Tag: Tuli Tuipulotu

Commentators keep waiting for USC to stumble, but it isn’t happening under Lincoln Riley

#USC’s cultural shift under Lincoln Riley continues to emerge. It’s not as though the offense is putting up 50-burgers. This is a full team, with everyone contributing.

We can admit that USC isn’t a complete team in the way the 2005 USC Trojans were a complete team. A truly complete team — at its highest level and in its fullest, most potent manifestation — blows teams away on a regular basis. If it stumbles for 30 minutes, it dominates for the next 30. If it suffers some bad breaks, it roars back and makes people completely forget how bad the game was.

The 2022 USC Trojans aren’t at that level. Their win over Oregon State was shaky. Their victory over Arizona State was marked by a slow start. There wasn’t the easy, airtight, completely confident expectation that everything would get solved.

Part of this is simply because Lincoln Riley is building something, and we know that better USC teams are likely to emerge in the future.

The automatic assurance that everything will be fine in the end isn’t there. It was with the 2005 team, partly because we saw 2004 and how reliable that team also was.

Yet, even though 2022 isn’t a complete team the way the 2005 team was, guess what? The 2022 Trojans are 6-0. Commentators who think this team is ready to lose keep getting disappointed. Let’s go through some of the many highlights of a team which is Trojan tough.

USC captains are set for 2022 season

USC needs leadership everywhere, but a few focal points will obviously become central figures in the locker room and on the practice field.

The USC Trojans need leaders throughout the roster, but naturally, a few central figures will set the tone for the rest of the locker room. Offensive lineman Justin Dedich, quarterback Caleb Williams, linebacker Shane Lee, and defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu were voted team captains by their peers, Trojan head coach Lincoln Riley announced Tuesday.

Justin Dedich and Tuli Tuipulotu have a combined six seasons of experience with the Trojans. They are the veterans, the elder statesmen of the team. Dedich became a rotational backup offensive lineman during the 2021 season and ended up starting the Trojans’ final four games at left guard.  Tuipulotu was one of the Trojans’ best defensive players in 2021. He was named to multiple All-Pac-12 first teams after recording 48 tackles and starting every game as a sophomore.

Lee and Williams haven’t appeared in live games as Trojans yet (that changes on Saturday versus Rice), but Lee (from Alabama) and Williams (Oklahoma) are two of the most talented players on this squad. They will be expected to make a big impact on both sides of the ball.

“The team pretty clearly looks at those four as the guys they want to represent them. It’s a big honor for those guys. That’s something that none of them take lightly.”

These USC captains will get a chance to show off the new and improved team on Sept. 3 this Saturday versus Rice.

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Tuli Tuipulotu is the rock star of the USC defense

Injuries and depth concerns exist elsewhere on the #USC roster, but Tuli Tuipulotu minimizes a number of weaknesses. The coaches are raving about him in practice.

We know that Tuli Tuipulotu is an elite player, but we also know that he had no help last season on a USC defense which cratered. The good news is that USC’s 2022 defense doesn’t have to be elite — not with a Caleb Williams-powered offense leading the way. If USC’s defense can merely be average (in other words, not below average), this season should be relatively successful, all things considered.

Depth concerns persist elsewhere on the roster, but Tuipulotu is certainly doing his part to ensure that USC’s defense won’t collapse this season.

Alex Grinch gave 247Sports a glowing review of Tuipulotu from USC’s recent scrimmage:

When asked about a scrimmage standout, Grinch displayed no hesitation in uttering the one-name answer that has become almost a given when players and coaches are asked about the Trojan defense. “The guy who continues to stand out is Tuli. He’s a guy that a couple guys have been out and he’s played, I think, three different spots on our defensive line. And you know, all he does is lead from the front, all he does is play hard. So, without question has been a real standout. Calen Bullock’s had some real flash moments in this camp, as well as Mekhi Blackman. And then there’s several others. So we’ve got to make sure that the rest of the group raises their level up.

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Five keys for Notre Dame to defeat USC

These five factors could be huge for the Irish against USC

In all rivalry games, there’s always a lot riding on them, regardless of record. Yes, the Trojans come into South Bend 3-3, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t talented. There’s players on both sides of the ball for them and the Irish will have to bring their A-game. Here are 5 keys for the Irish to defeat the Trojans Saturday night.