USC looks to ‘mix it up’ as defensive line struggles to rack up sacks
Trojans are the only Big Ten team whose secondary and middle linebackers have more sacks than the defensive linemen
USC safety Akili Arnold tackles MARYD QB Billy Edwards Jr. during the first half of their game Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Alyssa Howell)
Luca Evans (OC Register) — LOS ANGELES — It would be foolish for him, Jamil Muhammad theorized, to worry about sacks. Foolish, because he was once a three-star kid out of Alabama who had once signed with Vanderbilt and somehow ended up at Georgia Southern and somehow ended up in Southern California. Foolish, because he was once a high school quarterback who’s now a 260-pound defensive end four years later. He’d clung to his football life, for years. His exact sack count wasn’t a concern.
‘I mean, this thing we call life is just a daily fight,” the senior said a couple weeks ago, still without a single sack in 2024 after leading USC with 6.5 the year before.
And yet, the chance that slipped away still haunted him.
Two Saturdays ago, as fourth-quarter minutes ticked away and Penn State was pinned on a fourth-and-10 from the 40-yard-line, Muhammad timed a snap perfectly and burst untouched through the middle toward quarterback Drew Allar. He bounced off running back Nick Singleton, helpless to stand in the way of a charging bull that once weighed all of 208 pounds in high school. Muhammad dove for Allar, as the quarterback rolled right.
He missed. Allar stepped up, hit a receiver for a first down, and Penn State went on to score a game-tying touchdown in a brutal USC overtime loss.
“Yeah, could’ve been game right there … I’m sure I’ll be in a lot more positions like that,” Muhammad said.
He was, last Saturday against Maryland. Muhammad led USC with three quarterback pressures and a hit on the Terrapins’ Billy Edwards Jr.
Still, no sacks.
USC’s defensive front has often looked transformed against the run in 2024. But they’ve been one of the least productive pass-rush units in the Big Ten, both in pressures and sacks, as the season’s midway point has passed.
It’s presented a unique challenge for defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, who – outside of his squad getting repeatedly torched by Penn State tight end Tyler Warren in a loss two weekends ago – has shown an equally unique ability to adapt to enemy personnel and his own. On Saturday, needing to create some form of pressure against a Maryland program that treated running the football like a contagious disease, Lynn continued to throw virtually his entire on-field unit in eccentric blitz packages.
Linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold got a first-quarter sack, his first of the season. Safety Kamari Ramsey added another on USC’s most crucial defensive play of the game, careening off the edge on a late fourth down that seemingly sealed the game for the Trojans before the disaster that unfolded in Maryland.
Through seven games, USC has more sacks from its middle linebackers and secondary (5.5) than its defensive line (2.5) – the only team in the Big Ten with such a distribution.
“We’re going to keep on trying to mix it up,” Lynn said Wednesday, “and give different people opportunities.”
He’ll have to, if USC hopes to affect opposing quarterbacks. When asked the formula to figuring out pass-rush momentum a few weeks ago, Lynn answered “the guys just developing into pass-rushers,” not exactly heaping praise on USC’s edge and interior group.
“I think they’ve gotten better,” Lynn said, then. “And then from our end, from a schematic standpoint, how can we put them in the best positions to succeed?”
Sophomore Devan Thompkins (98) made his second consecutive start at defensive tackle in Maryland, but didn’t record a single pressure. Braylan Shelby, a clear breakout candidate in the fall, had a season-high four pressures against the Terrapins but hasn’t been able to consistently hunt opposing quarterbacks. It could all mean more snaps for true freshman Kameryn Fountain, a 6-foot-6 athletic marvel who saw his first defensive action since Week Two against Maryland.
“It’s going to just depend on the flow of the game,” Lynn said last week, “but Kam is going to be a guy that, his role is going to continue to grow.”
In the meantime, though, Lynn’s best option may be a continued dosage of safety and weakside-linebacker blitzes, as USC continues to try to finish games – and finish one-on-one battles against linemen.
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This could end up being a disasterous season. If they were to lose one of those O-Linemen, they are really thin behind the first 5. If this was the same team that we beat LSU with then I would say that we’ve had some bad luck but things will change. But it is not the same team. We’ve lost Anthony Lucas, Bear Alexander and Eric Gentry for the season. Those are 3 pretty big parts of this defense.
I read about Quinten Joyner being an Ace up Riley’s sleeve, which he rarely uses, and thought about how often Riley’s offense passes. This brought me to look up the forward pass in football history. Things I didn’t know include the fact that incomplete passes were live balls originally and the play was originally legalized as a way to make the game safer. The pass was a trick play a hundred years ago because the grind of the run was popular with the coaches of the era. My point in all of this is Riley has it backwards a running… Read more »
SLR passes the ball 61% with a QB that ranks 63 out of 110 FBS QBs. The top 10 offenses on average run the ball 52%. 3 of the 10 are in the Big10, Indiana, Ohio St, Penn St, and run it 56%. Perhaps a balance offense is better, but what do my untrained eyes know compared to the offensive genius. RT you are right SLR would have more fun in a passing league but he wouldn’t be making $10 mil a year and live in a Palos Verdes mansion.
USC football doesn’t pay nearly enough attention to detail IMO.
Failure to take care of the little things is always a killer.
The Trojans also seem to be on the wrong end of the field position game way too much even though we have a great punter.
These are obviously coaching issues, which I also suspect have to do with Zach Branch’s disappointing season, resulting in many missed special team opportunities.
How much detail can you cram into a freshmen-sophomore first year starter in relation to a a junior first year starter QB? I am not talking about LR’s playcalling/game management. Thats another story. A new defensive coaching staff with a new scheme too. Is this team suffering from too much “new”? Seems to be everywhere in this program currently including a new conference which requires drastically new traveling demands.Can we point to disappointing preparation these past two years by the HC to have this program in better shape to handle these new demands? Absolutely. We have no recourse but to… Read more »
I think frosh and soph starters should be able to absorb plenty of detail, and much more than they have. Soph Zach Branch still doesn’t even know when to call a fair catch, or maybe he’s hasn’t somehow even been taught yet, which would seem impossible to believe. So maybe he just doesn’t listen, isn’t very coachable, or simply has no confidence anymore. All the possible reasons are bad. This team plays scrambled and inconsistent ball, especially late in games, at many positions. That shows a gross lack of attention to detail, among other things. Per USC’s coaches, their only… Read more »
As far as the defense goes, one of the major flaws with grinch’s defense schemes was that they were needlessly complex. Coach Lynn has runs a more simplified defense. Last season, our defense was caught many times looking at each other trying to figure out what they needed to do right before the ball was snapped. Lynn’s defense, while new, is a simpler, more player-friendly system. On the defense side of the ball, new is definitely better. 90% of our problems are a lack of good recruiting for both sides of the line and poor player development. Too much relying… Read more »
USC already has a special teams coordinator named Ryan Dougherty. I have no idea what he really does, but apparently he spends absolutely no time on fair catch or return drills with Zach Branch, who is having a very disappointing year so far and looks completely lost trying to field punts. You would think Branch’s pure electric talent alone would have resulted in some special plays. Weird. Lincoln Riley doesn’t have the greatest track record hiring assistants as we all know. But now that you can have unlimited assistants on a CFB staff, maybe he could use some extra different… Read more »
Nah–remember, we have the smartest coach who ever lived. If Coach Linkin says we don’t need no stinking special teams coach, I will take this as the gospel truth.
I’m still trying to process the loss of Fernando, a baseball hero who was younger than me. At the end of the day I heard the news and it was especially strange because Friday the World Series is on Fox just before USC plays. Historically that means “we join the game already in progress” will be a possibility. So I am going to be at a concert, and not able to record the whole game for a few reasons including the World Series. I went through the guide on my Cox box and when the game finally appeared I clicked… Read more »
30 years ago, Aaron Boone and Dave Roberts played in the USC-UCLA rivalry. Now they’re managing in Dodgers-Yankees World Series. Steve Henson (LA Times) — The video is grainy, but Dave Roberts’ thin mustache and Aaron Boone’s peach fuzz are discernible. The year was 1992 and the future managers of the Dodgers and New York Yankees were 19-year-old freshmen immersed in a rousing chapter of Los Angeles’ prominent college rivalry. Now Roberts, 52, and Boone, 51, will lead major league titans in the World Series beginning Friday at Dodger Stadium. Since college, they ascended on parallel paths, enjoying solid professional playing careers punctuated by a single… Read more »
I did not know about the SC-ucla connection with this year’s World Series managers–that’s so cool!
I, too, was rocked by Fernando’s passing. I was in dental school then and when I worked late into the night in the lab at my (dental) fraternity, Vin Scully and the Dodgers were my companions for half of the year. Fernandomania started just about the same time I started at USC Dental. Many good memories about listening on the radio in those warm summer evenings, especially when Sr. Valenzuela was on the mound.😪
Our season is now that of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic–we’re still having a disappointing season at the end of the year with a crappy bowl game–if we are lucky.
I have to agree except the players are usually in the right place to make the stop on defense. The coaching on defense has gotten better, the players haven’t. (Although losing two true starters hasn’t helped) Football is a game where everyone has to do their job. It takes ten players to get one man free to make the sack. If he misses, then no sack. Earlier in the season we saw more sacks and rushes because everyone was doing their jobs. Now everyone is trying but not winning their battles.
Sophomore 
This could end up being a disasterous season. If they were to lose one of those O-Linemen, they are really thin behind the first 5. If this was the same team that we beat LSU with then I would say that we’ve had some bad luck but things will change. But it is not the same team. We’ve lost Anthony Lucas, Bear Alexander and Eric Gentry for the season. Those are 3 pretty big parts of this defense.
I read about Quinten Joyner being an Ace up Riley’s sleeve, which he rarely uses, and thought about how often Riley’s offense passes. This brought me to look up the forward pass in football history. Things I didn’t know include the fact that incomplete passes were live balls originally and the play was originally legalized as a way to make the game safer. The pass was a trick play a hundred years ago because the grind of the run was popular with the coaches of the era. My point in all of this is Riley has it backwards a running… Read more »
SLR passes the ball 61% with a QB that ranks 63 out of 110 FBS QBs. The top 10 offenses on average run the ball 52%. 3 of the 10 are in the Big10, Indiana, Ohio St, Penn St, and run it 56%. Perhaps a balance offense is better, but what do my untrained eyes know compared to the offensive genius. RT you are right SLR would have more fun in a passing league but he wouldn’t be making $10 mil a year and live in a Palos Verdes mansion.
USC football doesn’t pay nearly enough attention to detail IMO.
Failure to take care of the little things is always a killer.
The Trojans also seem to be on the wrong end of the field position game way too much even though we have a great punter.
These are obviously coaching issues, which I also suspect have to do with Zach Branch’s disappointing season, resulting in many missed special team opportunities.
How much detail can you cram into a freshmen-sophomore first year starter in relation to a a junior first year starter QB? I am not talking about LR’s playcalling/game management. Thats another story. A new defensive coaching staff with a new scheme too. Is this team suffering from too much “new”? Seems to be everywhere in this program currently including a new conference which requires drastically new traveling demands.Can we point to disappointing preparation these past two years by the HC to have this program in better shape to handle these new demands? Absolutely. We have no recourse but to… Read more »
I think frosh and soph starters should be able to absorb plenty of detail, and much more than they have. Soph Zach Branch still doesn’t even know when to call a fair catch, or maybe he’s hasn’t somehow even been taught yet, which would seem impossible to believe. So maybe he just doesn’t listen, isn’t very coachable, or simply has no confidence anymore. All the possible reasons are bad. This team plays scrambled and inconsistent ball, especially late in games, at many positions. That shows a gross lack of attention to detail, among other things. Per USC’s coaches, their only… Read more »
As far as the defense goes, one of the major flaws with grinch’s defense schemes was that they were needlessly complex. Coach Lynn has runs a more simplified defense. Last season, our defense was caught many times looking at each other trying to figure out what they needed to do right before the ball was snapped. Lynn’s defense, while new, is a simpler, more player-friendly system. On the defense side of the ball, new is definitely better. 90% of our problems are a lack of good recruiting for both sides of the line and poor player development. Too much relying… Read more »
Are you saying they need a special teams coach?
USC already has a special teams coordinator named Ryan Dougherty. I have no idea what he really does, but apparently he spends absolutely no time on fair catch or return drills with Zach Branch, who is having a very disappointing year so far and looks completely lost trying to field punts. You would think Branch’s pure electric talent alone would have resulted in some special plays. Weird. Lincoln Riley doesn’t have the greatest track record hiring assistants as we all know. But now that you can have unlimited assistants on a CFB staff, maybe he could use some extra different… Read more »
Nah–remember, we have the smartest coach who ever lived. If Coach Linkin says we don’t need no stinking special teams coach, I will take this as the gospel truth.
I’m still trying to process the loss of Fernando, a baseball hero who was younger than me. At the end of the day I heard the news and it was especially strange because Friday the World Series is on Fox just before USC plays. Historically that means “we join the game already in progress” will be a possibility. So I am going to be at a concert, and not able to record the whole game for a few reasons including the World Series. I went through the guide on my Cox box and when the game finally appeared I clicked… Read more »
30 years ago, Aaron Boone and Dave Roberts played in the USC-UCLA rivalry. Now they’re managing in Dodgers-Yankees World Series. Steve Henson (LA Times) — The video is grainy, but Dave Roberts’ thin mustache and Aaron Boone’s peach fuzz are discernible. The year was 1992 and the future managers of the Dodgers and New York Yankees were 19-year-old freshmen immersed in a rousing chapter of Los Angeles’ prominent college rivalry. Now Roberts, 52, and Boone, 51, will lead major league titans in the World Series beginning Friday at Dodger Stadium. Since college, they ascended on parallel paths, enjoying solid professional playing careers punctuated by a single… Read more »
I did not know about the SC-ucla connection with this year’s World Series managers–that’s so cool!
I, too, was rocked by Fernando’s passing. I was in dental school then and when I worked late into the night in the lab at my (dental) fraternity, Vin Scully and the Dodgers were my companions for half of the year. Fernandomania started just about the same time I started at USC Dental. Many good memories about listening on the radio in those warm summer evenings, especially when Sr. Valenzuela was on the mound.😪
Our season is now that of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic–we’re still having a disappointing season at the end of the year with a crappy bowl game–if we are lucky.
Kind of ironic. For all the off-season change, nothing has changed, results-wise.
I have to agree except the players are usually in the right place to make the stop on defense. The coaching on defense has gotten better, the players haven’t. (Although losing two true starters hasn’t helped) Football is a game where everyone has to do their job. It takes ten players to get one man free to make the sack. If he misses, then no sack. Earlier in the season we saw more sacks and rushes because everyone was doing their jobs. Now everyone is trying but not winning their battles.
Good observation, RT