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2020 PATRICK MANNELLY AWARD SEMIFINALIST: Damon Johnson, USC,...Johnson will be USC's long snapper for a fourth season as a 2020 senior...He has 3 tackles and a fumble recovery in his career. He has appeared in 37 games in his USC career. - Southern California Football

(DS#999 LS) rSr/2022

LS Damon Johnson, Southern California
News Source: Southern California Football
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12/09/20 - *Talanoa Hufanga, Jr/2021, Southern California, 6-0, 199 (DS#1 SS) + More +

Amon-ra St. Brown is not the only Trojans player with quick hands. While the receiver's four touchdown catches dominated No. 20 USC's 38-13 win over Washington State on Sunday, safety Talanoa Hufanga provided a defensive highlight with an interception he tipped to himself in the first quarter. The junior from Corvallis, Ore., had a team-high nine tackles, a five-yard sack and a 37-yard interception return as the Trojans (4-0) stayed atop the Pac-12 South with one regular-season game remaining. Hufanga's takeaway was his third interception in four games. With the Trojans already up 14-0, Hufanga tipped a pass from Cougars starter Jayden de Laura to himself, hurdled a would-be tackler and rumbled down the sideline to the four-yard line.

As Clay Helton spoke after the game about the play, the coach's eyes got wide above the USC neck gaiter that covered his nose and mouth. "When he hurdled the guy, I was like, 'Oh my goodness," Helton said. "We're taking it to another level now." After the play, which led to a four-yard touchdown pass from Kedon Slovis to St. Brown, Hufanga approached Helton on the sideline. That's why I'm here, the junior assured his coach. "I want to be able to help win a championship," Helton said of Hufanga's message. "He made some special plays tonight. He's playing really good football." - Los Angeles Times

(DS#1 SS) Jr/2021

SS *Talanoa Hufanga, Southern California
News Source: Los Angeles Times
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12/08/20 - *Talanoa Hufanga, Jr/2021, Southern California, 6-0, 199 (DS#1 SS) + More +

2020 LOTT IMPACT TROPHY SEMIFINALIST: Talanoa Hufanga, S, USC,...Hufanga has 141 tackles, including 11 for losses (with 3.5 sacks), plus 7 deflections and 2 forced fumbles in his career. He has appeared in 18 games, with 15 starts. Among the nation's top safeties, will start again at strong safety as a 2020 junior. - USC Football

(DS#1 SS) Jr/2021

SS *Talanoa Hufanga, Southern California
News Source: USC Football
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12/07/20 - *Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jr/2021, Southern California, 6-0, 197 (DS#16 WR) + More +

Amon-Ra St. Brown went into Southern California's game against Washington State with no touchdowns in 385 days. It took less than 15 minutes Sunday for him to score four and take the Pac-12 lead in touchdown receptions. St. Brown caught passes of 7, 22, 4 and 2 yards from Kedon Slovis to get a 38-13 win started. The junior from Anaheim, California, tied the Football Bowl Subdivision record for touchdowns in a quarter and joined Duke's Corey Thomas in 1997 as the only players in FBS history with four touchdown catches in a quarter. St. Brown finished with seven catches for 63 yards and is the Pac-12's third-leading receiver with 83 yards per game. Slovis also threw a scoring pass to Tyler Vaughns to join Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley and Cody Kessler as the only USC quarterbacks to throw for five TDs in a half. - AP College Football

(DS#16 WR) Jr/2021

WR *Amon-Ra St. Brown, Southern California
News Source: AP College Football
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12/06/20 - *Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jr/2021, Southern California, 6-0, 197 (DS#16 WR) + More +

Amon-Ra St. Brown caught four touchdown passes from Kedon Slovis in a spectacular first quarter, and No. 16 Southern California cruised to a 38-13 victory over Washington State on Sunday night. Slovis threw five touchdown passes in the first half before finishing with 287 yards as the Trojans (4-0) returned from a one-week absence caused by a COVID-19 outbreak with a dominant performance on both sides of the ball against the Cougars (1-2), who hadn't played since Nov. 14.

Talanoa Hufanga and Olaijah Griffin had interceptions in the first half for USC, which led 35-0 midway through the second quarter of a game moved back two nights to allow the Trojans to clear enough players from coronavirus protocol to play. St. Brown made college football history with touchdowns on every one of his four catches in the opening quarter, including two dazzling grabs made with backward dives on difficult throws by Slovis. Along with tying Robert Woods' USC record for TD catches in a game, the junior receiver tied the FBS record for touchdowns scored in any quarter and joined Duke's Corey Thomas in 1997 as the only players in FBS history to make four touchdown catches in a quarter. - AP College Football

(DS#16 WR) Jr/2021

WR *Amon-Ra St. Brown, Southern California
News Source: AP College Football
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12/04/20 - *Marlon Tuipulotu, rJr/2021, Southern California, 6-2, 317 (DS#6 DT) + More +

It all starts with Marlon Tuipulotu. The junior tackle entered the year with 23 games as a starter, and had always been a steady presence in the middle of the line. This season, Tuipulotu has elevated his game. He had eight tackles in each of the first two games and has been causing problems for opposing offenses in the backfield, with 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. One of those sacks resulted in a fumble recovered by the Trojans on the goal line, while the other was on third down and forced a punt.

Tuipulotu's play has led head coach Clay Helton to pose the question of whether the junior is the best defensive lineman in the Pac-12 right now. So'oto says he's seen Tuipulotu take a jump when it comes to his understanding of the game. "A guy that's constantly hungry for knowledge of defensive line play. 'What can I do better?" So'oto described. "I think to me it's more the types of questions he's asking. It's no longer about, 'Which way am I going?' It's more about, 'OK, now I know what to do, now how am I going to get in the best position to make the play?" - Orange County Register

(DS#6 DT) rJr/2021

DT *Marlon Tuipulotu, Southern California
News Source: Orange County Register
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11/26/20 - *Marlon Tuipulotu, rJr/2021, Southern California, 6-2, 317 (DS#6 DT) + More +

Marlon Tuipulotu continued his monster season in the first half of USC's game against Utah Saturday night. On first-and-10 from the Utah 15 early in the second quarter, the senior defensive tackle shoved aside his blocker, got past the man and swallowed up Utah quarterback Cameron Rising. Tuipulotu punched the football loose, and defensive lineman Connor Murphy jumped on it at the Utah 4. The turnover led to a Vavae Malepeai touchdown run two plays later, the senior running back's second score of the season.

Tuipulotu has stepped up in a big way since fellow defensive tackle Jay Tufele opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft. Tuipulotu had eight tackles in each of the first two games this season, leading the Trojans in the category through two weeks. His strip sack on Saturday was one of three forced turnovers by the Trojans in the first half. Outside linebacker Drake Jackson intercepted a pass in the first quarter, then safety Isaiah Pola-Mao jumped on a botched hand-off to give USC its second fumble recovery. - Orange County Register

(DS#6 DT) rJr/2021

DT *Marlon Tuipulotu, Southern California
News Source: Orange County Register
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11/22/20 - *Chris Steele, Jr/2022, Southern California, 6-0, 187 (DS#37 CB) + More +

Sophomore cornerback Chris Steele has been called for four personal fouls in the first two games of the season, causing the USC defense to stay on the field for extended drives. It's really the only nit to pick with Steele's play this year, as teams have tended not to throw in his direction. And Orlando doesn't want to see Steele change his approach to the game to avoid flags.

