No. 14 USC heads into Saturday’s Sept. 12 matchup with Louisiana at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum still dealing with a handful of injury questions, and the most interesting one might be on the defensive front.
Sophomore defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart is edging closer to a return. USC coach Lincoln Riley said early in the week that Stewart is making progress and has started doing more in practice.
“Progressing. He's starting to be able to do a little bit more practice, which has been good,” Riley said.
“Very close. May be able to play some this week.
We'll kind of see how the week of practice goes. But he's back into practice and participating and and doing well.
It'll be close for this week.“
That would be a notable development for a defensive line that has already been one of USC’s strengths. Jide Abasiri has been a force inside, working both at tackle and end, while Alex VanSumeren has started next to him.
Floyd Boucard and Tomuhini Topui have also provided depth. Stewart is still being handled carefully as he works back from the same foot injury he suffered last fall camp, especially with Big Ten play beginning next weekend.
Tight end Tucker Ashcraft is another player who could be in line for his season debut. The Wisconsin transfer brings three years of Big Ten experience and gives USC another big body at the position.
Freshman Mark Bowman has handled the starting job and earned early attention for his blocking, then became more involved as a receiver in Week 1 against Fresno State. Walter Matthews, Carson Tabaracci and Nela Tupou have also been part of the tight end rotation.
At receiver, Riley said Thursday that Terrell Anderson is “getting pretty close” and “may have a shot to play some.” Anderson, the Trojans’ lone portal addition at the position, was banged up in camp. Tanook Hines is already back after missing the opener and returned against Fresno State last week.
But the bigger story in USC’s receiver room has been the freshmen. Trent Mosley has opened his career with back-to-back 100-yard games.
Kayden Dixon-Wyatt added his first career 100-yard outing against Fresno State and has started alongside Mosley in both games. Tron Baker started in Week 0, Corey Simms started in Week 1, and both he and Zacharyus Williams have given quarterback Jayden Maiava dependable options.
There’s also movement on the back end of the defense. Safety Marquis Gallegos was added to USC’s updated depth chart earlier this week and could make his season debut. He takes the spot of Dee Reddick, who returned from injury last week.
One other small change shows up on the depth chart as well: defensive end Zuriah Fisher is now listed behind Kameryn Crawford, while Braylan Shelby and Jadyn Ramos are listed behind freshman Luke Wafle. Shelby has not played yet this season.
In Other News...
USCs Defense Has A Depth Problem At The Worst Time
Early in the season, USC has already seen the kind of defensive depth issues that can turn a promising year into a long one. The Trojans have gotten uneven play from backups in recent games against Michigan State and Louisiana, and the dropoff from the starters to the reserves has been hard to miss, especially in the secondary.
Brandon Riley acknowledged the problem and said the group needs more players to step up, which is a bigger concern now than it might have been in September. With injuries always a possibility in the months ahead, USC is staring at a test of whether its defense can hold up when the rotation gets thinner and the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]
USC Heads Into Big Ten Play With Two Growing Problems
USC closed its non-conference schedule with a 49-30 win over Louisiana, and the night offered another reminder of how much the Trojans are leaning on young talent. Freshmen Trent Mosley, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Mark Bowman all turned in notable contributions, a promising sign as the offense continues to look for reliable playmakers while the schedule gets tougher.
The concern, though, is that the victory came with the same issues that can quickly become costly in league play. Penalties kept piling up and the injury situation worsened as several players left the game for various reasons, leaving USC with a few extra questions just as Big Ten competition arrives. The Trojans get the result they wanted before conference play, but the way they got there left enough to sort through. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Just Added A Defensive Name Oklahoma Fans Know Too Well
Gary Patterson is back on the sideline, and this time he is walking into a USC program that badly wants a defensive reset. After three years away from coaching since leaving TCU in 2021, Patterson had been keeping busy as a special assistant at Texas and later as a consultant at Baylor, but Lincoln Riley reached out with a bigger job in mind. Patterson, who was just elected to the Hall of Fame, has agreed to join USC as defensive coordinator, giving Riley an experienced hand with a long track record of shaping physical, disciplined defenses.
For Oklahoma fans, the name alone carries plenty of history, since Patterson spent so many years as one of the Big 12s most recognizable defensive minds. Now he is trying to help USC clean up a side of the ball that has lagged behind the offense, and the fit is intriguing because Riley is betting that a veteran voice can change the tone quickly. The question for the Trojans is how much Patterson can lift the unit, and how fast. [Read more 🡒]