better. Barkley has thrown two interceptions and both Robert Woods and Marqise Lee have dropped catchable long passes -- the one to Lee would have likely gone for a touchdown.

LOS ANGELES -- USC Trojans defensive line coach Ed Orgeron is anxious for Saturday's game against the Stanford Cardinal.

Anxious because his Trojans will be going against the best offensive line they've faced this season. Anxious because his unit stumbled severely in the second half of last week's win over Syracuse. And anxious because he doesn't how many healthy players he'll have suiting up against a Stanford offensive line that still boasts some talent after losing two key players from last season.

So how's the first real test of the 2012 season going to go for Orgeron's crew?

"We're fixing to find out," he said Wednesday, smiling big. "But we'll give it hell, I know that."

Defensive end Morgan Breslin and defensive tackle George Uko led the USC defensive line to a superb first-half performance against Syracuse last week. But when key ends J.R. Tavai and Wes Horton exited the game following the hour-long weather delay at the half, Breslin got overwhelmed some and the Trojans weren't the same.

The Orange scored touchdowns on two of their first three drives out of the break, with a Breslin to Dion Bailey tipped interception ending the only other one.

"They started making adjustments and we started making mistakes," Orgeron said, going on to call it inexcusable. "We didn't play as consistent as we should've, and we missed some plays."

Breslin, the juco transfer who has been the surprise of the season for USC, according to coach Lane Kiffin, declined to talk to the media on Wednesday upon the conclusion of practice. He has declined all on-the-record interview attempts since joining the team in January.

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LOS ANGELES -- USC took the field on Wednesday morning for another day of prep work for Stanford, and Dedeaux Field served as the practice site for the first time in quite awhile as the Trojans look to keep Brian Kennedy/Howard Jones Field fresh.

USC head coach Lane Kiffin was particularly pleased with how the defense performed today and looks for them to have a strong showing against a Stanford offense that the Trojans have had problems containing as of late.

“I think that, going back to Saturday, our players weren’t pleased with the way that they finished in the second half,” said Kiffin. “So, its good to see not just the coaches, but the players take ownership in it. I think we’re going to play really well on defense.”

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