USC defense went ‘back to day one’ during bye week
Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn drilled the basics to help the Trojans realign after a loss to Illinois in which they struggled against the run and the pass
USC DE Braylan Shelby and the Trojans spent their bye week trying to reset after a poor defensive showing in a road loss to ILL. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Haley Sawyer (OC Register) — LOS ANGELES — The USC defense went back to basics during the bye week that followed their road loss to Illinois.
“It was good to get a lot of guys reps in different spots and, really, just take it back to day one,” defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn told reporters. “Like, day one install stuff. Basic technique, fundamentals, tackling, getting off blocks, man coverage, leverage, just small things like that.”
The Trojans had their worst defensive performance of the season against the Illini and gave up season-highs in both passing and rushing yards.
The challenges will only continue this weekend when USC (4-1 overall, 2-1 Big Ten) hosts No. 15 Michigan (4-1, 2-0) at the Coliseum. The Wolverines have the 13th-best rushing offense in the nation at 237.8 yards per game and running back Justice Haynes is the No. 4 running back in the country with 654 total yards.
Lynn isn’t looking over the passing offense, either, which is led by freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood and his 200.6 yards per game.
“It reminds you of an NFL team,” Lynn said. “It’s a complete offense. They can beat you in the air, they can beat you with their interior run game. They could beat you on the edge. You kind of have to defend everything, but it starts up front.”
USC has the ability to use different looks up front on defense, varying the number of linebackers and defensive linemen deployed. Versatility could serve the Trojans well, and so will the recent emphasis on fundamentals.
“Striking, handwork, gap integrity,” defensive end Braylan Shelby told reporters. “All the little, smaller details that you can kind of bear weight with as you keep scheming against other teams. Things that you might lose track of. We kind of just brought it back to day one, slowed everything down.”
Shelby leads the team in sacks with 3½ for a loss of 15 yards and has an additional five tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries, but he only recorded two total tackles against Illinois.
Head coach Lincoln Riley told reporters on Tuesday that finding ways to impact opposing running backs and quarterbacks was on the agenda for the bye week, as well.
“There’s a laundry list of things that you lay out for every group when you get to one of these bye weeks,” Riley said. “We want to be able to close that space in the run game. We want to be able to affect the passer, whether that’s sacks or that’s hits or impacting the pocket. And we want to be able to rotate guys and do it consistently.”
In addition to fundamentals and starting fast, the defensive front is falling back on Lynn’s three pillars: Communication, effort and shocking attack.
“Those are the main things,” Shelby said. “It’ll get you through the down, playing good football, and you get a good result after all of those. If everybody’s on the same page, no matter what play we run, we’re gonna eat straight.”
The coaching staff is also keeping the team energized, showing them video clips and choosing a song of the week.
“Music, definitely,” cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson said. “The song of the week right now – I ain’t gonna say what it is – but Coach definitely got us riled up with that, so I’ll say that. Whatever he did, it worked.”
TrojanDailyBlog members — We always encourage you to add factual information, insight, divergent opinions, or new topics to the TDBthat don’t necessarily pertain to any particular moderator post or member comment.
SUBSCRIBE HERE TO RECEIVE NOTICE OF NEW COMMENTS OR REPLIES.
Great win. Fantastic play on the line of scrimmage. King miller is a great story.
And no one wants to hear it, but after seeing the game tonight, I have to believe that a lot of guys on defense were sick for the Illinois game.
I don;t see it that way. We have an explosive offense, but this is a very good Michigan team, and they will run the ball and limit possessions. This is the probably the biggest game for Riley at USC, and I would be thrilled with a one point win. The people predicting an easy win today were saying the same thing about the Illinois game.
All this prison talk about Mark Sanchez makes me wonder if there’s a prison guard football team looking for a coach. (Think longest yard).
From what I have read (and I can be wrong) the grease guy brought the weapons and said he stabbed Sanchez. I just can’t imagine a fight where one pulled a knife (and pepper spray according to some reports) being a felony for the unarmed person even if the unarmed guy started it.
