Tag: Mason Cobb

USC linebacker Mason Cobb questionable for Utah State

USC should be very cautious with Mason Cobb against Utah State.

Linebacker Mason Cobb is officially listed as questionable for USC versus Utah State on Saturday night. “Mason’s been limited for us this week hasn’t been a full participant in practice, [he’ll] be questionable with the game just kind of see how see moves around today,” said Riley during his weekly meeting with the press on Thursday.

Riley held out some hope that Cobb would be able to go, saying, “Obviously here we got a little bit of extra time recovery with the later kick, so we’ll see. It’ll be close.” 

I’m thinking if it’s questionable, even with an off week between Saturday’s game and the Michigan game in Ann Arbor, there are quality backups who can fill in for Cobb – there is no urgency to rush him back and risk further injury.

USC has a mix of solid veterans and a pair of talented freshmen to rely on for the game if Cobb is out.

“If he’s not able to go, you certainly still have Eric [Gentry] and Easton [Mascarenas-Arnold] obviously. you know that that next group of guys — Desmond Stevens, Raesjon [Davis], [Elijah] Newby, [Garrison] Madden, that group — it would be a combination of all of those guys if Mason’s not able to go. So I’d say I hope he can, but if he can’t it’ll be exciting to see some of those guys get an opportunity,” Riley added.

In anticipation of the critical Big Ten matchup against Michigan in just over two weeks, there’s a strong likelihood we’ll witness a considerable portion of the depth chart on the field against Utah State. It might present a suitable opportunity to rest Cobb, ensuring he’s as close to full strength as possible for the highly anticipated conference game against the Wolverines.

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Mason Cobb makes 2024 Polynesian Player of the Year list

Mason Cobb hopes to live up to his potential this year at USC.

USC linebacker and redshirt senior Mason Cobb was named to the 2024 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award watch list.

The award is presented annually to the most outstanding college football player of Polynesian ancestry who epitomizes great ability and integrity.

Cobb, an experienced veteran linebacker, will return for his final season as a redshirt senior in 2024. In his four-year career (three years at Oklahoma State, one at USC), he has 191 tackles, including 23 for losses (with 3 sacks), 2 PBUs, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 1 INT, appearing in 42 games with 22 starts.

In 2023, he recorded a team-leading 85 tackles, including 7 for loss of 19 yards, 1 fumble recovery and 2 PBU while appearing in 11 games with 9 starts. He was named to the Phil Steele All-Pac-12 Second Team.

The Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee includes former NFL player and inaugural inductee Jack “The Throwin’ Samoan” Thompson (Chairman), coaches Ron McBride and Dick Vermeil, former NFL player and inaugural inductee Olin Kreutz, inaugural inductee and past NFLPA president Kevin Mawae, former NFL player and Class of 2015 Inductee Ray Schoenke, sportscaster Neil Everett, and NFL Network chief national reporter Steve Wyche.

Five finalists for the 2024 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award will be unveiled on Dec. 3. The winner will be announced on Dec. 17.

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Linebackers need to take the next step in their evolution at USC

There is room to grow for the USC linebackers in 2024.

It’s the time of year when college football fans read preseason magazines from publishers such as Phil Steele. If you have read the legendary college football analyst and magazine architect, you know that Steele views the USC linebackers as the No. 32 linebacker room in the country heading into the 2024 season. That’s good, but there’s certainly room for growth and evolution.

Easton Mascarenas-Arnold was a First Team All-Pac-12 selection in 2023 at Oregon State. Mascarenas-Arnold racked up 106 tackles and 11 of them were TFLs.  He will likely play alongside Mason Cobb, who was a Second Team All-Big 12 selection in 2022 at Oklahoma State.  Eric Gentry was a Freshman All-American at Arizona State  before back-to-back injury-filled seasons at USC. Can Matt Entz and Lynn bring Cobb back to his 96 tackles and 13 TFLs before he played in the dysfunction that was USC’s defense last year? Can Gentry stay healthy and consistently be the disruptive force we have seen when he is 100%?

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College football analyst isn’t ready to give up on USC LB Mason Cobb

Rutgers Wire analyst thinks Mason Cobb could be a Day 2 NFL draft pick.

