LOS ANGELES — At times, USC died hard with old habits on Saturday, the Trojans grabbing at air one too many times against a Minnesota rushing attack that gashed D’Anton Lynn’s defense.
USC’s scheme, head coach Lincoln Riley clarified last week, would still run mostly how it would normally run in the absence of linebacker Eric Gentry. But scheme cannot quite account for the absence of sheer fire, the 6-foot-6 Slenderman who had wrought havoc on opposing offenses for four games and made sure everyone on opposing sidelines heard about it. He had missed just two tackles all season, according to Pro Football Focus; USC missed a season-high 13, alone, on Saturday.
One playmaker, indeed, does not make a defense. But Gentry was USC’s best, and the program might now face an extended reality without him, as Riley offered a less-than-encouraging update on Tuesday.
Asked if the senior could redshirt the rest of his season, with four games under his belt, Riley replied “it’s always a possibility.”
“I mean, you never know,” Riley said. “No final decision’s been made. We’re going to keep evaluating, just, how he’s feeling, how he’s progressing.”
Through three games, Gentry had been on nationwide breakout watch, USC’s leader in both tackles (26) and sacks (two) after a Sept. 21 loss to Michigan. He had found a perfect fit in Lynn’s scheme, the coordinator emphasizing he was just scratching the surface of figuring out the myriad of ways he could deploy Gentry. But the linebacker was carted off the field during the fourth quarter of USC’s victory over Wisconsin two weeks ago, and he was again in street clothes for Tuesday’s practice after missing the road trip to Minnesota.
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“Indefinitely’s probably a good word right now,” Riley responded, when asked Tuesday if he would deem Gentry out indefinitely.
It will continue to leave USC with a thin depth chart at linebacker, with veteran Raesjon Davis’ plans to redshirt. Junior Anthony Beavers Jr., who had spent the majority of his time at USC playing safety, started in Gentry’s weakside linebacker role on Saturday to decent results, racking up six tackles. True freshman Elijah Newby, really, is the only other depth option there, with Lynn keeping fellow true freshman Desman Stephens II working at Mike linebacker.
“We do have a lot of confidence,” Riley said Thursday, “in the other guys at those positions.”