A handful of USC offensive players -- including quarterback Caleb Williams -- and outside receivers coach Dennis Simmons talked with reporters Thursday after practice during what was the final media availability of fall camp.

Officially, the Trojans will refer to next week as a "mock game week" to settle into the weekly routine they'll carry through the season, and then just like that, it will be Week 0 and the buildup to the Aug. 26 opener vs. San Jose State.

A lot of the conversation Thursday was still about the Trojans' first preseason scrimmage from Sunday night, as the offensive guys got to share their takeaways for the first time.

Meanwhile, we have our top five takeaways from Thursday's practice here, including praise for freshmen defensive standouts Tackett Curtis and Christian Pierce, feedback on the wide receivers, Williams' assessment of the scrimmage and optimism for the defense, some clarity on the offensive line and notes from the open period of practice media watched.

RELATED: Watch video interviews with USC's offensive players from Thursday | Video interview with WRs coach Dennis Simmons | Photo gallery from Thursday's practice | Watch the D-line and rush ends go through drills Thursday

How impressive has freshman linebacker Tackett Curtis been in fall camp for USC?

Veteran players on the other side of the ball have bestowed a superhero nickname upon the newcomer already.

"Captain America, that's what we call him," running back MarShawn Lloyd said. "Tackett is amazing. He's young, but man, Tackett's a good one too."

Lloyd said running backs coach Kiel McDonald coined the nickname for the four-star top-100 prospect from Louisiana and it stuck.

"I'm a Marvel guy and a lot of the running backs, we talk about it, but he's just, Captain America is just -- I feel like no one can stop him," Lloyd continued. "I mean, Tackett's just one of those guys, he has a motor and he's going to give you his all every time, so when we came up with Captain America, that's who we think of Tackett as."

Lloyd was asked if there are any other like-minded nicknames the group has doled out this camp ...

"He's the only one. No more Avengers," he said.

Said Williams: "I haven't called him Captain America, but if I had to call him something he's a destroyer. He'll run down people whether they're ahead of him by 20 yards, whether it's sideline to sideline, whether it's running through a gap and destroying a guard pulling, tackle pulling, whether it's a tight end coming around trying to block him or whatever the case may be, running back, he does a good job of running there and just destroying, blowing things up."

The praise for the much-ballyhooed true freshman comes from both sides of the ball.

Safety Max Williams and rush end Jamil Muhammad both singled out Curtis when asked on Tuesday who has been a breakout or surprise player this camp.

"I'd say the improvement of Tackett Curtis from spring ball to fall camp because he's definitely more comfortable now," Max Wiliams said. "He knows his playcalls. He's just not out there playing football like he was in spring ball -- he's out there doing his responsibilities, out there playing fast and he's been making a lot of plays in fall camp."

"I've got to say Tackett Curtis. Tackett Curtis is ...," Muhammad said with a whistle. "I was just talking about him a few minutes about the scrimmage the other day, that's why he's the first to come to mind. I've been around a lot of freshmen the past couple years and they don't come quite like him. ... He has the swag about him that you don't see in most freshmen -- you don't see in most players."

Muhammad shared that Curtis made a couple big plays in the Trojans' first scrimmage and punctuated it with a little trash talk to the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.

"I had got a sack and then he came and got one behind me and then he made a tackle. He doesn't boast and brag, he doesn't showboat, he's not cocky, but he has that edge about him that's like, 'I'm here.' And he'll let you know about it," Muhammad said. "He had a play like that in the scrimmage where he got in the backfield and let Caleb know a little bit about it."

The quarterback flashed a big smile when asked about that moment Thursday.

"Tackett's been great. Ever since he's gotten here, whether it's weight room, whether it's us in the locker room just being brothers, whether it's academics, whether it's him out there actually on the field making plays, he's been tremendous. Especially as a young guy," Caleb Williams said. "It's been fun to kind of watch him because when he got here it was more like, ooh, this freshman coming in and he has this name behind him and things like that and you want to see him get out there.

"He's proven himself to us as teammates, so actually getting out there to play with him and him now having a lot more confidence to go out there and make some plays and then come and talk trash to me makes it a little more fun for me."

It seems pretty clear that Curtis is going to have a role on defense this year, especially with fellow linebackers Shane Lee, Eric Gentry and Raesjon Davis all limited at the moment. But even with the unit at full strength, every indication is that Curtis will get his chances early to show everyone else what his teammates have been seeing and raving about all preseason.

Head coach Lincoln Riley had praised the defense in his comments Tuesday, noting that side of the ball had won the day, and Caleb Williams echoed that assessment.

"Some of our young guys impressed me, whether that was Zion -- he had a pretty cool play coming down as a safety and catching an interception, made a pretty good play on the ball. The linebackers were flying around making plays, whether it was sideline to sideline, filling their gaps, whether it was a blitz or just them filling gaps on runs. And then the defensive line, they've been balling this camp and it's been making us better as an offense and as a team. It's been fun to be a part of it," Williams said. "As an offensive player, you don't like to mess up or give up plays and things like that, but the defense has been doing a good job. And it hasn't been necessarily us giving up plays -- it's been them going out there trying to make a play and it's been good to watch. You never really give kudos to your opponent, but having an understanding that these are your teammates and things like that, there's times where you just walk up to them and say 'Good play.' So the defense really impressed."

The hype for the defense this camp has been consistent and compelling.

There's every reason to believe the impact of Curtis and Oklahoma State transfer Mason Cobb at linebacker, and the potential for a healthy Eric Gentry, could elevate the play of that group considerably.

The resounding praise for the improvements along the defensive line -- especially in terms of depth and the potential of Bear Alexander and Kyon Barrs to bolster the interior especially -- suggest justified optimism for the front seven in general. And there has been enough feedback to feel rather confident that Anthony Lucas is going to be a factor in the pass rush, with Muhammad also possibly proving to be an instant difference-maker.

There will be natural reticence among many within the fan base to buy into the defense after the spiraling finish to last season, but I'm a believer at this point -- not that it will be a top 20 national defense per se but that it will be closer to what USC needs to complement its reliable offense and be a true playoff contender.

As for that offense, if the defense won the first scrimmage what does that say about the other side?

"Offensive-wise, we've got to get better. It's not the huge things, us lining up wrong and things like that. It's the small things. Small penalties, getting behind the sticks and things like that, just being consistent is the most important part," Williams said. "That starts at the head of it, which is me and the center and us being on the same page, us making sure we're doing the right things as leaders of the offense, leaders of the team to make sure when we get to Aug. 26 and all the way to January that we're doing the right things as leaders of the offense and leaders of the team."