We are talking to Rutgers Wire editor Kristian Dyer about the Rutgers-USC football game this fall and its various storylines. One very unexpected answer emerged when we asked Kristian about the Trojans and how he sizes them up from his vantage point.

USC’s most important position groups are generally considered to be the offensive and defensive lines. yet, Dyer submitted an answer which went outside those two units for the Oct. 25 battle between the Trojans and the visiting Scarlet Knights. Be sure to follow Rutgers Wire for complete RU football coverage.

Trojans Wire: Which USC player are you most curious about, and whom you see as the Trojans’ main X-factor for the Rutgers game?

KD: I like Mason Cobb, the transfer from Oklahoma State. A good season at USC and I think he has Day 2 potential. Weren’t expecting that one, were you? But a good season in the Big Ten and the kid will blow up.

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USC statistical leaders through six games

You probably can name one of these guys offhand.

USC nearly lost its perfect season against Arizona but survived. Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff chances ended with a loss at Louisville. Neither team is coming into their annual meeting with the best momentum. That means talent could be the game’s determining factor.

This is a perfect opportunity for the Trojans to make a statement. They’re catching the Irish when they’re fatigued and struggling. The only thing that could slow them down is the wet conditions forecast for the game, but they’re preparing for that by using water in rather interesting ways in practice. While there’s no way to tell if that will affect anything, it shows they’re not leaving anything up to chance.

As you’re about to see, there are several players responsible for the Trojans’ offense being the country’s highest scoring, not the least of whom is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback. Here he is among the top Trojans players on both sides of the ball:

The Mason Cobb-Raesjon Davis situation requires nuanced thinking at USC

The coaching staff is handling Mason Cobb properly, but Raesjon Davis needs to get more snaps. Let’s explain this complicated tension point.

USC linebacker Mason Cobb did not look good against Arizona State. His speed did not seem up to par. Why did the coaching staff give him so many reps? Why didn’t Raesjon Davis play more? These are good questions from USC fans after the Arizona State game.

Let’s talk about this point a little more.

On the matter of Mason Cobb specifically, let’s realize that Cobb did not play since the San Jose State opener. He had not played any of the previous three weekends (one of which USC had off). The coaching staff needed to put Cobb on the field and give him a vigorous, strenuous workout. If he wasn’t up to par, accumulated rust played a role. He needed the playing time. Cobb is now in a better situation in terms of building up stamina and fitness heading into the Colorado game. He needs to be in game shape for Notre Dame on October 14.

However, while the coaching staff did need to give Cobb a lot of reps, there has to be some way that Raesjon Davis gets more playing time. Davis was one of the very few USC players who played well in the Cotton Bowl against Tulane. He has not been overextended in terms of workload. The staff has to find a way to get him on the field and give him more of a chance to contribute. Linebacker play was not great against Arizona State. Raesjon Davis deserves a chance to see what he can do. It might change the dynamic on this defense for the better.

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Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado, as CU prepares to play USC on Fox Big Noon Saturday.

USC win over ASU felt like a loss in many ways.

Alex Grinch is not quieting his critics, and bigger tests await.

Pac-12 analyst says USC has the No. 2 linebacker room in the conference

If #USC has the second-best linebacker room in the #Pac12 this year, the Trojans are probably headed for the playoff.

USC has the best quarterback in the Pac-12 in 2023. It has one of the two best wide receiver rooms alongside Washington. The Trojans have a top-two offensive line, matched or exceeded only by Oregon State. On the offensive side of the ball, they’re a top-two Pac-12 program. They also have the best offensive play-caller and play-designer in the Pac-12, Lincoln Riley.

Now, about that defense…

If USC can get a top-two performance from any of its defensive position groups this year, that would give the Trojans a huge boost in their attempt to win the Pac-12 and make the College Football Playoff.

Jack Follman of SuperWest Sports has the USC Trojans’ linebacker group ranked second in the league, right behind the Utah Utes. The addition of Oklahoma State transfer Mason Cobb is a huge reason why:

“The Trojans have a nice new veteran leader here with Cobb transferring in from Oklahoma State and two proven veterans in (Shane) Lee and (Eric) Gentry. They’ll be really strong if a new young player can step up,” Follman wrote.

