It was the bottom second of the season for USC’s younger offensive line, a September nadir that appeared sure to linger lengthy after the Trojans returned from their first Large Ten journey. However two months later, as Lincoln Riley seems to be again to the place the tide began to show for his Trojans entrance, the coach factors, considerably surprisingly, to that nightmarish afternoon in Ann Arbor.
“Since then,” Riley mentioned Tuesday, “I feel like we’ve been on a pretty steady incline the entire way.”
In fact, there was nowhere for USC’s line to go however up after that 27-24 loss to Michigan. Towards the Wolverines’ vaunted line of defense, the Trojans inexperienced entrance unraveled. New left sort out, Elijah Paige, regarded misplaced. New proper guard, Alani Noa, was benched earlier than half. In all, USC allowed 22 quarterback pressures, essentially the most since Riley grew to become coach.
What as soon as felt like a promising future for the Trojans up entrance had, within the matter of a day, turned notably bleak.
Followers turned their ire instantly towards Josh Henson, whose third season as USC’s offensive line coach was professed to be a litmus take a look at of the Trojans’ long-term trajectory up entrance. However as USC dropped 4 of 5 video games and frustration over Henson simmered, Riley urged persistence. He’d seen the road’s progress along with his personal eyes, he promised.
“We believe that group can be really damn good,” Riley mentioned in September, “and I expect them to be that way this year.”
These assurances didn’t actually land in late September. However now in late November, with No. 5 Notre Dame and its fearsome entrance on faucet Saturday, there’s no denying the leap USC’s line has made.
“We’ve just gotten better,” Riley mentioned. “We’ve stuck with it. The leadership from coach Henson, from Jonah [Monheim], from Emmanuel [Pregnon], seeing some of these young guys grow up and get better and kind of take some of these challenges and really rise up to them, I think it’s a combination of all that, and it’s been obviously key especially in this stretch of late.”
A powerful second half of the season doesn’t erase all the bigger questions surrounding USC’s offensive line. It does, nevertheless, seem to have quelled any considerations about whether or not Henson will return for a fourth season.
Requested about Henson’s efficiency final week, Riley pointed to the latest success of the dashing assault and the event of a number of younger linemen, noting that Henson had “done a really good job.”
Chief amongst these successes has been Paige, the 6-foot-7 sort out who turned heads via coaching camp. However in opposition to Michigan, in his first true take a look at at left sort out, Paige regarded fully overmatched. His confidence continued to waver within the weeks that adopted, as he struggled via what Paige deems “growing pains.”
The center of this season, he admits, “was rough.” By way of one four-game stretch, beginning along with his single half in opposition to Michigan, Paige allowed 15 pressures, essentially the most of any Energy 4 linemen in the identical span.
However Riley saved his religion in Paige, reiterating his perception within the redshirt freshman every time requested. And inside the offensive line room, Henson’s message remained the identical with Paige and all of his younger, growing linemen: Keep the course.
“Through hard work and through trusting the process, it’s all going to get better,” Paige mentioned, “and it did.”
Over the past month, as USC has received three of 4 video games, Paige has allowed simply 4 complete pressures within the course of. He hasn’t given up a sack since September.
“He’s just a young guy who had lumps early on, and this is what happens,” Riley mentioned. “You take some of those. You keep battling. And all of a sudden, you look up and the guy is playing at a pretty darn good level. So he’s been pretty good for us the last several weeks, on a really good track, confidence is growing. And I think Josh has been a big part of that.”
The place that observe heads from right here continues to be to be decided, with USC set to lose its two most constant beginning linemen within the coming weeks. Monheim is off to the NFL after the season, leaving a gaping gap on the heart with no apparent inheritor obvious, whereas left guard Emmanuel Pregnon not too long ago dedicated to play within the East-West Shrine Bowl, presumably signaling his intent to additionally declare for the draft.
Neither will likely be simply changed subsequent season, with little in the best way of confirmed inside depth ready within the wings.
However Tuesday, throughout a developmental interval on the finish of follow, Riley discovered himself watching his younger offensive linemen intently, and feeling fairly good about the place the long run was headed up entrance.
“We’ve got a lot of good looking young linemen that are talented and going to be good players,” Riley mentioned. “It’s been a while. Probably well before I was here until that was the case. Like, you’re starting to see a couple of years worth of work and recruiting and development out here.
“I think there’s a lot of guys that are going to be big-time players for us.”
