Tag: USC defense

Is LSU’s Brian Kelly concerned about USC’s defense rattling his quarterback?

USC’s defense can significantly change the LSU game by making Garrett Nussmeier uncomfortable in the pocket.

Can USC rattle LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier in Las Vegas? That will be a central storyline in the Trojans’ huge season opener against the Tigers. Nussmeier was 31 of 45 for 395 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in LSU’s bowl win over Wisconsin, 35-31.  LSU wire shared, “[Brian]Kelly said specifically that Nussmeier needs to work on his decision-making under pressure.”  Then LSU Wire provided these interesting quotes from LSU’s head coach that question if the young quarterback will be ready in a few weeks for the Trojans.

“I thought he did some pretty good things,” Kelly said. “There were a couple of things in pressures that, he thinks he’s got 52 timeouts. He takes timeouts when he wants to take a timeout, I think he’s got to work through a couple of things out there where, decision-making relative to some pressure looks that I want him to get better at.”

You can bet that USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn is going to dial up pressures to rattle the inexperienced signal-caller. Nussmeier played well when the spotlight has been on him. Kelly did point out his progress, but still left the door open to possible difficulties he may have in reading defenses early in his first season as the starter.

“But I thought his process was really good today. He stayed within himself, he looked under control in the situations that we created for him today. And I think when he does that and his drop is in rhythm, he’s really good. So I thought we saw a good version of him, I think there’s a better version of him out there.”

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National media outlets have struggled to properly criticize Lincoln Riley

Lincoln Riley deserves criticism. We’re not saying he doesn’t. However, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it.

National media outlets and personalities have come down hard on Lincoln Riley and USC, which is fundamentally fair and understandable after USC tumbled to five losses in 2023. Lincoln Riley didn’t have a good year, and to that extent, we can all understand why television talkers and various reporters at Big Ten media days have taken a highly skeptical tone toward Riley and the USC program (with some exceptions, such as Big Ten Network commentator Jake Butt, who thinks USC will contend for the Big Ten title this year).

When we say that the national media has, broadly speaking, struggled to properly criticize Lincoln Riley, what we mean is that there is a perfectly valid way to hammer Riley for his failures without seeming to be ignorant of what he has done to fix problems at USC. Where commentators go wrong on Riley is when they say he “isn’t serious about defense.” Okay, if that was true, Riley would have retained Alex Grinch. USC would not have gone across down and brought in D’Anton Lynn.  Riley and Dave Emerick would not have brought a defensive staff that has been widely praised, but quickly dismissed when the discussion turns to the old narratives that have followed him since Oklahoma.

He is serious about defense. Commentators need to find a new way of expressing their concerns about Riley, who has taken clear steps to address USC’s — and his own — flaws.

Can commentators just say that they don’t believe Riley will create ultimate accountability in the room, even with his new and improved defensive coaches, and that they need to see it happen on the field before they give Riley the benefit of the doubt on defense? That is an easy way to acknowledge the new defensive hires yet still express reasonable skepticism toward Riley – a thought I do not share, but at least it’s plausible. It’s not hard, but national commentators have largely not made that basic pivot.

We talked about this and more on a long Conquest Call-In Show at The Voice of College Football on Friday:

https://www.youtube.com/live/WIczn-l-zmw?si=KdJK-wpZAXS6OCuD&t=1057

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Can Eric Henderson fix USC’s blue-chip recruiting drought on the defensive line?

His NFL credentials and his roots in the South make Eric Henderson a great addition to USC’s new staff.

“If you build it he will come.” That quote is, of course, from the movie “Field of Dreams.”

Lincoln Riley is making good on his promise to build a top-tier defense by hiring Eric Henderson as co-defensive coordinator. This is a major step in returning USC to the defensive dominance fans have come to expect.

“I’m excited to welcome the final member of our defensive staff, Eric Henderson,” Riley said of the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive line coach and run game coordinator. “A Super Bowl Champion coach who has been recognized nationally for being the top in his field, Eric will bring immeasurable knowledge and experience to our program. We have put together a defensive staff that is second to none. We’re ready to get to work.”

Can he recruit five-star defensive linemen?

Henderson is from Louisiana and played football in Atlanta for Georgia Tech, where he was a three-time All-ACC defensive end. He will be comfortable in the living rooms of blue-chip tackles and ends from the South.

His pitch will be development for the NFL. Henderson played three years in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals. After his playing days, he coached defensive lines for the Los Angeles Chargers and Rams, where he coached marquee names such as Joey Bosa and Aaron Donald.

While NIL has been a hot topic in recruiting lately, many blue-chip athletes dream of playing professionally. To earn their commitment, families, coaches, and recruits want a coach who will develop elite high school athletes and prepare them for the NFL.

Henderson joins D’Anton Lynn, Matt Entz, and Doug Belk on staff at USC. Riley has replaced all members of Alex Grinch’s defensive coaching staff with the exception of Shaun Nua, who is moving outside to coach the rush end position.

Fans keep asking when is USC going to recruit five-star defensive linemen from high school. Riley has built a great defensive staff, and the stars are coming.

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It’s only Nevada, but the USC defense did get better in its second game

It’s only Nevada. We get that. Yet, if you were looking for improvement from the #USC defense, you generally got it.

Let’s get this out of the way: The Nevada Wolf Pack are not supposed to be very good this season. Nevada was picked to finish 11th in the Mountain West Conference this season. The team suffered some departures on its coaching staff just before the season began. There has been some internal conflict within the Nevada football program. This was never going to be a particularly close game.

That having been said, USC could either have improved or regressed in this game. The Trojans could have failed to make adjustments, or they could have performed their jobs better than they did against San Jose State. Which path would they take? Which kind of performance would they deliver? It wasn’t a season-defining game or a make-or-break situation, but every week is a chance to either grow or stumble.

The USC defense grew.

How much? That’s the real question we can’t really answer until bigger games arrive against tougher teams. It is only Nevada. Yes. We get that.

As far as it goes, though, USC did better.

Let’s look at some game highlights and notes while also passing along some reactions from fans and journalists: