It was the worst moment of the season for USC’s young offensive line, a September low point that seemed certain to linger long after the Trojans bounced back from their first Big Ten road trip. But two months later, as Lincoln Riley looks back at where the tide began to turn on the Trojans front, the coach points to that nighttime afternoon in Ann Arbor with some surprise.
“Since then,” Riley said Tuesday, “I feel like we’ve had a pretty steady incline all the way through.”
Of course, after a 27-24 loss to Michigan, USC’s line had nowhere to go. Against the vaunted Wolverines defensive line, the Trojans’ inexperienced front fell apart. The new lefty, Elijah Paige, looked lost. New right guard, Alani Noa, was on the bench before halftime. In all, USC allowed 22 quarterback pressures, the most since Riley took over as coach.
What once seemed like a promising future for the Trojans turned extremely bleak in the afternoon.
Fans immediately turned their anger toward Josh Henson, whose third season as USC’s offensive line coach was seen as a litmus test of the Trojans’ long-term trajectory up front. But with USC losing four of five games and frustration with Henson welling up, Riley called for patience. He had seen the line’s progress with his own eyes, he promised.
“We believe this group can be really damn good,” Riley said in September, “and I expect that to be the case this year.”
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These assurances did not really arrive at the end of September. But now, in late November, with No. 5 Notre Dame and its fearsome front on Saturday, there’s no denying USC’s line has made a leap.
“We just got better,” Riley said. “We stuck with it. Guidance from Coach Henson, from Jonah [Monheim]by Emmanuel [Pregnon]Seeing some of these young guys grow up and get better and kind of take on some of those challenges and really rise to them, I think it’s a combination of all of that, and that’s obviously been key especially in this period lately. “
A strong second half of the season won’t erase all the bigger questions surrounding USC’s offense. But that seemed to quell any concerns about whether Henson would return for a fourth season.
When asked about Henson’s performance last week, Riley pointed to the recent success of the rushing attack and the development of several young linemen, noting that Henson “did a really good job.”
Chief among those accomplishments was Paige, a 6-foot-7 tackle who turned heads through training camp. But against Michigan, in his first real test at left tackle, Paige looked completely overmatched. His confidence wavered in the weeks that followed as he struggled through what Paige considers “growing pains.”
The middle of this season, he admits, “was rough.” During one four-game stretch, starting with his lone half against Michigan, Paige allowed 15 pressures, the most of any Power Four player in the same span.
But Riley kept his faith in Paige, repeating his faith in the redshirt freshman whenever asked. And on the offensive line, Henson’s message remained the same with Paige and all of his young, developing linemen: Stay the course.
“With hard work and trust in the process, it all gets better,” Paige said, “and it did.”
Over the past month, as USC has won three of four games, Paige has allowed just four total pressures in the process. He hasn’t given up a sack since September.
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“He’s just a young guy who had lumps early on and this is what happens,” Riley said. “Take some of them.” You’re still fighting. And all of a sudden you look up and the guy is playing at a damn good level. The last few weeks have been pretty good for us, on a really good track, confidence is growing. And I think Josh was a big part of that.”
Where that trajectory goes from here remains to be determined, with USC losing its two most consistent starters in the coming weeks. Monheim left for the NFL after the season, leaving a hole at center with no heir apparent, while left tackle Emmanuel Pregnon recently committed to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl, likely signaling his intention to declare for the draft as well. .
Neither will be easily replaceable next season, with little proven interior depth waiting in the wings.
But on Tuesday, during a development period at the end of practice, Riley found himself keeping a close eye on his young offensive linemen and feeling pretty good about where the future is headed.
“We have a lot of good looking young linebackers who are talented and will be good players,” Riley said. “It’s been a while. Probably long before I was here until it wasn’t. Like, you’re starting to see a few years of work, recruitment and development here.
“I think there are a lot of guys that are going to be big players for us.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.