USC’s defense continues to be plucked apart by explosive plays
Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — USC’s defense gathered around its embattled coach last Saturday, already reeling from potential disaster. Alex Grinch had hammered home all season the importance of limiting big plays, and all season, it seemed to make little difference. USC was already giving up more plays of 20-plus yards than any other Power Five defense, and twice already in the first quarter, the Bears had broken off two big touchdown runs.
As he crouched on the sideline in Berkeley, Grinch slammed both hands to the turf. Both times Cal’s Jayden Ott sprung free — first, for a 43-yard touchdown, then for a 61-yarder — it was because a defender was out of position. A defensive lineman went the wrong way. A linebacker filled the wrong gap. A safety took off in the wrong direction.
CAL RB Jaydn Ott runs past USC LB Raesjon Davis during the first half in Berkeley on Saturday. (Jed Jacobsohn / AP)
It was tempting at the time for Grinch to wonder if Cal had surprised him with something his defense wasn’t prepared for. But the issues, upon film study, proved painfully familiar.
The frustration flowed in the moment. Grinch lit into his defense. By Tuesday, though, he’d put the blame squarely on his shoulders.
“Couldn’t be more disappointed in myself,” Grinch said. “You’re constantly looking at calls. Obviously, you’re looking at personnel. We gotta get it fixed, and we gotta get it fixed fast.”
But the two big runs were fitting encapsulations of a problem that has plagued USC’s defense all season. Arguably no defense on a contending college football team has been worse at stopping explosive plays. And with Washington, one of college football’s most high-flying offenses, coming to the Coliseum on Saturday, Grinch doesn’t have much time to sort things out.
The Trojans have given up 55 plays of 20-plus yards this season, which ranks 130th of 135 quality teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Lower the threshold to 10-yard plays, and the Trojans have given up 130, an average of more than 14 per game.
The optimist, in this case, might reason that only a handful of big plays are standing in the way of USC’s defense finding its full potential. That’s where Lincoln Riley found himself Tuesday.
“We don’t need to fix 60 plays, but there’s about five to 10 a game that we gotta fix,” Riley said. “The great thing for us, if you flip that and do that, which we gotta go do it, the nature of these games can change very quickly because a lot of them hinge on those plays.”
But in USC’s case, those plays always seem to beget other big plays. On Saturday, Ott’s two scores gave way to 13 more explosive plays in the game, several of which nearly sunk USC in a narrow win.
Maybe several here here have read it already but the article about LR in The Athletic by Ari Wasserman was pretty tough but not a single thing inaccurate. He even mentioned LR’s response when asked about weak recruiting in CA, and agreed with LR’s points, but said at this time and how bad LRs recruiting has been, its not the time to say there’s some CA kids that shouldn’t have been on the roster. Players and coaches read that. The article is a read.
Recruiting 5* HS seniors is as much about the up front NIL deal as it is the coaches. I believe USC has been reluctant to promise anything up front. If that is Folt following the letter of the NCAA law, Cohen, LR, and/or the Collectives I don’t know. It appears other schools don’t feel the NCAA can enforce the rules. They are bringing big money to the recruits kitchen table and getting them to sign.
USC does have the player with the highest NIL overall, Bronny James at $6.1 million and the number 3 football player, Caleb at $2.6 million.
I read that the manning kid at TX might be portalling at the end of the regular season. The article speculated 5 schools he may go to. Including SC, Bama and Oregon. Interesting.
Arch Manning played at a very low-level comp school in HS in Louisiana. Still, he came out as the #1 2023 QB prospect in the eyes of some, though recently benched UCLA frosh Dante Moore, was preferred by others. I always had my doubts about the youngest Manning translating superbly into college ball, for whatever reason. Not some special insight of mine for sure. It just always seemed the massive power of his name was too much of a factor, and frankly, his tape never looked spectacular like you see from some others. Plus, I came across stuff like this… Read more »
Well he made $2.9 million this year. 3 more years of that and he can retire at 22 with a nice nest egg and forget about the NFL.
Let this stiff Manning ruin Suck’s career (again) if anything go after that big Cali kid they have now. Raw as hell, not good enough for NFL, run him til he drops.
