Where USC coach Lincoln Riley emphasized the coaching staff's expectations for how practices will be run moving into season mode, defensive coordinator Alex Grinch doubled down and took the sentiment to the next level Wednesday.

Grinch, who usually wears a shirt with a 'SC logo and "STRAIN" on the front, was asked about his intensity during practices and delivered a doozy of an answer.

"The 'fog of war' is kind of the -- and this isn't war, but it's that expression -- we're trying to create an intense environment, and really that's what this week has been all about for the guys in particular. Do we change when we get to game week? And the answer is no. There's a way we practice -- we believe in it," Grinch said. "We try to play the game on Tuesday and Wednesday so the third time we play the game is on Saturday.

"Some guys believe in practice, some guys don't. Every coach says they do -- the fact is they don't. We do. You earn the right to have confidence walking into the stadium on Saturday. Your logo's not going to get it done. It's how you prepare on Tuesdays and Wednesdays -- specific, that's the physical work -- and then the mental work beyond that. We try to simulate as if 85,000 people are going bonkers. That's why I don't have a voice. But if you have a sensitive reaction to one man barking at you after a play, how are you going to respond when 85,000 are doing it? We say it in the nicest form possible, but we're trying to get them to respond over the course of game week."

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