I think it’s the video that’s overwhelmingly killing the 6-foot-2, 230 pound Sanchez. The 69-yr old (who’s apparently something like 5-8, 170) was trying to get away from Sanchez who kept aggressively pursuing him around his truck for a parking spot he didn’t need in an alley at midnight. When was the last time you saw a mismatch like that? People would be begging for the big guy to stop. Think 6-4 George Kennedy vs 5-9 Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke. The elderly little guy victim was basically defenseless without his weapons vs a big, angry guy like Sanchez.… Read more »
I really like how Jaxson Dart plays. He may yet resurrect the moribund Giants. And watching him and Scattebo in the same backfield is fun. Scattebo is definitely a “blue-collar” Giants type of player.
Great question. Probably, but he made the right decision given the circumstances. No way was Caleb going to sit. As far as QB development and preparation for NFL, I think Kiffin and Riley are about equal. Same as offensive minds go. But as an overall HC, Kiffin is superior and I’d trade him for Riley any day.
Jaxson Dart is already playing better for the crappy Giants in his first year than Caleb Williams ever did last year for the Bears. Many would say Dart was vastly more prepared for the NFL because of Kiffin’s coaching than Williams was under Riley. Williams overtly over-rode Riley’s play-calling during the 2023 season with his hero ball leadership which resulted in USC losing five of its last six reg season games. Only in year two and under the new coaching of Ben Johnson is Caleb finally showing he can adjust to the NFL and win. Johnson is a QB expert… Read more »
Hmm, then is it more of a comparison of the coachability of Williams vs Dart than the coaching of LR vs LK? I.e., how would Dart have done under LR, and how would Williams have done under LK? Very fun to ponder.
Ben Johnson is finally doing what Lincoln Riley couldn’t do, which is get Caleb to play within his system. So obviously, Caleb is coachable. It’s just ironic that Jaxson Dart fled USC to give himself a nenewed shot at starting, and also gave himself a better chance at NFL success because Lane Kiffin is also a great QB coach who has already coached in the NFL. LR’s only previous experience was much more limited at OU, which obviously didn’t prepare him very well for the challenges posed by USC, especially in the B1G. Kiffin is 49-18 at 5-0 OLE MISS… Read more »
Michigan is ranked but is a 2.5 point dog on the road. It’s an upset if who wins? Seems tough to win on the road in college football except for the elites.
The best I can see USC finishing this year is 9-3. I don’t see them beating Oregon. A win at ND is possible….not probable.9-3 is ideal. The actual will probably around 8-4 with a loss to Nebraska or Iowa. I do think LR will be back next year. Too much left on his contract. If we lose more games this year because of that weak defense and he doesn’t make some changes in the defensive coaching staff, then he’ll be gone after next year. I wonder how much Cohen and Chad Bowden have to say about making changes to the… Read more »
The latest on Mark Sanchez after former QB pleads not guilty, alleged victim released from hospital Jack Baer (Yahoo Sports) — One of the most bizarre stories of the year has continued to unfold this week, as potential repercussions mount for former NFL QB Mark Sanchez after an incident that saw him stabbed multiple times, then criminally charged in Indianapolis. The allegations against Sanchez revolve around an incident in which police claim he confronted a truck driver on the job, became aggressive and then got pepper-sprayed and stabbed after things got physical, with the victim saying Sanchez smelled of alcohol.… Read more »
Let me try again. Sanchez won the lottery. Great athlete, good looking( according to the ladies) well spoken. He was a bust in the NFL, but got paid millions, and parlayed that into a great job analyzing NFL games, and was well compensated for it. And then he gets drunk, breaks the law, and throws it all away?
All I can say is what the hell happened?
If by some remote chance Sanchez’s toxicology report leads to any conclusions that he was actually slipped a mickey that caused him to become violent and dangerous, this could mushroom into a tragic story that’s even more bizarre, sad and ridiculous, if possible.
At this point, I just hope both men regain their health and top functioning ability. So much was lost by both parties in a brief spec of time.
