Practice Notes: Aug. 31


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USC kept preparing for Minnesota on Wednesday, as they practiced for the second time this week.

  • Sophomore wide receiver Robert Woods was still in the yellow no-contact jersey with a bruised elbow, but he was a full participant in drills.
  • The special teams focused on recovering onside kicks. The drill lasted several minutes as the first-team recovery snatched up all of the kicked balls from the scout kicking team.
  • Junior quarterback Matt Barkley and the offense sharpened up their performance inside the five-yard line when trapped deep in their own territory and when the team was about to score. Barkley and company scored about half of their attempts when in the red zone in the first drill and were able to escape the pressure of the goal line on their heels as Barkley constantly found receivers in the second.
  • The offense also practiced third and long situation in the middle of the field, which they frequently succeeded converting.
  • Lane Kiffin said he expects the rotation to be “fluid” on Saturday against Minnesota. Expect the carries to be spread out among the various tailbacks.
  • Kiffin brushed away the possibility that USC would overlook the Golden Gophers. “I would be shocked if we were overconfident,” he said. “We’re not very good.”