USC eager to atone for defensive lapses with a stingy Cotton Bowl performance
Thuc Nhi Nguyen (LA Times) — Three weeks later, it all still haunts Alex Grinch. The missed tackles, the dropped interceptions, the blown lead.
The defensive collapse against Utah that cost USC a Pac-12 championship and its spot in the College Football Playoff is still fresh in the defensive coordinator’s mind.
“We didn’t finish,” Grinch said Thursday after practice. “And we haven’t done that for 13 games, by and large. It didn’t hurt us in 11 of them and it hurt us in two and that’s why we’re not champions right now. So it’s really disappointing and sometimes you gotta lose a game to maybe land the message but man, championship ball games, you don’t get a lot of those opportunities.”
The Trojans get a chance to atone for their defensive sins by finishing their season on a positive note against Tulane in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 2.
The New Year’s Six bowl — the program’s first since 2017 — feels like an insignificant consolation prize to what USC nearly accomplished. Had they avenged their regular-season loss to Utah with a conference championship, the Trojans would have been in the Playoff. The offense, led by Heisman-winning quarterback Caleb Williams, had the firepower to carry them there. But the defense lagged, putting extra emphasis on the bowl game for a unit that has something to prove.
“People feel like we’re overrated, I would say,” safety Calen Bullock said, “so we’re just trying to go out there and show the world what we’re capable of and finishing.”
Opponents outscored the Trojans 130-128 in the fourth quarter this year, the only period in which USC did not have a scoring advantage. Utah won the fourth quarter 38-14 in its two victories over USC, including a 23-7 advantage in the Pac-12 championship game that turned a three-point game with 10:52 remaining into a blowout.
Alex Grinch watches from the sideline during a Nov. 5 win over CAL. (Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Utah capitalized on 24 USC missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. The failed tackles turned into long touchdowns for the Utes, who scored on plays of 60, 53 and 23 yards in the fourth quarter. Bullock missed a touchdown-saving tackle that would have kept USC within three points when tight end Thomas Yassmin shrugged the sophomore safety off at the 13-yard line and crushed the momentum from USC’s comeback attempt.
Like Grinch, Bullock said he is still frustrated by the team’s inability to finish the critical game down the stretch. A year after the coaching change, there’s no number of pep talks or drills that can save the Trojans from the blown tackles. It’s just up to players to execute.
“A lot of it is mentality and want-to as opposed to just technique,” Grinch said. “If we use great technique, so they just fall down for us? No, it doesn’t work that way. You gotta be dialed into it and you gotta want to get him on the ground.”
In following head coach Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma, Grinch was tasked with saving a defense that set school records for futility in points allowed (31.8 per game) and yards allowed (6.5 per play). He coached the Pac-12 defensive player of the year with Tuli Tuipulotu, but USC’s defensive performance only improved slightly to 27.9 points allowed and 6.3 yards allowed per play.
“It’s a good stepping stone for where we need to go,” defensive lineman Nick Figueroa said. “It’s a process. Stuff’s not going to happen overnight but there’s been a lot of progress and sometimes maybe it doesn’t always manifest on the field … but I know that we’re in the position we want to be moving forward.”
Grinch is familiar with trying to rebuild a unit in shambles. When he took over at Oklahoma, the Sooners were ranked 101st in the country in scoring defense, allowing 33.3 points per game. During Grinch’s first year, they improved to 27.3 points allowed per game. At Washington State, he took a Cougar defense from 38.6 points allowed to 27.7 in his first season.
But the immediate improvement rarely continued enough to make the leap into the nation’s elite. At 21.7 points allowed, the 2020 Sooners are the only one of Grinch’s defenses to give up less than 25 points per game for a whole season. No team in the past two years has made the Playoff allowing more than 25 points per game.
latimes.com
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Nathaniel Hackett was fired after the Broncos lost to the L. A. Rams. To show how little I pay attention to pro football, I didn’t know Paul Hackett had a son who was a coach. I guess the son couldn’t hack it either.
“It’s been a tough week for the Trojans regarding trench recruiting, recently losing recruiting battles for the No. 2 transfer OT Dillon Wade to AUB and the No. 1 transfer DT Braden Fiske to FSU. The defensive line remains a priority for the Trojans to address for next season out of the portal.
