USC edge rusher Korey Foreman still seems stuck in neutral…

Once the top high school prospect in the state, Foreman received zero snaps against the Beavers, even though the absence of Romello Height seemed like it would lead to an increase in playing time

Adam Grosbard (OC Register)  —  LOS ANGELES — There was a conspicuous absence for the USC defense during the Trojans’ 17-14 victory over Oregon State last weekend, one that did not show up in the injury report.

Edge rusher Korey Foreman, once the top high school prospect in California at Corona’s Centennial High, received zero snaps against the Beavers.

The timing was conspicuous. Following what will likely be season-ending surgery for starter Romello Height, it seemed likely that Foreman would see an increase in playing time.

Instead, Wyoming transfer Solomon Byrd, who has had a meteoric rise the past two weeks, played 56 snaps while Solomon Tuliaupupu, who previously worked at defensive end, received the other five at edge rusher while serving in a jumbo package.

In fact, Foreman has seen his playing time steadily decrease since the start of the season. According to Pro Football Focus, Foreman played 34 snaps in the season opener against Rice. That number went down to 28 against Stanford and 21 against Fresno State before he stayed on the sidelines against Oregon State.

Asked why Foreman, who has dealt with some injuries during the offseason, did not play against Oregon State, defensive coordinator Alex Grinch answered simply, “Just practice. Just practice.”

Pressed for what Foreman has to do at practice to earn playing time, Grinch said, “If you play at a high level and compete at a high level and you do so with extreme effort, we will not only play you but we will start you and we will champion you. You can insert name in front and you can insert name behind, that’s the expectation. Some guys are doing it, and some guys aren’t doing it at the level that we anticipate and expect them to.”

RILEY NOT WORRIED ABOUT WILLIAMS

The Oregon State game was the first sub-par performance by quarterback Caleb Williams since he transferred to USC. He completed just 44% of his 36 attempts for 180 yards and a single touchdown.

That one score, of course, was the game-winner in crunch time for the Trojans (4-0 overall, 2-0 Pac-12).

Given how Williams shook off the early mistakes to make the game-winning drive, head coach Lincoln Riley said Tuesday he was not worried about Williams’ ability to move on from the performance. The coach likened the Oregon State game to a pitcher not having his best stuff on a particular night.

“You’re going to have days like that,” Riley said. “There were a couple things fundamentally but there is every game. Even the games where we complete 90% of our passes, there’s always a few things fundamentally that you go back and correct.”

Williams was scheduled to speak with the media on Wednesday for the first time since the game, but after practice a USC spokesperson said Williams “will not be joining us.”

Asked about his message to Williams this week heading into the Arizona State game, Riley focused on the offense as a whole.

“Everybody thinks about like throwing is just the quarterback and a physical thing. If anything is out of sync, it can look a little bit off,” Riley said. “I think just refocusing us on operating the way we need to, coaching better, playing better. I know it sounds kind of boring but it’s the truth.”

ocregister.com

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