
Marqise Lee standing out in practice
Posted March 29, 2012 at 10:42 pm in Featured, Football, Sports
Nearly a month into spring practice, only one thing has remained constant for the USC football team â a long list of injured players, especially senior quarterback Matt Barkleyâs favorite targets.

Playmaker · Sophomore wide receiver Marqise Lee, who caught 11 touchdowns in 2011, has been one of the few healthy players this spring. - Chris Pham | Daily Trojan
With junior Robert Woods and sophomore George Farmer already sitting out, sophomore Marqise Lee once again emerged as the top receiving threat for the banged up USC offense on Thursday. He dominated drills, bulldozing past fellow receivers attempting to bump him off the line of scrimmage. He did, however, appear to be favoring an ankle at various points during practice, but continued to participate and didnât seem to have sustained anything serious.
âMarqise is doing great,â USC coach Lane Kiffin said. âWeâre so hurt, and weâve moved him around so much that heâs been playing every position because of Robert and George not being there. But itâs good for him.â
The tight end position â already a spot of concern for the Trojans â took another hit. Redshirt freshman Junior Pomee left on a cart with an apparent foot injury. He will likely join redshirt sophomores Xavier Grimble and Randall Telfer on the sidelines, although the severity of his injury is unknown.
âWe canât seem to keep a tight end healthy,â Kiffin said. âIâm a little disappointed in the hamstrings taking so long with a bunch of guys weâd really like to be looking at.â
Other injured players for the Trojans on Thursday included redshirt freshman cornerback Ryan Henderson, senior center Khaled Holmes and senior safety Drew McAllister. USCâs roster is so depleted that Kiffin is considering turning Saturdayâs scheduled scrimmage at the Coliseum into a regular practice.
âThere are so many guys in question, we may just practice like we did last Saturday,â Kiffin said.
With the offense missing several key parts, the Trojans shined on the defensive side of the ball when the two faced off. Other than a long run by redshirt sophomore tailback D.J. Morgan on a designed draw, Monte Kiffinâs defensive unit allowed few positive plays. Barkley threw his seventh interception of spring practice, this time to junior safety Demetrius Wright. Despite Barkleyâs surprisingly high interception rate, his coach remains unfazed and completely confident in what the senior quarterback has to offer moving forward.
âIt is abnormal for him,â Kiffin said. âI think itâs part of him getting a little bit bored. You know, he scrambles out and gets frustrated because he doesnât have his normal guys in there and throws the ball downfield. So weâll get him back out of it. We donât like it but itâs not the end of the world. As we get closer to game time, weâll get him back.â
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This article is tagged: D.J. Morgan, demetrius wright, drew mcallister, george farmer, junior pomee, khaled holmes, lane kiffin, marqise lee, Matt Barkley, monte kiffin, randall telfer, robert woods, ryan henderson, usc football, xavier grimble







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