“USC football is back on the recruiting grind after Christmas with an offer to TEXAS ST transfer DL Davon Sears Jr. (6-2, 290) on Monday. Sears Jr., a redshirt soph, has picked up offers from OU, MIA, KSU, CIN and MARSH since entering the portal…”
Chris Trevino/247Sports.com
yes, agreed with all of the above, with one very important footnote: Caleb pulled a hamstring [ he was still better than 80% of all college QB’s] which negatively affected the confidence of the entire team.
Fiske chose FSU. We have had some big targets choose other spots. There will be more in the portal. Hoping we can add to our DLine with another transfer.
It just seems USC is in left field with this portal recruiting. EVERYONE in college football knows players are looking for financial incentive except the administration at USC. If USC is taking the moral high road, they appear spineless to the rest of the power five.
There is an obituary for the Rose Bowl in today’s paper. I don’t really think it’s the last Big 10 Pac12 showdown but they might get farther apart than they are now
Big Playmaker Talanoa Hufanga Makes 2023 Pro Bowl Roster 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga has been voted into the 2023 Pro Bowl Games. Hufanga has now earned his first-ever Pro Bowl selection. In 14 games, the safety has 75 tackles, eight passes defended, 2.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and four interceptions, one of which he returned 52 yards for a touchdown. “I love the physicality that he brings,” defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans said. “He’s a fun, exciting player to watch because you know he’s going to bring it every single play. In some type of way, he’s going to be around the ball,… Read more »
JuJu Smith Schuster arrived at his game dressed as a defensive coordinator (The Grinch) they showed him on CBS last night. I guess it worked the Chiefs won.
Merry Christmas and happy day before the bowl game to all.
Merry Christmas Morning TDBers! Happy New Year too! 🎅
Giants Fans I know having some warm thoughts directed in the direction of Mr. Sam Darnold tonight . And if ….. IF Arizona Cardinals defeat Tampa Bay Sunday night next weeks game Carolina vs Tampa Bay could be very interesting .
Sam Darnold Has a Big Day
“The fifth-year QB had his best performance of the season against what was a hot Lions defense. He completed 15 of his 22 throws for a season-high 250 yds, a TD and a 121.4 passer rating—the highest of his Panthers career.
“Heck, he even did a little work on the ground—collecting a 13-yd run and a 3-yd TD run in the first quarter. But, most importantly, he went a fourth straight start without throwing an interception—something he’s done only once before…”
https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/lists/takeaways-panthers-lions-sam-darnold-jaycee-horn-week-16/
I’m happy for Sam. Getting drafted by the NY Jets has been a kiss of death for the past decade plus. Fellow Trojans Mark Sanchez and Leonard Williams were also drafted by the Jets and ended up leaving the team. I’m glad Darnold went to Carolina and now that Mayfield is gone, the starting QB job is Sam’s. Fight On Sam!
Pat Narduzzi went after USC and Lincoln Riley; now he’s going after Utah on NIL PITT HC Pat Narduzzi used part of his NSD press conference on Wednesday to accuse the UTAH of tampering with a recruit who had been verbally committed to the Panthers, but later flipped to the Utes. Narduzzi’s accusation centered on three-star WR Daidren Zipperer, who committed to the Panthers on Sept. 24 and visited UTAH a week later. Zipperer decommitted from PITT on Oct. 24, then committed to the Utes on Halloween. “Shoot, I’ll just say it,” Narduzzi said. “We lost one to UTAH that was… Read more »
No kidding! This guy is really a piece of work. Every school competing for major talent lost kids because of NIL. I think SC probably lost at least 5 (maybe more).
PN needs to get out of the business. He is no longer cut out for it.
Merry Christmas y’all! This time one year ago our new coach was my best Christmas present. But the fun of last year’s present is still giving joy to me! Y’all feel the same?😎
Merry Christmas!
Yes, I feel so confident in Riley that I have not concerned myself with portal players (coming or going) or even which freshman who signed with us. That is definitely a change from the previous 5 years.
