USC’s defense was not laser-focused in Week 1 against Missouri State. This was nowhere close to the maximum or the gold standard for D’Anton Lynn and his defense. It is just one game. Lots of players played. Young guys got reps. That’s all good. However, Lynn will look at film and see a lot of room for improvement as Lincoln Riley begins an important season at USC. The good news in all of this is that Lynn can fix flaws. He instantly fixed USC last season. Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn has done a phenomenal job in his short tenure with the Trojans.
Lynn has the potential to provide Lincoln Riley something he has not had on many of his teams: a defense that rivals Riley’s offense for best side of the ball. Sports Illustrated’s Kendell Hollowell highlighted cornerback DJ Harvey’s comments on his defensive coordinator in a recent tweet on X:
“#USC CB DJ Harvey on playing for defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn: ‘He demands greatness out of everybody. And we need somebody like that. A leader that we can look up to.’
In just one season Lynn turned this Trojans defense around in many facets. This was a defense in 2023 that gave up 34.4 points per game. Last season they only gave up 24.1 points. In 2024 the Trojans were No. 33 in passes intercepted with 12, and No. 53 in rushing defense with 141.2 yards given up per game.
Lynn had the same exact impact at UCLA, which is what helped him land the USC job. He is a proven leader and his defense has always bought into him. In Year 1 there was a huge jump for this defense. In Year 2 more is expected of the Trojans. It’s time to get to the film room and correct what happened against Missouri State. No more gashing in the run game, no more big plays allowed.
D’Anton Lynn and Lincoln Riley could be the coaching combination which can restore USC to its glory days. The amount of work needed to be done, however, is substantial.
