Tuesday practice report: Confidence, production growing for WR Drake London

It was a look offensive coordinator Graham Harrell had been encouraging freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis to capitalize on better.

Harrell felt the young QB had missed the same opportunity against Notre Dame, and so when asked for his favorite play from USC's 35-31 win at Colorado on Friday night, he said aside from the game-winner it would be Slovis' 19-yard completion down the seam to fellow freshman Drake London on second-and-20 during the late go-ahead drive.

It was a perfectly-placed rope with outside linebacker Davion Taylor draped on London but unable to turn his eyes back to the QB to see the pass come out. If delivered on the money -- which it was -- Harrell felt it was a high percentage throw that Slovis needed to trust. In this case, it helped extend the decisive drive as USC picked up the ensuing third-and-1 and continued down the field for a touchdown.

"At Notre Dame we had that exact same situation, and he didn't throw it. And I think a lot [was] just because he's young and he's probably never seen that look, and the guys he played with in high school if you throw it to them in that situation it's probably not a good decision. That's what I tried to explain to him -- that [linebacker] has no vision, he's trying to carry ... a guy with that size up the seam, give him a chance," Harrell said Tuesday, offering insight into that pivotal moment.

"That's a high-percentage throw. In Arizona that last scoring drive we went on, he made that same throw on third down to Drake right up the pike with a guy that had no vision on him and he made the throw. So that was good to see, but it wasnt much of a pressure situaiton. The other night when the game's on the line in a big situation, to see him make that throw again and trust Drake and see Drake come up with it, I think that gives them both a ton of confidence."

In that regard, it may have been even more significant to the pass catcher.

London, the talented true freshman dual-sport star who will also compete for the Trojans' basketball program, has been USC's No. 4 receiver all season, but the results have been mixed and the learning lessons plenty.

He had 3 catches for 62 yards in Week 2 against Stanford and then went four games without another reception. London was targeted twice the next week at BYU, but both throws went for interceptions (including the game-ender in overtime). He was targeted four times at Washington, but he and Slovis couldn't connect and two of those passes also went for interceptions.

"It's a trial that I've got to go through to get where I'm trying to go so those opportunities can only help myself and keep me pushing," London said. "So when those opportunities doe come I can [deliver]."

Wide receivers coach Keary Colbert said London's lack of catches in that stretch was "just kind of the way the ball's been falling," and he praised the freshman's work as a consistent blocker all the while.

The USC coaches have indeed continued to trust and lean on him, and London re-emerged in the box score against Arizona with 4 catches on 5 targets for 52 yards before breaking out with 7 catches on 9 targets for a season-high 85 yards Friday night.

"He's a special player. Everyone talks about the other three, but I think he's just as good as anyone out here," Slovis said Tuesday. "He's been great since fall camp. I think it's just a matter of him getting more touches in games so you guys see it more, but out here he's real special."

London, who blends size (6-foot-5), speed and some of his basketball traits when it comes to body positioning, said he feels a certain kinship with Slovis now as two true freshmen stepping into major roles this season.

"[I'm] getting the feel with Kedon more and more and the game slowed down a little bit so I feel a little more comfortable," he said. "I feel like we're in the same role right now, the same boat, that we've got to step up as true freshmen, so the connection is there."

London saw greater opportunity Friday night at Colorado as USC actually looked more like an Air Raid team than it has all season, going with 5-wide sets a bunch to take the pressure of its razor-thin running back depth chart.

That could continue as it doesn't look like the Trojans are due to get any of their three injured rushers back this week -- and because it was effective.

As for London, who has gotten all his work out of the slot this season and whom the ESPN announcers likened to a tight end Friday night, he said he feels he's adjusted to the physicality and speed of the college game as well as the angles and keys that are criticial to his routes.

Harrell, meanwhile, said it's just simple freshman maturation now that he's had substantial game reps.

"He's always been a special talent, he's very gifted. To be his size and have the kind of body control and ball skills he has, they just don't make people like that," Harrell said. "But where he's improved the most is just understanding the offense and understanding how to get open and that just comes with reps. The more he plays the better he'll be."

Said head coach Clay Helton: "You can see his confidence. We've always seen the playmaking ability out here and I think those couple catches two weeks ago vs. Arizona, you could see a light just kind of click on and a confidence click on. Like, 'All right, I can do this in live games too.' And some of the plays that he made, yards after catch were huge, the catch on the last drive down the middle of the field on second-and-20, just absolutely huge."

Huge for the moment and the game, but also no doubt huge for London's confidence. As for his own reflections on the play, the freshman said he simply did his job.

"I give that all props to Kedon. The way he placed the ball was perfect, perfectly in my hands and he couldn't have given me a better ball -- I just caught it," he said.

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