USC’s defense preps for Utah in short week
The mantra “so what, now what?” for this year’s USC football team is continually proving its relevance. It started with high expectations of a very talented roster after a disappointing 2018 season. Then, sophomore starting quarterback JT Daniels went down for the season in the first game of what was supposed to be his breakout year. The Trojans stayed resilient, though and finished victorious.
Next came the Stanford game and an early 17-3 deficit. So what? Led by a brilliant performance from standout true freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis, USC scored on six of its final seven drives and won 45-20 — dominating as an underdog.
The loss to BYU this past Saturday stung. USC came into the weekend ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since Week 2 of last season only to fall right back out.
Through all the adversity, however, no obstacle looms larger than a Friday Pac-12 South showdown vs. Utah, a red-hot team ranked No. 10 in the country after breezing to a 3-0 start.
This unit will be tested now more than ever coming off of a heartbreaker in Provo. Redshirt senior inside linebacker John Houston Jr. is ready to answer the call in a must-win game.
“Everybody has got to trust in our players, just trust what we can do, and trust our athletic ability,” he said after practice Tuesday. “[It’s a] short week, so we’ve got to come out and make sure we play disciplined and do our job.”
Sophomore defensive lineman Brandon Pili is ready for the challenge amidst USC’s many doubters.
“I love it when people talk trash,” he said. “That makes me want to go harder, it makes me want to be better … This is definitely — if not the biggest, one of the biggest games of our season and I think how we respond from that loss is going to determine what kind of team we’ll be this season.”
Short week, tall task
USC’s defense struggled to stop BYU sophomore quarterback Zach Wilson from making plays with his feet. Facing another mobile quarterback in Utah senior Tyler Huntley, it has to do a better job of getting pressure and finishing tackles — which is difficult to do against an offensive line that’s yet to give up a sack all season.
“We’ve been working tackling drills in practice, so that’s how we’ll get him down,” freshman defensive lineman Drake Jackson said. “Shortened stride, widen your base, just like that.”
Huntley isn’t the only handful on the Utah offense. His partner in the backfield, senior running back Zack Moss, has been torching defenses this season, averaging 6.5 yards per carry.
In spite of the pair’s success, Houston emphasized that the opponent doesn’t matter — what matters is how USC performs.
“Preparation is the same every week,” he said. “Everybody has to come out and have a strong Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday because that’s how you win the game. We’re just trying to do our job and stay disciplined to our technique and our cause.”
Freshman cornerback Chris Steele has seen his reps continually increase, and that trend is likely to continue after two tackles and a pass deflection against BYU. Getting to play a significant role as a true freshman, Steele is still adjusting to the college game.
“I’ve never played in an environment that big,” he said, noting that in practice he’s been trying to “compete against [the scout team] like I’m going up against Utah’s top receiver.”
Steele said he is “not used to losing,” so the BYU game will serve as a chip on his shoulder going into this week’s test.
“We came back in on Sunday and really got to work, so everybody was focused, and there wasn’t too much goofing around, you know — everybody just seems locked in,” Steele said.
Friday’s outcome will seriously affect the trajectory of the Trojans’ season, and losing would certainly add fuel to the fire surrounding head coach Clay Helton’s job security. A win and the squad will be riding high with momentum going into the thick of its very difficult schedule. However, a loss could provide a huge blow after a hot start to the season led many to believe the mighty Trojans were finally back.