Trojans In The Zone: Tuesday's Impact Players

USC took the field Tuesday evening for day four of fall camp. The environment was full of excitement as music was blaring, players were competing, and the crowd was locked in. Tuesday's session was the second day in shoulder pads and the Trojans looked a lot better than their first day in terms of stamina wise. The Men of Troy amazed the crowd on both sides of the ball, giving fans something to be excited about this upcoming season. As practice ended with third down competition, the Trojans offense and defense did a best out of five; with the defense coming out with the win (3-2). After following the team through various position drills, one on ones, and team drills, I gathered my personal impact players from day four.

Lets begin with the offensive side of the ball:

• Junior wide receiver Darreus Rogers made an amazing one-handed catch on the crowd's sideline, which got fans pumped up early. Rogers was consistent in grabbing passes thrown his way proving he will be a big target for the Trojans.
• Sophomore wideout Ju Ju Smith also showed big time play making ability at the receiver position. Smith made big catches in one on ones against the secondary using his size to his advantage. The Long Beach Poly product showed excellent hand strength snagging passes and solid run blocking skills.
• With Justin Davis out, senior tailback Tre Madden carried the load on the ground Tuesday. Madden had a big run in team competition that went for a touchdown, along with some other powerful runs throughout practice.
• Freshman tailback Ronald Jones II took advantage of the additional reps he received due to Davis' absence, running very hard while gaining decent yardage. He showed flashes of power running when he stuck a foot in the grass and barreled downhill to get some yards in no gain situations.

Next up is the defense, which actually played some great football:

• Senior cornerback Kevon Seymour looked like an absolute ball player in drills and competition. Seymour played very physical and matched up with the receivers quite well, usually coming out on top in one on ones.
• Following Seymour was sophomore corner Jonathan Lockett, who isn't afraid to come up and stuff the run off the edge. Lockett played with a non-stop motor, challenging receivers throughout practice and giving the secondary an edge in 7 on 7.
• Freshman safety Ykili Ross had an exciting day as he received a lot of reps. Ross had a forced fumble in 7 on 7 that led to a touchdown, which was one of two defensive touchdowns the Trojans scored in that segment.
• The Trojans' front seven applied a lot of pressure on the Kessler and Browne making them rush their passes often. The linebackers and d-line also worked together to stop the run, giving up only two explosive plays on the ground. The defensive line did much of the harassment on the quarterbacks giving the secondary opportunities to cause stops and turnovers.

The Trojans overall had a productive day on both sides of the ball by making plays and having young guys step up. The Trojans will start practicing in full pads within the next couple of days, giving the staff and fans an even better look at players in full go mode.