Maybe this is the last time this needs to be mentioned, but in the context of addressing USC's attempt at a drastic defensive makeover, it remains an important reference point to note that the 2021 Trojans might just have been the worst defense in program history.
USC ranked 103rd nationally in points allowed at 31.8 per game and 89th in total defense, yielding 408.9 yards per game.
Per the Trojans' official records, which only date back to 1955, that is both the most points per game and most yards per game the program has ever allowed.
That is the starting point for this defensive rebuild ...
Which made this comment from coach Lincoln Riley at Pac-12 Media Day especially interesting. (It's a long quote, but it really needs to be digested in its entirety).
"I think our defense has done extremely well," Riley said of the progress he sees on that side of the ball. "I have a lot of confidence in Alex Grinch. I got to sit there first-hand and watch the changes that he made when he came to Oklahoma in 2019, and there were just immediate, drastic improvements. And he obviously did that in this conference when he went to Washington State for his first defensive coordinator job. So I've got a lot of confidence in the players we have there, the coaches that we have here, the scheme -- I think all the makings to have an outstanding defense. Quite frankly, that's our expectation.
"You think of the great history of this place. Of course, the highlights of Reggie Bush are going to run forever and all the great quarterbacks and all that. But I think you can't forget all the great defensive players that have run through here, and when this team has been a national championship-caliber team, it's been riding a tremendous defense. That's where we expect to be. We expect to have a national championship-caliber defense here at USC, and I believe we have the people to do that."
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It's also important to note that the context of everything Riley says about expectations applies to this season as well -- not in five years, not some vague point down the road. He's made that clear, he's created that reality.
While fans have readily bought into any and all offensive possibilities for this Trojans team with its Heisman Trophy candidate QB and an embarrassment of riches at all the skill positions, it's a much tougher sell on the defensive side.
There are just too many scars from the last few years for the Trojans faithful, who have watched the abject deterioration of any defensive standard or identity.
So there's understandably not much blind faith in that regard, but if we were to lay out the case for why USC could be vastly improved on defense right away with this new coaching staff -- just as a thought experiment -- it would look something like this ...
1. A clean slate
Since Riley and Co. arrived, 10 USC defensive players entered the transfer portal and another seven left for the NFL or simply chose not to continue playing football. Of those 17, eight were more or less starters. So there has been a significant clearing of the slate, so to speak, which is the essential precursor to any substantial makeover.
Of the limited few starters who return, two -- defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu and safety Calen Bullock -- have the potential to be among the best players in the Pac-12 (or beyond) and veteran defensive lineman Nick Figueroa has been a steady asset when healthy. Also, big defensive tackle Brandon Pili is back after missing 2021 due to injury and could be an upgrade on the interior.
