USC focuses on defense in preparation for Stanford

On Wednesday, the Trojans continued preparation for their clash with No. 14 Stanford. Head coach Clay Helton emphasized third-down efficiency on both sides of the ball while acknowledging the rising prospects of freshman athletes.

Lewis IV impresses

During this week in practice, true freshman wide receiver Joseph Lewis IV started getting more and more reps with the starting unit. After not being targeted in Week 1, a breakout week could be in store for the Los Angeles native. Helton even compared him to another former Trojan wide receiver.

“We all said as a staff that the light just kinda started to click on,” Helton said. “He’s always had that powerful, natural skillset. He kind of reminds me of what JuJu [Smith-Schuster] was to, be honest with you, maybe even a faster version.”

Defending the run

After giving up 263 rushing yards to a host of Western Michigan running backs, USC’s defense will need a bounce-back performance to contain Stanford star running back Bryce Love, who ran for over 700 yards as Christian McCaffrey’s understudy last season.

“It was little things [against Western Michigan] like getting out of our gaps too early,” said junior outside linebacker Porter Gustin. “I think we can clean that up. We all saw [what happened] and figured out what we need to change.”

On Saturday, the Trojans’ defensive line frequently lost at the line of scrimmage, thus opening up running lanes for Western Michigan. Helton noted that highly touted freshman nose tackle Marlon Tuipulotu could play more snaps in order to inject some new energy into the unit.

“He got 17 reps last week and really graded out well,” Helton said. “He’s had the advantage of being here for a spring so his light clicked on a bit quicker. We’re really proud of where he’s at and we hope that we can bring another big man, Brandon Pili, on also to the point where he can help us out this year.”

The Trojans also focused on defending third-down situations in order to limit Stanford’s time of possession.

“I think about Stanford defensively, and the limited possessions they give you in a ballgame and how important it is to get off the field,” Helton said. “They are masters of 3rd-and-1 to 5.”