Class is in session for USC. Coaches and players are in the midst of a crash course in teaching the game of football. The Trojans beat San Jose State on Saturday, 56-28, in a game which should have fans moderately concerned.
We say “moderately” because it’s too early to panic. First games will be rough and sloppy. We need to see if bad trends persist before getting really worried. However, after a full offseason, and given the increased depth USC established on defense in the transfer portal, even the most pessimistic Trojan fans had to be disapproving of this performance.
Fans grumbling about this USC defensive effort are not overreacting. Let’s put it that way. Coaches were clear in saying they had more talent, they had more depth, they had more bodies, they had more pieces. The coaches did not back away from saying they had something better on defense this season.
Need proof and documentation? Here’s one link.
The message could not have been clearer this season: No excuses. Get it done on Saturday.
The USC defense did not “get it done” on its first Saturday of the season.
With that, we’ll lead you into our first USC report card of the 2023 campaign: