USC football is 1-0, but there’s little defense for an inconsistent defense

PUBLISHED August 27, 2023 at 4:38 p.m. | UPDATED: August 28, 2023 at 4:09 a.m.
In the Coliseum parking lot adjacent to BMO Stadium, planting their rows of cardinal-and-yellow tarps on a sweltering Saturday afternoon tarmac, the Psychos convened.
Grills sizzled in front of USC-branded lawn chairs, a plain sign atop a red-draped plastic serving table reading “9,031 DAYS SINCE UCLA WON THE PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP.” Shots of Fireball were bestowed freely and happily upon any weary traveler who asked. This is the “Psychogate,” the vision of one Roy Nwaisser – self-and-fan-dubbed “USC Psycho” – who’s been to every single Trojans home and road game for three decades.
It’s the kind of fan lifeblood that’s pumped year-in and year-out no matter success or failure or sanctions, the kind Coach Lincoln Riley was hired to inspire beneath Hollywood glam and donor money. And excitement poured from taps here Saturday, the dawn of the second year of the Riley era that had Nwaisser – who’s seen it all – as optimistic as he’s been “in a long time,” he said.
But a taste far worse than tailgate tri-tip still lingers on these Psychos’ tongues: the pitfalls of 2022, when a deflated defense led to a massive collapse in the Pac-12 championship game and the Cotton Bowl.
“Did we do enough to fix those issues?” Nwaisser said. “We’ll see.”
Saturday’s 56-28 victory over San Jose State, plain and simple, wasn’t enough. A 1-0 start wasn’t enough. Riley knew it. Quarterback Caleb Williams knew it, choosing his words carefully in the postgame presser like he was still cycling through on-field progressions.
“Walking off the field, there’s a bit of frustration that a couple of the coaches, or myself, the players that have been here and seen and know how it should go … in the first half, I just felt like we weren’t hitting on certain calibers that we’re going to hit on here soon,” Williams said postgame.
“We were a bit inconsistent tonight, especially in the first half,” Williams said, to a later question. “That was the key sense of frustration was inconsistency, I would say.”
The factors Williams pointed to – a couple of dropped balls, a fumbled snap, the offensive line missing a couple of defensive read cues – concerned the offense. But the major inconsistencies for USC on Saturday came yet again on defense, the unit that’s supposed to bring glory back to the Coliseum, the unit that the Psychos and every Trojans fan know their season will hinge on this fall.
Too often, key USC penalties extended San Jose State drives. Too often, Spartans quarterback Chevan Cordeiro turned the Trojans into Swiss cheese, scampering for gain after first-half gain as attempts to contain him with a quarterback spy simply fell short.
“A couple of times, just flat-out outran us,” Riley said. “I mean, he’s a good player – that part was disappointing.”
An analysis of defensive stock risers/fallers after Week 1:
Rising
Jamil Muhammad, rush end: The transfer from Georgia Southern didn’t start Saturday, but he made some massive second-quarter hits to stop a San Jose State run and send awry a Cordeiro pass.
Mason Cobb, linebacker: He showed impressive agility and awareness in chasing Cordeiro from the linebacker spot.
Solomon Byrd, defensive end: He was quiet in Saturday’s first half, but generated third-quarter pressure that led to a sack.
Falling
Domani Jackson, cornerback: The former Mater Dei High star surrendered some catches in one-on-one situations and was partly responsible for a major defensive breakdown to end the first half that led to a touchdown grab, which Riley called “inexcusable” postgame.
Tackett Curtis, linebacker: He made a couple of nice tackles, but he didn’t have a significant impact in his first USC game and was tested in pass coverage.