For me, Grinch gets a pass for 2022. His defense was really bad sometimes, but so were USC’s players, who just couldn’t make enough plays that better, more athletic players would make. My coaches were never responsible for me making tackles, or being in position to defend throws. I was. I did the laps through “the gully” after practice if necessary to prove it.
Lincoln Riley — “Just like every university is different, every family is different. Everybody’s priorities are different. Who am I to sit up here and say this is our correct priority and this is incorrect? There’s no judgment on it. Everybody’s got their priorities at the end of the day. We’re looking for people whose priorities align with USC’s priorities, and USC’s priorities are going to be put the team first. It’s going to be about the university, the education first. NIL is going to be a part of it here and a tremendous opportunity, but it’s never going to… Read more »
Merry Christmas from Frisco, TX. This is a very clear statement as to how LR views NIL and it sounds very clear that “pay for play” NIL will not be part of the formula, particularly for true frosh. I think he is correct. But, as he notes, time will tell. I expect that SC will be forced to put together a Texas Tech or Texas type NIL, where everyone on the team or in a particular unit gets a set amount. For Tech, it is $25,000 per player on the roster. Texas every OL on the team gets $50,000. I… Read more »
So now Slovis is on his third team as he is now a BYU Cougar. JT Daniels is on his fourth. I hope they both get the most out of their college careers because neither is going to be drafted.
so the question is was neither of them ever talented enough? Or are they both suffering from the curse of Helton coaching?
I think any kid that played under Helton at USC has a ghost of Clay Helton hanging over him, some more than others. Daniels I believe has some talent but cannot handle a rush, Slovis is just not a leader that a team will rally around. Both will do okay at their new locations but neither will go nfl unless it is UFA and get on practice squads. They may have a shot in Canada though.
Last year at PITT Slovis completed just 58.4% of his throws for 10 TDs and nine picks.
Utah I agree with your sentiments. The tragedy here is the combination of Helton & USC was pure poison to football players coming here to play. We have gone over Helton’s attitude, ability & philosophy countless times so there is no reason to do so again. And USC football, even though it was still in the vapors of the sanctions, was still a name on the West Coast attracting a share of talent. Players coming in here during that time were actually putting themselves in risk physically as well as their career dreams. Yes, we want to see JT, Slovis… Read more »
If any staff members leave USC football before next season, who do you think he/they will be?
Since I am only hearing about our receivers coach so far I will go with him.
I don’t want to be the grim reaper here, but the ghost of Christmas present sees an empty office where Donte Williams sits today. I kinda feel the staff has been told the same thing recruits are hearing; “stay with us or watch us go by.”
I actually forgot about Donte. He will be gone soon.
Remember when Donte was god’s gift to the USC asst coaches? Barely.
Now I wonder if he actually does anything.
wonderlic tee martin–remember him?
Now the WR coach of the Balt Ravens
I am still not completely sold on Grinch because even though the talent was not up to par as the offense and we knew this, But under his guidance the tackling and ability to stay in their assignments were a problem throughout the season. I just don’t feel he didn’t get all the abilities from his players. I know he and LR are tight so I would be surprised if he was let go. But he should be watched & graded for improvement in all areas of defense this next season. And Donte Williams should be seriously looked at. Yes… Read more »
I look back at what USC has had for D coordinators and I just can’t see how people are upset at Grinch. We went through mr. Skinny Jeans, Clancy Pendergast, and Orlando. It has been a long time coming but we have a guy that takes the heat, makes no excuses, and works to get a defense that will work with what he has to work with. Grinch isn’t that bad, and I don’t think there is a DC out there that could have done much better. When he has a team with a lot of talent and can’t defend… Read more »
After watching in disbelief how a game could turn around so quickly due to poor execution on the defensive side. It’s taken me awhile to get to posting here after being so disappointed. OK so we have one more game left and I am a bit nervous about it. This is another classic case of one team being thrilled to be here and wants a chance to prove they belong. And the other team being very disappointed not getting into the playoff and playing a team that doesn’t impress you. If the game is close after halftime Ibwill get very… Read more »
I agree regarding finishing games and our Defense. I am very proud of the job that Riley has done his first year and his accomplishments. He took the transfer portal by storm. I’m starting to see some depth returning to the offensive line with recruits. However the biggest line in the sand is in order to win championships you have to get 5 star recruits to stay home. We get skilled position players at QB, RB, WR, CB, S. And know we are starting to get Offensive Linemen. Where we lack is in the trenches DL, LB, and Edge. Play… Read more »
Fighton, I will disagree a bit. I agree we lack talent and depth on D. It will improve this year. Especially if Tackett Curtis is as good as he seems. He is the best D talent we have brought in since Hufanga. I also think Cobb from OK. State will help a lot; in fact, I expect him to start over Lee. Lee will play a lot, but I think Cobb is better, and I think Tackett is a potential AA at LB. Cobb may be the same level. Where I disagree is on recruiting. SC and LR have clearly… Read more »
I agree with as far as A&M and Oregon goes in pay for play. I’m saying that our depth in the trenches DL, LB, and Edge is the reason we gave up 21 points and over this year, and that we have to keep home grown high level defensive recruits in our own back yard, and not let them slip through to places like Oregon. Those are crucial positions that are the difference between winning and loosing championships, and we lack depth in those areas.
