Soccer | August 30, 2022
The 4 Trojan faces that may stroll to the 50-yard line of the Coliseum for Saturday’s coin toss towards Rice are now not shrouded in thriller. Offensive lineman Justin Dedich, quarterback Caleb Williams, linebacker Shane Lee, and defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu had been voted staff captains by their friends, head coach Lincoln Riley introduced Tuesday (Aug. 30).
“It was by a fairly important margin,” Riley defined. “The staff fairly clearly appears to be like at these 4 as the fellows they need to signify them. It is a massive honor for these guys. That is one thing that none of them take evenly.”
Dedich, a redshirt senior, has fought for taking part in time all through his profession as a Trojan. He enters the 2022 season with a “C” embroidered on his jersey and his sights set on beginning at proper guard.
“It’s extremely cliche, however it’s a ‘belief the method’ form of factor,” Dedich shared. “I purchased into that and by no means felt disassociated from the staff. I at all times felt like I used to be contributing.”
Whereas USC’s captains fluctuate in age, hometown and place group, the frequent hyperlink between them is consistency.
“Simply on a regular basis, regardless in case you really feel it or not, you have to come, you have to deliver the juice,” Dedich mentioned. “It is simply persistently bringing the power and ensuring that the staff is up. Serving them, placing away trash, doing all of the little issues proper.”
The Trojans’ echoed the identical sentiment when describing defensive lineman Tuipulotu.
“He by no means misses something,” Riley mentioned of the junior captain. “He at all times exhibits up and is at all times able to compete. You may simply inform our complete soccer staff feeds off of him. So he is vitally vital.”
Riley highlighted how Tuipulotu, as soon as a shy participant on the staff, is studying to make use of his voice as a frontrunner. That is not the one progress that’s anticipated from the defensive lineman this 12 months, nonetheless.
“You watch a few of his earlier years’ tape, he is a formidable man. However he can play quite a bit higher,” Riley mentioned. “If we take what he is carried out on Saturdays up so far of what he can do, we predict that there is a big hole.”
Your captains for the 2022 season… 🫡✌️ pic.twitter.com/5PiZZSHqJB
— USC Soccer ✌️ (@USC_FB) August 30, 2022
Notes from USC’s Tuesday apply of Rice Week:
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Lincoln Riley shared his scouting report on Rice, the Trojans’ first opponent of the 2022 season.
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“Good group. They’ve performed some extraordinarily aggressive video games. Defensively, it’s going to be one of many extra skilled teams we play all 12 months. A ton of returning starters, particularly on the entrance and the again finish.”
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“It is a high quality soccer staff coming in right here and it is a first sport. So we all know the extent of competitors that we’re gonna face and we’re gonna must be able to play.”
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USC will releases a depth chart following Wednesday’s apply, Lincoln Riley says.
— Keely Eure (@keelyismyname) August 30, 2022 - Riley famous how defensive again Max Williams is a flexible piece of USC’s secondary:
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“He is a man that simply each from a bodily standpoint and from the psychological facet can deal with it. We have repped him at nickel, we have repped him at each security [positions]. He can actually do most of it for us within the secondary, so it has been good to have that piece to maneuver round and work some totally different mixtures.”
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Williams shared his expertise cross-training at a number of positions all through the spring and fall.
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“I used to be in reps at security all through camp, simply with the ability to know each spot within the secondary as a result of the perfect 5 guys are going to play.”
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“I do not actually have a choice. I simply love being on the sphere, whether or not it is within the field, whether or not it is taking part in protection, whether or not it is within the posts. I take pleasure in all of it.”
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Regardless of simply 4 captains named, Dedich shared that there are lots of extra leaders on the Trojans’ roster.
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“Guys like [Andrew] Vorhees, [Malcolm] Epps, Calen Bullock – a younger one. Alot of fellows may have been captain … None of us are above each other. We’re there for them. And so they’re there for us. So we have simply acquired to be a player-led staff, ensure that we get this factor rolling for the season.”
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Tuesday’s media availability:
New numbers to know:
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Defensive lineman Nick Figueroa, who beforehand wore No. 50, now dons 99. The redshirt senior wore that quantity throughout his stint in junior school.
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Defensive again Bryson Shaw, who transferred from Ohio State as a redshirt junior this summer season, wears 27.
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True freshman operating again Raleek Brown sports activities the quantity 14.
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Huge receiver Michael Jackson III, who beforehand wore No. 13, now wears the quantity 9.
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Huge receiver Jordan Addison wears the once-retired No. 3, after Trojan legend Carson Palmer gave his blessing.
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Redshirt senior defensive lineman Solomon Byrd, who transferred from Wyoming this summer season, dons No. 51.
