What We Learned: USC Preparing to Start Three True Freshmen in Secondary Who 'Know the System Really Well'
Greg Burns has been coaching defensive backs for 23 years. Not once during that time does he recall the situation he'll likely be faced with Saturday at Arizona: both his starting cornerbacks and his nickelback sidelined.
Greg Johnson has already been ruled out, and Olaijah Griffin and Isaac Taylor-Stuart remained out of practice Wednesday. Burns initially thought he had dealt with such a scenario while at Purdue in 2012, before realizing that it was just two of his three starters that weren't available.
The extra wrinkle, as if one were needed, is that the three replacements are all true freshmen. So this would be a sort of history for the secondary lifer.
"Yeah ... yeah," he laughed. "But like I said, I'm not worried about it. I'm excited about the guys who get to play."
USC has essentially figured that part out as well. Chris Steele, a mainstay in the rotation all season who's already started two games, will be in the starting lineup. So will Max Williams at nickel, ahead of rookie Kaulana Makaula. Williams has only played about a quarter this season and was most recently suspended against Notre Dame for an undisclosed violation of team rules.
"It got cleared up, so I'm ready to go," he said. "I made a mistake."
Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast has leaned heavily on Johnson at nickel this season, as Pendergast is wont to do at many spots, but the 5-foot-9 Williams has made a real impression on him in practice.
"He's very instinctive. He's a guy that you tell him something once and he gets it," Pendergast said. "At the nickel position, its a unique spot because you got to do so many different things. You're key in the triangle for run and pass, sometimes you're traveling with motion, sometimes you're not. Sometimes you got to fit in in the box after motion.
"There's a lot of things going on at the nickelback. I think he's got a unique skill set to be able to trigger in a short area. And he's physical."
Pendergast sees similar traits in Dorian Hewett, who's in line to start at the other outside spot. The 6-foot-1, 184-pound DB arrived in the summer and began training camp at safety. He quickly moved to nickel and then outside corner, where he's been practicing for the past six weeks or so. He's gotten the bulk of the first-team reps since Monday.
Hewett believes his footwork and quick hips have helped his transition, but his ability to pick up the scheme is the primary reason he's positioned ahead of fellow true freshman Jayden Williams heading into this weekend.
"I think he's got really good football awareness," Pendergast said of Hewett. "You could see it on the field since he's been here."
Burns said what first caught his eye about the Texas product was his speed. In need of defensive backs, the USC staff pursued him late in the recruiting process and was able to flip him from Syracuse. But they didn't see him as a cornerback, namely because he hadn't played the position since his freshman year of high school. His game experience this season has been limited to special teams.
"I'm just going to have to get used to the speed," Hewett said. "That's what I'm going to use for the first drive, for me to get settled into the game. After that it should be a smooth ride for me."
It's worth noting Griffin (back) and Taylor-Stuart (ankle) haven't officially been ruled out for this week. But USC is not expecting them to play. Replacing all of them at once would seem to be a daunting task, if not for Burns' exemplary work in preparing a really young defensive backfield all season.
"I got a lot of confidence in his ability to get the guys ready," Pendergast said. "And I feel like the guys know the system really well."
FOOTNOTES
Linebacker Palaie Gaoteote (ankle) remained out. Defensive end Christian Rector (ankle), linebacker Jordan Iosefa (knee) and wide receiver Tyler Vaughns didn't practice. Freshman wideout Munir McClain took first-team reps.
-- Adam Maya is a USC graduate and has been covering the Trojans since 2003. Follow him on Twitter @AdamJMaya.
