USC heads into the weekend on high note

The Trojans ended their bye week on a spirited note, as the team held its annual “Scout Bowl” on Thursday, spotlighting primarily second- and third-string players.

Starters switched roles with developmental players and a couple players became coaches.

Team captains redshirt junior quarterback Cody Kessler and senior linebacker Hayes Pullard called the plays on their respective sides of the ball for the final period of practice, which included a scrimmage.

Lt. Dan Crawls 

The Trojans came out energized to play and support their teammates on Thursday, which is something head coach Steve Sarkisian continues to preach.

“Their competitive spirit is the one we have to have every day in every period for us to continue to get better,” Sarkisian said. “Every one of those plays, even in a walkthrough, is a championship play.”

Pullard and the defense emerged victorious, so the offense had to perform “Lt. Dan Crawls,” named after the character in the film Forrest Gump.

It was an entertaining end to a week in which the team focused primarily on correcting its mistakes during last Saturday’s loss to Boston College.

“I thought our guys gradually got better throughout the week,” Sarkisan said. “We were playing for something, kept everyone involved, and it’s good to see young guys get the opportunity.”

Staying Out of Trouble 

With the Trojans not having a game on Saturday, this is truly the first three-day weekend for the players, so Sarkisian made sure to address his players before closing out practice on Thursday.

“I told them to make great decisions, and I’m not naive to the fact that it’s a Thursday night on a college campus,” Sarkisian said.

Amid the recent Josh Shaw scandal and public relations debacle, Sarkisian believes that his “113 sons” are in a good frame of mind and have learned from the mistakes of others.

At least, he hopes so.

“I’m going to have my phone on all weekend and the goal is not to have that thing ring,” Sarkisian said.

Recruiting Updates 

The bye week has given the coaching staff some time to scout out the Friday Night Lights and recruit, which is what Sarkisian and his staff will be up to this three-day weekend.

Sarkisian mentioned that a lot of the coaching staff wasn’t present at practice on Thursday because they were “chomping at the bit” to get on the road.

He added that the recruiting class is balanced and that he feels like people have a pretty good idea of the style that the Trojans are going to play on the field.

It was also officially announced that 2015 quarterback Ricky Town, linebacker Cameron Smith and offensive lineman Chima Edoga had all been signed to financial aid agreements.

Sarkisian compared Town to Kessler, asserting that they are both students of the game and football junkies.

Injury Report 

Redshirt junior defensive end Greg Townsend Jr., who was battling illness, will be ready to get back on the field next week, Sarkisian said.

The same could not be said for redshirt junior running back Tre Madden or senior linebacker Lamar Dawson, who were not completely ruled out by Sarkisian, but declared doubtful to play in next Saturday’s game against Oregon State.

The team will be back on Howard Jones Field next week for what Sarkisian is calling a “Bonus Monday” practice to prepare for the Beavers.