With Jay Tufele opting out of the season to turn his focus to preparing for the NFL, Marlon Tuipulotu immediately went from key cog to essential fulcrum of the USC defensive line.

And he played like it Saturday, racking up 8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and a sack in the Trojans' season-opening 28-27 win over Arizona State.

"He made the plays to settle us down," defensive coordinator Todd Orlando said Wednesday. "We always talk about sometimes you get on the ropes a little bit, and you’re searching, and the big-time guys step up and make the big plays that settle you in."

Perhaps Tuipulotu's biggest contribution -- his biggest settle-the-Trojans-down moment -- came late in the fourth quarter after Markese Stepp's fumble had given the ball back to Arizona State with a 13-point lead and 6:04 on the clock.

Hope was disappearing quickly at that point, but USC responded by forcing a Sun Devils punt 90 seconds later, with Tuipulotu making sure of it with a 2-yard tackle for loss on QB Jayden Daniels on third-and-long.

The rest, as they say, is history. ASU punted, USC scored a touchdown, recovered an ensuing onside kick and scored another touchdown to steal the win.

"I thought his one play, I think it was the tail end, a late third down, where he beats a blocker and makes a critical stop on the QB. Those plays, that’s the expectation because these guys are very seasoned," Orlando said. "If some of the younger guys that don’t have a lot of game reps, if they’re in the spots they’re supposed to be and they’re making the plays they’re supposed to make, you’re happy with that. But with guys like Marlon, guys like Drake [Jackson], you’re looking for 2-3 plays that are outside the norm that go along with the plays they should make. Really special players like that, that’s what they should do. That really helps you."