Trojan Tackling Will be Tested by Tulane's Tyjae Spears

It’s tough to shake those images of Utah runners and receivers breaking through arm tackles and attempted forced fumble attempts by USC defenders time and time again during the Pac-12 Championship Game. There’s nothing the Trojans can do about going back and getting those Utah players to the ground. But USC defenders can still end the season on a positive note with a solid performance against Tulane in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl. They’ll be tested, however, in large part by Tulane running back Tyjae Spears.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Spears rushed for 1,376 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, averaging 6.5 yards per carry. He’s rushed for at least 120 yards in seven consecutive games. And he is coming off a season-best 199-yard performance against UCF in the AAC Championship Game.

His weaving, leaping, tackle-dodging 60-yard touchdown run in that game highlights some of what he can do as a runner.

He alone presents a strength vs weakness matchup against the Trojans. According to ESPN, Spears is responsible for the eleventh-most tackles evaded in FBS this season. And he’ll be going against a USC defense that missed the 12th-most tackles in FBS this year.

USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said there were instances against Utah where Trojan defenders didn’t even make a tackle attempt. He called that the “demoralizing part.”

“Believe me, we don’t tell them to not tackle,” Grinch said. “We tell them to go low. We tell them to take the extra step, we tell them to come up with a body part. Really an emphasis on wrapping.”

Grinch said it’s “really tough” to have to sit for a month on that performance against Utah before the Trojans have another opportunity to take the field. He said the goal is to put yourself in championship opportunities and they were “not even close” to playing championship-caliber defense against Utah.

Finishing on a Positive Note

Meeting Tulane in the Cotton Bowl didn’t quite grab the attention of USC fans the way a bowl game against Alabama or Michigan would have. But this is an important one for the Trojans, especially on the defensive side.

All-America lineman Tuli Tuipulotu said there was no way he would sit this game out. Linebacker Shane Lee announced during practices that he’ll be back for another year with the Trojans. Those are two team and defensive leaders talking about the importance of this game for the program and how they want to finish this season on the right note.

USC hasn’t won 12 games in a season since 2008. The Trojans haven’t finished a season ranked in the top 10 since 2016.

But finishing the season the right way can’t happen without finishing the first snap of the game.

“One of the things we constantly talk to the guys about is being finishers,” Grinch said. “And it’s not just finish games. You can’t finish a game unless you finish a quarter. You can’t finish a quarter unless you finish a drive. And you can’t finish a drive unless you finish a play. It sounds like coachspeak but guess what, there’s a reason it’s said so much. You have to finish plays. Have an expectation that you’re going to be needed on that particular play. A lot of it is mentality and want-to as opposed to just technique.”

USC missed out on an opportunity to go to the College Football Playoff in part because of that defensive performance against Utah. This game against Tulane could highlight just how much want-to the Trojans can show on that side of the ball.

“You’ve got to be dialed into it and you’ve got to want to get them on the ground,” Grinch said.