Trojan Notes: Pads on, Tupou Out

Lane Kiffin didn’t take long to bring out the pads, as the Trojans hit Howard Jones field fully suited on Saturday. And so three days into camp, and we have our first injury report, besides the plethora of cramps on Thursday and Friday. The big names put on the shelf Saturday were corner Torin Harris and defensive tackle Christian Tupou. Harris, was knocked out of practice Saturday with a possible concussion, while Tupou’s surgically repaired knee was giving him fits, ending his day.

Harris, who missed Spring Camp as he recovered from the shoulder injury that knocked him out last season, is expected to compete for the starting job at corner alongside Nickell Robey. Lost time this fall possibly opens the door for the speedy junior college transfer, Isiah Wiley.

For Tupou, persistent knee problems could be a huge problem on the line, considering that the Trojans are depending heavily on the senior. After missing 2010, his hunger to get back and make a different on the line and in the opposing field, hopefully cancels out any drawbacks from the knee.

For the complete injury report, here’s an excerpt from the Daily News:

"A pretty short list so far: DT J.R. Tavai (hamstring), OG Giovanni Di Poalo (shoulder), CB Torin Harris (possible concussion) and DT Christian Tupou (sore knee) are the only players ailing at the moment."

Offensively, the issue on the Saturday was the interception, as Matt Barkley, Max Wittek and Jesse Scroggins combined to throw five picks, three of the them coming from the starter, Barkley.  Kiffin said numerous times on Media Day that if the Trojans were going to be successful , and for Barkley to get Heisman talk, he’d have to get better on his decision making, a notion he echoed Saturday, as he said “[Barkley’s] still got to make good decisions.” Thursday his picks came off deflections, but Saturday was not the case as both Robey and Shane Horton were said to make spectacular plays on defense.

Staying on defense, talk around camp is that Chris Galippo looks more poised than ever as a grizzled senior veteran who is slated to play the “mike” at linebacker. After the defense’s big showing on Satuday, he showed his maturity, saying that he hopes “the offense has a chip on their shoulder and comes right at us tomorrow.” It’s a bold statement from a linebacker, but as ESPN’s Pedro Moura profiled Galippo on Friday, it’s just all part of his maturation process, which has turned the 22-year-old into a more hungry, and cerebral player, as he inherits the leadership role on defense.

"“I’m naturally extremely vocal. The offense thrives on me messing up, because I absolutely just talk so much in practice. And it’s just part of my game that I enjoy and I think that it helps a lot of these younger guys, especially these freshmen, get a taste of how to deal with adversity. I think I lead in different ways. That’s one of them.”"

It’s good to see a player like Galippo with the ability to lead, despite his own on-field troubles the last couple of seasons. His leadership has even carried over to Twitter. You should follow him.

Some news on the NFL front, as former Trojan running back C.J. Gable has signed on with the Broncos, after being released from the New Orleans Saints on Thursday. Gable finished his Trojan career with 1,549 yards, and never really hit his stride at USC after losing the confidence of Pete Carroll in 2009, and Lane Kiffin in 2010. It’ll be interesting if he can put it together at the next level, possibly as a return specialist, where he had plenty of success in college.

As for former linebacker Lofa Tatupu, he remains a free agent after being released by the Seahawks last week. Rumors have him linked to the Bears, Redskins and Raiders, but only time will tell.

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