JOUR 432 Final Column
By: Jake Browning
LOS ANGELES — What a year for Trojan football. And by “what a year,” I mean what an awful year. Projected to be one of the top Power 5 teams this season, USC and Lincoln Riley fell significantly short of that expectation. As far as I know, it is unheard of for a Heisman trophy winner to be retained for one season and then end up unranked by the next season. I could rant all day long about the biggest letdown of the 2023–24 season, but I’d rather spend my time highlighting what went wrong and how the Trojans can rebuild for next year.
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There is one issue that reigns over everything else for their team, and that is their defense. I think everyone saw this coming. Watching USC play defense is like watching prime Tom Brady play against a little league team. It’s absolutely awful. There seems to be a clear lack of communication between the coaching staff, secondary, and defensive line, which has been evident in every game. It is widely acknowledged that the defense is the main reason why the Trojans didn’t win many games. The cries for change were finally heard, with Alex Grinch getting the boot prior to their matchup against Oregon. However, that seemed to make no difference. Opening the game against the Trojans, Oregon had back-to-back 80-yard passing touchdowns, which served as the Trojans’ introduction to interim defensive coordinator Shaun Nau. So clearly, that wasn’t going to work. The outcome was quite similar in their season-closer against UCLA, a team that allowed 38 points in the Coliseum, yet was somehow held to 7 points against Cal just a week later. All throughout the season, the Trojans’ offenses were easily read by their opponents, both on the line and in the secondary. This allowed the opposing teams to anticipate their plays, resulting in an average of over 400 yards per game and 29.2 points per game.Granted, USC had one of the best offenses in the league this year. However, it means nothing if they are getting scored against more than they are scoring.
I can’t say much better about the offensive line either. Markedly, their offense was outstanding this season. Logging in over 500 yds/gm and scoring 41.4 pts/gm is an impressive stat line. However, it is important to consider that they played against teams such as Fresno State, Stanford, Berkeley, and Rice. At that time, when the Trojans were highly ranked, it was almost expected for them to score 50+ points against teams like theirs. However, as the competition started rising to a level above high school, Caleb Williams’ protection faltered, resulting in him having to scramble on nearly half of all passing plays. While he performs well under that pressure, it’s unacceptable to ask him to do it on so many plays throughout just one season. The Trojan receiving core was great, as well as their running backs, but when a team can’t protect their captain, they aren’t going to be able to go far.
Going forward, I only see a few changes that the Trojans need. The first change involves reallocating Kliff Kingsbury’s position to someone else. While Lincoln needs someone to share the offensive responsibility, it was clear that Kliff wasn’t the right person for the job. The defense needs the most significant changes. However, it is also a priority for the team to have a better understanding of the offensive protection needs. USC has recently signed D’Anton Lynn, UCLA’s defensive coordinator, who has proven his competence in the game against the Trojans. Despite having fewer weapons, Lynn’s defense allowed fewer yards and points per game compared to USC. With his addition and, hopefully, success in the transfer portal, USC can rebuild its defense to remain competitive in the Big 10. Lastly, with Caleb likely going to the league, the team is in desperate need of a strong and confident quarterback to lead them into the new season. Although Nothing in the transfer portal is definitive, it appears that they are moving in the right direction.
