Yesterday, in Part 1: The Offense of Gridiron Goddess’ look at USC’s 2011 Trojan Huddle Spring Game, we took a look at the various bits and pieces and issues with the Trojan offense.

To sum it up:

• We’re young
• The O-Line – we won’t know until fall as Hobbi and Walker are busy graduating from High School and won’t be integrated until Fall
• Matt Barkley will be key. This is his third year starting
• Robert Woods, Barkley’s favorite receiver, was not in the Spring Game due to an ankle injury
• The kicking game looked dismal. But we hear this Heidari kid has a  hell of a leg on him.

Tonight, I’ll take a look at the defense, discuss some issues and wrap this thing up.

Heading into the Spring Game the big questions amongst the Trojan faithful in regards to our defense were basically

• Will we be able to stop the run, any run this year?
• Is there any (or enough) depth at linebacker?
• Is there enough depth in the secondary?

The defense, wearing white, thoroughly dominated the offense in the first half, who wore cardinal.  The offense managed only one touchdown in the entire first half. (They had six in the second half after reportedly being threatened by Kiffin in the locker room.)  As for the answers to those three questions above – it looks good, yes and yes.

Dallas Kelly, at LB, looked good, solid and dependable.  Free safety TJ McDonald is looking like a superstar.  At the other safety Jawanza Starling played well but is still competing for the position with Drew McAllister, Demetrius Wright and Marshall Jones. Cornerback Nickell Robey has had an amazing  Spring. The first string defense looked very good, especially defensive end Nick Perry.   Perry is fast, almost blindingly so. He led the day in sacks, was in on six tackles and looked very polished for this time of year. Perry, who has been nagged with injuries during his USC career, is surely benefitting from having a full year to really learn Monte Kiffin’s defense.

Linebackers Chris Galippo, Shane Horton and Devon Kennard have spent all of this Spring rehabbing injuries and aren’t expected back until fall practices resume.  Defensive tackle Christian Tupou returned to practice briefly from a knee injury that killed hs 2010 season before he reinjured it and was out once again. The big question though is defensive lineman Armond Armstead (more on him in a moment).

The absence of these veterans on defense during the Spring is a positive thing overall.  USC has been forced to build depth on defense that it lacked last season.  If you remember, we were famous for fourth-quarter collapses. With the lack of depth, there was no one to rotate in and out to keep the defense fresh. That proved costly.

Back to Armond Armstead. His health has been an issue. An undisclosed health issue prevented him from practicing this Spring and his future is not certain.  Kiffin has said that we will know more regarding Armstead’s health this summer.  If he is cleared medically to play, the Trojans defensive line will be unstoppable.  Without him, it will still be good. Definitely better than last year. (Thank God.)

Redshirt freshman defensive tackle George Uko has made the biggest gains this Spring. Defensive tackle DaJohn Harris and defensive end Wes Horton have experience. Combine them with Tupou and you’re looking at experience, strength, speed and depth on the USC Defense this fall.  Incoming freshman Lamar Dawson and Tre Madden could come in and make an immediate difference, strengthen the depth of the D even more.

In short, the defense looked deep and strong. For fans who often had to avert their eyes as teams scored on us nearly at will last year, this is good news. Now they just need to stay healthy.

The 121 play Trojan Huddle Spring game showcased barely more than a quarter of the Fall’s projected starters. USC has only 26 upperclassman and, again in Kiffin’s words,  USC is going to be “extremely young.”  The game gave several players beyond the starters a chance to show off a little of what they’ve got for the fans that support them and cheer them on.

Questions remain. The kicking game especially worries me. The O-Line – I just don’t know.  But I have to think with practices this summer the team will just continue to gel and find its sea legs for the 2011 season.  I am cautiously optimistic about the outlook for the Trojan football team. Of course, we’re still waiting on the NCAA sanctions appeal to be ruled on and I hope a negative outcome doesn’t derail the team’s morale.

USC faces off against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 3, 2011.

-Your Gridiron Goddess