While I feel badly for the 69-yr old victim, who was just doing his late night job, I hope Mark S somehow finds a way out of this horrible downturn in his life.
Sanchez’s bizarre pre-assault alleged late night wind-sprinting won’t likely help him much absent legitimate, formidable, exculpatory facts because of the severity of the poor victim’s injuries.
Imagine being Sanchez and waking up every day now. Never-ending nightmare.
Sanchez received some good news today…..the judge assigned his case is one of the few Indiana judges known for being shall we say…..a bit left of center.
Sanchez is gonna need all he help he can get. So good for him. It’s just so weird for me to think of him as the actual guy involved here, someone I’ve seen dozens of time on TV as a normal person. None of it makes any sense. You can say he just got way too drunk and literally lost his mind. But really? What the heck happened here that extensive film footage can’t explain? How about Sanchez’s supposed running of wind sprints in bar room dress at midnight before this all happened? There’s a lot of questions which I… Read more »
College Football Week 7 oddly specific predictions: Oregon survives a scare from Indiana Manny Navarro (The Athletic) — USC’s Makai Lemon has arguably been the Big Ten’s best receiver this season. He leads the league in receiving yards (589) and is tied with Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith for the lead in catches (35). Michigan’s secondary isn’t bad, but the Wolverines rank 11th in the Big Ten in passing yards allowed. Since joining the league, USC has gone 4-1 at home against the league’s non-West Coast schools. Lemon has a big day (seven-plus catches, 150-plus receiving yards, one TD) as… Read more »
I think this game really comes down to- will the real USC defensive line please stand up? The one that led the nation in sacks and did pretty well vs. the run thru 4 games? Or the one that got blown off the ball consistently and couldn’t pressure the QB vs. Illinois? I guess we find out Saturday.
2026 USC commits attending Michigan game Scott Schrader (WeAreSC) — The jewel of the 2026 class is five-star, top-rated tight end Mark Bowman, and he will be joined by his Colorado youth football teammates Kannon Smith and Breck Kolojay. Kolojay’s IMG Academy teammate and Rivals Industry Rankings five-star offensive lineman Keenyi Pepe will also be in attendance for the Michigan game. Four-star USC wide receiver commit Boobie Feaster is back for his first game of the 2025 season, and the DeSoto (Texas) High playmaker looks to be locked in with the Trojans. Among the list of other USC commits heading back to the Coliseum in two days are quarterback… Read more »
The #3 Scoring Offense, USC, against the #18 Total Defense, Michigan. The #50 Scoring Offense, Michigan, against the #68 Total Defense, USC. In Power 4 play, each with 3, USC averages 36 points, Michigan 22.This is by far the toughest defense USC has faced and Michigan has faced much tougher. 31-28, this time USC gets the winning FG. Sorry parcelman007 a kicker is the hero!
The egregious problem with any of these “comparable stats” is obviously that USC played a lot of cupcakes, something I’m not in favor of because they disguise weaknesses until you’ve suddenly lost a game. MICH has already been to OU and NEB so far this season and hasn’t faced a team with a losing record. I’ll be looking to see how “tough” USC plays the Wolverines and what we look like in the red zone. A lack of overall toughness has plagued USC under both Gentleman Clay and Lincoln Riley. Hopefully, revenge-minded USC finally buckles down and shows it won’t… Read more »
In my recollection, Riley from the beginning hinted about the tougher USC non-conference games and questioned it compared to what the SEC teams were scheduling. Oklahoma has always played one tough out of conference game but never two is what he was privately referring to. We still haven’t heard anything about the future of the ND rivalry. Riley is a product used to smaller towns where his school was the only game in town.Now that he is in a big town with multiple competitions that will take fans out of the coliseum if the team doesn’t win enough and plays… Read more »
I , like almost everyone want this rivalry to survive. But the Irish need this game too, and under the current scheduling format, it favors Notre Dame. I hope Jen sticks to her guns, and we get this game moved to the first game of the season, every year.
I’m okay just playing in September every year. It’ll be interesting to see how much Jen Cohen is willing to give away to keep the sacred rivalry running.
