Trojans wrap up camp, emphasizing defense

LOS ANGELES » Saturday marked the end of USC football’s fall camp, roughly two weeks for the Trojans’ crop of new coaches to introduce their methods and culture.

This season’s cast of defensive coaches is led by coordinator Alex Grinch, whose militant style holds a tight grip on a group of players who hope to dramatically improve on last season’s performance.

Last season’s defense gave up 167.1 rushing yards and 241.8 passing yards per game.

“We scrimmage a lot every day,” said Grinch, who joined head coach Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma. “We do a lot of game-like deals. We move the ball, so you’ve gotta respond.”

The rush end position group fluctuated through fall camp with Korey Foreman and Romello Height battling injuries. Riley said Saturday that Foreman, in particular, could recover in time for the season.

“He’s gotta get some reps and unfortunately missed (more of) the first couple weeks here of camp than we would want him to miss,” Riley said. “So we’ve got some time, but he’s going to have to compete hard and catch up and be ready to roll.”

Sept. 3: Rice at USC, 3 p.m., Pac-12 Network

One constant on the defensive line has been Tuli Tuipulotu, an explosive player who has earned praise from various coaches in the past week.

Tuipulotu ranked fourth on the team with 48 total tackles last season and led the Trojans in sacks (5½ for a loss of 39 yards) and forced fumbles (two).

“What it has done for us is we have to move some checkers around,” Grinch said of the state of the rush ends. “A guy like a Tuli goes out there, and he loves standing up so he’s tickled to death by it. That position’s gotta get shored up here really quick or it’s going to be an interesting first couple of weeks.”

Linebacker Eric Gentry also has proved to be a consensus favorite among both coaches and players. The Arizona State transfer brings a 6-foot-6 frame with plenty of range to a linebacking corps overseen by Brian Odom, another coach finishing his first full fall camp with USC.

Although he’s tall and lanky, Gentry doesn’t shy away from contact.

“When he first came in, I was like, ‘Who the hell is this tall dude?’”

Tuipulotu said. “He’s athletic for a guy with that type of body and I like him a lot. He’s a hitter, too. He’ll come down on the line. I like EG a lot.”

Depth chart coming soon

USC’s coaching staff has decisions to make on its depth chart with fall camp ending, classes beginning this week and the season opener against Rice on Sept. 3,

“We’ve got some that are starting to settle as far as you have a good idea of who’s going to play in that first game,” Riley said. “You’ve got some that are certainly ongoing.”

The coach highlighted the specialists, receivers, cornerbacks and left tackle as positions that have competition for positions at the moment.

As the depth chart is finalized behind the scenes, the team is focused on transitioning to in-season practices and adjusting their off-field behaviors such as study and sleep habits.

“You’ve gotta keep improving in practice, and to improve, it’s gotta be competitive,” Riley said. “There will be somebody this year that’s a starter in Game 1 that isn’t in Game 5. And somebody that’s on the scout team in Game 1 all of a sudden becomes a starter.”