Spring practice sees changes in offense

Football reached the halfway mark of spring practice on Tuesday, completing its seventh session at Howard Jones Field with cold wind gusts and a mix of storylines.

A Different Offense

Senior wide receiver De’Quan Hampton, who appeared in 12 games last season as a backup, expressed disappointment about former quarterback Cody Kessler’s unwillingness to target a variety of receivers last season.

Hampton added that he wasn’t the only receiver who felt that way, and that the two quarterbacks competing for the starting job this spring — redshirt junior Max Browne and redshirt freshman Sam Darnold — along with redshirt sophomore Jalen Greene spread the ball around more and have stronger arms.

“I know Cody was more accurate, but Max, Sam and [Greene], they just have some arms,” Hampton said. “I know that if I have a deep ball, I have to run, otherwise it’s going by me — especially with the wind blowing.”

Under new offensive coordinator Tee Martin, the Trojans appeared to be going deep more often.

“It’s the play calls,” Hampton said. “They’re emphasizing to the quarterbacks that ‘we need to take these shots.’ It’s there.”

One of the criticisms of Kessler while he was under center at USC was that he did not take shots downfield often enough and opted for check-downs instead.

“It just gives me more feeling like there’s a 50 percent chance the ball’s going to go your way,” Hampton said of the new offense. “It just lets me know we’re going to spread this around. We’re about to eat.”

Martin said that he has not game-planned for more deep passes; rather, the quarterbacks themselves are taking the initiative.

“A lot of guys play at receiver, so a lot of guys will get the ball,” Martin said. “It’s good how the quarterbacks trust a lot of guys. It’s not that one guy that they’re keying in on. They’re really spreading the ball around and going through their progressions.”

Martin revealed that the team learned 80 percent of the offense in three days, but much to his pleasure, there have been much fewer hiccups than expected.

“Credit [that] to veteran experience,” Martin said. “We have quarterbacks who’ve been here that understand the concepts and what we’re trying to get done with the way we operate in our offense.”

Quarterback Battle

While Browne has held the edge in the quarterback position thus far, head coach Clay Helton said Tuesday was Darnold’s best practice of the spring. Helton was confident that Darnold completed over 70 percent of his passes.

“I thought he was efficient, accurate,” Helton said. “I thought he played very fluid and timely. The ball came out quick. [In the past], he was holding onto the ball and making sure it was open. Now it’s just spitting out.”

Browne, who has two more years of experience than Darnold, felt confident in his performance.

“I feel comfortable,” Browne said. “I feel right where I want to be. I feel like I’m leading well, executing well, being efficient out there, which is all I can ask for.”

A new Justin Davis

Senior running back Justin Davis is looking to be more poised as one of the most experienced members of the backfield, aiming to focus on the bigger picture.

“I’ve got to learn how the offense works, how the defense blocks, how the receivers move,” Davis said. “I can’t just worry about myself now. I’m past that now. I have to worry about the game as a whole and not just my part.”

Davis said he can’t wait to run behind a stellar offensive line that is returning all its starters.

“It’s the perfect right moment now,” Davis said. “We can get the running game going and turn some heads this fall.”