Down Two Starters, USC's Defense Rises Up Again

USC’s defense knew it would be in for a challenge with Washington State and dynamic quarterback Cameron Ward coming into the Coliseum on Saturday evening. The Trojans would be without starting inside linebacker Shane Lee due to a wrist injury. The starting lineup then took another hit less than two minutes into the second quarter when starting safety Calen Bullock was ejected for targeting.

But the USC defense responded well, holding the Cougars to just 14 points and 316 total yards. Washington State came in averaging nearly 30 points per game and 380 total yards.

“We talked to the guys all week about circumstances don’t make or break you, whether they’re positive or negative,” head coach Lincoln Riley said after the game. “They just reveal you. They reveal your training, they reveal kind of really what’s inside of a team, what’s inside of a person.”

Riley said after the game that they thought Lee would have a chance to play but ultimately couldn’t go.

USC leaned on Ralen Goforth as a starter in place of Lee. Tuasivi Nomura saw extended time against the Cougars as well. In the secondary, Anthony Beavers Jr. came in to replace Bullock. He gave up a big reception with a pass interference penalty on his first snap and then was a solid contributor the rest of the way. Bryson Shaw also filled in at safety. Goforth led the team with eight tackles. Beavers and Shaw each had two.

Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said Beavers and Shaw performed well against a pass-heavy team. But it was a team effort to fill the holes created by the absences of Lee and Bullock.

“What you need in those moments is, it can’t just be about the two that comes in,” Grinch said. “Everyone else kind of has to step their game up.”

Washington State came into the game with a defense that ranked No. 3 in the nation in tackles for loss and tied for No. 7 in sacks. But the Trojans gained the clear edge there. USC defenders piled up five sacks and nine tackles for loss, compared to one and five, respectively, for the Cougars.

“We did a good job containing the quarterback,” Riley said. “That was obviously a real key. He’s a really good player. He got out a few times made a few plays, but we obviously got to him a lot too. And made a lot of big plays, certainly defensively.”

Praise for the Defensive Front

Tuli Tuipulotu was the first name just about every coach and player mentioned after the game. He finished with three key sacks, four tackles for loss, five total tackles and a quarterback hurry. Riley also spread praise over the entire defensive front.

“You lose to of your best players, to of your leaders,” Riley said. “You got to step up. And we had a lot of guys step up. And I would especially just highlight the defensive front. I mean, the defensive front was dominant and was a force in the game. And it came from a lot of different people.”

Riley said he was pleased at the reaction from everybody when Bullock was sent off. He said the team moved forward without skipping a beat. The next-man-up mindset took over and both Bullock and Lee stayed engaged throughout the night supporting their teammates.

“Same mindset,” Tuipulotu said of the defense after the Bullock penalty. “Just go out there and play ball.”

“Just keep responding,” Riley said. “Don’t judge it positive or negative. It’s just, respond, respond, respond. And I think the further we go, hopefully we’ll continue to trust that more and more and it’ll be very, very key.”

USC Defense Responds to a Sluggish Offense

The USC offense scored 30 points, so it’s tough to say they struggled too much. Though, the Trojans came in averaging 42.2 points per game, which ranked No. 10 in the nation. But Riley’s offense posted four separate three-and-out drives. That was more than USC’s offense had all season. Those came in the form of back-to-back drives early in the second quarter and then again early in the third quarter. The USC defense allowed a touchdown after the first three-and-out, but then forced two punts and a turnover on downs. After each of USC’s two sets of three-and-outs, the offense responded with a touchdown.

Grinch again saluted the response of the defense when facing adversity.

“How do you do after our offense, maybe goes three and out?” Grinch said. “Responding in those moments, I would give the guys a lot of credit. And then then the opportunity to finish games and not be so willing to, you know, I can’t wait to go celebrate or start being a scoreboard-watcher. Stuff like that for the most part, that’s really exceeded my expectations. And I think that speaks to kind of their want-to. And if you have that, and then it still goes back to effort. If you have that, you got a shot.”