USC QB Kedon Slovis dismisses concerns about arm: 'My arm feels great'

By the numbers, USC quarterback Kedon Slovis looks just as he did a season ago, piling up big passing performances one after another.

Slovis completed 30 of 40 passes for 325 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions Saturday in USC's 34-30 win over Arizona, a week after passing for 381 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT against Arizona State.

But through both games, fans and observers have wondered aloud on social media and message boards whether the sophomore's arm is healthy (after he sustained a strained elbow in the Holiday Bowl last December that did not require surgery).

While Slovis delivered when it mattered most both weeks, leading game-winning touchdown drives with clutch passes, many have noted that a number of his passes have been wobbly or fluttering -- compared to his crisp throws a year ago.

For his part, at least, Slovis says there is no physical factor at play.

"My arm feels fine. I think at times my mechanics get sloppy," he said after the game Saturday. "I don't know if like coach was saying, dryness, or maybe it's the ball. I don't know what it is, but I'll get it fixed next week. We got a lot of time to get it fixed and my arm feels great, so I just need to get it fixed mechanically."

As Slovis referenced, Helton had offered some other explanations when questioned.

"I played the position before and there was a little wind down there, to be honest with you. When you were going towards our locker room there was a little bit of wind in your face and to be honest with you, on a really dry day, that ball can get slick on you a little bit. I know a couple slipped out of his hands," Helton said. "He found ways to execute down the stretch and I've always said, winners win, and he's a winner, and he found a way to win and execute when it mattered the most. That's what good quarterbacks do and he's done it two weeks in a row so thank goodness for him."

That he certainly has.

Slovis was 13-of-14 passing (with a Bru McCoy drop) for 143 yards and a score in USC’s final two touchdown drives to win the game, and last Saturday of course he threw a perfectly-timed 21-yard dart to Drake London for the game-winning score.

So it's far from a dire situation -- more an irregularity that bears monitoring.

The question continues to get asked, though, and Slovis has now offered his perspective. It will be worth watching moving forward, but it seems unlikely he would be throwing the ball as much as he is if there was anything truly wrong physically.