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On a bright and sunny Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles, USC’s spring game reintroduced cardinal and gold-clad fans to an old friend -- and now new head coach -- Lane Kiffin.
The song girls were on the field, the band was ripping off old favorites, Traveler was on stand-by to have his picture snapped with wide-eyed youngsters and assistant coach Ed Orgeron’s booming voice could be heard from the press box. So far, just another day in paradise.
The fans’ biggest concerns of this team -- linebackers and O-line -- still weren’t addressed by the end of the day, but some surprises did unfold in the names of quarterback Mitch Mustain and running back Dillon Baxter.
It was widely assumed that Matt Barkley would keep his starting quarterback spot for the 2010 season, and according to Kiffin, he will. But, Mustain’s performance was so superb, you have to wonder if this competition between Barkley and Mustain isn’t closer than most pundits think. Most fans and reporters I talked to after the game would have put Mustain in the starting spot, based on Saturday’s performances.
“Matt is the starter going into the fall,” Kiffin said after the game. “Mitch had a great 16 days, made it very competitive. (He’s) on a day-to-day basis. He (Mustain) didn’t make as good of decisions as Matt did. We’re really excited about those two.”
And if you are looking for the next marquee running backs at Tailback U, Baxter might be it. The true freshman, fourth on the depth chart, made some incredible runs, including a sick two-spin move behind the line for a 58-yard romp.
“Dillon Baxter was a star today,” said Kiffin. When asked if he had ever seen spin moves like that, Kiffin laughed and responded with, “Yeah, on PlayStation. The R2 button.”
It wasn't all rosy, however. Kiffin ripped the offense for its first half performance.
“First half was defensive dominated . . . more than any practice or scrimmage had been,” Kiffin said. “ I thought the offense played terrible. “
“I told the players at halftime they’re going to take their scholarships and give them back to the fans that came out today because that was (an) embarrassing performance.”
So what did materialize from the Trojans’ spring game?
Positives
Negatives
Needs
Final verdict?
Look for Mustain to keep Barkley looking over his shoulder and for more big, explosive plays from the offense rather than a grind-it-out game plan.
Or, as Kiffin says, “Our defense has a chance to be really good. Our offense has a long, long, long ways to go, especially in the run game. “