She sure seems to have a lot on her plate all the time. Obviously USC isn’t a simple place to succeed at. Always lots of balls in the air at our place.
For sure the national rankings includes both teams cupcakes. That’s why I added Power 4 games. In those SC has scored more but has not played as tough a defense as Michigan and Michigan has face much tougher D. Interesting game to watch. Can a strong O score on a strong D? Can a weak O score on a weak D? Can Lynn coach up his D? Will Michigan lay an egg like Penn St? Will Underwood have a break out game?
The biggest question is actually if Lincoln Riley can finally start to shed the damaging label that he regularly loses games, especially big ones, due to his poor game and clock-management decision-making. Losing the most important contests has become a USC tradition under Riley. Lose another one and watch how the recruits react. I don’t care how USC does it, or whether we run a lot, pass a lot, are perfectly balanced or have to kick six field goals because we’re inept in the red zone. Just win the damn game LR. Even though unranked and disappointing so far this… Read more »
Great win. Fantastic play on the line of scrimmage. King miller is a great story.
And no one wants to hear it, but after seeing the game tonight, I have to believe that a lot of guys on defense were sick for the Illinois game.
I’m saying USC puts 42 on the board, and MI gets exposed.
I don;t see it that way. We have an explosive offense, but this is a very good Michigan team, and they will run the ball and limit possessions. This is the probably the biggest game for Riley at USC, and I would be thrilled with a one point win. The people predicting an easy win today were saying the same thing about the Illinois game.
All this prison talk about Mark Sanchez makes me wonder if there’s a prison guard football team looking for a coach. (Think longest yard).
From what I have read (and I can be wrong) the grease guy brought the weapons and said he stabbed Sanchez. I just can’t imagine a fight where one pulled a knife (and pepper spray according to some reports) being a felony for the unarmed person even if the unarmed guy started it.
I think it’s the video that’s overwhelmingly killing the 6-foot-2, 230 pound Sanchez. The 69-yr old (who’s apparently something like 5-8, 170) was trying to get away from Sanchez who kept aggressively pursuing him around his truck for a parking spot he didn’t need in an alley at midnight. When was the last time you saw a mismatch like that? People would be begging for the big guy to stop. Think 6-4 George Kennedy vs 5-9 Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke. The elderly little guy victim was basically defenseless without his weapons vs a big, angry guy like Sanchez.… Read more »
Exactly……
I really like how Jaxson Dart plays. He may yet resurrect the moribund Giants. And watching him and Scattebo in the same backfield is fun. Scattebo is definitely a “blue-collar” Giants type of player.
Skattebo was an amazing player at ASU. One of the most electrifying performers in CFB for sure.
Jaxson Dart split for OLE MISS when Caleb Williams came aboard.
Do you think Dart’s glad he played for Lane Kiffin instead of Lincoln Riley?
Great question. Probably, but he made the right decision given the circumstances. No way was Caleb going to sit. As far as QB development and preparation for NFL, I think Kiffin and Riley are about equal. Same as offensive minds go. But as an overall HC, Kiffin is superior and I’d trade him for Riley any day.
Jaxson Dart is already playing better for the crappy Giants in his first year than Caleb Williams ever did last year for the Bears. Many would say Dart was vastly more prepared for the NFL because of Kiffin’s coaching than Williams was under Riley. Williams overtly over-rode Riley’s play-calling during the 2023 season with his hero ball leadership which resulted in USC losing five of its last six reg season games. Only in year two and under the new coaching of Ben Johnson is Caleb finally showing he can adjust to the NFL and win. Johnson is a QB expert… Read more »
Hmm, then is it more of a comparison of the coachability of Williams vs Dart than the coaching of LR vs LK? I.e., how would Dart have done under LR, and how would Williams have done under LK? Very fun to ponder.
