First and foremost, USC defensive coordinator Todd Orlando noted, "You won the ballgame."

That said, Orlando was candid and blunt in his critique of the Trojans' first defensive performance Saturday and where it needs to go moving forward.

Starting with the play of the linebackers.

"Eh, they were okay. We've got to get better. I have no problems with saying that because I coach the position," he said Wednesday morning in a Zoom call with reporters. "I’ve got to do a better job of getting those guys to play faster, more physical and more violent. So they know. We went into that room, and anytime you give up the amount of running yards we did, that is the position you've got to get that stuff corrected. It's all of us. I've got to do a better job coaching. We've got to do a better job getting off blocks and separating. And we will -- I can promise you that."

After each receiving a substantial dose of preseason hype, junior linebacker Palaie Gaoteote and sophomore Ralen Goforth finished as two of USC's three lowest-graded players by PFF on Saturday, each receiving especially low marks in run defense as the Trojans gave up 258 rushing yards in that 28-27 win over Arizona State.

"It was a collection of stuff … There was some fit up issues. But it’s all correctable stuff. The ones we got hit on, we actually had two guys on the same side, that’s alignment mistakes. That gives you zero chance," Orlando said. "But there’s an expectation. Obviously, from a standpoint of talent level, it’s there. I’ve got to do a better job of getting these guys to play faster. I have no problem with saying that."

RELATED: See a full transcript of all of Todd Orlando's comments and video of the Zoom call here

Ultimately, USC did hold Arizona State to 392 total offensive yards, which was the fewest of any Pac-12 team in Week 1.

The hope -- and the hype -- has been that Orlando could unlock the untapped potential in Gaoteote, the former 5-star prospect now in his third year with the program. And Goforth beat out junior Kana'i Mauga, who played only 4 defensive snaps Saturday, for the starting middle linebacker job while also drawing plenty of preseason praise.

Neither popped on the film from Saturday, though. To spotlight one example, Goforth bit on a fake handoff misdirection play in the first quarter that allowed ASU quarterback Jayden Daniels a wide opening on the right side to scamper for a 38-yard gain.

Daniels also had a couple back-breaking third-and-long scrambles as the Trojans abandoned the middle of the field, though it's not clear who was specifically at fault on those plays or if it was merely a byproduct of the aggressive pass rush.

Either way, Arizona State had its way on the ground, with Daniels contributing 111 of those 258 rushing yards.

Orlando's defenses have traditionally excelled in rush defense and he was asked if that's a stat he takes personally after a game like Saturday.

"Oh yeah, for sure. When you're giving up that many rushing yards that's not a good thing with us," he said. "It's one thing when you have a dynamic quarterback that maybe scrambles and does that stuff -- you're not talking about those things, those happen," he said. "I've competed against Lamar [Jackson] and [Kyler] Murray and those guys. You put that to the side because you better pick your poison because they can throw every ball, but just the traditional tailback running game if you're not doing a good job you have no chance of playing elite defense.

"Because nobody will throw the ball on you -- they'll just run it. It's really hard to screw up a run play. You have to find somebody to throw [to], they have to catch it. So in the pass game there are some variables to it. That's where our emphasis is going to be this week -- let's make sure that we stop the run game and then obviously when you get the opportunity to put pressure on the quarterback we put pressure on the quarterback."

Arizona State's top two running backs each feasted Saturday with DeaMonte Trayanum rushing for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns on 12 carries (7.0 yards per carry) and Rachaad White rumbling for 76 yards on 12 carries (6.3 YPC) along with a 55-yard touchdown on a swing pass.

"We had a handful of plays that, you know, it's first ballgames. You train a certain way and you're hoping that when you get on the field that you just stay with your training. And there was a couple plays out there that we kind of just lost our minds," Orlando said. "And when you watch the tape, you think first ballgames, you think about, I don't make excuses for it, but I really believe that getting three or four weeks in and not having the spring football, that could have helped us on some of these things. ...

"Let's give those guys some credit because that offense with shift trades and motions with a mobile quarterback with some tailbacks that can run the football and to have some outside threats, that's a good little offense. So all correctable stuff."

Most importantly, he felt his message was received this week as he went back over the flaws of that performance with his players.

"I loved our mindset. In the linebacker meeting room, it was like, 'I'll get this right, I promise you.' There was no palms up or point fingers," Orlando said. "That's a really, really good sign for 'I care and I'm going to get this stuff corrected.' And I was the same way. I came into that room and I got to do a better job. And we will, I promise you."

Said defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu: "We gotta just do a better job of stopping the run. Like coach said, just little things like getting out of our gap and stuff like that. But like he said, we'll get it fixed by Saturday."

There was one other especially notable takeaway from Orlando's comments Wednesday morning, and it goes back to the standard of expectations he's trying to instill in the unit.

USC had relatively minimal rotation on the defensive line with the starters -- Tuipulotu (played 53 of 65 snaps), defensive end Nick Figueroa (61 of 65) and defensive tackle Caleb Tremblay (47 of 65) -- playing the bulk of the snaps. Redshirt freshman tackle Stanley Ta'ufo'ou (12 snaps) and true freshman end Tuli Tuipulotu (4) were the only other defensive linemen to get into the game, per PFF's snap count tally. (That does not count the pass-rushing B-backer who lines up offset from the line in a stand-up position, and at times both Drake Jackson and Hunter Echols were on the field together).

Orlando was asked if that lack of rotation was a function of only having 65 plays or rather reflective of his confidence in the personnel.

"It is how you practice around here is going to be how many reps you get, you know what I'm saying?" Orlando said. "A little bit has to do with kind of the pace of the game too. ... But we've kind of talked about this going into this -- it's not gonna be participation awards. What you put on film, and here's the cool part about it is every night after practice we sit down and we watch every rep of every play that we have. And there's no favoritism, there's no backside meetings, none of that stuff. So the way you practice is the amount of plays you're going to get. So if you practice your tail off, you're going to be playing on Saturdays, and if you don't it's going to be limited. So I think that we're trying to stay very consistent in terms of our message so we can get better throughout the year."

-The one overwhelming positive, of course, was Tuipulotu, who was a force in the middle of the defensive line while finishing with 8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and the Trojans' lone sack.

"He made the plays to settle us down. We always talk about sometimes you get on the ropes a little bit, and you’re searching, and the big-time guys step up and make the big plays that settle you in," Orlando said. "So I thought his one play, I think it was the tail end, a late third down, where he beats a blocker and makes a critical stop on the QB. Those plays, that’s the expectation because these guys are very seasoned. If some of the younger guys that don’t have a lot of game reps, if they’re in the spots they’re supposed to be and they’re making the plays they’re supposed to make, you’re happy with that. But with guys like Marlon, guys like Drake, you’re looking for 2-3 plays that are outside the norm that go along with the plays they should make. Really special players like that, that’s what they should do. That really helps you."

-Orlando also gave his evaluation of sophomore outside linebacker (B-backer) Drake Jackson, who had 3 tackles and a tackle for loss.

"It was good. I was a little bit concerned he didn’t get a ton of live reps [due to a preseason hamstring injury, but he’s such a dynamic player. I was a little concerned from a tackling standpoint, but he’s such a good athlete. He did a really good job. To me, he’s a special player," he said. "We have to be mindful of the stuff we’re doing or asking him to do. Marlon makes that critical play on third down, but the play he makes at the end of the game, those are the 2-3 plays the special players make. He beats the tackle clean, forces the throw fast, and it’s an incomplete. To me, that’s recruiting. You’re in this area, and there’s some really good high school players in this area, the top guys, and you get those guys to come to your program, and they make us all look great. He did some things out there that were pretty special."

-For all the talk about the rushing yards, part of that was a function that Arizona State struggled in the passing game, holding Daniels to 11-of-23 passing for 134 yards and 1 TD (with 55 of those yards and that TD coming on a swing pass to a running back). Starting cornerbacks Olaijah Griffin and Chris Steele did not allow a single completion their way, though they did combine for three penalties.

"They did a good job. They were aggressive. They got up in there. But like I said beforehand, their coach (Donte Williams) is an extremely confident guy. I think they're playing with a lot of confidence right now, but there's a long season," Orlando said. "If you're talking about the game specifically, I thought they went up there and they challenged guys and they stuck with them, which is really good. I thought during the game there was not one time where as a play-caller you sat there and say, 'Ooh, that guy got by us and that could have been ugly.' You felt pretty confident, so when you have that play on the outside it makes the game so much easier to call. That's the one thing I told [Donte] was like, 'Hey man, that's a really good job collectively as a group.' Because sometimes as a coordinator you sit there and you need to get stuff done -- like for us, it was stop the run game. But you put guys out there one on one, somebody gets beat, now you're in between. But I never felt at one point during the game that those guys needed help."

-Orlando also gave his thoughts on the matchup this week as USC goes on the road to face Arizona and second-year quarterback Grant Gunnell.

"It's pace so it's something that's unique. We go from a shift team that's in the huddle, not really in the huddle but a sugar huddle, to press the gas 24-7. So it's different. It's kind of unique to go back to back on teams like that," he said. "We're going to have to get to the ball and be fast in terms of our assignments and our alignments and then we know that they're going to try to run the football after they saw that, so we've got to stop the run to begin with and we know balls are going out in the perimeter. So unique situation, first time on the road too with this crew, but I know we're excited. We know that we can play much, much better than we did. End of the day we won the ballgame and let's move on to the next one. But they're a space team, they're going to get people the football, dynamic guys, get them in space and try to run away from you."