Even Oregon bloggers think Alex Grinch needs to be fired Matt Zemek (Trojans Wire) — Oregon is a competitor of the Trojans, and moreover, a competitor which will join USC in the Big Ten next year. Oregon fans and bloggers would love nothing more than for Alex Grinch to stay on as defensive coordinator. Oregon bloggers should be campaigning for Grinch to be retained. Yet, Ducks Wire’s Zachary Neel has too much integrity and honesty to continue with the charade. He knows what needs to happen, and he won’t hide it. “If Alex Grinch is the defensive coordinator for USC… Read more »
College football picks against the spread: Bruce Feldman’s (The Athletic) Week 10 picks No. 5 Washington (-3) at No. 20 USC, 7:30 p.m. (ABC) This feels like a bad match-up for the Trojans defense against such an explosive UW passing game, but Washington has been shaky the past few times out and Caleb Williams is more than capable of sparking a home upset for a team trying to salvage its season. Ultimately, the Huskies will pull this one out in the last minute. Washington 42, USC 40 The pick: USC +3 One of USC’s greatest QBs of all time is likely (most would say unquestionably) nearing the… Read more »
It’s always better to win at USC … unless losing a game means Alex Grinch and Bennie Wylie get fired. Things have now gotten this bad for USC football. Matt Zemek (Trojans Wire) — Nearly every sports fan has been in this general situation at some point in life: His or her team is not having a good enough season. The state of the team is not what it needs to be or should be. Late in the season, the coaches are on the hot seat. Winning games might rescue them and give them one more year, but losing might… Read more »
Allen, What do you think? No Trojan wants the team to be routed by WA and OR and lose to UCLA (the UCLA O is too weak to rout anyone, including a Grinch D). But if that is the price to force LR to change (fire Grinch and Wylie and hire elite replacements and hire an elite special teams coach), is it worth it? I think it is. So, I will welcome a Trojan victory on Saturday, but not be upset by a loss.
I’ll take the greedy alternative RJJ. Win out and still cut Grinch/Wylie/others loose. Since I think that is a fantasy, I choose beating UW and UCLA, very possible. I actually think LR might keep his staff intact if that happens. But losing to UCLA is so distasteful to me that I can’t get myself to bargain for a guaranteed Grinch/Wylie departure in exchange for that loss. The key for me to your comment is “hire elite replacements”. I have no idea if LR can really do that since he’s already placed distinctly non-elite people on his staff and they were… Read more »
As you often correctly point out to me, you cannot have it both ways. If LR continues to win with his brand of football, he will simply not change. That is human nature. I think this team needs to go 8-4 or 7-5 and then we will see major changes. When Matt L is calling for them, fairly obvious that LR is under huge pressure. Let’s see what happens. And, I have no idea. All I feel confident about is a LOT of points will be scored tomorrow at the Coliseum.
Since you called my bluff, I say USC wins very close vs both UW and UCLA, gets beat easy by ORE, then wins a mid-level bowl because it’s Caleb’s grand finale. If Caleb skips the bowl game, USC loses for sure. Just gotta wear my Trojan fanboy hat at this time re wins over UW and UCLA. But I really have no idea what Lincoln does with Grinch, though I’d put my money if I had to on both Grinch and Wylie being goners, because Lincoln will just look too lame, stubborn, and selfish, and not looking out for USC’s… Read more »
Allen, Hope you are right.
Losing in blowouts means the offense is getting shut down. Best scenario is to barely win shoot outs when the offense can barely keep a lead.
GT, If that happens, I think a high probability no changes will be made in 2024 (Grinch and Wylie both back).
Beat Udub 75-74 if that is what it takes .. no chance at Oregon (Grinch canned). Beat UCLA. Skip the toilet bowl and go get a new qb and D staff.
USC1988, I hope you are right. We both agree zero chance this team beats Oregon in Eugene. But do you think LR will make massive changes (and that is what is needed) if he goes 9-3 against the toughest schedule in the nation?
Ya, but it would be the worst 9-3 record in the country.
ND demolished us.
UTAH with its 3rd string QB, and numerous other injuries, beat us at home, for a 4th consecutive win over USC.
ORE wins comfortably in Eugene.
Many of USC’s other wins are complete toss-ups against other mediocre-to-downright-bad teams where USC looked ugly.
I again hope you are right. Hopefully, getting destroyed by OR (and make no mistake, OR is going to take this SC team apart) after getting destroyed by ND and losing to an All D/no O Utah team combined with its performances against AZ, Cal, ASU and CO will be enough. I have zero confidence this team can beat both UCLA and UW. They might win one, but I doubt both. It is a very average team with above average talent with major flaws on O, mediocre to bad D coaching, and awful special teams coaching.