Ben Johnson is finally doing what Lincoln Riley couldn’t do, which is get Caleb to play within his system. So obviously, Caleb is coachable. It’s just ironic that Jaxson Dart fled USC to give himself a nenewed shot at starting, and also gave himself a better chance at NFL success because Lane Kiffin is also a great QB coach who has already coached in the NFL. LR’s only previous experience was much more limited at OU, which obviously didn’t prepare him very well for the challenges posed by USC, especially in the B1G. Kiffin is 49-18 at 5-0 OLE MISS… Read more »
Think Ole Miss would agree to a trade? 😅
Michigan is ranked but is a 2.5 point dog on the road. It’s an upset if who wins? Seems tough to win on the road in college football except for the elites.
And Texas is favored by just 1.5 at home. Guess Fox CFB is going with the ranking.
The best I can see USC finishing this year is 9-3. I don’t see them beating Oregon. A win at ND is possible….not probable.9-3 is ideal. The actual will probably around 8-4 with a loss to Nebraska or Iowa. I do think LR will be back next year. Too much left on his contract. If we lose more games this year because of that weak defense and he doesn’t make some changes in the defensive coaching staff, then he’ll be gone after next year. I wonder how much Cohen and Chad Bowden have to say about making changes to the… Read more »
PS—–And I’m really assuming that they are going to beat Michigan which I don’t think will happen.
The latest on Mark Sanchez after former QB pleads not guilty, alleged victim released from hospital Jack Baer (Yahoo Sports) — One of the most bizarre stories of the year has continued to unfold this week, as potential repercussions mount for former NFL QB Mark Sanchez after an incident that saw him stabbed multiple times, then criminally charged in Indianapolis. The allegations against Sanchez revolve around an incident in which police claim he confronted a truck driver on the job, became aggressive and then got pepper-sprayed and stabbed after things got physical, with the victim saying Sanchez smelled of alcohol.… Read more »
Mark Sanchez won lifes lottery. Tremendous athlete,
Let me try again. Sanchez won the lottery. Great athlete, good looking( according to the ladies) well spoken. He was a bust in the NFL, but got paid millions, and parlayed that into a great job analyzing NFL games, and was well compensated for it. And then he gets drunk, breaks the law, and throws it all away?
All I can say is what the hell happened?
Not the first guy who ruined his life with alcohol, drugs, women, gambling ect.ect.ect
If by some remote chance Sanchez’s toxicology report leads to any conclusions that he was actually slipped a mickey that caused him to become violent and dangerous, this could mushroom into a tragic story that’s even more bizarre, sad and ridiculous, if possible.
At this point, I just hope both men regain their health and top functioning ability. So much was lost by both parties in a brief spec of time.
While I feel badly for the 69-yr old victim, who was just doing his late night job, I hope Mark S somehow finds a way out of this horrible downturn in his life.
Sanchez’s bizarre pre-assault alleged late night wind-sprinting won’t likely help him much absent legitimate, formidable, exculpatory facts because of the severity of the poor victim’s injuries.
Imagine being Sanchez and waking up every day now. Never-ending nightmare.
I wonder if the poor ole guy (my age) will ever have to collect grease again, especially midnight on a Friday.
Sanchez received some good news today…..the judge assigned his case is one of the few Indiana judges known for being shall we say…..a bit left of center.
Sanchez is gonna need all he help he can get. So good for him. It’s just so weird for me to think of him as the actual guy involved here, someone I’ve seen dozens of time on TV as a normal person. None of it makes any sense. You can say he just got way too drunk and literally lost his mind. But really? What the heck happened here that extensive film footage can’t explain? How about Sanchez’s supposed running of wind sprints in bar room dress at midnight before this all happened? There’s a lot of questions which I… Read more »
College Football Week 7 oddly specific predictions: Oregon survives a scare from Indiana Manny Navarro (The Athletic) — USC’s Makai Lemon has arguably been the Big Ten’s best receiver this season. He leads the league in receiving yards (589) and is tied with Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith for the lead in catches (35). Michigan’s secondary isn’t bad, but the Wolverines rank 11th in the Big Ten in passing yards allowed. Since joining the league, USC has gone 4-1 at home against the league’s non-West Coast schools. Lemon has a big day (seven-plus catches, 150-plus receiving yards, one TD) as… Read more »
I think this game really comes down to- will the real USC defensive line please stand up? The one that led the nation in sacks and did pretty well vs. the run thru 4 games? Or the one that got blown off the ball consistently and couldn’t pressure the QB vs. Illinois? I guess we find out Saturday.
