The USC Trojans’ defense was not atrocious in the first half against Colorado on Saturday, nor was it spectacular. The USC defense made some important plays to preserve and sustain a multi-touchdown advantage, such as the defensive stop it gained when USC led 21-7. That stop set up a blocked punt by Eric Gentry which enabled the Trojans to restore a 20-point lead at 27-7. USC was able to go up 34-7 thanks to a defense which picked off Shedeur Sanders and was generally able to keep Colorado pinned to the short flats. The Buffaloes usually did not get behind the USC secondary or create large chunk plays in that first half.
However, there were exceptions. A 30-yard touchdown pass and a 25-yard touchdown run represented clear breakdowns by this defense, obvious lapses in communication which left large areas of the field completely uncovered.
Tackling was good at times but not relentlessly consistent. The secondary made a lot of good breaks on passes and wasn’t a sieve most of the first half, but there were a few lapses. It wasn’t dominant, but it wasn’t an implosion. It was decent … but will “decent” get it done against Washington and Oregon in November?
In the second half, what was an okay performance from the defense devolved into “bad.” Fans certainly recalled the Cotton Bowl against Tulane as Colorado just kept pouring on the points. USC was up 48-21 and should have been able to wrap things up without any drama at all, but Colorado scored two quick touchdowns to reduce the game to a two-score contest with nearly 12 minutes left. This felt a lot like last year, and that’s what a lot of people will talk about.
Let’s go through the highlights and lowlights of a very unconvincing performance from the USC defense against Colorado: