USC defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn joined reporters for a brief Zoom interview Thursday to touch on the progress of the defense with the season opener a little more than a week away.

Lynn discussed the strong preseason defensive end Anthony Lucas has had and his importance to this defense, the leadership role safety Kamari Ramsey has taken on for the Trojans and more.

Watch the interview here and scroll down for a complete transcript of his comments.

What are some similarities and differences you've seen from this D-line and the one you had at UCLA last year?

"Some similarities, we're going to have some versatility as far as guys across the board playing different spots. Differences, I would say I think we have a little bit more depth there. Especially interior, we have more guys that we can play inside, which I think going into the Big Ten is going to be big. And then outside of that, that's really the biggest thing. I would just say the versatility and then just the increased depth inside is going to help us a lot being in the Big Ten."

We heard buzz for Anthony Lucas last year and didn't really materialize. What's he shown you this preseason and what have you gleaned about his year last year and what buttons you needed to press to get the most out of him?

"You know, we really didn't have to press any buttons at all. When I got here, I think he was aware he has a lot of potential he hasn't tapped into yet, so he's been locked in since I got here. He had a good spring, but he had a great summer. You can tell, he really put in a ton of work in June and July, because when we started camp he didn't just pick up where he left off -- he was ahead of where he ended in spring. And he's had a tremendous camp. He's playing the pass better, playing the run better, and again, he's a guy with his versatility we can do a bunch of different things with."