2026 USC commits attending Michigan game Scott Schrader (WeAreSC) — The jewel of the 2026 class is five-star, top-rated tight end Mark Bowman, and he will be joined by his Colorado youth football teammates Kannon Smith and Breck Kolojay. Kolojay’s IMG Academy teammate and Rivals Industry Rankings five-star offensive lineman Keenyi Pepe will also be in attendance for the Michigan game. Four-star USC wide receiver commit Boobie Feaster is back for his first game of the 2025 season, and the DeSoto (Texas) High playmaker looks to be locked in with the Trojans. Among the list of other USC commits heading back to the Coliseum in two days are quarterback… Read more »
The #3 Scoring Offense, USC, against the #18 Total Defense, Michigan. The #50 Scoring Offense, Michigan, against the #68 Total Defense, USC. In Power 4 play, each with 3, USC averages 36 points, Michigan 22.This is by far the toughest defense USC has faced and Michigan has faced much tougher. 31-28, this time USC gets the winning FG. Sorry parcelman007 a kicker is the hero!
The egregious problem with any of these “comparable stats” is obviously that USC played a lot of cupcakes, something I’m not in favor of because they disguise weaknesses until you’ve suddenly lost a game. MICH has already been to OU and NEB so far this season and hasn’t faced a team with a losing record. I’ll be looking to see how “tough” USC plays the Wolverines and what we look like in the red zone. A lack of overall toughness has plagued USC under both Gentleman Clay and Lincoln Riley. Hopefully, revenge-minded USC finally buckles down and shows it won’t… Read more »
In my recollection, Riley from the beginning hinted about the tougher USC non-conference games and questioned it compared to what the SEC teams were scheduling. Oklahoma has always played one tough out of conference game but never two is what he was privately referring to. We still haven’t heard anything about the future of the ND rivalry. Riley is a product used to smaller towns where his school was the only game in town.Now that he is in a big town with multiple competitions that will take fans out of the coliseum if the team doesn’t win enough and plays… Read more »
Clearly the USC/ND rivalry is still being negotiated by Jen Cohen and her ND counterpart.
USC has had a revised ND offer on the table for weeks — so ND is the hangnail in the ointment at this stage.
It’s a rivalry I would hate to jeopardize, but if Cohen feels ND is disrespecting USC and being too heavy-handed, then I’m on her side 100%.
I , like almost everyone want this rivalry to survive. But the Irish need this game too, and under the current scheduling format, it favors Notre Dame. I hope Jen sticks to her guns, and we get this game moved to the first game of the season, every year.
I’m okay just playing in September every year. It’ll be interesting to see how much Jen Cohen is willing to give away to keep the sacred rivalry running.
She sure seems to have a lot on her plate all the time. Obviously USC isn’t a simple place to succeed at. Always lots of balls in the air at our place.
For sure the national rankings includes both teams cupcakes. That’s why I added Power 4 games. In those SC has scored more but has not played as tough a defense as Michigan and Michigan has face much tougher D. Interesting game to watch. Can a strong O score on a strong D? Can a weak O score on a weak D? Can Lynn coach up his D? Will Michigan lay an egg like Penn St? Will Underwood have a break out game?
Or will a smash mouth team steam roll over a soft team?
The biggest question is actually if Lincoln Riley can finally start to shed the damaging label that he regularly loses games, especially big ones, due to his poor game and clock-management decision-making. Losing the most important contests has become a USC tradition under Riley. Lose another one and watch how the recruits react. I don’t care how USC does it, or whether we run a lot, pass a lot, are perfectly balanced or have to kick six field goals because we’re inept in the red zone. Just win the damn game LR. Even though unranked and disappointing so far this… Read more »
Man that makes me feel good. Hope it lasts.