2026 games, tackles for loss per game. W and L: the team’s results.
“Need Wafle to get to the QB this drive”
5 stories in the last 30 days, from 4 outlets.
USC Defensive End Luke Wafle Earns Big Ten Freshman of the Week Honors
Trojans Wire +1 Oct 7
Luke Wafle
Holds up snap after snap without a weakness to attack. A game that shows it: 7 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Louisiana — Week 2, 2026.
36 tackles · 3 sacks
Play style
No single standout number, but nothing missing either — competent across the board.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
36 tackles. 1 pass defended. 0 interceptions. 8.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 4 outlets
USC Defensive End Luke Wafle Earns Big Ten Freshman of the Week Honors
Trojans Wire +1 Oct 7 · 2 outlets
from 9 outlets
USC freshman star Luke Wafle’s football roots date back nearly a century
AOL.com +2 Sep 17 · 3 outlets
AOL.com +2USC freshman star Luke Wafle’s football roots date back nearly a centurySep 17
247SportsLuke Wafle has competitive juices flowing on and off the field for USCSep 11
Sports IllustratedHow USC's Luke Wafle Is Building Close Relationships With TeammatesSep 12
On3Luke Wafle, Mark Bowman and Trent Mosley Aren’t the Only USC True Freshmen Making an ImpactSep 17247Sports +1USC’s Alex Graham and Luke Wafle Named to Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award Watch ListAug 26247SportsThe making of Luke Wafle: How a 19-year-old became one of USC's most important playersSep 18
USC AthleticsUSC’s Mark Bowman, Trent Mosley and Luke Wafle Named Midseason True Freshman All-AmericansOct 21USC AthleticsSports IllustratedAOL.com +2Sports Illustrated +1
Los Angeles Times247Sports +1Sports IllustratedEach week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Fans first named Luke Wafle vs San José State.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | USC | 36 | 26 | 8.5 | 3.0 | 1 |
| Career | 36 | 26 | 8.5 | 3.0 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 9): 1 tackle for loss, 3 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 9 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 42-26vs San José State | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 1 | W 39-0vs Fresno State | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 49-30vs Louisiana | 7 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 42-35@ Rutgers | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 27-41vs No. 20 Oregon | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 25-21vs Washington | 5 | 4 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 31-23@ Penn State | 5 | 3 | 1.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 7-24@ Wisconsin | 6 | 5 | 1.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 30-18vs No. 2 Ohio State | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 36 | 26 | 8.5 | 3.0 | — | 1 |
Oct. 31 · W 30-18 vs Ohio State, play by play
3 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 8 tackles for loss, 3 of them sacks, in the 9 games with play by play.
How USC’s defense played that day
Ohio State’s 11 drives: 6 stopped (1 takeaway) · 5 scored.
6 tackles, including 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 5 of his 6, sacks included.
Sacked the quarterback for a 4-yard loss. First quarter, tied 0-0.
5 tackles, including 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 9-yard loss on 3rd and 10. Fourth quarter, up 31-23.
5 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 4 of his 5, sacks included.
Sacked the quarterback for a 2-yard loss. Fourth quarter, up 25-21.
2 tackles, including 1 more for loss. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 5 for him; the box score credits 4.
7 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Week 5 · 2026
W 25-21
vs Washington
1 sack · 2 tackles for loss · 5 tackles
A close one, won by 4 at home.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -11 to +29 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Sack rate
8%3 sacksTFL rate
24%8 TFLHurry rate
3%1 hurryPressure-to-sack conversion
75%3 of 4 pressures36 tackles · 8.5 for loss · 3 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 9 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 3.5 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Road3g | 5.0 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 3.9 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 4.5 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lincoln Riley
Pass share
51.8%
310 pass / 289 run
Plays / game
66.6
9 games
Team sack rate
3.6%
338 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
36 tackles in 9 games, more tackles a game than most FBS defensive linemen who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former five-star. Now #42 at the position.
