No USC fan wants to hear excuses at this point, not after another trying season, but the injury toll has been substantial for the Trojans on both sides of the ball and with the defense it's meant different lineups almost every week.
Case in point, just as USC finally had both of its starting defensive ends active together in Christian Rector and Drake Jackson, the defensive line was suddenly without key DT Marlon Tuipulotu last Saturday at Arizona State. As safety Talanoa Hufanga returned, nickels Greg Johnson and Max Williams were unavailable. Linebacker Palaie Gaoteote also sat this one out.
It's been that kind of season for the Trojans, and defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast acknowledged it after that 31-26 win over the Sun Devils.
"It's been that way all year. You look up front, it's been a revolving door. Marlon didn't make the trip, we haven't had our defensive ends healthy together for a lot of the year. Inside linebackers, we don't have EA. We played Eli'jah Winston, who's never really played that much, and we're on our third nickelback," Pendergast said. "The safety position [has had key injuries] and we're playing a lot of corners too. When you have a lot of moving parts out there, you're always trying to get continuity defensively and I'm just proud of the way the guys [have responded]."
USC limited Arizona State to 339 offensive yards in that game and overcame a number of short fields set up by poor special teams execution and a big offensive turnover.
Pendergast was most proud that the Trojans held Arizona State running back Eno Benjamin to just 52 yards on 20 carries.
"We wanted to stop the run. We wanted to come out here and put our foot down and say, 'The back is not going to run the ball,'" Pendergast said. "... We were not going to allow them to run the football. They were going to have to beat us throwing the football."
ASU freshman backup QB Joey Yellen made it interesting while passing for 292 yards, 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, but it wasn't enough.
Head coach Clay Helton was asked this week how he would assess Pendergast's performance this season, all things considered. USC ranks 86th nationally in total defense (418.2 yards per game allowed) and 72nd in scoring defense (28.1 points per game).
"I was so proud last week because we had some pieces that we had to move around, some pieces that were just coming back in, we lost a couple guys. And to be able to make a couple adjustments in-game and to stop that running game, I thought was really impressive," Helton said. "And he was in some unfavorable positions field position wise … and they executed. So I like what he's doing with our squad.
"I really feel like that unit has progressed each and every week and has gotten better with a lot of young kids. Most of the kids on there are freshmen and sophomores across the board. Taking that young defense and really developing them, the future's bright with that squad and a lot of it's due to Clancy."
Here's how PFF College evaluated the Trojans' defensive performance at Arizona State:
RELATED: How PFF College ranked USC's top offensive performers vs. ASU
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**PFF College analysts grade every player on every snap based on a range of factors -- not just outcome of the play. The data is then converted into a game score on a scale of 1-100, where 50 and below reflects backup-level performance, 51-59 is a below-average starter, 60-69 is an average starter, 70-79 is an above-average starter, 80-89 is a standout and anything higher is elite. PFF cautions against reading too much into grades for players with low snap counts**
