USC punter Ben Griffiths spent bye week getting married

LOS ANGELES — Most of the time, Ben Griffiths tin support his property nether the radar successful the USC locker room. The punter turned 30 past month, but helium feels helium tin enactment younger truthful astir of his teammates forget.

Except during the bye weekend, erstwhile Griffiths got joined to his assemblage sweetheart, erstwhile USC lacrosse subordinate Natalie Byrne.

The 2 rented a section Airbnb and invited immoderate friends and teammates to articulation them for the ceremony, which they kept low-key, avoiding immoderate further accent successful the mediate of shot season.

“The quality of it was that we didn’t really program a full lot, truthful it wasn’t thing that could truly spell wrong,” Griffiths said. “So the time went perfect. Fortunate that my woman didn’t privation to program anything, wanted to support it small.”

Griffiths’ household is successful Australia, and with the existent question restrictions that necessitate anyone returning to that state to quarantine for 2 weeks successful a hotel, they were incapable to travel to the U.S. for the wedding. Griffiths said they mightiness clasp a larger ceremonial successful his location state erstwhile restrictions are lifted, and they are readying a roadworthy travel honeymoon up the seashore sometime aft the play is over, depending connected whether USC plays successful a vessel game.

In the meantime, there’s inactive shot to beryllium played, and a imaginable nonrecreational vocation to ponder.

Griffiths has already been a nonrecreational athlete, playing Australian rules shot for 8 years earlier electing to enroll astatine USC anterior to the 2019 play to play assemblage shot and purpose for an NFL career.

There was a modulation period, tweaking his method from his erstwhile athletics and adjusting to a caller ball. But the past 2 seasons helium has averaged much than 46 yards per punt, including a 71-yarder this year.

And he’s earned respect successful the USC locker room, being voted a squad skipper anterior to this season.

“I was truly blown away,” Griffiths said. “I’ve been doing the aforesaid happening for the past 3 years. I clasp myself to a precocious modular and I conjecture they benignant of saw that and (it was) reflected successful the voting.”

Griffiths is arrogant to beryllium moving connected his grade successful science aft having written disconnected the thought of pursuing higher acquisition earlier successful life. He knows the enactment volition wage disconnected erstwhile his playing vocation is over.

“It mightiness dependable silly, but it’s a monolithic beingness accomplishment for me,” Griffiths said. “And whenever I permission this spot it’s going to beryllium thing that I’m truly arrogant of, careless of what happens next.”

But helium inactive wants to marque it successful his 2nd nonrecreational league. He says helium volition measure his options aft this play and spot if it’s a bully twelvemonth for punters to spell to the NFL, knowing helium inactive has 2 years of eligibility to autumn backmost connected if helium wants to instrumentality to USC.

“If he’s not a draftable punter, I don’t cognize who is,” peculiar teams coordinator Sean Snyder said. “As acold arsenic what helium tin bash with the shot and the power helium has, astatine the extremity of the day, I find it hard to judge you’re going to find excessively galore better.”

Not everything has gone arsenic planned. The coaches who recruited him to USC person been fired, and determination hasn’t been arsenic overmuch winning. But his NFL dreams are alive, and helium recovered his caller woman crossed the Pacific.

“I’d person to accidental it’s gone beauteous good for me,” Griffiths grinned. “If I gave different reply I mightiness beryllium wifeless tomorrow. Yeah, it’s been good.”