Keep an eye on the offensive line, which has had its struggles this spring
Editor’s note: This is the Friday, April 16 edition of the Troy Story USC sports newsletter from reporter Adam Grosbard. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here. The 2020 spring football game was USC’s first casualty of the pandemic, canceled a month ahead of time as the world began to adjust to the COVID-19 era and learn what was and wasn’t safe. But a year later, the Trojans are preparing for this year’s spring showcase at the Coliseum Saturday at 1 p.m. PT. And they won’t be alone, as for the first time since the pandemic began, USC will allow a smaller number of fans — 5,000 — to be in attendance. “It will be really exciting to look up and be able to see my mom and dad, little sister in the stands,” cornerback Chris Steele said Thursday. “I think it’s also going to make the energy go up a lot higher too. Everybody performs better when mom or dad is around.” For those of you who can’t make it on Saturday, the scrimmage will be broadcast on Pac-12 Network. And there will be several things to watch out for as we try to glean information about the 2021 fall campaign. First and foremost will be the offensive line. The unit, which returns four starters and thus far has featured redshirt freshman Courtland Ford at left tackle during first-team snaps, has struggled mightily this spring.
