Two Oregon State defensive tackles suffered knee injuries in last Saturday's loss to USC, and Beavers defensive coordinator Mark Banker has questioned USC's blocking techniques.
Starter Jalen Grimble will miss up to a month and backup Noke Tago is out for the season because of injuries they sustained against the Trojans. Banker said both of the injuries occurred on chop blocks that weren't called; Grimble was injured on USC's first offensive play of the second half and Tago was lost on USC's second possession of the half.
"You don't know if it was done on purpose or not," Banker told The Oregonian, "but I just think the technique was questionable."
Banker said that when Oregon State coaches scouted USC, they didn't notice a tendency for the Trojans to chop block.
"Now whether they changed to help themselves out, I don't know," Banker told the newspaper. "I just hope it wasn't intended to be an injury."
Senior Siale Hautau, who has been slowed by a shoulder injury of late, is expected to start in Grimble's place Saturday at Colorado. Juniors Ali'i Robins and Brandon Bennett-Jackson also will see time. Hautau, Robins and Bennett-Jackson have combined to make six tackles this season.
Grimble is a transfer from Miami whose cousin, Xavier Grimble, is a former USC tight end now on the San Francisco 49ers' practice squad.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.