Tuesday saw the Trojans take the field at 9:00 am for a helmets-only practice, and then add shoulder pads for a second practice at 4:00 pm. We recap the details of the day’s events in our latest practice roundup.

Who looked good

• We don’t call out too many individual names on defense each day–the reason being that the entire defensive unit has been consistently strong, as expected.
• If you’ve been following our practice roundups, you probably noticed that WR Patrick Turner hasn’t gotten many reps in practice the last few days (although that changed on Tuesday). The reason? He seems to be ahead of all the other receivers. “Patrick’s been awesome. He’s had a great camp. He’s really ready to step up,” head coach Pete Carroll was quoted as saying.
• Punter Greg Woidneck is continuing to get good hang times on his kicks–so much so that he, too, earned a compliment from the head coach.
• It almost goes without saying at this point, but redshirt freshman WR David Ausberry and sophomore RB Stafon Johnson each had a good day. It’s looking like we’ll see at least two new faces getting lots of playing time in the Idaho game (Ausberry has even moved himself into a starting position, as of today). Speaking of Johnson, he was also spotted returning punts during the afternoon session.
• Freshman DE Everson Griffen continues to look good rushing the passer. Carroll hinted that he might be used in third-and-long situations to start the season.
• Also on the D-line, redshirt freshman DT Derek Simmons has been praised by the head coach for his play during fall practice and was rewarded Tuesday with some reps with the first-team defense.

Injuries and problems

• OT Sam Baker missed practice for the second consecutive day with what is now diagnosed as a slightly cracked rib. (It’s apparently a lot less severe than that sounds.) He’s expected to miss the remainder of the week, at least, but with his experience there is certainly no need to rush him back just to practice. With both projected starting tackles out (Drew Radovich’s bad back has kept him out of all fall practices so far), Charles Brown and now Thomas Herring have been getting a lot of extra work. Brown has shifted over to Baker’s left tackle spot after playing right tackle the previous week, with Herring now manning the right side.
• Of course, the personnel moves on the offensive line may be a contributing factor to the unit’s continuing struggles with pass protection. Their run-blocking is a bit better.
• Other players out with various minor injuries were Cary Harris, Emmanuel Moody (afternoon practice only), Hershel Dennis, and Vidal Hazleton. The latter missed his first practice with a sore groin. WR Jamere Holland returned to practice after missing a few days.
• FB Stanley Havili gave the crowd a scare when he left mid-practice holding his shoulder. Although he did not return, it was not considered serious.
• Placekicker David Buehler missed two of three mid-range field goal attempts in the morning session (although one was blocked).

Also of note

• Current fourth-string sophomore QB Garrett Green, who has also played safety during his short USC career, got in some work Tuesday morning at wide receiver for the first time.
• QB Mike “Magic” McDonald (yes, that’s the nickname given to him by teammates) worked with the second team, while freshman Aaron Corp worked with the third-stringers. The latter was inconsistent on the day, which is not surprising given that his Trojan career is only a week and a half old.
• Carroll spent extra time working directly with the wide receivers after the morning session.
• The head coach also indicated in a conversation with a Rivals reporter that the coaching staff won’t be making any quick decisions on redshirting any freshmen this season. It is their goal to wait as long as possible in order to make as accurate an assessment of each player as possible. By the way, Rivals ranks the top ten Trojan freshman after the first week of practice, with Havili topping the list (a bit of a cheat, considering he’s a second-year player) and WR Ronald Johnson ranking as the top true freshman at #3. Ronald Johnson, by the way, continues to get a lot of chances both at receiver and on special teams. It will be interesting to see where he lands on the depth chart for the Idaho game.
• Speaking of freshmen, RB Joe McKnight became the team’s first first-year player permitted by coaches to speak with the press. He admitted that he is still feeling his way and “just trying to fill a role” and does not expect to be an every-down back.

Tuesday A.M. Practice Insider: Carroll’s Clinic (Rivals, $)
Tuesday P.M. Practice Insider: McKnight Speaks (Rivals, $)
Freshmen of Fall (Rivals, $)
McKnight is finding his way (LA Times)
Trojans take to McKnight (OC Register)
Turner and Ausberry set for take off (Press-Telegram)

Also of interest: WeAreSC writers discuss what impressed them the most during the first week of fall camp (and yes, there are a lot of Stafon Johnson mentions):

Question of the Week (WeAreSC)