If Follman is right in ranking USC No. 2 among all Pac-12 linebacker rooms, the Trojans will be in very good shape as long as the defensive line doesn’t collapse.

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Mason Cobb is the college football equivalent of a perfect draft pick

Mason Cobb is a quality player on his own merits, but he also meets specific needs for USC.

When an NFL team selects players in the draft, it often weighs two competing tensions: best player available versus team-specific needs. Some teams feel the need to simply take the best player on the board, knowing how much value that player can provide in the course of time. Other teams think they have to fill a glaring need at a specific position and choose accordingly.

USC linebacker Mason Cobb is, in a real sense, the college football equivalent of the perfect NFL draft pick. He is a really good player for any team and an obvious value add, but he also meets a very specific team need for this 2023 USC roster.

(h/t Don Smalley of Ducks Wire)

Mason Cobb:

“Lincoln Riley vowed to make the defense better in 2023, and he definitely did so by adding Oklahoma State’s Mason Cobb to the mix. Cobb was one of the best players for the Cowboys last year, and now he will be in the heart of the Trojans’ defense. That could be a game-changer.”

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Mason Cobb calls USC teammate Bear Alexander a ‘freak’ at Pac-12 media day

Mason Cobb is impressed by Bear Alexander’s physical prowess. Cobb likes what he sees on #USC’s defense.

USC linebacker Mason Cobb wanted to be a Trojan. He was an Oklahoma State Cowboy, but he wanted to play for Lincoln Riley, whom Oklahoma State defeated in Riley’s very last game as OU’s head coach before he went to USC.

Cobb and Riley have both left an Oklahoma-based college football program to join USC. It’s not a surprise that Riley wanted Cobb to represent the Trojans and their defense at Pac-12 media day in Las Vegas on Friday.

As reported by 247Sports and USC writer Chris Trevino, Mason Cobb called USC teammate Bear Alexander a “freak” at Pac-12 media day.

“That guy’s a freak, man,” Cobb told USCFootball.com. “He’s quick, explosive, works hard. Quiet kid. I can’t wait to see him in pads.”

Get more reactions from Cobb and other primary figures at USC and the Pac-12 from the media day marathon in Las Vegas:

Calen Bullock, Mason Cobb nationally seen as leaders of USC’s 2023 defense

In terms of national/regional perceptions of #USC’s defense, Bullock and Cobb are looked at as the two best players.

The preseason All-Pac-12 teams were released on Tuesday. On defense, only one USC Trojan was named to the first team, safety Calen Bullock. Two Trojans made the second-team defensive roster. One was Eric Gentry, who played well in the first half of the 2022 season for USC before getting hurt. He returned to the field late in the season but was not physically ready for Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Gentry’s inclusion on the second team might be viewed as the most pleasant surprise for USC on the preseason All-Pac-12 rosters. 

The other All-Pac-12 second-teamer for USC is an incoming transfer. Former Oklahoma State linebacker Mason Cobb, who will represent the Trojans at Pac-12 media day this Friday, made the second team.

Let’s cast aside the topic of how USC players are viewed internally. What coaches and players think is an inside-the-program vantage point. In terms of national and regional perception of USC, it seems clear that Calen Bullock and Mason Cobb are seen as the leaders of this defense.

Part of this flows from the reality that USC had significant injuries in the secondary last year, most notably to Domani Jackson and Zion Branch. Those two could be great this year, but they just haven’t played much.

The other factor here is that USC’s defensive line has been dramatically remade in the transfer portal. People are waiting to see what the end product looks like. This leaves us with Bullock and Cobb, two proven commodities, plus Gentry as a guy who flourished in the first six weeks of the 2022 season before getting hurt.

Do Bullock and Cobb need to be the leaders most national observers think they will be for USC? Sure. Absolutely.

Yet, the real key is how those injured defensive backs and those transfer portal pieces on the defensive line support Bullock and Cobb this season for Alex Grinch and the Trojans.

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