USC Trojans

Pac-12

Brown shines in opening practice

Sophomore cornerback looks strong in comeback from ankle injury

Updated: August 7, 2012, 10:55 AM ET
By Garry Paskwietz | WeAreSC
LOS ANGELES -- There was a new look in the secondary Monday as Anthony Brown was in the starting lineup at corner opposite Nickell Robey. Isiah Wiley is the incumbent starter at that spot, but he is dealing with academic issues and was not at practice.

Brown is returning from an ankle injury suffered in 2011 after he had been in the starting lineup for two games -- including against Arizona when he had 10 tackles. All Brown did in the opening practice on Monday was provide the defensive play of the day when he stayed in tight coverage on a deep pass attempt from Matt Barkley to Victor Blackwell and came away with the interception.

Running back depth: One of the key recruiting points made by Lane Kiffin during his pursuit of Silas Redd was the lack of depth in the USC backfield, but judging by what we saw on day one, there didn't seem to be much of an issue. Returning starter Curtis McNeal looked good all day with multiple nice runs -- including a touchdown run to open a run-drill session. If McNeal was looking to make a statement about his claim on the starting job, consider the message received.

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Garry Paskwietz | email

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