We knew at the start of the season the defense did not have much depth. Without depth you fade in the fourth quarter. Without depth you are gassed after 2 hard games and you have to play a 3rd all within 13 days. Hoping the defense continues to develop the depth needed to win championships. With all the rest, the defense should be able to handle Tulane if the motivation is there. Never know with bowl games who shows up to play hard.
Willing to give Grinch another year, but not happy with year one. The D still has horrible technique and is worn out halfway through the third quarter. There is no excuse for that.
min the conference championship game I don’t think you can say we didn’t finish because we didn’t do much of anything from halfway through the second half to the end of the game. Is there a term for not doing anything in the middle of the game?
Agree, Grinch should have at least another year for he did inherit a bad defense from the previous year. And the reason for the playoff loss was the Caleb hamstring injury.
He was playing on one leg.
It seems this year the defensive recruiting has gotten some good players.
And fill in the holes with the transfer portal.
Without the transfer portal it would take USC years to get where they are now.
Need the players also.
Utah, We had little talent and no depth at LB and were a little better off, but not much, on the DL. The national media take on the 2021 team is that it was a front 7 on D away from the playoffs. I think that was correct. I could have added a Caleb hamstring pull away from the playoffs. Hell, we went 11-1 during the regular season and beat very solid ND and UCLA teams back to back. We played one of the toughest schedules in the nation. We played three bowls teams and two top 25 teams in… Read more »
Agree on the depth and talent. But I cannot ignore 24 missed tackles in the championship game and 3 long plays for touchdowns in the 4th alone.
I said he deserves another year, not sure how long you are willing to give him.
Perhaps I am incorrect in my view, but I view SC as one organic (not mechanical) unit and the defense as part of that unit. The issue to me to how the HC wishes to run the unit as whole and then how those units fit into that whole. You cannot “plug and play” with a football team like you can say a car. LR is an elite HC, one of the best in the country. We are not going to get anyone better than him. LR decides what he wants from his DC. I do not think you can… Read more »
Absolutely right about it being LR’s choice on his DC. Doesn’t mean fan’s can’t complain about it. But it is also why I keep saying he should have one more year. If we have another year of consistently poor tackling and angles and the defense being the primary reason we lose or barely hang on are you still going to be happily backing him? How many years do you give him? I will also be the first to say that the PAC refs called way too many targeting penalties against USC and they were all overturned, but those calls were… Read more »
Agree with you man. No matter the talent factor, Tackling is the biggest basic on the defensive side. You could have nothing but 4 & 5 star talent on your defense but if they can’t tackle, you have got nothing and I mean nothing. There was little if any improvement in that area this season. You stay in your assignment responsibility and you get the ball carrier down. Our defense could not do that. If our depth was the reason our defense got tired in the 4th quarter, especially this last game, then that is a legitimate excuse. But the… Read more »
I agree on taking the 11-1 anytime, anywhere. I predicted 9-3 almost a year ago and SC bettered my expectations. I’ve been one to be hard on Grinch this season but have backed off and will give him another year to improve. While missed tackles seem to still be an issue, I did see some improvement this year with the stupid penalties that we had under Pendergast and Orlando.