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Can the USC defense turn the page despite a murky injury report?
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- Can the USC defense turn the page despite a murky injury report?
LOS ANGELES -- The USC Trojans' defense has spent the week trying to turn film into fuel. Fresh off a 41-27 loss to Oregon, the group says the errors on tape are correctable, even if the week has carried some extra emotional weight with linebacker Desman Stephens II sidelined for Saturday's contest against Washington.
Safety Prophet Brown voiced his support for Stephens.
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"[Stephens] is around and with us," he said. "We're supporting him, praying for his situation. It's really tough as a student athlete and he's been going through a lot but I just support him. We're all here for him."
Brown also noted his belief that the errors the Trojans made are not critical.
"Just watching [film] and going over it, it's nothing super major that's impossible to fix," he said. "It gives us confidence heading into the next games."
The redshirt senior added that it's the unit's communication that has been the seperator between its best and worst moments.
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"I feel like we mesh really well and when we're doing good, we're doing really good...we kind of got to raise our floor a little bit better."
Meanwhile, cornerback Jontez Williams pointed to tackling as an area that's been a focus this week.
"We do tackling a lot during pratice...I feel like we just have to really wrap up and make the play," he said.
Williams is coming off of a season-high three tackles in the loss against Oregon, and has appeared in all five games for the Trojans thus far. He's leads all cornerbacks on the squad with six total.
Defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart, who made his season debut against the Ducks, spoke about his journey back onto the playing field. The sophomore had taken the field for pregame warmups in weeks prior, but ultimately never receieved the green light to participate.
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"I feel as though it messed with my mind a little bit, knowing I couldn't be there," he said. "It's a challenge knowing that you can't go make a game-changing play for your team, but you can also uplift your brothers."
Stewart gave credit to defensive end coach Shaun Nua and defensive tackle coach Skyler Jones for keeping the defensive front united. The former PFF Freshman All-American returns at a crucial time, with the Trojans looking to contain the mobility threat that Huskies' quarterback Demond Williams Jr. poses.
He also touched on the injury to fellow defensive lineman Alex VanSumeren, who exited Saturday's contest early.
"It was tough," Stewart said. "But he came on the sideline...he did what I had to do, uplift us, keep our head forward...he's a great leader."
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VanSumeren, listed as questionable, is one of a few key USC players who found themselves on Wednesday's injury report. Wide receiver Trent Mosley, who burst onto the scene this season as a freshman (255 yards with five touchdowns through three games), is listed as questionable. Tight end Mark Bowman also joins the list of questionable players. Safety Alex Graham and offenslive lineman Hayden Treter are other key players who were listed as questionable.
With a defense trying to steady itself and multiple key contributors in question, Saturday may come down to health as much as scheme and execution. A second consecutive loss at the Coliseum would not only be detrimental to the outlook of the Trojans' season, but prevent the program from earning its first victory against the Huskies since 2016.
