Clay Helton’s biggest takeaway from USC’s season-ending loss to Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl last year was watching the Buckeyes shuttle their defensive linemen in and out and never lose a step. They didn’t have a two-deep as a roster formality. They actually used it. And by the fourth quarter, with the Trojans on their last legs, Ohio State looked like it could have kept playing into the early-morning hours.
During this fall camp, Helton has responded with some changes to the Trojans’ practice rhythms. In the first week, they often had two sets of seven-on-seven or 11-on-11 drills at the same time — Helton calls it “two spotting” — so that USC’s second and third team players got more reps to learn from and from which to be evaluated.