The USC offense led the way in 2024 for the Trojans while their defense finished as the seventh-worst defense in the Big Ten Conference. With defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn entering his second season and pressure mounting on head coach Lincoln Riley, the time is now for the Trojans to take a step forward … if you’re a Trojan, that is. Bruin fans won’t mind seeing USC remain stuck.
USC struggled against the run in 2024, but not as much as the UCLA offense struggled to move the ball on the ground, with the Bruins recording a Big Ten worst 86.6 rushing yards per game. Both teams will be hoping for change this coming season.
While Lynn’s first year wasn’t a disaster, USC just struggled to make game-changing plays, finishing with the fifth-fewest sacks and forced fumbles but the Trojans’ additions from the transfer portal aren’t necessarily earth-shattering additions. Defensive tackle Jamal Jarrett comes over from Georgia and San Jose State transfer DJ Harvey is coming off a phenomenal season at corner for the Spartans but how USC progresses their own talent will be the ultimate decider for how they fare in 2025.
Lynn and the USC defense won’t have much to go off of as far as experience against this year’s UCLA offense, with quarterback Nico Iamaleava and offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri both entering this first season with the Bruins.
All-time USC holds a 34-53-7 edge over the Bruins, with the Trojans having gone 7-3 against the Bruins in their last 10 meetings but UCLA has won the previous two games in the L.A Coliseum and will hope to make it three in a row this November.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: What will USC’s D’Anton Lynn cook up to slow down new-look UCLA offense?
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
