Offense was not the issue during Lincoln Riley’s first two seasons at Southern California.
Even with 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams leading a high-scoring unit that averaged over 41 points per game, the Trojans missed out on the College Football Playoff.
For his third year at No. 23 USC, Riley made major changes to the defense, hiring D’Anton Lynn from rival UCLA as the new coordinator. Riley hopes this move will finally create a defense strong enough to compete for a national title.
Despite concerns about player changes and uncertainties about moving to the Big Ten, Riley is optimistic about the defense based on training camp performances.
“Defense dominated the scrimmage,” Riley said.
“The offense scored a few times late, but if it was a game, the defense controlled the first three to three and a half quarters. We played excellent red zone defense and put the offense in many third and long situations, so I thought we performed well.”
USC fans might be doubtful after seeing the Trojans bring in several high-profile transfers on defense last season, only to allow 34.4 points per game. Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was fired on Nov. 5 after USC ended the season 8-5, including a 5-4 record in their final Pac-12 season.
Meanwhile, Lynn achieved a remarkable turnaround with the Bruins, making the most of a talented group of edge rushers. His defense ranked No. 2 in the FBS for rushing defense (80.8 yards per game) and No. 6 in sacks (3.31 per game), and allowed 10 fewer points per game compared to 2022.
