It seems the momentum from the second half of the Tennessee game carried over, as Monday’s practice was a good one for the most part.
Special teams was a work in progress last week heading into the UT game, as we documented in our reports, and it continues to be an area they’re spending a lot of time on. Their coverage teams are still learning to run full speed and still having issues staying in their lanes, both of which hurt them against the Vols. The players have been challenged to stop thinking, which leads to playing at a slower speed, and just react and do what they’ve been taught. Arkansas has two of the best kick returners in the nation in Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, so showing improvement in this area will be a huge key this weekend.
No major changes on defense. The coaches are comfortable with where they are on that side of the ball, but, at the same time, they don’t think they’ve had their best game of the year as of yet. Stopping the run will obviously be goal No. 1 this week, with Arkansas having one of the best rushing games in the country. The good news is they don’t have the same kind of OL nor passing game that they had last year, so they should be a BIT easier to defend but still a tough task. USC is also preparing for Arkansas' Wildcat package, which features McFadden at QB and Jones at RB. Just as they did last week, beating the blockers to the point of attack will be something they’ll work on in each practice. Preventing the Razorback running backs from getting to the second level of the defense is key.
As expected, Heath Batchelor and Seaver Brown took most of the snaps at offensive guard, and Gurminder Thind also received his share of work. Lemuel Jeanpierre and Garrett Anderson could see time on Saturday as well. It just depends on how things go with the starters. Thind would probably be the first man off the bench, though. Jeanpierre has been challenged to stop thinking and start playing. The mental side of things is what’s holding him back the most. He has to trust himself a bit more than he has been. Overall, the offensive line seems to have found some much needed confidence after things came together in the second half against UT.
At wide receiver, Kenny McKinley and Dion Lecorn ran first team and had good nights. Moe Brown is slowly seeing an increase in his snaps, and is going get his chances to make some plays down field. If he can just break through and make a couple, the coaches think he’s capable of becoming a much more productive player. He’s also getting better as a blocker, something he struggled with earlier in the year. Same with Freddie Brown.
Blake Mitchell has hit his stride, and his performance against the Vols carried over to Monday’s practice. He had one of the best passing games of his career in the second half against Arkansas last year. While he doesn’t have Sidney Rice to throw to this year, Arkansas isn’t as talented nor as experienced in the secondary as they were last year. They’re going to be very aggressive, which should give Mitchell and his receivers the opportunity for some big plays if they can execute. Overall, Mitchell seems much more relaxed and the players have rallied around him. One thing he worked on last night was getting rid of the ball quicker and knowing when to take a little bit off his passes versus throwing a rope.
The offense still has some wrinkles they can use that teams haven’t seen from them this year, and this could be the week they break some of them out.
The players are excited about the offensive turnaround and their chances to finish the season with a bang. This is a big game this weekend, and everyone seems excited about the chance to get back on the winning track.
Special teams was a work in progress last week heading into the UT game, as we documented in our reports, and it continues to be an area they’re spending a lot of time on. Their coverage teams are still learning to run full speed and still having issues staying in their lanes, both of which hurt them against the Vols. The players have been challenged to stop thinking, which leads to playing at a slower speed, and just react and do what they’ve been taught. Arkansas has two of the best kick returners in the nation in Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, so showing improvement in this area will be a huge key this weekend.
No major changes on defense. The coaches are comfortable with where they are on that side of the ball, but, at the same time, they don’t think they’ve had their best game of the year as of yet. Stopping the run will obviously be goal No. 1 this week, with Arkansas having one of the best rushing games in the country. The good news is they don’t have the same kind of OL nor passing game that they had last year, so they should be a BIT easier to defend but still a tough task. USC is also preparing for Arkansas' Wildcat package, which features McFadden at QB and Jones at RB. Just as they did last week, beating the blockers to the point of attack will be something they’ll work on in each practice. Preventing the Razorback running backs from getting to the second level of the defense is key.
As expected, Heath Batchelor and Seaver Brown took most of the snaps at offensive guard, and Gurminder Thind also received his share of work. Lemuel Jeanpierre and Garrett Anderson could see time on Saturday as well. It just depends on how things go with the starters. Thind would probably be the first man off the bench, though. Jeanpierre has been challenged to stop thinking and start playing. The mental side of things is what’s holding him back the most. He has to trust himself a bit more than he has been. Overall, the offensive line seems to have found some much needed confidence after things came together in the second half against UT.
At wide receiver, Kenny McKinley and Dion Lecorn ran first team and had good nights. Moe Brown is slowly seeing an increase in his snaps, and is going get his chances to make some plays down field. If he can just break through and make a couple, the coaches think he’s capable of becoming a much more productive player. He’s also getting better as a blocker, something he struggled with earlier in the year. Same with Freddie Brown.
Blake Mitchell has hit his stride, and his performance against the Vols carried over to Monday’s practice. He had one of the best passing games of his career in the second half against Arkansas last year. While he doesn’t have Sidney Rice to throw to this year, Arkansas isn’t as talented nor as experienced in the secondary as they were last year. They’re going to be very aggressive, which should give Mitchell and his receivers the opportunity for some big plays if they can execute. Overall, Mitchell seems much more relaxed and the players have rallied around him. One thing he worked on last night was getting rid of the ball quicker and knowing when to take a little bit off his passes versus throwing a rope.
The offense still has some wrinkles they can use that teams haven’t seen from them this year, and this could be the week they break some of them out.
The players are excited about the offensive turnaround and their chances to finish the season with a bang. This is a big game this weekend, and everyone seems excited about the chance to get back on the winning track.
