DC D'Anton Lynn doing for USC what he did for UCLA as he faces former team

Last season, the Trojans ranked 121st among 133 FBS teams in allowing an average of 34.4 points per game. This season, USC has yet to allow any team to score 34 in a game -- only Penn State even reached 30, scoring 33 in overtime -- and ranks tied for 42nd nationally in allowing 22.0 points per contest (including points from two pick-6 interceptions from the offense).

There are plenty of other stats worth spotlighting -- the Trojans have improved from 119th in total defense (432.8 yards per game) to 68th (364.7), from 119th in rush defense (186.5 YPG) to 50th (132.0), from 109th in third-down defense (allowing opponents to convert 43.6 percent of the time) to 23rd (32.58 percent), etc. -- and then there's just the eye test.

“I think he’s done everything that we would’ve asked," coach Lincoln Riley said of Lynn's impact. "I think the culture defensively within our program has really shifted in a lot of ways. I’m proud of how we progressed schematically. I’m really proud of how we progressed fundamentally, especially in Year 1, and that’ll probably make the biggest difference for us. I’m proud of how we responded when we haven’t had all of our weapons there. And we just kind of kept going, and we’ve played some really steady ball.

"Obviously, you can look at the statistics and, you know, see a pretty massive difference there. But I don’t think that tells the whole story. I think D’Anton’s been a really consistent leader along with our defensive staff. I think our players see that and appreciate that. And certainly, the progress is real by stats, but you can just feel the difference right now. And so, I think he’s done a tremendous job at this point.”

Lynn has done a lot of what he did a year ago in his lone season at UCLA, when he turned a Bruins defense that ranked 87th in total defense (403.8 YPG) in 2022 into the 10th-ranked unit nationally (301.5).

There, he inherited an All-American defensive end in Laiatu Latu, who led the FBS with 21.5 tackles for loss and ranked among the leaders with 13 sacks.

USC simply doesn't have that kind of disruptive force off the edge, so Lynn has adjusted his scheme, spending much of the season often having the defensive ends focus on containing the run and edges rather than fully selling out for plays in the backfield.

The Trojans have weathered losing their top defensive player for the season -- linebacker Eric Gentry -- after just a few games due to concussions, their most dynamic defensive tackle Bear Alexander to the transfer portal after just three games, their top defensive end Anthony Lucas midway through the season and at one point played with four of their five starting defensive backs out with injury.

“I think he’s done a good job with it. I mean, it’s, you’ve got the pieces that you have. And each year, especially in a Year 1 for us with this new defense and new defensive staff, you have the players that we have and you’ve got to go make it work with what you have. And try to accentuate the things that we do well and then try to – I don’t know if cover up’s the right word, but you got to try to create with what you have," Riley said of Lynn. "And so, I think his creativity has shown, and obviously that’s going to continue to evolve as we continue to recruit, as we continue to develop, to target guys that obviously fit this system and give us the skill sets that we want to have with the way that we play. That’ll continue to evolve as time goes on. But no, I mean, he’s creative. ...

"You feel his creativity week-to-week, and he stays really positive with it. Very positive, very confident, it’s all about – just find a way, all right. And if this isn’t working, or if this is different, then let’s adjust and do everything we can to put these guys in position to succeed and to stop offenses.”

Through it all, Lynn has indeed delivered a mostly consistent unit that has succeeded largely on the principles of being assignment-sound, tackling well more often than any recent USC defense and playing as one cogent unit in a way that simply, visibly wasn't the case in recent years.

Statistically speaking, Lynn inherited the worst defense in USC history and has made the Trojans more than respectable -- their current yards per game allowed would be the program's best mark since 2013.

“I think there’s a confidence in the guys of what we’re doing, and that the calls that we make, or the schemes and techniques that we teach are going to put ourselves in positions to make plays," Riley said. "And I think our guys have went out there pretty confident and clear-minded and confident to make ‘em. And typically, the teams that are the most clear-minded and confident, well-prepared, show up in those big situations. ...

"It feels like the majority of our games, we’ve shown up big in some of those moments, which has given us a chance to win every one of ‘em.”

Safety Kamari Ramsey (along with cornerback John Humphrey) followed Lynn from UCLA to USC this offseason and was instrumental in helping his defensive coordinator install his scheme and principles.

"It meant a lot when he decided to come here. It meant a ton to me especially. Just having him here, I feel like jump-started this entire thing and what we were able to accomplish in the spring really helped jumpstart camp and that helped us jumpstart what we’re doing now," Lynn said of Ramsey. "We were just further ahead then because of his experience. It’s been cool just to see him be able to grow now in Year 2 in this scheme."

Ramsey, in turn, isn't surprised at all by what Lynn has done with the Trojans.

"He has like this mad scientist way of how he thinks of football and how he looks at the game. He's always like playing chess -- he's one step ahead," Ramsey said.

Ramsey, like the rest of his then-Bruins teammates, was surprised when Lynn bolted across town after just one season with UCLA, after previously serving as an NFL assistant with four teams.

"Really, I was just shocked that he left -- that was the main thing. He had a lot of success in his first year being the defensive coordinator, so the main thing wasn't about where he went, it was like, oh my God, he just left after we had a great year," Ramsey recalled.

That was the hardest part of the decision for Lynn, he said.

"Super tough. That was the hardest part of it," he said. "Great kids. You’re with those kids every single day. You build a relationship with those kids. When you’re in college, it’s a little different than in the NFL. The roster isn’t changing every single week. That was definitely the toughest part."

As the Bruins have prepared to face their former defensive coordinator, quarterback Ethan Garbers and new head coach DeShaun Foster talked about that facet of this matchup.

“He did a great job when he was here,” Garbers said.

Neither he nor Foster are expecting a carbon copy look and downplayed the impact of those repetitions.

"I remember tendencies and all that. I'm sure he's gonna change some stuff up and have a few nuances like every defense does every week,” Garbers said. “But the principles are still the same, you know, the pressure looks are kind of similar. But, you know, he's gonna change it up and throw some stuff we've never seen at us."

Added Foster: "It was only a year. It would be different if he was with us four years and stuff like that — it was only a season. I know in this game, you’re not going to do your normal stuff."

Foster sees Lynn’s move as nothing more than a business decision after USC offered double his $1 million salary.

“Coaches go places all the time, so it is what it is, that situation,” Foster said. “He’s a good coach and we had a good run last season, but Ikaika [Malloe] is our defensive coordinator and I love our team.”

Lynn similarly downplayed the personal storyline of his return to the Rose Bowl and being on the other side of this rivalry matchup.

"It’s exciting. Another big game for our guys. We’re trying to get bowl eligible. Super excited about the opportunity," he said. "Just being in the NFL, I’ve bounced around so many times, played so many co-workers and the players I’ve coached, that it’s just something that I’m used to. I think it makes it a little more exciting, but at the end of the day, when the game starts, it’s ball at the end of the day."

What can't be minimized, though, is the impact Lynn has made on the Trojans in less than a year on the job.

"He's just been steady, man. He's handled it like a pro and really our whole defensive staff has," Riley said. "... I just think there's been a real steadiness about that entire room the way those guys work together, the way those guys function with our players and the rest of our staff. And I feel that with our entire staff. This is a very steady staff, it's a lot of people that have been there, it's a lot of people that don't get easily rattled, that see the big picture and just kind of stay at it. There's a real professionalism in this building now. I've been proud of the way he's handled it, all of our people. He's been a tremendous addition. I can't say enough good things about him."