Yesterday, I looked at the offense’s sore spot (the line).
Now let’s look at the defense’s weakness:
DE/Nate Clifton/Sr./Braylon Shelby, So.
NT/Elijah Hughes/So./Kameryn Fountain, Fr.
DT/Bear Alexander/Jr./Kobe Pepe, Sr.
DE/ Jamil Muhammad/Sr./Anthony Lucas, Jr.
You can see here why USC is desperately trying to add a defensive tackle through the portal. Alexander is the go-to guy and he plays hard when he feels like it.
There is potential with players like Fountain but he is a true freshman. Otherwise it’s mostly unproven performers.
The ends also leave a little to be desired. Some are trying to hype up Lucas for a big year even though he has had two straight disappointing seasons at Texas A&M and USC Clifton was solid at Vanderbilt but no one really knows how that will translate to the Big Ten.
InsideUSC with Scott Wolf 
We don’t have a true nose tackle. Elijah Hughes is too small. I think Kobe Pepe is more of a nose tackle than defensive end.
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Hughes is 285 and if he’s eating and lifting, he’s gotten bigger, if not…………
Fountain is listed at 256 !!!!!!!!!!! JFC, eat something !!!!!!!!
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So not to be outdone by the offensive line, the defensive line is more poor
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Rather disconcerting news about the state of SC football, it’s almost as if Wiley is starting over from scratch and this will be a 3-year project
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-And Wiles has always been dependent on a Heisman-caliber quarterback who in all probability will not emerge in 2024
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” Clifton was solid at Vanderbilt but no one really knows how that will translate to the Big Ten.”
Isn’t Vanderbilt in the SEC ? Aren’t they on par or better than the BIG 10 ?
Wolf has such a hard on about how tough the BIG 10 is.
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But there is always burgeoning ‘hope,’ and besides, it is SC win or lose
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There are always a few key players every year. On the O line, I think it is Mason Murphy. He has to play to his potential and lock down the right tackle position.
On the D line, it is Braylon Shelby. He has great athleticism – size, speed and strength. He needs to be dominate this year. Same with Anthony Lucas. I am a bit more optimistic on Murphy and Shelby than on Lucas.
What happened to Sam Greene.
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Flag football is a remote cousin to real football where it is about the line play as opposed to ‘Flag’ where it is predominately pitch-and-catch touchdowns, much more fruitful without the ‘tackle’ headaches
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The last person to take seriously about reporting on the defensive line is Scott Wolf. Fountain at nose tackle? Really? Did you see how he played at that All Star game and you think Lynn is going to put a player like that inside? Anthony Lucas will be inside before Fountain.
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Since when did Lincoln Riley, Sonny Dyke, or Mike Leach ever need an offensive line, and productive defense? That’s not the philosophy of those coaches, the lines of scrimmage are totally disregarded in their systems. It’s usually the last team with the ball wins, out score the opponents. That’s why none have won a national championship and never will.
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If football teams are measured by the quality of their lines then Wolf has just written an obituary for the SC team which needs a snappy epitaph such as “The second fastest draw in the West”
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