All these teams are largely flawed. USC gets UW and UCLA at home. That’s the only reason why I’m picking the Trojans to barely win those games.
OK …..Been listening to some names that might be gettable as Coordinators….. Heard this might be one those guys >>>>> Pete Kwiatkowski ( DC at Texas …He seems to be getting the majority of the credit for this ) >>> An internet article titled ” Texas defense emerging as a dominant group for No. 4 Longhorns after 2 games ” Article link >>> Texas defense emerging as a dominant group for No. 4 Longhorns after 2 games | AP News …… Texas …as of today is 15th in the country in Defense and 0.5 Points per game from being 10th… Read more »
His 2016 Washington defense (8th in the country) and 2018 Washington defense (5th in the country) .Help University of Washington win Pac-12 Titles both of those years .
Horns do not have a Dlineman under 6’6 … they have to have overwhelming talent with Suck being the HC
USC’s 2024 schedule
9/1 vs LSU (Vegas Kickoff Classic)
9/7 vs Utah State
9/14 BYE WEEK
9/21 at Michigan
9/28 vs Wisconsin
10/5 at Minnesota
10/12 vs Penn State
10/19 at Maryland
10/26 vs Rutgers
11/2 at Washington
11/9 BYE WEEK
11/16 vs Nebraska
11/23 at UCLA
11/30 vs Notre Dame
Can this team win 6 of those games? NOT!
Certainly not as things stand today.
Hopefully Lincoln’s working at breakneck speed to re-evaluate his strengths and weaknesses as a football coach and leader so he can lead USC out of these doldrums. Maybe that’s just too much to ask of him. I wish I knew.
We’ll be a better and deeper team in 2024 with a new DC and more portal players.
Ehhhh .. LR lost a lot of credibility this year. Not just Grinch but blah play calling too. Something I never thought would be an issue.
Allen, That is the issue, isn’t it. You made a great comment about Kiffin – he had the potential to be a solid (maybe even elite) HC, but not at 35. He failed and has learned. LR is, I think, for the first time in his career now facing failure. Will he grow? Or simply “dig in his heels”? Right now, I think it obvious that his sole concern in UW. And then it will be OR. Unless Grinch undergoes a miracle transformation, UW will smoke his D, just smoke it. The issue will be can Caleb score more?
Will USC be better in 2024? Does Lincoln have a Portal problem? Everybody said and thought USC would be better in 2023. Remember those days RJJ? I drank all the Kool-Aid. Seems like a long time ago. Huge miscalculation there as wobbly USC teeters towards a possible five-loss reg season, as well as a possible unforgettable big humiliation in Eugene against a much better-coached Duck team. (Ask UTAH). But too many of our current portal players are busts, slow, or totally mediocre, and are actually playing worse at USC than they were at their previous schools. It looks like LR… Read more »
Keep eye on Kansas qb (Brown) in portal … he could help get us to 8-4 (if Grinch is gone).
While there are many problems this season has exposed, it is clear to me that if Grinch returns, SC will NOT be better next year. Does that mean that Grinch will be replaced? Who knows? I do believe that if he returns, SC will not be ranked and is looking at a 6-6 or thereabouts season.
Yes Allen! Did LR really think he was going to find the better players on the Portal (come on get serious, they are leaving their original team for a reason) rather than being patient and trusting the Trojan faithful would understand where the program was and needing two years of good HS recruiting to develop the program back into respectability and…. In much better position to go into the Big Ten conference. It sure worked for PC and LR should have used that successful game plan to follow? anyway, today it is what it is and LR needs to own… Read more »
I wonder if he has anyone he considers his mentor.
Who the hell signed off on this
Dump LSU and ND until they join Big 10
Do not need those games anymore
Well…..next year is a totally different situation…..for example Penix is gone, ND is at home and replacing a QB, Harbaugh could be gone. I don’t see a lot of excessive travel in the 24 schedule. Who knows what happens……but……if Riley does not kick it into gear in terms of getting a staff and addressing the lines……it ain’t going to be good.
Strange seeing this. Only 3 of the usual suspects.
