USC Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II sees increased playing time against Penn State

With USC Trojans linebacker Eric Gentry out “indefinitely” and Raesjon Davis making the decision to remain in his final season of eligibility and redshirt, true freshman Desman Stephens II has been given an expanded role in the USC defense . Because of attrition over the course of a season, a football team’s depth is critical. In college football, that means betting on young players who have little experience at this level of competition.

Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and Mason Cobb have played a majority of the snaps at inside linebacker, but
USC coach Lincoln Riley wants the Trojans to place more emphasis on rotation on defense. Stephens II played a season-high 16 snaps on Saturday against the Penn State Nittany Lions and picked up his first career interception early in the second quarter. According to Pro Football Focus, Stephens was the highest-graded linebacker in all of college football in Week 7.

“We didn’t do it enough against Minnesota,” Riley said. “We felt like we had to get better at it. “We had to trust some of these young guys. And I think, you know, they’ve also given us some reasons to want to trust them. So developing that depth is obviously going to be important given the stretch we’ve had and the stretch ahead.”

The decision to give Stephens more playing time on Saturday was something the Michigan native has been working toward since arriving on campus as an early enrollee in the spring. Riley raved about Stephens in early September.

“We were impressed,” Riley said. “Really from the spring onwards – he felt like he belonged the whole time. He doesn’t look like a true rookie when it comes to the way he competes. He learned our defense quickly and we have a lot of trust in him.” . He has a bright future here if he stays on the right track and continues to improve.

“So I’m looking forward to him hopefully getting the opportunity to play in some games and really show his skills because there’s a real talent there that really excites you because he’s a pretty mature competitor for his age and he “He’s physically quite mature.” “He has the tools to make an early impact,” Riley continued.

Redshirt freshman Sam Greene also played 16 snaps on the edge, redshirt junior cornerback Prophet Brown played 10 snaps and true freshman defensive lineman Jide Abasiri played nine snaps in reserve roles against Penn State.

Redshirt sophomore safety Zion Branch played 42 snaps, the most of his career. The Trojans struggled defensively in the second half, but the experience could pay off in the future.

USC will face the Maryland Terrapins again this week. Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. PT and will be televised on FS1.