Edoga loses starting job, though not suspended


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Sophomore left tackle Chuma Edoga has lost his starting job but will not face a suspension following an ejection in last Saturday’s game against Utah State for shoving an official, head coach Clay Helton announced on Sunday.

Edoga’s ejection came in the first quarter of USC’s 45-7 win over the Aggies. Edoga was pushed to the ground by Utah State linebacker Alex Huerta on a play where redshirt junior quarterback Max Browne was sacked, but retaliated by throwing a punch at Huerta. Edoga then stood up and appeared to run toward Huerta. When the official attempted to restrain him, Edoga pushed the official, drawing a flag and an ejection.

“Poor decision by a young person who got over-emotional,” Helton said after the game. “[Edoga’s] got to be smarter. There’s no excuse. That could cost you a game. As you can tell, we’re still learning as a team.”

Since the ejection occurred during the first series of the game, the Pac-12 stated that no further suspension was necessary because the ejection constituted a full game.

In USC’s latest depth chart, redshirt senior Chad Wheeler is listed ahead of Edoga at the left tackle position. Wheeler, who has been battling plantar fasciitis, took over for Edoga after the ejection and will start against Stanford on Saturday.

“I had a chance to talk to Chuma, and he was embarrassed by it and it doesn’t reflect who he is,” Helton said to ESPN. “He got caught up in the moment and got overly emotional and made a poor decision.”

Redshirt senior offensive tackle Zach Banner also weighed in after the game.

“Extremely disappointed in Chuma [Edoga] today,” he told ESPN.

Edoga’s ejection is the latest in a string of concerns both on and off the field for USC. In the opener against Alabama, redshirt senior defensive end Jabari Ruffin was ejected for stomping on an opponent’s groin and was suspended for the first half of the Utah State game. Two other players — sophomore linebacker Osa Masina and redshirt sophomore defensive end Don Hill — are currently indefinitely suspended for their involvement in a sexual assault investigation.