It was a wild ride for USC's defense this season.
Optimistic expectations with new coordinator Todd Orlando taking over, the loss of valuable install/evaluation time with spring practice wiped out, learning a new system largely over Zoom, a rough start, some nice highlights and big games, struggles against UCLA, being put in bad situations by the offense vs. Oregon, and all the while, turnovers galore.
In the end, USC (5-1) finished its season ranked 42nd nationally in total defense (369.7 yards per game allowed) and 44th in scoring defense (26.0 points per game).
It was improvement from last year when the Trojans ranked 77th (408.5 YPG) and 78th (29.4 PPG) in those categories.
It maybe wasn't the total turnaround fans were hoping for, but it also was only a limited sample size of six games and it would have been interesting to see how or if the unit progressed over a full 12- or 13-game season.
That said, we take an in-depth look at the data we did get this fall, using the PFF grades, snap counts and advanced stats to make some final notes and conclusions on the Trojans defense.
RELATED: The end of season PFF grades, snap counts and conclusions for USC's offense in 2020
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