Prophet

Through the first two weeks of USC’s preseason football camp, Prophet Brown had established himself as one of the early standouts in a crowded cornerback room.

But Brown’s breakout was cut short this week, when the redshirt junior suffered a noncontact injury during USC’s practice that’s expected to keep him out for the foreseeable future.

The timeline for his return remains uncertain. USC coach Lincoln Riley suggested the team would definitely be without him “for the first few games” but was still “hopeful to get him back here at some point.”

“Hate it for him because he’s been playing really well,” Riley said. “Obviously has had one of the more rapid ascents [this fall] in terms of all the years that he’s been here.”

USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn had just singled out Brown on Wednesday night as “one of the guys we trust most on defense.”

“He’s taken a big step,” Lynn said. “Outside of [safety] Kamari [Ramsey], I would say there’s no one on the back end that knows the defense quite like him.”

Brown had taken reps at all three corner spots since the beginning of camp, but was widely believed to be the favorite to start at slot corner. The only other player on USC’s roster with more than a handful of snaps in the slot during his college career is transfer corner DJ Harvey.

Lynn said on Wednesday that Harvey was getting some reps at slot corner.

“He’s a guy from a skill set standpoint that can do all three [corner positions],” Lynn said. “So we’re trying to get him as many reps at those slots as possible, to try to see which one is his best spot.”

Chasen Johnson, a transfer from Central Florida, and DeCarlos Nicholson were both expected to compete for outside corner spots and have minimal experience in the slot.

Until Friday, USC had felt pretty good about its depth at the position. But losing Brown is a significant blow, one that will put more pressure on young defensive backs to contribute early.

Riley also mentioned Braylon Conley and Marcelles Williams as corners who impressed in camp and could step up in Brown’s place.

Feeling good up front

At the start of camp, no position on USC’s roster appeared, on paper, to be as big of a concern as the offensive line, where the Trojans have to replace three starters from a group that already struggled a year ago.

But nearing the midway point of camp, Riley said he feels better about depth up front than he did in the spring.

“I like this group a lot,” Riley said. “Some young guys that have really come on fast. Give credit to Coach [Zach] Hanson for the development of these guys because we’ve got some guys who are rapidly improving.”

Among those who have surprised Riley: Guards Hayden Treter and Micah Banuelos, both of whom have dealt with injuries since coming to USC.

Both will likely be needed this season, given the lack of proven options otherwise.

Etc.

Star wideout Ja’Kobi Lane [unspecified injury] has yet to fully participate in USC’s preseason practices, but is expected to begin “ramping up” in the coming days, Riley said.

There were some interesting developments in the latest episode

*Warning – this article contains minor spoilers for The Last of Us season two, episode three*

The latest episode of The Last of Us introduced viewers to key new factions within the show’s world.

Following on from one of the most dramatic episodes of the entire series, what followed was a slow tease on what might come next and key players involved.

Ellie is finally told which group Abby is now a part of after she left the Fireflies. More importantly, it gives away about her most likely whereabouts, along with the rest of her friends. However, her and Dina also come across another faction on her travels in a gruesome scene.

So what are the WLF in The Last of Us? Who are the robed people that Ellie and Dina discover and who is The Prophet that they mention? What role do they play in the story? Here is everything you need to know.

What are the WLF?

Essentially, the WLF could be seen as an equivalent to the Fireflies just with a different geographical origin. However, there are some key differences in their approach, goals and how they operate.

While the Fireflies seemed to have their origins on the East coast in Boston, the WLF, as their name gives away, were born on the West. Their name stands for Washington Liberation Front and they refer to themselves as Wolves, adopting the animal as their symbol.

They were founded in Seattle, Washington by husband and wife Emma and Jason Patterson who grew tired of living under government control, with food shortages a major issue. However, as we join them in the game, their leader is a man named Isaac who was elected to takeover after the couple’s death.

Much like the Fireflies, they are rebel faction that rose up against the fictional government arm FEDRA, which took control of quarantine zones across major cities in the world of The Last of Us following outbreak day.

However, while Fireflies want to reinstate the democracy of the United States and commit acts of guerrilla warfare, the WLF are a militant paramilitary organisation that aim to take control by force, often opting for open and direct conflict. Following the fall of the Fireflies as seen in season one’s finale, many of the surviving members, including Abby and her friends, travel to Seattle to join the WLF.

While Fireflies have a message of hope they share with each other that is “look for the light”, the WLF’s is more in line with seeing themselves as warriors. Their phrase is: May your survival be long. May your death be swift.

As seen in the final scene, they are surprisingly great in number. In the game, they are seen using massive football stadium as their home base.

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Who is the Prophet and Seraphites?

Late in the episode, we meet a group of people wearing brown robes with a strange symbol on their backs. They whistle to communicate with each other across distances. Eagle-eyed viewers will also notice the scars on their faces.

These people are the Seraphites and they have found themselves at war with the WLF, one reason being over control of territory in Seattle and the area surrounding Washington state. They also find their ideologies directly opposing each other.

They were also founded in Seattle, by a woman who would eventually only be referred to as The Prophet. She believed the Cordyceps infection was a punishment for humanity’s sins and began to preach that humanity was being given a chance to redeem itself.

She preached and inspired others to join her in doing so, which meant living off the land again. Eventually, she was captured by the WLF and although she befriended her guards, deemed too dangerous by the WLF leader and executed.

The Prophet is never seen in the original game apart from some painted images left on walls and altars. One character mentions it has been a decade since she died in the latest episode so it seems the series will also have her as a symbolic reference.

Seraphites are referred to by the WLF as Scars, due to their self inflicted wounds. They believe they are imperfect beings and so scar themselves to make them imperfect. They refuse to use any technology from the ”old world’ although their soldiers are often given an exception to fight the WLF.

While Ellie and Dina are shocked over the scene they find in the episode with a mass group of dead Seraphites, their introduction in the original game is much more gruesome. Ellie actually comes across a small group of members by herself. They have caught a WLF soldier who they string up and disembowel in a grim moment not yet seen in the show.

The Last of Us season two continues Mondays at 9pm on Sky Atlantic and streaming on NOW.