USC is on its bye week this week, which usually means it’s time for rest and recovery.

But USC is also coming off its first loss of the season, a 43-42 heartbreaker that saw the defense give up 562 yards to Utah and the offense score just twice in the second half. The Trojans weren’t happy Saturday night. So this week’s practice has been challenging.

Offensive lineman Justin Dedich called Tuesday’s session “brutal.”

“It was just as physical, probably more physical. Today was brutal,” he said on Tuesday when he spoke to reporters. “Guys getting chirpy out here and stuff. It was an electric practice for sure. There was no half-speed, (no) half-ass.”

USC will face Arizona when it comes out of the bye. The Trojans get Cal and Colorado after that before a Nov. 19 matchup with UCLA. There’s time to get right, but USC has to be intentional over these next few weeks. If it wants to remain in the Pac-12 title discussion and have a shot come December to go to the College Football Playoff, it can’t afford another loss.

Guys are hungry.

“On Saturday night, a bunch of us got together and we were just like, ‘let’s go to practice, let’s just get there already, we’re ready to go.’ I’ve never had that in my experience here,” Dedich said. “You saw (Eric) Gentry’s clip. That’s just moving. That just tells you the heart of this team.”

The FOX camera crew on Saturday caught Gentry hobbling out of the team’s medical tent on one leg to meet his teammates on the field and try to fire them up to close things out, but he couldn’t put any weight on his left leg and had to be helped back off the field by the USC training staff.

Dedich says he saw it real-time. He’s been impressed by the heart the team has shown in the face of their first loss.

“I think everyone on this team is mature enough to keep their head high,” Dedich said. “It was a sad moment, but it’s just giving fuel to the fire.”