There are still no updates on the QB battle from Kiffin (James Santelli/Neon Tommy)

With the first of nearly 100 fall practices for the USC football team in the books, Dion Bailey's comments rung true following the squad's first time all on the field together on Saturday. According to head coach Lane Kiffin, every (healthy) scholarship player was on the field for the two and a half hour practice. Marqise Lee and Marcus Martin cramped up and left midway through, but there were no notable injuries, a fact not too shocking since the team won't play with pads until the sixth practice of the fall. But no pads doesn't mean no news. Here's what to know from the first foray into the fall football season.

The Quarterback Battle

Move along folks, nothing to see here. Another day of questions meant another day of Kiffin taking a pass on deciding who will start the season opener against Hawaii. Max Wittek said that he and the other two know that while they're competing, they still have to focus on improving themselves rather than acknowledging the competition. Wittek made more long throws, but Kessler looked adept at scrambling after a few plays broke down. 

Offensive Skill in Droves

Marqise Lee will be a monster assignment for any defensive back, but Nelson Agholor was the most impressive wideout on the field. He showed the ability to grab passes across the middle and be an intermediate difference-maker like the flashes he had last season, but caught multiple deep balls as well. His best play was a downfield bomb from Cody Kessler, where Agholor snuck by Dion Bailey at the end to make the 50-yard or so grab. Darreus Rogers was the best of the rest between the three other scholarship receivers, but it looks like the gap between Agholor and the eventual third receiver is bigger than the gap between Agholor and Robert Woods from last year.

"I'll throw it up sometimes," Kessler said. "When they're 1-on-1 and our guys are that athletic and it's Marqise Lee and Nelson Agholor, that's just trust. You have to give them opportunities to make big plays sometimes."

It's difficult to discern much from the running game when tackling is not allowed in practice. Playing without pads makes the task even more difficult. Veterans Silas Redd and D.J. Morgan were held out of scrimmaging to recover from minor injuries, while Buck Allen received the most reps. It doesn't seem like today will be much indication of how the carries will end up being distributed, though. 

Just Keep Martin Along

At the post-practice scrum, Kiffin mentioned that Marcus Martin is emerging as an offensive leader. The junior has 20 career starts, but moves to center after playing at left guard his first two seasons. Khaled Holmes was the heart and soul of the squad along with Barkley the past four years, and Kiffin singling out Martin is high praise for the L.A. native. 

Hayes in Charge

Barkley was the most heralded departing senior leader, but T.J. McDonald was every bit his equal on the defensive end. While Morgan Breslin and Bailey are on more preseason award lists and such, it looks like Bailey is looking to Pullard as the emotional leader of the defense. "Hayes is definitely making those strides to replace TJ as the emotional leader, and Leo (Leonard Williams) is stepping up a lot," Bailey said. 

Clancy's Biggest Fan

Clancy Pendergast that is, USC's new defensive coordinator. Defensive end/outside linebacker Devon Kennard missed all of last season with a pectoral injury, but now the reward might be worth the wait for the redshirt senior. With Pendergast's 5-2 scheme, Kennard will be in a standing position rather than a three-point stance on the line. "You can just see more, you become more part of the game in every aspect," he said on standing up in the 5-2. "I just told Pendergast, 'I love his defense.'" If Kennard had any personal goals for his final season of eligibility though, he didn't reveal them. "I just want to help my team win," he said. "I think everything else will fall in into place with time."

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