USC defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn goes up against his alma mater this week as the Trojans host No. 4-ranked Penn State.

“It’s exciting. I haven’t got a chance to see them play in person since I played there. So it’ll be cool. Two of my old teammates are on the staff, so it’ll be cool to see them after the game," said Lynn, who was a cornerback for the Nittany Lions from 2008-11.

He also talked Wednesday after practice about USC's regression in tackling, as the Trojans had a season-worst 15 missed tackles Saturday at Minnesota, the player of Anthony Beavers in place of injured Eric Gentry, freshman Jide Abasiri's emergence and much more.

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

On Nate Clifton not playing as much?

“Over the course of the game, sometimes you just rotate guys as you feel. I’m not really paying attention to how the rotation is going. We have a plan going into the game, and then I trust the coaches at that point.”

What does it mean to coach against your alma mater?

“It’s exciting. I haven’t got a chance to see them play in person since I played there. So it’ll be cool. Two of my old teammates are on the staff, so it’ll be cool to see them after the game.”

How did you assess the run defense vs. Minnesota?

“It just has to be more consistent. Too many missed tackles. And we have to be stouter up front.”

Where/why has the tackling regressed?

“You just have to tackle better. To that back’s credit, he played very well. He ran hard. But when we have the opportunities to get him down in space, and we have to limit some of those runs that break through the line so they’re not explosive plays.”

What is the emphasis on getting them to tackle correctly?

“A combination of everything. Just because you tackle good in the game, you still have to work on tackling. Just because you tackle bad in a game doesnt’ mean you’re a bad tackling team. You still have to work on tackling. That game, we just did not tackle good. And they played well.”

What does John Humphrey have to do to carve out a role?

“He’s been doing good. Just keep on being consistent in practice. We have a competitive room. And every week, the playing time in that room has been a little different. It’s going to be like that every game.”

What stands out about the Penn State offense?

“A lot of personnel groups. A lot of formations. A lto of adjustments. You really have to be on your p’s and q’s as far as communication. They have the ability to control the ball on the ground, but they have a very explosive offense in terms of plays in the air. So they’re a very tough offense to stop.”

What makes their run game so effective?

“It’s two of the better backs we’re going to play all year. They run hard. They’re downhill. But they also have the ability to score at any point in time. They make plays out of the backfield in the passing game. Any time you have backs that can do as much as their backs do, it’s tough on a defense.”

How did you feel the LBs played with Eric Gentry?

“Tone [Beavers] did good. He’s going to keep on improving each week, playing in a new position. And there will be other guys in that room as well that need to just continue to develop, and they’ll get more time on the field and just keep on getting better as the year goes on.”

Do you expect Beavers to remain in Gentry’s spot?

“It’ll still be a couple different people, but Anthony will be a big part of that.”