USC’s defensive line was largely Tuli Tuipulotu and an unremarkable supporting cast in 2022. Tuli was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. He certainly deserved that award. He did his very best to make USC’s defense a lot better than it otherwise would have been, especially after Eric Gentry got injured in the first Utah game on October 15.
Without Tuli doing his thing up front, USC’s defense — which cratered in the second half of the season — would have been far worse, and the Trojans wouldn’t have come close to winning 11 games. Tuli saved this defense when Gentry was unable to play.
This speaks to the lack of heft up front.
Kansas State transfer Tyrone Taleni wasn’t an amazing player for USC this past season, but he did make one very big contribution to the cause, his sack and forced fumble against UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. On a night when Korey Foreman made a game-sealing interception against the Bruins, Taleni created a turnover for a USC defense which did manage to do one thing well this year: Take away the ball.
Tyrone Taleni sack/fumble. Latrell McCutchin recovers. #USC in business. pic.twitter.com/oLdoce6M2V
— Trevor Booth (@TrevorMBooth) November 20, 2022
Taleni announced that he will return for the 2023 season at USC:
DL Tyrone Taleni said he intends to return for another year at #USC.
“I ain’t going nowhere,” he said with a laugh.
— Chris Treviño (@ChrisNTrevino) December 23, 2022
Taleni made a handful of important plays for USC, but now we need to see consistent, game-in and game-out production from him and other members of a defensive line which needs to get better.
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