USC Football Week One Preview: Western Michigan
By Jason Elbaum
Special Teams
After Rose Bowl hero Matt Boermeester was dismissed from the team this off-season, Coach Helton was left with a wide open competition for a new place kicker. Trojan fans can expect to see freshmen Michael Brown and Chase McGrath battle it out this Saturday for the kicking duties going forward.
Where there’s turmoil in the kicking game, the Trojans have one of the best punters in the nation returning in junior Chris Tilbey. USC fans hope he won’t be needed very often this Saturday, but he should be a key player in future battles for field position.
In the return game, defensive backs Ajene Harris and Jack Jones will handle kickoff return duties, with Harris looking to replace the electric Adoree Jackson on punt returns. Someone to keep an eye on in special teams will be true freshman running back Stephen Carr who has impressed in Fall camp with his maturity and football IQ.
There’s no doubt that a large part of USC’s gameplan will be stopping Western Michigan’s Darius Phillips on both kick and punt returns. Last season, Phillips averaged almost 12 yards per punt return with one touchdown and 23 yards per kick return with one touchdown.
It’ll be vital for the Trojans to hold Phillips in check, as a punt or kick return touchdown could easily swing the momentum in the Broncos’ favor and keep them in the game.