Every team on that schedule except Wisconsin, Utah State, and Rutgers has won at least one NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP since 1950.
https://youtu.be/M8TlLMhPvNk
Greetings Everyone. I am new to the board but far from new to SC football. Let’s just say that I am a few years younger that Pete. I remember as a child watching OJ and the 67 “Game of the Century”. I have been following this excellent board for awhile now and thought it was time to participate. I have some thoughts on what is going on this year with the Trojans. First of all Lincoln Riley reminds me a lot of Lane Kiffin. Young, self confident and an offensive forward thinker. He has that same problem as Lane did… Read more »
Welcome to the TDB 2manyyears. Looking forward to your contributions!
I too am very worried about USC’s dropping the ball in recruiting on both side of the trenches under LR. ✌
Thank you Allen
Interesting comparison to Lane Kiffin. It took Lane a long time to get his footing in the CFB HCing business and he’s currently doing a pretty darn good job at OLE MISS, a program that has never really been successful in the SEC.
Kiffin was 35 years old when he coached his first game as USC HC in 2010. Sometimes I forget just how young Lane was when he suddenly bolted TENN for the school he couldn’t resist taking over for the man who did more for his career than any other.
Good to see ole Goatboy bounce back from losing 5 of last 6 last year. Thought another tarmacing was coming. Kiffy’s early career can be described as ‘careful what you wish for’.
Now can be described as unserious social media whore. He is better at that than coaching football.
(Allen, you knew I couldn’t resist).
Of course, I knew ’88! He lives in your head 24/7 rent free. You must be proud.
If only Kiffin knew he occupied so much of your brain space. I’d love to hear his comment to you about that. He says hello… all in good fun between you and I… it’s our “Kiffin and Sark thing”.
LOL … I have this great ability to multi-task my hate on bad SC assistants. Grinch has reached SucKiffer level.
Looks like Goatboy’s kids miss the palm trees, being stuck out there in the sticks.
You won’t believe this, but I read that Lane’s kids like it in Mississippi a lot more than in Calif, especially the girls. I’m not making this up 88. 😎
lol …. well good they have been bounced around like army brats. Goatboy has been canned like 3 times the past decade.
A couple of thoughts today.
I suspect that Grinch is gone after the season is over. Jen Cohen has probably had that conversation with Riley and a change will be made.
She knows that the football program is important at SC and made huge moves as AD at Washington to hire Chris Petersen and Kalen DoBoer.
What’s amazing is that despite his absolutely woeful performance at USC ever since he came aboard, Alex Grinch remains a possibility as the Trojan DC for 2024. We’re all still speculating that Lincoln Riley may be too stubborn to make such a massively important change after this season. Lincoln’s totally been officially tagged with the “stubborn” gene. Unfortunately for him, he’s earned that chip to his own detriment. He’s now known as much for that quality as any other. And none of us really has any idea if Jen Cohen is ready to order LR to do what she wants.… Read more »
After at Oregon … the odd Grinch ever returning I’ll meet match Suckisian’s.
odds of
I guess I’m stuck on cartoons with this story. I feel we need a Foghorn Leghorn and not a Sylvester Cat. Foghorn Leghorn is that oversized rooster who torments the hapless dog with simple tricks. He shortens the dog’s rope before baiting him into a race across the limit line of the rope. Sylvester Cat is the feline who needs ten or eleven lives rather than the usual nine. My favorite example is when he’s loading a musket. He tries the ball, then wadding, then powder, boom the thing blows up in his face. Grinch himself has said he’s tried… Read more »
I keep asking myself how many defensive schemes does a defense need? It would seem 3 or 4 would be enough with different alignments to make them look different. Not sure how many Grinch is running, but a defensive player should never have to look at his wrist band to see what to do. Especially looking at the wrist when the ball is being snapped.
Defensive player looking at wristband this late in a season is a serious red flag on several levels.
Experts disagree on the chances of a USC upset of Washington Matt Wadleigh (Trojans Wire) — On one hand, the Washington Huskies have not played well at all the past two weeks. On the other hand, Alex Grinch still coaches the USC defense, and the Trojans have been a mediocre team (at best) for one and a half months. What are the odds of USC pulling the upset against the Huskies? We asked our Pac-12 football panel: Matt Zemek: 10 percent. USC has a puncher’s chance because it has Caleb Williams and is at home against a Washington team that played bad… Read more »
A defender was out of position. A defensive lineman went the wrong way. A linebacker filled the wrong gap. A safety took off in the wrong direction. So are the players on the USC defense the dumbest defensive players in all of college football? Are the scheme so complicated the players don’t get it? Is there too much motion and shifting that the defense gets out of position? If it is not working change it Grinch and LR! This is the worst defense in college football and only one person is at fault and he has to go. Sorry Cindy… Read more »
The saddest thing is that all those errors in execution happened on the same play.
and the happen over and over and over again.
