USC Coach Clay Helton has his game plan, and by the time the ninth-ranked Trojans play fifth-ranked Penn State in the Rose Bowl, it will have been checked three times.
The Trojans on Thursday concluded their second week of practice in a downpour. They will resume preparation for the Jan. 2 game when players return from a five-day vacation.
The bowl schedule worked out “perfectly” to hold 18 workouts and allow players to spend the holidays with their families, Helton said.
In a departure from previous seasons, when emphasis was placed on the development of young players, practice has mimicked the Trojans’ usual game-week preparation.