Instead, he wants to coach Steele up on what officials will look for, and to make him understand that opposing coaches will try to make officials aware of Steele's history pregame. "You just try to show him how things are going to be called. You want guys to be aggressive. It's hard. If you get too much into a corner's head and make him soft you'll never get that back," Orlando said. "So all we're doing right now is be aggressive but understand if that head's not back toward the football that's going to get called, if you get a little bit too handsy that's going to get called." - Orange County Register

(DS#37 CB) Jr/2022

CB *Chris Steele, Southern California
News Source: Orange County Register
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11/09/20 - *Marlon Tuipulotu, rJr/2021, Southern California, 6-2, 317 (DS#6 DT) + More +

NOV 9 PAC-12 DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: Marlon Tuipulotu, R-Jr., DT, USC (Independence, Ore.),...In the season-opener against Arizona State, Tuipulotu had eight tackles, including two for losses with the game's only sack against Sun Devils' QB Jayden Daniels. Also nominated: Mustafa Johnson, DL, Colorado; Brennan Jackson, E, Washington State. - Pac-12 Football

(DS#6 DT) rJr/2021

DT *Marlon Tuipulotu, Southern California
News Source: Pac-12 Football
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11/07/20 - *Drake London, Jr/2022, Southern California, 6-4, 219 (DS#5 WR) + More +

Drake London caught a 21-yard touchdown pass with 1:20 to play, and No. 20 Southern California rallied from a late 13-point deficit for a 28-27 victory over Arizona State on Saturday in the Pac-12's long-delayed season opener. Bru McCoy caught a deflected 26-yard TD pass with 2:52 left for the Trojans (1-0), and Max Williams recovered the onside kick. On fourth and 9, Kedon Slovis fired a pass down the middle to London, and the two-sport athlete beat double coverage to haul it in for an electrifying score.

USC's defense then stopped Arizona State (0-1) on downs near midfield with 50 seconds left to preserve an astonishing comeback for perpetually embattled coach Clay Helton's team. Until their rally, the Trojans were struggling through a game that began at 9 a.m. USC agreed to its earliest kickoff in at least 70 years for a national television audience, but it looked like another embarrassment for Helton and his Trojans - before it abruptly turned into a thrilling triumph. Slovis passed for 381 yards for USC, while Stephen Carr and Markese Stepp made scoring runs in the first half. London also caught eight passes for 125 yards, but the Trojans seemed finished after they committed three turnovers and turned the ball over on downs two more times - all inside ASU territory. - AP College Football

(DS#5 WR) Jr/2022

WR *Drake London, Southern California
News Source: AP College Football
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11/02/20 - Christian Roland-Wallace, rSr/2024, Southern California, 6-0, 201 (DS#43 CB) + More +

From the moment he stepped foot on Arizona's campus, Roland-Wallace was college-ready. His 5-foot-11-inch, 198-pound frame was imposing even as an 18-year-old freshman. Now 202 pounds and with an entire season of experience under his belt, the Palmdale, California, native could be one of Arizona's top defenders in 2020. Roland-Wallace is one of three Arizona scholarship defensive backs to weigh more than 200 pounds, joining Christian Young (206) and McKenzie Barnes (203). In 12 games last season, including eight starts at cornerback, Roland-Wallace recorded 37 tackles, six pass breakups and one interception. He started the final six games of the season at cornerback.

Arizona's defensive coaching purge actually may actually help Roland-Wallace. New defensive backs coach Greg Burns, who came to Tucson when Demetrice Martin left for Colorado, recruited Roland-Wallace when he was the DBs coach at Oregon State. The OSU offer was Roland-Wallace's first from the Pac-12. Then Burns jumped over to USC's staff and wanted Roland-Wallace to play for the Trojans, but he was already committed to the UA. Burns said he's "happy to get my hands on" Roland-Wallace. Maybe a relationship that goes back to Roland-Wallace's sophomore year of high school will mold him into a key player for Arizona. Plus, the athletic Roland-Wallace has worked with the special teams unit as a kick and punt returner; he'll see the field quite a bit this year. - Arizona Star News

(DS#43 CB) rSr/2024

CB Christian Roland-Wallace, Southern California
News Source: Arizona Star News
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10/23/20 - *Tuli Tuipulotu, Jr/2023, Southern California, 6-3, 266 (DS#9 DE) + More +

