PFF grades, snap counts and snaps for USC's defense through three games

No, the defensive questions haven't been answered yet -- that will take more than strong performances against the likes of Nevada and a bad Stanford team.

But ...

Those two performances were highly encouraging, as the Trojans allowed just 7 points through three quarters against the Wolf Pack and just 3 points through three quarters against the Cardinal. Both opponents tacked on a late touchdown against second and third-stringers.

USC tallied 10 tackles for loss in each game, 7 combined sacks and four total turnovers (with a defensive touchdown).

Most importantly, the unit has gotten better each week.

"We essentially gave up three points -- that's pretty good," head coach Lincoln Riley said after the 56-10 win over Stanford. "We played good defense, we got pressure on the quarterback. The power read got out a couple times on us and really other than that there wasn't much else. We caused turnovers, we did pretty much everything that really, really good defenses do."

RELATED: Diving deep into the stats, PFF grades, snap counts and advanced metrics for USC's offense

The biggest knock, as Riley alluded to, is that the defense has given up its share of big plays.

Nevada had a 77-yard touchdown pass and other completions of 73, 33 and 26 yards. Stanford had runs of 59, 29 and 20 yards and completions of 31 and 23 yards.

"There's nothing we can't get better at, and that's certainly obvious," defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said. "I think from a consistency standpoint, the lowlights cannot be that low. We have to get to a point where a bad play defensively is a first down -- not necessarily an explosive. So that's something to challenge in the group.

"When you watch the film and say 'All it is is blank' -- but it didn't get done. So is it confusion? Obviously, credit to the offense in some of these. Is it one particular guy? Is it one particular position? ... We've got to correct it from an explosive standpoint. We just have to. It may not have led to as many points this past week, and in some cases obviously we're talking about some younger guys. The stats still matter whoever is in the game, I get it, so you got to weather a little bit of that because you put them in the game.... But no, that's a big one, so you circle that."

The true tests for this defense are still to come -- and there are plenty.

Washington currently ranks No. 2 nationally in total offense, Oregon is 4th, UCLA 10th, Notre Dame 16th, Arizona 21st and Colorado 23rd.

That's when we'll truly gauge what steps the defense has taken from last season, but there are nonetheless tangible signs of progress that should be real sources of optimism.

Aside from the times All-American Tuli Tuipulotu was asked to play inside last year, the Trojans didn't have anywhere close to the talent and push they have on the interior of the defensive line this year with Bear Alexander -- third nationally among defensive tackles with 12 pressures, per PFF -- and Kyon Barrs.

USC doesn't have a Tuipulotu this year, but the Trojans have gotten pressure in the backfield from a variety of sources. Overall, they have 74 pressures through three games. While it's not the most revealing comparison, it's worth noting that the 2022 defense had 59 pressures through its first three games.

Veteran Solomon Byrd (4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks) and transfer addition Jamil Muhammad (2 sacks) have been the most disruptive players off the edge so far. But there is reason to believe that sophomore Anthony Lucas and freshman Braylan Shelby will continue to grow their impact through the course of the season.

Byrd, it should be noted, started strong last year too before fading down the stretch, but he looks like a different player so far.

"To watch Solomon, the guy is playing at a different level right now. It’s been exciting to watch," Grinch said. "... He’s a guy that I absolutely would highlight as someone who has been kind of a catalyst for us. I don’t want to sound like I’m surprised, but he just missed a lot of time in spring football, had offseason surgery, and he comes back at a different level. ... He’s certainly been the MVP through three weeks."

Meanwhile, USC didn't have near the depth at linebacker a year ago that it does now, and that's been needed with team captain Mason Cobb missing the last two games (and counting) due to injury and Eric Gentry missing a game. The emergence of junior Raesjon Davis has been a key development while freshman Tackett Curtis continues to get valuable experience that should pay dividends down the stretch.

"It’s really two games into his college career [because he was ejected for targeting in the first half vs. Nevada]. We’ve seen 32 formations through three games, 50% motion. Imagine being an 18-year-old kid, showing up, and oh by the way, you’re a starter. You weigh all those things. He’s going to continue to get better -- he will," Grinch said. "But man oh man, the things are correctable. So much of it comes from the right place, the run and hit, but you gotta make sure you hit the right thing and know where you’re running to. Again, there’s not a team in the country that wouldn’t want Tackett Curtis at linebacker and we’re excited to have him."

The biggest question remains the secondary, but what the Trojans have going for them there, again, is substantially improved depth at both cornerback and safety.

Those defensive backs will be tested as much as any level of the defense with marquee quarterbacks like Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, Arizona's Jayden de Laura, Washington's Michael Penix Jr., Notre Dame's Sam Hartman and Oregon's Bo Nix ahead on the schedule.

That's why we can't levy a verdict on the defense yet, other than to note that there are reasons to be optimistic.

The reality will reveal itself soon enough.

"When we're doing our job, it shows how elite this defense can be, and when we're not doing our job it also shows," safety Bryson Shaw said after the win over Stanford. "... But I think we're making great leaps and it's very promising. We're all believing in ourself individually and we believe in ourself as a unit."