What’s wrong with USC’s defense? Is it the same story or are there new issues?
USC LB Theo Bravos pursues Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders in the second half Saturday in Boulder, Colo. (David Zalubowski / AP)
Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — Bryson Shaw had been here before. He’d answered the same questions, addressed the same concerns about USC’s defense to the same group of gathered reporters, who would no doubt relay the same story about how the Trojans nearly came apart in the very same fashion. But last Saturday, when that familiar refrain had played out in Colorado, Shaw found himself feeling especially fed up. The USC safety leaned back in his chair, his brow furrowed, and let the frustration flow.
“We’re not making plays. We’re missing tackles. We’re not doing our job,” Shaw said.
The blame for such a performance, he knew, would surely fall on Alex Grinch, the Trojans defensive coordinator. But Shaw insisted that USC’s defense was “letting [Grinch] down.”
“I don’t know what else to tell you besides we gotta fix it,” Shaw said.
The impassioned defense was a departure from the mild-mannered safety’s usual, congenial tone – and from the usual, boilerplate explanations for USC’s defensive decline. But the desperation around fixing the unit has become an all-too-familiar feeling around USC, one no one was all that eager to talk about in the wake of Saturday’s disappointing second half.
“We know what we need to fix, and we’re moving on from last week,” nose tackle Kyon Barrs said.
So, Barrs was asked, what needs to be fixed?
“That’s a question for Coach Grinch,” he replied.
“We’re fighting, scratching, clawing,” Grinch said. “Not hiding under our desk.”
Even Shaw was hesitant to say much. Asked about his passionate response Saturday, he grinned, politely denying to go deeper.
“I’m just focused on Arizona,” Shaw said, “and getting ready to roll for that.”
Everyone around USC is well aware of the narrative that’s followed the defense since late last season. That much was clear amid Shaw’s unprompted defense of Grinch on Saturday. But when Riley was asked after the game about USC’s defense dealing with familiar issues, he rejected the premise altogether.
“It’s not really the same issues,” Riley said. “When something doesn’t go our way, it doesn’t look like last year. Not to the trained eye. Not to a coach.”
Grinch called it “low-hanging fruit” to compare, but when asked what went wrong in the second half Saturday, admitted that “unfortunately, we’ve been down this road before” as a defense.
That road got especially dark, especially fast last season, as USC unraveled against Utah, missing 15 tackles, and completely collapsed in the Cotton Bowl, when it allowed more than 10 yards per play against Tulane. And nothing about the way the Trojans have started the season suggests the tackling issues that mounted last season are subsiding during this one.
USC has actually missed more tackles per game through five weeks (11.8) than it did last season (10.43). Its run defense is similarly questionable, allowing 148 yards per game, 84th nationally and just 11 fewer yards on average than last season. The fourth quarter also seems to once again confound USC, which has allowed 35% of its points this season in the final 15 minutes.
Colorado WR Xavier Weaver drops a pass while tackled by USC CB Ceyair Wright in the second half. (David Zalubowski / AP)
But there are some notable differences Riley is happy to point out. For one, the pass rush has been particularly promising. In spite of losing the nation’s sack leader from last season’s defense, USC’s 19 total sacks ranks fifth in college football. The Trojans are currently averaging five more pressures per game through five weeks than they did in 2022.
“We’ve been able to generate consistent pass rush from all levels of the defense,” Riley said. “I think we’re better from a blitzing standpoint, from the linebacker position and we certainly have guys up front both outside and on the interior that can create havoc, that can get in the backfield, they can create tackles for loss, so that’s been a big difference.”
Not every difference from last year’s defense has been a positive change. Much to Grinch’s chagrin, USC hasn’t been able to replicate its astonishing turnover luck from last season. Through five weeks in 2022, the Trojans had tallied 15 turnovers. Through five games this season, they have seven.
Still, Riley once again said Tuesday that he sees signs of progress on that side of the ball. Even if you might need a trained eye to see it.
“I think we’ve busted less, we’ve played some stretches of ball this year that frankly, I don’t know if we were capable of playing last year to be honest so we’ve gotta put it together, we can’t just do it, we can’t just dominate a good offense for two and a half quarters like we did the other day, we’ve gotta do it for four and that’s our expectation that we will.”
USC linebacker Mason Cobb, like Shaw before him, wonders if fixing the defense might be even simpler than that.
“We’re there,” Cobb said. “We’re missing tackles. At least that means we’re in the right spot.”
But the post-Colorado takeaways Riley pointed to on Tuesday – finish tackles and keep the quarterback in the pocket – have been takeaways since USC’s first game against San Jose State, when they struggled to contain Spartans quarterback Chevan Cordeiro. And Saturday was the worst showing yet, with the Trojans missing 17 tackles against the Buffs, according to Pro Football Focus.
latimes.com
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Grinch seems to be the topic of the week followed by how the players are taking the blame. I wonder what Grinch is actually teaching them?
Now repeat after me, “When I miss a tackle or don’t cover a receiver because I was lined up on the wrong side of a play, I’m letting the coach down.”
How long before the humbleness of the players clashes with their NFL dreams? “What? No! I was following orders from my coach.”
It is absolutely ludicrous to think this defense will improve enough to hold back the likes of ND, Oregon, UDUB and Utah even if
we score 40-50 points. Those other teams will score as much and maybe a few more by the middle of the 4th quarter. Grinch’s system is the problem. If you can’t tackle, it makes little difference whether you have 4-star or 2-star players on defense. What really seems to be the problem, our players on defense have little confidence in this system or the coaching. They are on the defensive talking about playing USC defense.
Inside College Football’s Playoff Four
Brian Jones — GA, MICH, TEXAS, FSU
Randy Cross — GA, TEXAS, MICH, USC
Aaron Taylor — MICH, ORE, GA, TEXAS
Rick Neuheisel — GA, OHIO ST, TEXAS, UW
I saw that last night. I wonder if Randy Cross was subjected to a drug test after picking SC to get into the playoffs.
I guess he hasn’t seen us paly defense.
I was totally shocked about his top 4 ranking too, but he’s so all-in on the amazing Caleb Williams, I think he let himself get a little carried away. Rick Neuheisel loves UW because USC humiliated him and he used to coach the Huskies. But hey, I’ll gladly take any USC props even though I don’t see USC as an actual legit NC team until USC addresses all the problems that seem to be emerging. Wins flat-out trump everything, and rightfully so at 5-0, but if USC expects to beat tough and solid ND without improving massively, I figure South… Read more »
That’s funny many of us fans haven’t seen us play defense either, at least not in the second half of any games.
CBS Sports Network/Inside College Football’s Inside the Numbers
The Grinch Who Stole The Natty? (RJJ, I thought you would like their title)
“USC has allowed 70 points in 2nd halves alone. OHIO ST and MICH have allowed 64 total points combined.”
Not happy about our defense at all. But I have seen a lot about how much USC has been scored on in the second half (4th qtr specifically). Aside from Colorado how much of that was against second string?
Good point, except I’m thinking USC’s 2nd string D may have some better players on it than our 1st string! In fact, one issue I’m starting to worry about re USC is why some guys are playing ahead of others, especially on D. I don’t believe some of USC’s D starters should even be starting, assuming accountability was supposed to be re-established within the USC football culture. I addressed this in another post I made here today in response to PN4SC. Maybe USC is still using its “practice game philosophy” that it employed in the SJS opener. But when your… Read more »
I hope for better, but don’t count on it.
Sorry, but I can’t help myself:
“Remember. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” – Andy Dufresne, Shawshank Redemption
Bruce Feldman — “About the ‘reports’ linking Urban Meyer to the Michigan State HC job… I just checked with him. There is zero truth to it with him being a candidate for it. He has no interest in that, and is happy with what he’s doing now at Fox Sports.”
Seems to me we have heard that same song somewhere before.
Michigan State needs to stay as far away from Urban Meyer as possible.
Some media people think Jake Dickert (from the Midwest, Wisconsin roots, defensive guy) or Jonathan Smith (can homeless ORE ST afford to give this guy the big contract he wants going forward?) would fit in East Lansing well.
If either pans out, it will be amazing how the B1G has had such a big hand in virtually destroying the Pac-12.
#3 TEXAS leads the series vs #13 OU 63-50-5.
If Brent Venable’s underdog Sooners beat Sark’s Longhorns in their Red River Rivalry showdown this Saturday (9 am PT, ABC/ESPN2), expect the Sooners to vault over the #9 Trojans in the rankings and OU fans to wildly rejoice over having recovered so quickly (despite losing spectacularly to TEXAS 49-0 last year), while USC fans wonder if Lincoln Riley’s one-trick pony Trojans will ever figure out how to play defense.
Stormin in Norman
USC by the Numbers per The Athletic’s Antonio Morales The Trojans have allowed 29 plays of 20-plus yards this season, which is tied for 118th in the FBS. USC allowed eight such plays in a porous defensive performance against Colorado when it allowed a season-high 41 points and 564 yards. It’s particularly concerning for the Trojans because they ranked 121st in the category last year, so there hasn’t been much improvement — and this has been against the easier part of the schedule. Washington, Notre Dame and Oregon are among the top 13 in plays of 20-plus yards gained and they’re all… Read more »
The defensive problems this year are not the same as last year. So it has been said.
I’m worn out listening to podcasts and reading comments. Yes, our defense is no good and everyone knows it. We are still 5-0 and top 10. Until we lose a shootout this year, I’m still 100% in. Don’t care how we win, just win.
You know what will “Heal” some wounds in the USC Fanbase ???…..A 56-10 or a 56-7 win this Saturday (Notice which numbers in those scores I highlighted ) ……Fight On !
I’ll go out on a limb and suggest a different cause for the effect. If the effect is a breakdown of our defense in the second half, then the cause could be the opponent’s offense is making adjustments at half time and our defense is not adapting to the adjustments. If the effect is a bogging down of our offense in the second half, then the cause could be the opponent’s defense is making adjustments at half time and our offense is not adapting to the adjustments. If either is true, then it implies the responsible coaches are a bit… Read more »
USC needed to recover an onside kick to win the CU game after leading 34-7. USC lost the rest of the game 34-14. Prime turned into Amazon Prime right before our very eyes.
Hopefully, Lincoln Riley makes some needed adjustments to get the Trojans playing a complete game against ARIZ so USC can be ready for the part of the schedule that we have all really been looking forward to.
Caleb Williams isn’t the only offensive player Lincoln Riley needs to trust Matt Zemek (Trojans Wire) — MarShawn Lloyd has been, quite simply, a stud for USC this season. He does a little bit of everything on the field, but when he gets the ball, he has been outstanding. He gets good-to-great yardage on a lot of plays. He has power. He has speed. He can make defenders miss. He has been great for the Trojans this year. One obvious concept that doesn’t need a lot of explaining is that Caleb Williams needs the ball in his hands. Of course! If… Read more »
Grinch: Rings a Bell Steve Sarkisian says it was difficult to fire Nick Holt (Jan 13, 2012) Bob Condotta (Seattle Times) — “Hectic days and sleepless nights. “That’s been Steve Sarkisian’s life since Washington’s 67-56 defeat against Baylor in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29. He has fired one defensive coordinator and hired another, among myriad other happenings with the Husky program. “Sarkisian said firing defensive coordinator Nick Holt, his longtime co-worker and good friend, was “extremely difficult. And I think that as you go through this, you have to try to take your personal emotions out of it the… Read more »
Holt did not cost Sark a NC. And, lack of D did not cost Sark at least two chances to win a NC. But it did LR. LR preaches his team needs to be “killers” (metaphor for being mentally tough and being unrelenting in the pursuit of excellence). LR now needs to be a “killer” in running his team. I found the most difficult part of being CEO of my own business (I had about 300 employees) was being “alone at the top.” I had to be “the boss”, not “a friend”. I had to focus my attention to what… Read more »
Ya, but Nick Holt did cost Sark some big-time sleepless nights, which I suspect have already come LR’s way, and if not yet, they will.
Where is Nick Holt now? He’s a SR Offensive Analyst at TT. Sark coaches the Longhorns who are also shooting for a NC and are up against LR’s old team, OU, this weekend.
What a tangled web we weave!
After watching and/or hearing USC Fans podcasts on the internet over last the 48 hours and reading comments by USC Fans (like the Great comment below made by TrojanRJJ and the Mandel mailbag article Allen posted ) To me the CONSENSUS opinion is that USC Fans are worried that SC’s Defense could cost SC some wins ……..I hope not ….. FIGHT ON !!!!!
Mandel’s Mailbag (The Athletic): Is USC’s offense its own Trojan Horse? Q — Is there something about the way Lincoln Riley structures his offense that makes it especially difficult to have an effective defense? Or does he just not care that much because his rep is wrapped up in his offensive acumen? Mandel — I don’t know that there’s a simple answer there, just a bunch of theories. But I’ve noticed a trend since last season: The defense gets worse in the second half. In USC’s regular-season loss to Utah last year, the Trojans led 28-21 at halftime. In the second half, three… Read more »
Saturday there was an inability to run the ball. They passed 40 plays and ran it 25. When they did run in the 2nd half they got no where. SC’s last 4 possessions, 1 play-interception :10, 4 plays-punt-1:26, 6 plays-missed field goal-3:00, 3 plays-end of game-1:43. There is something to be said about scoring too fast or in the 2nd half Saturday, giving the ball back too fast without scoring. The offense was shut down in the last 1 1/2 quarters further gassing the defense.
I think that some of the OC we have faced have figured out what the defense is going to do. Either through alignment or other characteristics. Sure seems that way.
LR has a real problem on his hands. He is losing control of the narrative about his team and himself. Last year, starting with the Utah game, the SC D collapsed. SC won every regular season after the Utah game by outscoring its opposition in shot outs, in which all teams it played (excluding an awful CO team but including a Cal team with a bad O) took the game down to the last possession. The run ended when Caleb got hurt in the championship game. The largest TV audience for LR team last year was the Cotton Bowl against… Read more »
I think the CU game hurt Lincoln Riley’s rep in some ways more than the TUL loss did because the Cotton Bowl flop was still year one, and the entire planet was tuned into the Trojans’ bizarre second-half collapse vs Coach Prime, now famous in ways I could hardly ever imagine. I used to laugh to myself that Grinch could actually lead to the demise of LR’s magnificent goals at USC, but it’s not really a laughing matter any longer. While I still believe Lincoln’s a great coach, he’s treading in dangerous waters now and I think he knows exactly… Read more »
Allen, How would like to be Jen Cohen? Just got her dream job and immediately she watches her HC start to crash and burn despite being undefeated. I assume Jen understands the power of narratives. But, the team is undefeated and in the middle of a run for the NC (and despite all the nay sayers, we are still in the hunt). It is a chance to get to know LR as a person. LR, quite unintentionally, created a huge distraction for the 2023 team. I do not know LR’s personality at all, but our new AD is now being… Read more »
I have a lot of confidence in Jen Cohen, and for good reason, based on her sterling resume and what I suspect are her astute political instincts. I’ve already given her some credit (whether deserved or not) for helping to quickly steer LR out of the unnecessary mess he created with local reporter Luca Evans. Cohen wouldn’t have taken the huge USC job if she wasn’t confident she could deal with our historically semi-dysfunctional athletic dept. I think she’s always been a “star” in the evolution of women in athletic administration and I expect big things from her. Hope we… Read more »
If I wasn’t in Jacksonville Florida this morning I’d pick up a copy of the SCNG newspaper. The online edition (which I read daily) has nothing about USC football, but printed two identical Ucla articles complete with identical pictures. I thought for a moment it was a find the six different pictures thing, but they are pages apart and mirror images. (And they wonder why print is dying)
Does Riley and Grinch sound like a broken record? Same problems same lame comments and excuses. Does Riley ever get really pissed off other than on the sidelines? Or does he really care about the defense. I am starting already to tune out the post game comments and sound bytes from practices as they all sound the same. Kind of reminds me of tuning out Helton. It seems that if the defense isn’t running solid by now, it is to late. I keep asking how do teams with lesser players play better defense?
Helton had the same problem, from a defensive coordinator who never played a down of football to one who would have been fired if USC hadn’t hired him. Pendergast was captain of his frat team and Orlando was on the hot seat in TX. It seems offensive gurus think defense is a necessity, which can be ignored. Grinch was the same Achilles heel at Oklahoma.
Did you just call Helton and offensive guru? I agree that he was offensive.
😀
He was a guru at being offensive.
Steveg, I wish they would say, “we are not going to sugar coat this, we stunk last week and got seriously outcoached. Instead of giving you analysis, we are going to concentrate on giving results.”
If you have a runner who is getting good yardage running through tackles, that OC will continue calling running plays hoping the defense will tire out. That seems to be the story here.