While Marlon Tuipulotu was slated to step into a bigger role along USC's defensive line, Tuli Tuipulotu was set to step into his older brother's shadow. So far, both have impressed. Helton singled out Marlon as one of the standouts of Saturday's scrimmage, praising his leadership in the absence of All-Pac-12 defensive tackle Jay Tufele, who opted out of the season. The younger Tuipulotu, meanwhile, has had "one of the better camps of anybody on our team," Helton said. "He looks like a monster," Helton said of the freshman defensive end. "He's 275 but runs like he's 240 - I mean, great athleticism, has pass-rushing skills. Obviously, his older brother is on him every day making sure that he's doing right on and off the field, so he has a really bright future." - Los Angeles Times

(DS#9 DE) Jr/2023

DE *Tuli Tuipulotu, Southern California
News Source: Los Angeles Times
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10/16/20 - *Alijah Vera-Tucker, rJr/2021, Southern California, 6-5, 308 (DS#2 OG) + More +

The tackle to his left declared for the draft. The tackle to his right graduated. The left guard next to him moved to left tackle, after briefly considering leaving for the NFL, while the guard on his right side will likely shift out to right tackle. After an offseason of upheaval up front, Brett Neilon is the lone player still standing in the same place along USC's offensive line. How the pieces will fit around him is one of the most pressing questions facing the Trojans over the next three weeks of camp. Coaches are counting on Neilon, a junior center, to be the centerpiece in establishing the chemistry USC is searching for up front. "When you're trying to get five guys to play as one, you have to have one guy that can get everyone on the same page and make sure we're all pulling the rope in the same direction," offensive coordinator Graham Harrell said. "That's Brett's job, so on the field for him it's a ton of responsibility. The fact that he has as many reps as he has and he's as smart as he is really helps that cause."

It also doesn't hurt to have one of the Pac-12's top lineman back. Alijah Vera-Tucker's decision to opt in and play after initially declaring for the draft was clearly a major coup for a USC offense short on proven options up front. "After a lot of thought, I thought, why not?" Vera-Tucker said Tuesday. "Why not come back and be with my brothers, compete for a Pac-12 championship? Nothing really changed. The reason I came back last year was to do the same exact thing." But Vera-Tucker returns to far less depth and far more uncertainty up front this year than last. The All-Pac-12 guard will shift to left tackle, answering the most glaring of those questions. Jalen McKenzie, who started at right guard, is expected to move to right tackle. - Los Angeles Times

(DS#2 OG) rJr/2021

OG *Alijah Vera-Tucker, Southern California
News Source: Los Angeles Times
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10/06/20 - *Alijah Vera-Tucker, rJr/2021, Southern California, 6-5, 308 (DS#2 OG) + More +

Southern California offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker has opted back into the upcoming season, giving an enormous boost to the Trojans' offense. Vera-Tucker announced his decision Tuesday on social media. He opted out in September when the Pac-12 was planning not to play until spring. Vera-Tucker started 13 games at left guard as a sophomore last season, making the All-Pac-12 first team. He is expected to move to left tackle this season as the replacement for first-round pick Austin Jackson, now the Miami Dolphins' rookie starting left tackle. - AP College Football

(DS#2 OG) rJr/2021

OG *Alijah Vera-Tucker, Southern California
News Source: AP College Football
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10/03/20 - Solomon Byrd, rSr/2024, Southern California, 6-3, 255 (DS#30 DE) + More +

Five University of Wyoming football players, including three projected starters, have opted not to play this season due to concerns about COVID-19. All five players are on the defensive side of the ball. The players are safety Rome Weber, defensive ends Solomon Byrd and Davon Wells-Ross and defensive tackles Mario Mora and Claude Cole. Weber started 12 games last season as a sophomore, racking up 38 tackles, four pass breakups and an interception. He was expected to be one of the leaders of a veteran secondary that returns cornerbacks C.J. Coldon and Azizi Hearn and nickelback Keyon Blakenbaker. Byrd, a Football Writers Association of America freshman All-American in 2019, led the Cowboys with 6 1/2 sacks last season. Redshirt senior Garrett Crall is now the returning sack leader for UW, having notched 4 1/2 in 2019. - Wyoming Tribune Eagle

(DS#30 DE) rSr/2024

DE Solomon Byrd, Southern California
News Source: Wyoming Tribune Eagle
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