Defense Takes a Hit With Loss of Riley

Bernard Riley limped out of the locker room after the Washington game, saying his sore right knee would be fine in a few days, but on Monday an MRI exam said different.

The junior nose tackle has major ligament damage and will miss the rest of the season. That means the USC defensive line, already beset by injury, faces the prospect of starting three freshmen against Arizona State’s high-powered offense on Saturday.

“I don’t want to use the word ‘devastating,”’ Coach Pete Carroll said. “It’s just such a shame he can’t finish the season. He worked so hard.”

Senior lineman Bobby DeMars, sidelined for two weeks, said he hopes to test his injured neck later in the week. It is more likely another senior, Ryan Nielsen, could return. Nielsen will be fitted with a brace for his separated shoulder and is expected to practice Wednesday or Thursday.

“Now that [Riley] is out, I’ve got to get back,” he said.

Meanwhile, freshman Mike Patterson took Riley’s place Monday, lining up beside freshman Shaun Cody and redshirt freshman Kenechi Udeze. Also, Carroll canceled the experiment that had defensive lineman Malcolm Wooldridge practicing on the offensive line.

Not wanting to speculate on a lineup, Carroll said, “We’ll just have to see what we’ve got at the end of the week.”

Riley hurt his knee in the first quarter at Washington and went to the locker room for an examination. The 315-pound player’s legs are so thickly muscled that doctors could not be certain of the injury, but suggested he remain on the sideline. He insisted upon returning to the game.

“I was thinking about the defensive line with three freshmen,” he said.

He finished the game with four tackles and a sack. By Sunday morning, however, the knee was badly swollen. He will have surgery in two or three weeks, after the swelling subsides.

There was some bright news for the Trojans. Linebacker Matt Grootegoed, who recovered enough from a shoulder sprain to play on special teams against Washington, is expected back at full strength. Offensive linemen Joe McGuire (knee) and Derek Graf (leg) returned to the practice field for conditioning work.