Trio of USC defenders listed as doubtful vs. Rutgers

The USC Trojans could be without four of their five starting defensive backs on Friday night against Rutgers. Star safety Kamari Ramsey and corners Jaylin Smith, Jacobe Covington, and Greedy Vance are all viewed as doubtful to play due to injuries, according to Matt Zenitz of 247sports.

It’s never good when the majority of your secondary could be out. We’ll have to see if Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis can take advantage of it. He’s completed 53.3% of his passes this year for 1,337 passing yards, while tossing in eight touchdowns with five interceptions.

The main offensive weapon for the Scarlet Knights is tailback Kyle Monangai. He’s one of the best tailbacks in the Big Ten and he’s already racked up 845 total rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. He’s clearly the man that makes the Scarlet Knights go on the offensive side of the ball.

USC took a commanding 21-3 advantage in the first half. Trojans running back Woody Marks had two touchdowns. Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai was questionable coming into the game. He had over 60 rushing yards with over seven minutes left in the second quarter, so his injury hasn’t been much of an issue.

Despite USC having a depleted secondary, Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis only had 46 passing yards with 5:49 left in the second quarter. He connected with two receivers, Dymere Miller and Ben Black.

USC quarterback Miller Moss completed 11 of his first 13 passes for 126 yards, while tossing in a touchdown and no interceptions. They led the game 21-9 with 4:37 remaining in the second quarter. Rutgers running back Antwaan Raymond had the touchdown in the first half for the Scarlet Knights.

USC has had a problem of closing out games this year, so we’ll have to see if the Trojans can finish strong in the second half for the win. The Trojans have blown 14-point leads in back-to-back games, so they’ll have to make sure they keep their foot on the pedal on Friday evening.