With Akili Arnold questionable Saturday, USC could test its safety depth
USC has barely rotated at the safety spots this season with entrenched starters Kamari Ramsey and Akili Arnold rarely coming off the field, but the Trojans may be forced to test their depth more Saturday vs. Wisconsin.
Arnold, who had played every snap with the first-team defense through the first two games and only came off the field for 9 snaps at Michigan due to an undisclosed injury, was listed as "questionable" for Saturday by coach Lincoln Riley.
“Akili [is] questionable, has bounced back really well, so we’ve been pleased with that. He’ll be questionable going into the game. I do expect him to be available, but we’ll see, obviously, how that plays out over the next 48 hours," Riley said.
Veteran Bryson Shaw, a starter last season, filled in for Arnold late in the game last weekend, logging 7 defensive snaps after playing just 4 over the first two games.
Shaw, redshirt sophomore Zion Branch and sophomore Christian Pierce are all candidates to see an uptick in playing time if Arnold is out or limited, Riley said.
Defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn, meanwhile, had singled out Shaw and Branch a day earlier as two players who could see a role increase.
"Bryson Shaw, I think you’ll see him playing some more. And also Zion Branch. They’ve been great in practice, they’ve played some in games. But we’re expecting them to have an increased role. I’m super excited for both of them," Lynn said.
Branch played 12 snaps late in the blowout win over Utah State and has otherwise been limited to special teams. A former top-100 national recruit, Branch got into nine games last season with one start, logging 22 tackles and a forced fumble before a season-ending lower body injury.
He missed his freshman season recovering from a torn ACL and then was limited late in fall camp while needing an unspecified procedure on his finger.
"Zion’s done a good job. He’s progressing, he’s obviously – I think a lot of it is just battling back from missed time. You look at the percentage of time that he’s been here versus the percentage of time he’s been available to either play or practice, it’s obviously not anybody’s fault -- it’s just it’s not ideal," Riley said. "And so, he’s had to make up for a lot of missed time. He’s an incredibly driven kid, young man. He’s very hungry, he works very hard, the team is very important to him. Like, he’s doing all the right things. He’s just gotta keep, he’s just climbing.
"And so, yeah, we’ve been proud of his progress. ... So I don’t feel like anything’s held him back within his control. He’s getting better each day, and if he’s able to string this along and stay healthy, there’s no question he’s going to become a heck of a player.”