USC’s already short-handed defense could be down a few more starters Saturday.
With linebacker Desman Stephens II suspended for the game against Washington, defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren, safety Alex Graham and defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart were listed as questionable in the Big Ten availability report released Wednesday.
VanSumeren suffered what appeared to be a lower-body injury late in the second quarter last weekend against Oregon, requiring help off the field and onto a cart. Graham missed the game against the Ducks after sustaining an unspecified injury against Rutgers.
Stewart made his season debut against Oregon but indicated Wednesday that he was still not fully recovered from the foot injury that had sidelined him for the first four games.
“We’re taking it day by day,” Stewart said when asked if he was back to 100%. “The strength staff and everybody just keeps supporting me on my journey.”
Wide receiver Corey Simms was listed as out for a second consecutive game, with fellow wide receiver Trent Mosley upgraded to questionable after missing the last two games with an apparent knee injury suffered against Louisiana on Sept. 12.
USC will be without Stephens, who is being held out as punishment for celebrating his big hit on Dante Moore that left the Ducks quarterback with a concussion. Candidates to take Stephens’ starting spot against the Huskies include Jadyn Walker, Ta’Mere Robinson and Talanoa Ili.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that came in and obviously played without him there, that have played a number of snaps,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said earlier this week on “Trojans Live,” “and situations like this are where all the guys that we played in those early weeks, this is where we need to start to see some of the dividends of that.
“We haven’t just sat there and played, you know, the same two linebackers, the same 11 defenders all season. And so, we need to feel that depth right now.”
Losing VanSumeren, Graham or Stewart would further handicap a defense that has given up an average of 35.7 points over the last three games under new coordinator Gary Patterson.
After arriving early this year with great fanfare, the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Famer has not appreciably improved the Trojans’ defense.
USC ranks No. 75 nationally in total defense (354.8 yards allowed per game) and No. 100 in scoring defense (26.4 points allowed per game) — and that’s after the soft part of its schedule combined with one big challenge against Oregon.
The Trojans have particularly struggled to defend the pass, giving up 236.2 yards per game through the air, ranking No. 105 nationally. They’ve also made just eight sacks — including only two over the last three games and none against Oregon.
Riley said his team needed more contributions from every position on defense.
“We’ve got to affect the passer more,” Riley said. “You know, we didn’t quite hit them enough, we didn’t squeeze the pocket as much as we would like to. You’re not always gonna get sacks, right? … You can affect the passer in many other ways. So the real answer is we need to be a little bit better at all three levels.”
Washington will be without three running backs after Jordan Washington, Jayden LiMarr and Quaid Carr were all listed as out. The Huskies have struggled to move the ball on the ground, with running back Brian Bonner Jr. leading available players with 42 yards per game and quarterback Demond Williams Jr. not far behind at 41.3 yards per game.
