Freshman safety Calen Bullock steps up in USC’s moment of need

LOS ANGELES — On Wednesday aft practice, USC information Calen Bullock got an unexpected call.

Starting information and skipper Isaiah Pola-Mao had tested affirmative for COVID-19 and would beryllium successful quarantine for the Trojans’ play opener against San Jose State. And Bullock, who had not played successful a crippled since his inferior twelvemonth astatine Pasadena Muir owed to the pandemic, would beryllium starting successful his place.

“At first, I was happy. My emotions was everywhere. I was calling my mom,” Bullock said. “And past I reached retired to Isaiah, truly conscionable telling him I got him, I won’t fto him down.”

And Bullock, the archetypal existent freshman to commencement astatine information for USC since Su’a Cravens successful 2013, held his word, starring the Trojans with 8 tackles successful a 30-7 win.

None was bigger than an ankle tackle of moving backmost Tyler Nevens connected third-and-two. Initially called a first-down conversion, the officials reviewed the play and ruled that Bullock had made the halt to unit the punt connected the Spartans’ 3rd thrust of the game.

“For that to beryllium his archetypal game, helium looked precise comfy retired there,” elder nickel backmost Greg Johnson said. “It was breathtaking conscionable to spot him alert astir and bash the things that helium did. That is conscionable a testament to his hard work.”

Cornerback Chris Steele added, “We telephone Calen ‘Sticks’ due to the fact that he’s a tall, skinny kid [6-foot-3, 180 pounds]. But that dude tin screen ground. … I’m telling him [before a down], ‘Play the post.’ Sure enough, that dude is close determination breaking connected the post, making plays connected the post.”

Bullock enrolled astatine USC aboriginal and was capable to modulation to the velocity of the assemblage crippled during outpouring practices and autumn camp. But adjacent still, helium had to enactment earlier the crippled to marque definite his adrenaline didn’t get the champion of him.

“My emotions was everywhere,” Bullock said. “Really conscionable trying to enactment calm successful pregame. I tried to get connected the field, enactment distant from the squad and conscionable effort to calm myself down due to the fact that I was truly tense coming successful the game. … Once I got the archetypal tackle, it was shot aft that.”

INJURY REPORT

Defensive extremity Nick Figueroa near the crippled astatine halftime with an AC associated sprain, caput manager Clay Helton said. Figueroa came retired of the locker country with a brace connected his close shoulder, but told Helton helium would beryllium acceptable for adjacent week’s crippled against Stanford.

Steele said helium near the crippled with a hamstring contented but expected it not to beryllium an wounded that lingers into adjacent week either. And extracurricular linebacker Drake Jackson near the crippled with what Helton called “bumps and bruises” that should not origin into Week 2.