This past weekend marked USC’s first football game of the 2025 season. In addition, it marked the first game for several former USC players who transferred to new schools this past offseason.
One of those players is former USC kicker Denis Lynch. Lynch played at USC from 2021-2024, serving as the Trojans’ starting kicker in 2022 and 2023. After losing the job last season, however, he entered the transfer portal and wound up at San Jose State.
On Friday, Lynch played his first game with the Spartans when they hosted Central Michigan. It was a rough night for Lynch, as he missed two field goals—a 33-yarder and a 56-yarder—in the final 90 seconds of the game, both of which would have given his team the lead. Instead San Jose State wound up losing 16-14.
USC fans are certainly no strangers to Lynch’s struggles. While he has a cannon leg that he showed off on numerous occasions during his time with the Trojans, Lynch is rather inconsistent with shorter kicks that should be automatic. His struggles with these kicks was ultimately what led to him losing the starting job at USC and entering the portal.
For Lynch’s sake, hopefully he can get his struggles sorted out soon. Otherwise, he will continue to cost his team games with his missed kicks.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Former USC kicker Denis Lynch misses two key field goals in first game with San Jose State
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
