LOS ANGELES -- There were hits on Saturday morning at Howard Jones Field, and plenty of them. During 7-on-7 drills, running back D.J. Morgan was on the wrong end of a hit by former Mission Viejo standout Tre Madden.
During a live scrimmage, Curtis McNeal made a catch in the flat before he was driven to the turf by cornerback Isiah Wiley on a hit that jarred the ball loose.
It was that type of morning at USC, where the Trojans practiced for the first time in pads this spring.
Junior cornerback Nickell Robey was dubbed the MVP of the day by head coach Lane Kiffin on a morning dominated by "The Dark Side," a.k.a. the Trojans defense.
"When you think of the Dark Side, you think of a big, physical defense and I feel that's what we are," said senior safety T.J. McDonald, who came up with the nickname earlier this spring.
The Trojans return eight starters from last season's unit that helped the Trojans to a 10-2 record and first place record in the Pac-12 South standings. The defense is looking to build on last season's strong finish, in which they gave up just 17 points per game over their last four games of the season, including a win at Oregon and a shutout of UCLA in the season finale.
"I think our defense looks very improved," Kiffin said. "Even though it's just practice, I feel like they're playing harder on the film, through the snap and have a good confidence about themselves which we saw them start to develop last year (down the stretch)."
Last season, the Trojans finished 54th in total defense, but were just 102nd in the nation against the pass. They were also tied for 95th in takeaways with 17. Improvement in those areas will help the Trojans take the next step to becoming a dominant defensive unit.
"I just hope we can be an elite defense and we should be," Kiffin said. "We have great players, we have great schemes and now we got to go to the next level of being a suffocating defense. The game here versus Washington, that's how we want to play all the time."
Last November, Washington was limited to 244 total yards and converted two of 13 third downs against the Trojans. Although USC didn't force any turnovers on that day, with more experience on the defensive side of the ball, the Trojans may be able to increase their takeaways next season.
"We hope so. Recognition, playing the scheme, things like that will happen," defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said. "We go against good offenses right here. The best test we have every week is going against our offense. Tuesday, we had three turnovers. We had three Thursday and we had a couple of more (on Saturday), so I think we're getting better. I think a lot of it is experience and recognition.
"I think we're playing faster right now."
Linebacker Dion Bailey participated in the Trojans' first two practices of the spring, but sat out the Trojans first practice in pads on Saturday with a strained hamstring. Bailey says it was "precautionary."
The Trojans will have next week off for spring break and return to practice March 20.
