The USC Trojans’ defense has given up 33 points against Missouri State and Georgia Southern, which has left plenty of questions about whether or not the disappointing defense will rise to the occasion against the powerhouses in the Big Ten Conference.
The Trojans will face ranked Big Ten teams like Illinois, Michigan and Oregon as well as the independent team, Notre Dame. With their performances against Missouri State and Georgia Southern, more questions were left on how they could compete with the ranked Big Ten teams. The Southern California Football Roundtable discussed what has been the most surprising about USC’s defense as they have disappointed in the easiest games on their schedule.
Matt Zemek: Editor
No improvement from Game 1 (Missouri State) to Game 2 (Georgia Southern). D’Anton Lynn is good at making adjustments and getting his guys to correct errors. This did not happen against Georgia Southern, and it is easily the biggest concern I have with the defense thus far. Guys are not focused and aren’t displaying a high football IQ. For whatever reason, the coaches aren’t getting through to most of the players. We really need to see a markedly improved performance as September continues.
Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire
The Trojans haven’t had a dominant performance against Missouri State or Georgia Southern, but that doesn’t mean it won’t change. In fact, it will have to if USC wants to reach their goals by the end of the season. That being said, they are fortunate to have an excellent defensive coordinator in D’Anton Lynn. Don’t be surprised if he rights the ship and they turn into a serviceable defense as the season goes on.
Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire
I know the USC defense hasn’t been great but I’m still not overly concerned. Yes, now is the time to correct mistakes but I think the Trojans’ defense will be a serviceable unit in 2025, even if it’s not one of the elite defenses in the Big Ten. The unit hasn’t dominated Missouri State or Georgia Southern but the season is still young and they have a proven DC in D’Anton Lynn.
Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire
The big plays allowed and flat-out lapses in the secondary. It has already happened several times against Missouri State and Georgia Southern, which scares me for what will happen when the Trojans have to face off against Big Ten opposition.
Micah Huff, Trojans Wire
I am really surprised about the linebacker play this season. I expected Eric gentry to lead that group and for him to dominant, so far that has not been the case. The defensive line has been the best part of this defense this season. The Trojans still have struggled stopping the run. That is due in part to the linebackers not doing their job. Before the Trojans play the top teams such as Illinois, they need to get that sorted out.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Southern California Football Roundtable: Biggest surprise about USC’s defense thus far?
Reporting by Ryan Lorenz, Dylan McNeill and Matt Zemek, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
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