USC DE Christian Rector Sidelined, 'Not Playing How He Should Be'

USC will likely be without both its starting defensive ends versus Colorado. The Trojans, though, had already adjusted its packages to primarily utilize one for the second half of the season.

The Gist

Defensive end Christian Rector has been temporarily shelved because his ankle hasn't fully healed. The senior captain has already sat out two games this season and has struggled for most the season while playing through the sprain. USC, of course, is even more shorthanded at Rector's spot because freshman Drake Jackson, who's arguably been the team's best defensive player this year, is out with a high-ankle sprain and expected to miss multiple games. But the hope with Rector is that less now will produce more later. Coach Clay Helton said Rector will travel with the team to Colorado and that there's a chance he'll play, but D-line coach Chad Kauha'aha'a insinuated the veteran will be out a while longer.

Key Quote

"He’s not playing how he should be, like we know he’s capable of playing," Kauha'aha'a said. "I’ve said this before about Christian, I really appreciate his mental toughness. Coming out there, it’s his senior year and he’s a captain. I got to give him credit for that. But at the same time I was doing him a disservice and I was also doing the team a disservice by getting him out there. We agreed, myself, him and Coach Helton that it would be best for all of us that he gets that ankle to where he needs it to be. Christian understood that. It took us all to come together to get that agreement because you had to pull him off the field, he wasn’t going to come off the field. But I think it was the smart choice for him and us."

X Factor

USC won't be utilizing nearly as much of a four-down front as it was the first half of the season. The plan was to transition to a 3-3 in the back half of the schedule given all the spread offenses the Trojans will face. So Jackson and Rector were going to be splitting a decent amount of reps. This means USC is really just replacing one starter, although it's an important one. Expect to see a committee that likely begins with Caleb Tremblay. The redshirt junior played sparingly last year before redshirting. His playing time has seen an uptick in recent weeks and he recorded a tackle for loss against the Wildcats. At 6-foot-5, 270, he's got nice strength and burst. What remains to be seen is how he responds to the opportunity for an every-down role. (The Trojans have hardly any depth at defensive end now.)

The defense is also coming off its best performance of the season, which was largely spurred by its ability to fill gaps and tackle. USC has played at that level before under Clancy Pendergast, but not on a consistent basis since about the middle of the 2016 season. The loss of Jackson figures to chip into its pass rush, although Kauha'aha'a said Jay Tufele is much healthier than he was early in the season and starting to demonstrate his all-conference ability again.

-- Adam Maya is a USC graduate and has been covering the Trojans since 2003. Follow him on Twitter @AdamJMaya.