USC’s Defensive Improvement in 2023 Starts in the Fourth Quarter

Pete Carroll had a few favorite sayings during his time as the USC head coach. He talked constantly about finishing strong and one of his favorite back-and-forths with his team in the locker rooms after comebacks wins was to ask if you can win a game in the first, second or third quarters, receiving a chorus of “No” after each one, only to burst into celebratory shouts when he asked if you could win a game in the fourth quarter.

This USC team seems to have found its version of that heading into this season with, “The longer it goes, the better we get.” Head coach Lincoln Riley finishes practices with that phrase, in a call-and-response, back-and-forth with the players. The whole team is involved, but it’s the USC defense that should be most affected by the message.

Because that wasn’t the case in 2022. There, of course, were defensive shortcomings almost every week and in almost every way. But USC’s fourth-quarter defense, and the defense especially in the fourth quarters of the fourth quarter of the season, stands out.

USC pitched fourth-quarter shutouts in just three of 14 games last season. The Trojans allowed at least 13 points in seven games. And in the final four games of the year, USC gave up 14, 13, 23 and 14 points over the final 15 minutes of each one.

Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch spoke during last week’s media day about the areas in which USC’s defense needs to improve from last season. He certainly didn’t limit it to just fourth-quarter defense. But the few times he got into specifics, that was the focus. Grinch rattled off a number of stats, including allowing 10 points per game and 120 yards per game in the fourth quarter. He pointed out that USC was even worse on the road and averaged 17 points allowed in the fourth quarter of the three losses.

“I don’t remember being real excited after 11 wins last year either, because the last 15 minutes stings you,” Grinch said. “We really struggled with the fourth quarter last year. We did. Part of that is maturity. Part of that is understanding what it takes to win and learning how to win. And part of that is the mental resilience part of it.

Finding a Fourth-Quarter Fix This Offseason

The frustration over those collapses and the overall failure of the defense last season led Grinch to do something this offseason he said he hadn’t done in 20-some years of coaching. He went back and watched practice film of the 2022 Trojans.

Again, while it wasn’t the only issue that came to light, the example Grinch used was the one that separates great teams.

“Finishing football,” he said. “If you can’t put together a Tuesday and Wednesday in two hours on the practice field versus scout team, it’s going to be really hard to play 60 minutes against an elite opponent when you’re talking about championship games.”

Practice film also revealed a truth that Grinch knew throughout the year. Heck, any casual USC fan knew it throughout the year.

“We’ve got to get better,” he said. “The consistency aspect of things has got to show up.”

Grinch said they made sure to bring some of the defensive leaders in to learn from the tape as well.

“We can get bigger, faster, stronger,” Grinch said. “We can make any adjustments that we want, lean on certain coverages versus other coverages. But if we show up on game week practice and tear down trust amongst us, then it becomes a really difficult task…That was hopefully a big moment for our guys and something the team could talk about.”

The discussion about finishing games is not unique to Grinch and USC. He said it’s one he’s had at every coaching stop and one that takes place at every level.

“Fifteen minutes can change your career, 15 minutes can change the season,” Grinch said. “Now we have a visual to say okay, listen, if you don’t play 60 minutes of football, you cannot be a champion. It will not happen.”

A Bigger, Faster, Stronger USC Defense

USC’s defensive front underwent a significant transformation this offseason via the recruiting class and transfer portal. The front six is virtually unrecognizable at this point compared to last season. Bear Alexander, Anthony Lucas, Mason Cobb, Kyon Barrs, Jack Sullivan, Jamil Muhammad, Tackett Curtis, Sam Greene and Braylan Shelby could all factor in to some degree up front this season. And it’s likely five of the six starters at defensive line and linebacker could come from that group of players — none of whom were on the roster last year.

“Are we a bigger, faster, stronger football team as we sit here today than we did a year ago at this time?” Grinch asked. “The answer — not in my opinion — in fact, is we are. Now, we have to make sure we play more physical, we play fast and also with that is we make sure to put the guys in the best situation to be successful. So all those things have to move the needle. We need to be a more consistent unit, a more physical unit, a tougher unit, and a unit that plays four quarters. And all of that has to take place this fall camp.”

The combination of added depth and top-end talent should result in improved play at every spot, both in practice and on game days.

“I think it creates a little more competitiveness in the room across the board,” Grinch said. “You’ve got to play at a high level or someone else could possibly take that spot. That can drive a lot of things from a depth standpoint. It changes conversations.”

Grinch said players being able to mail in their performances throughout the week while still knowing they’ll see the field on Saturdays is “not a real good recipe for a successful program.” And he, too, can’t sit back and expect results simply because the roster is filling out with more size and talent.

“It’s fine to have bodies,” Grinch said. “We’ve got to make sure we continue to develop them.”

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