The USC defense couldn’t make one or two key plays against Utah late in the fourth quarter of the Trojans’ Week 7 game on Oct. 15. Not having Eric Gentry in the lineup certainly mattered in those final minutes.
With Gentry still out for this past Saturday’s Week 9 game versus Arizona, and with linebacker Ralen Goforth also out, USC was extremely threadbare at linebacker. This doesn’t include an additional injury absence for Korey Foreman, who also did not play against the Wildcats.
With all these limitations, how should one go about grading the USC defense? Well, we’re about to tell you, so here’s our latest report card, starting with the defense: