USC’s defense has overachieved, but is it sustainable?
The Trojans are first nationally in turnover margin with an 8-0 mark and third in sacks (4.5 per game), but that doesn’t disguise areas where the defense still needs to improve
Adam Grosbard (OC Register) — LOS ANGELES — Entering the season, USC’s defense was the prevailing question for the team in Lincoln Riley’s first season. Everyone knew the offense was going to score plenty of points, but would a patchwork defense be able to hold up its end of the bargain?
Through two games, we’ve seen the beginnings of an answer, and it’s allowed the 2-0 Trojans to ascend to No. 7 in the latest APpoll.
USC is first nationally in turnover margin with an 8-0 mark. The Trojans are third nationally in sacks with 4.5 per game and fifth in tackles for loss at 10 per game.
These are the types of categories that coaches, especially USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, focus on to determine how successful a defense is. But while this performance has been a pleasant surprise, it doesn’t disguise areas where this unit still needs to improve.
“I’ve caught myself talking to Coach Riley in particular, saying, ‘To our standard – ok, what is our standard?’” Grinch wondered out loud after practice Wednesday. “We’re trying to establish that. The brand of USC determines by and large what that standard is and it’s a lot higher than what we’ve done so far. So you attack that.”
The area of greatest concern for USC is how opponents have been able to move the ball. The Trojans are allowing 360.5 yards per game, 72nd nationally in the statistic. That drops to 106th when you only look at rushing yards allowed per contest.
This is an area where Grinch is still looking for answers. He and his staff consider whether mistakes are mental errors or missed assignments or miscommunications on the field.
“It’s unacceptable, it’s not good enough and we know that. It’s something that we continue to evaluate,” he said. “It leads to points which in the end puts us in a situation where the offense needs to score more.”
Where USC takes some degree of comfort is that it only allows 21 points per game.
“The thing is, yards don’t mean points,” linebacker Shane Lee said. “Our goal is definitely to eliminate the yards that they get, but they’re not scoring. We gotta pride ourselves on not breaking.”
One reason for this has been USC’s propensity for turnovers, especially in the red zone. There was Calen Bullock’s interception at the 8-yard line against Rice, Mekhi Blackmon’s (6) end zone interception against Stanford and Max Williams’ forced fumble against the Cardinal.
Some of those turnovers have been a product of luck; tipped passes by receivers that landed in defensive backs’ hands. This raises the question of whether this current level of production is sustainable for the USC defense.
“We take the approach that the ball has no idea it’s supposed to go from the quarterback to the receiver,” Grinch said. “So the messaging is 100% we control it, 100% of the time.”
When asked directly if he thought USC could continue with this level of forced turnovers, “Tell me why we can’t. You gotta think that way. You’re not a passive member of the game of football, you’re an active member. So we choose to have that approach, that it’s controllable.”
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New 2023 DL commit Sam Green’s eval on 247Sports.com (projected as Power 5 starter) Brian Dohn — “Has verified size and with plus length. Twitchy interior DL prospect with burst and ability to play with low center of gravity. Plays zero to 5-technique regularly at St. Frances. Has a sub 4.9 40 and sub 1.8 10-yard during St. Frances pro day. Productive player who is disruptive in middle of defense. Had 11 1/2 sacks as JR. Faces high-level competition on weekly basis. Showed power and strong get-off during in-person evaluation. Has plus change of direction. Quickness makes him difficult to… Read more »
As expected, explosive three-star 2023 DL Sam Greene Commits to USC over PSU, A&M and BC “The 6-foot-1, 260-pound Greene, from Balt St Frances, MD, was offered by the Trojans on Aug. 25, and he told 247Sports right after it that USC was his “dream school.” He is now heading to play for Lincoln Riley’s rejuvenated program.” Green — “I’m going to USC because of the love they show, just the lifestyle being in Southern California is beautiful and the coaching staff really cares about the players on and off the field. They show a lot of love and I… Read more »
The turnover well is one that will inevitably run dry. The Defense must get much better at 3 and outs. They’re giving up way too many yards, which will translate into points as soon as we hit a turnover dry spell.
I would think these coaches USC has are considering just that. I do see hope in the D line, Tuli plays well and gets doubled every down, Benton has been a big surprise, Figueroa plays well and Solomon Byrd is stepping up big time. We just need the edge guys to really push it, Height needs to get healthy, and Foreman knows what he needs to do, now he just needs to do it. I can see Taleni coming on also. So as turnovers dissipate the run stopping should get better. If not then we lose some games because of… Read more »
Former USC water polo coach wins new trial in Varsity Blues scandal
“U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston said a prosecutor misstated the law by arguing during closing arguments that jurors could convict Jovan Vavic based solely on a misrepresentation and professional benefits he gained from bringing in money and nothing more.
“And, however distasteful, there is nothing inherently illegal about a private institution accepting money in exchange for a student’s admission,” Talwani said.
Vavic refused to plea to any deal because the prosecutors insisted on a stiffer sentence for him. So he lost in court, and now gets a new trial, and maybe a lighter plea offer if the prosecution wants to try him again.
Lincoln Riley and the Transfer Portal to the Rescue!
Colin Cowherd — “The only team in America in college football, the only one, to have its leader in passing be from the transfer portal, rushing, receiving, interceptions, tackles and pressures — every single individual that leads USC in any category of note, came from the transfer portal. And 40% of their starters are from the transfer portal.”
I am convinced that without the transfer portal, the rebuild of SC to a top 10 team would have taken a minimum of three years. The Cat left the SC roster in that bad a condition. The only position group that was well stocked when LR arrived was the OL (interestingly). Every other position need to be restocked with talent, which LR did an excellent job at every position but DL. So far, the best DL that LR brought in was Byrd from I think Wyoming. Height might work out, but he has been hurt. It is hard to imagine… Read more »
LR Played the Transfer Portal Like a Fiddle He said during his Herd interview that what has surprised him the most with his fantastic accumulation of talent was the new “culture” (there’s that word again) that has been established at SC so quickly. Trying to mix all these markedly different levels of new talent together under such immense time pressure to both evaluate and convince desired players to come, has been accomplished by the tremendous “buy-in” to USC football under LR. So LR’s success has surprised even LR in this regard. He just seems to take no prisoners time and… Read more »
Riley nails it. Better football through chemistry, team chemistry. He is taking USC to the promised land with either recruits or portal. Great interview.
The turnover ratio is a pleasant surprise for sure and the goal line defense has been top notch. If I have a complaint it would be very hard to frame, because the defense has been doing their job. Points given to Stanford by the refs should not be counted against this defense. I wonder if Riley feels the same way. The pass interference calls he characterized as textbook pass defense. I see that as his way of saying the flags were bogus. Once he’s been in the PAC 12 for a while, I think the gloves might come off.
I will say this over and over till I am proven wrong, this defense will get better and better with each game. They saw and learned a lot from Rice and Furd. They will be ready for Fresno. How do you beat a good QB, coverage and pressure. Haener will not have time to get his throws.
I think you are right GT. Look at who they practice against. USCs offense is scary good and as the saying goes, iron sharpens iron. I don’t think the coaches will allow stagnation on the defense. I expect to some juice out of some of the lemons Helton recruited. Right now they are lulling other teams into complacency by showing “ barely good enough,” but that will change with time.
These are the types of categories that coaches, especially USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, focus on to determine how successful a defense is. But while this performance has been a pleasant surprise, it doesn’t disguise areas where this unit still needs to improve.
One reason for this has been USC’s propensity for turnovers, especially in the red zone. There was Calen Bullock’s interception at the 8-yard line against Rice, Mekhi Blackmon’s (6) end zone interception against Stanford and Max Williams’ forced fumble against the Cardinal.
New 2023 DL commit Sam Green’s eval on 247Sports.com (projected as Power 5 starter) Brian Dohn — “Has verified size and with plus length. Twitchy interior DL prospect with burst and ability to play with low center of gravity. Plays zero to 5-technique regularly at St. Frances. Has a sub 4.9 40 and sub 1.8 10-yard during St. Frances pro day. Productive player who is disruptive in middle of defense. Had 11 1/2 sacks as JR. Faces high-level competition on weekly basis. Showed power and strong get-off during in-person evaluation. Has plus change of direction. Quickness makes him difficult to… Read more »
As expected, explosive three-star 2023 DL Sam Greene Commits to USC over PSU, A&M and BC “The 6-foot-1, 260-pound Greene, from Balt St Frances, MD, was offered by the Trojans on Aug. 25, and he told 247Sports right after it that USC was his “dream school.” He is now heading to play for Lincoln Riley’s rejuvenated program.” Green — “I’m going to USC because of the love they show, just the lifestyle being in Southern California is beautiful and the coaching staff really cares about the players on and off the field. They show a lot of love and I… Read more »
The turnover well is one that will inevitably run dry. The Defense must get much better at 3 and outs. They’re giving up way too many yards, which will translate into points as soon as we hit a turnover dry spell.
The only questions are: When will the turnover strike occur? How severe will it be? Who will get the next one?
I think I, like you, enjoy seeing the defense score off of turnovers. It takes the wind out of the other teams sails so quickly.
How about either Nov 5th or 11th and for one game only. And I’ll take Shane Lee on a blitz sack, scoop and score to end the drought.
I would think these coaches USC has are considering just that. I do see hope in the D line, Tuli plays well and gets doubled every down, Benton has been a big surprise, Figueroa plays well and Solomon Byrd is stepping up big time. We just need the edge guys to really push it, Height needs to get healthy, and Foreman knows what he needs to do, now he just needs to do it. I can see Taleni coming on also. So as turnovers dissipate the run stopping should get better. If not then we lose some games because of… Read more »
Former USC water polo coach wins new trial in Varsity Blues scandal
“U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston said a prosecutor misstated the law by arguing during closing arguments that jurors could convict Jovan Vavic based solely on a misrepresentation and professional benefits he gained from bringing in money and nothing more.
“And, however distasteful, there is nothing inherently illegal about a private institution accepting money in exchange for a student’s admission,” Talwani said.
reuters.com
I thought it from the very beginning, why did it ever go to trial?
Vavic refused to plea to any deal because the prosecutors insisted on a stiffer sentence for him. So he lost in court, and now gets a new trial, and maybe a lighter plea offer if the prosecution wants to try him again.
Lincoln Riley and the Transfer Portal to the Rescue!
Colin Cowherd — “The only team in America in college football, the only one, to have its leader in passing be from the transfer portal, rushing, receiving, interceptions, tackles and pressures — every single individual that leads USC in any category of note, came from the transfer portal. And 40% of their starters are from the transfer portal.”
I am convinced that without the transfer portal, the rebuild of SC to a top 10 team would have taken a minimum of three years. The Cat left the SC roster in that bad a condition. The only position group that was well stocked when LR arrived was the OL (interestingly). Every other position need to be restocked with talent, which LR did an excellent job at every position but DL. So far, the best DL that LR brought in was Byrd from I think Wyoming. Height might work out, but he has been hurt. It is hard to imagine… Read more »
LR Played the Transfer Portal Like a Fiddle He said during his Herd interview that what has surprised him the most with his fantastic accumulation of talent was the new “culture” (there’s that word again) that has been established at SC so quickly. Trying to mix all these markedly different levels of new talent together under such immense time pressure to both evaluate and convince desired players to come, has been accomplished by the tremendous “buy-in” to USC football under LR. So LR’s success has surprised even LR in this regard. He just seems to take no prisoners time and… Read more »
Lincoln Riley joins Colin Cowherd on The Herd at 11:40 PT this morning.
Riley nails it. Better football through chemistry, team chemistry. He is taking USC to the promised land with either recruits or portal. Great interview.
The turnover ratio is a pleasant surprise for sure and the goal line defense has been top notch. If I have a complaint it would be very hard to frame, because the defense has been doing their job. Points given to Stanford by the refs should not be counted against this defense. I wonder if Riley feels the same way. The pass interference calls he characterized as textbook pass defense. I see that as his way of saying the flags were bogus. Once he’s been in the PAC 12 for a while, I think the gloves might come off.
USC receives commitment from 4-star 2024 TE Joey Olsen (6-5, 200) on Wednesday.
Olsen picked USC over offers from TENN, ORE, UTAH, PSU, WSU and UW, among others.
Looking at his family where does he get his height?
I will say this over and over till I am proven wrong, this defense will get better and better with each game. They saw and learned a lot from Rice and Furd. They will be ready for Fresno. How do you beat a good QB, coverage and pressure. Haener will not have time to get his throws.
I think you are right GT. Look at who they practice against. USCs offense is scary good and as the saying goes, iron sharpens iron. I don’t think the coaches will allow stagnation on the defense. I expect to some juice out of some of the lemons Helton recruited. Right now they are lulling other teams into complacency by showing “ barely good enough,” but that will change with time.
Georgia Southern?
Every dog has his day. At least GS was not #1.