What Does Toa Lobendahn’s Injury Mean For USC Football?

USC football’s starting center Toa Lobendahn will miss the rest of the 2016 season with a knee injury. What does that mean for the Trojans going forward?

By now, the Trojans should be used to this. The revelation that starting center Toa Lobendahn tore his ACL and MCL, keeping him out for the remainder of the season, is the fourth time in a year that USC’s starting center has gone down with an injury.

Last year, it was Max Tuerk with an ACL tear, then Lobendahn with the same, then Khaliel Rodgers with a shoulder problem.

That string of injuries saw former tackle Nico Falah cover for the Trojans at center to end the season.

This latest injury will see him do the same.

A season-ending injury to a starter, especially at such a key position like center, is never ideal. However, USC is reasonably well equipped to handle the loss.

Falah spent the entirety of spring camp as the Trojan’s first team center as both Lobendahn and Rodgers recovered from injury.

During the summer, Rodgers was switched to the defensive side of the ball to help out USC’s thin defensive front. When Lobendahn returned, Falah gave way, but still had his fair share of reps with the first team as the recovering player was eased back into action.

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As a result, the Falah has already had a chance to build chemistry with his fellow offensive linemen.

He also performed admirably enough last season after being thrown into the action unexpectedly. With a full offseason to settle into his new position, Falah should be much further along than he was when he filled in during the Pac-12 championship against Stanford.

Falah will also have a warm up game this time around against Utah State before being thrown into the fire in Palo Alto next week.

Behind Falah, the questions really begin.

Rodgers, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, is expected to remain at defensive tackle for the time being.

That means, Falah’s back up is redshirt freshman Cole Smith.

The son of a coach and NFL Pro-Bowler at center, Smith has been praised for his keen football mind, a great asset for a center.

However, when the former three-star recruit arrived on campus he was undersized and took a redshirt last year to bulk up. If he were to see playing time this year it would undoubtedly be ahead of schedule for him from a physical standpoint.

If something were to happen to Falah, head coach Clay Helton would have a difficult decision on his hands. The Trojans could go with Smith, or opt to move another lineman over to center.

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Helton indicated on Thursday that left guard Chris Brown stands as an emergency option. He had been drawn in as an option during USC’s injury crisis last year. Rodgers could also be moved back across the line if needed.

Of course, there would be consequences to either of those options, leaving USC’s depth at guard or defensive tackle vulnerable as well.

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For Lobendahn, a true junior who would have been eligible to declare for the NFL draft after this season, the injury is another setback in a career that looked so promising two seasons ago.

The silver lining this time around is that the injury occurred early enough in the season that Lobendahn will be able to take a redshirt and preserve a year of eligibility.

Whether or not he opts to use that extra year could be in question.

Should Lobendahn return on schedule from this latest knee injury he should be healthy enough to play for the Trojans in 2017, his redshirt junior season. After that, he could enter the draft or stick around for his redshirt senior season in 2018.