Has there ever been a college DC who has been more universally mocked and ridiculed? Just another example of how USC is somehow always in the headlines, good or bad.
Alex Grinch is probably the most well-known assistant in CFB, but for all the wrong reasons. Just a wild guess on my part.
I have a good feeling about the upcoming game……but maybe it’s just gas.
Teams that play in successive weeks seem to have a let down.
Udub does not play great on the road in the pac.
Bring our safeties up into the box……..blitz a lot…….and pray that those highly ranked DB’s out of HS will figure out how to play on the island. They will have to figure it out themselves because Donte has no clue.
According to past performance this season, this will go down to the last minute or a Washington blow out win. I expect a close one, two very good offenses against two bad defenses.
Cindy Lou Who is the only person who liked the Grinch. Don’t be a Cindy Lou Riley. It’s that simple.
Evidence continues to mount that incompetent Alex Grinch can’t prevent basic errors at USC… Matt Zemek (Trojans Wire) — It’s November now. We’re approaching Week 10 of the 2023 college football season. A competent defensive coordinator will not have to worry about his players being in the right places on a consistent basis. That should not even be a concern right now. Opponents might come up with uniquely creative plays which will fool a defense maybe two or three times per game, but for the most part, if a defense fails at this time of year — this deep into… Read more »
Only 2 people are in position to fix this. LR and AD Jen. Will they? Still think LR doesn’t like to concede, thus adding a DC “analyst” or terminating one or two of the D assistants should get us pacified.
Robert Montgomery Knight passed at 83.
In Indiana, where I live, that is like saying the pope passed away.
RIP…….
Three National Championships
If sports is entertainment…..he was one of the best! No Booby….its nor a bowling alley!
Now that you bring up the “bowling” angle, it struck me how perfect Knight’s chair-throwing form was. And he did it with not a single minute of practice. I’d say he definitely had a couple of 300 games in him on the alleys.
I understand he never visited Puerto Rico again…..a warrant was out on him. What a life. LOL
I respect Coach Knight for giving USC Head Basketball Coach Bob Boyd credit for developing a passing offense that Coach Knight had great success with at Indiana. Bob Boyd was the coach at USC when I was a student. He had very good teams but just couldn’t beat John Wooden and UCLA. Nobody could back then. While Bobby Knight will always be known for his temper tantrums and chair-throwing incidents, he was one of the all-time great college basketball coaches. May he R.I.P.
Bob Boyd couldn’t beat ucla because Wooden’s players were paid professionals, thanks to St. John the Pious of Westwood’s bagman, Sam Gilbert.
So how much did Paul Westphal get paid? Wooden said PW was the one recruit he really wanted but didn’t get. So you know it took a lot $$$$$.
Imagine a big NCAA tourney. SC had some Final 4 teams 1970-1975.
I don’t know how much influence Paul Westphal’s brother Bill had on Paul’s decision to go with USC. Bill played forward on the USC Basketball Team in the mid-1960s. One of the other forwards on the team at that time was actor Tom Selleck. Bill Westphal was my HIgh School’s Head Basketball Coach in Glendale, CA. Paul often came to our gym to talk to Bill about playing defense as Bill was a very good defensive mind. Our GHS basketball team reached the CIF semifinals when I was a Senior there in 1973. We lost to Verbum Dei who had… Read more »
Excellent article by Jay Bilas on Coach Knight
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/38489269/jay-bilas-liked-bob-knight-knew-died-age-83
Entertaining and informative piece 2manyyears. I enjoyed it, including these pass alongs by Bilas: “Knight was a throwback, even in a throwback era. In my view, he could have coached any sport and coached it just as effectively as he coached basketball. He had an analytic mind, understood motivation and inspiration, and had an extraordinary ability to break things down. Watching a football or baseball game with Knight was a special treat, as he could pick apart the game just as you would expect him to dissect a basketball game. “His ability to see minute — yet important — details… Read more »