Trojans look to increase turnover margin

There was a moment during Sunday’s intersquad scrimmage when it looked as if USC players had taken their newest mantra to heart. The Trojans were roughly one-third of the way through their final full contact scrimmage of the fall.

Takeaways · Junior safety TJ McDonald, pictured here against California on Oct. 16, finished second on the team with three interceptions in 2010. - Daily Trojan file photo

And then sophomore cornerback Nickell Robey scooped up a fumbled exchange between junior quarterback Matt Barkley and sophomore tailback Dillon Baxter, returning it 90 yards for a touchdown, high-stepping his way into the end zone.

“That’s the easiest way to score: taking the ball to the house for six,” Robey said. “It’s about stripping the ball.”

USC has placed an additional emphasis on forcing turnovers ever since it opened training camp Aug. 4. Drills emphasizing stripping the ball have become near-routine through nearly three weeks of practice, and still, 8.5” by 11” sheets of paper, with the words “That’s our ball” line the entrance of Heritage Hall.

“That’s what we’ve been big on so far: ball security and forcing turnovers,” said Robey, who led the team with four interceptions in 2010. “Any time we can find a loose ball and jump on it. We’ve really been stressing that.”

And for good reason. If anything serves as an indicator of the Trojans’ success this past decade, its a fluctuating turnover margin.

During the last five seasons, in which the Trojans averaged 10 wins per year, they finished with an average turnover margin of plus 3.4. In the five seasons prior, they averaged a margin of plus 17. And during those years, they averaged 11 wins per season, winning two Associated Press national championships and, at one point, 34 consecutive games.

As a result, to get back to double-digit win totals — following an eight-win season in 2010 and a nine-win season in 2009 — the Trojans hope to reverse this trend.

“We’ve been okay,” senior linebacker Chris Galippo said about the team’s penchant for forcing turnovers. “It’s something we have to build awareness as a defense.”

In some of USC’s closest contests last season, turnovers proved problematic. During a nationally televised home game Oct. 30 against Oregon, which the Trojans lost by three touchdowns, Barkley threw two late interceptions and fumbled a snap mid-way through the third quarter. Oregon, in comparison, turned the ball over twice.

During a Nov. 20 contest at Oregon State, USC had two turnovers: an interception by way of Barkley and a fumble from then-senior tailback Allen Bradford. Its defense, however, forced none. Similarly, USC fell to the Beavers 36-7.

“I need to move the ball and be efficient,” Barkley said. “Just be accurate with my throws.”

Among starting Pac-10 quarterbacks in 2010, only Arizona State’s Steven Threet, with 16 interceptions, finished with more than Barkley, who had 12. It is a nagging issue, however, that Barkley appears to have a handle on as of late, following a touchdown-to-interception ratio of five-to-one during Sunday’s scrimmage.

“He continues to plug along and develop his game,” USC coach Lane Kiffin said. “I just hope these pieces around him stay healthy, because if they do, he can have a pretty special year.”

The theme remains pretty clear: protect the ball on offense, force turnovers on defense.

And on the defense at least, the Trojans hope, with added experience, they can force more than just the 13 interceptions and three fumbles they caused in 2010.

“As you get older and you get more comfortable, you can play faster and start going for the ball,” Galippo said. “You know when you can take your shots. Our defense is moving toward that. We’re not a young defense anymore.”

Of USC’s 11 projected starters on defense, at least six are upperclassmen, and for those such as Robey, a sophomore, they now have a year of starting experience under their belts.

“I feel like I’m a step ahead,” Robey said. “Last year, it was kind of rough coming in and trying to get down the playbook in two months. Now, I’m playing faster.”

USC did not practice Monday because of the first day of classes.