In one game, Alex Grinch changes the conversation at USC
There’s a very simple word of football wisdom to ponder on Saturday night, after USC somehow beat Oregon State despite scoring only 17 points, seven of those points set up by a short 26-yard field: You are what you are.
Bill Parcells and other longtime football coaches have been fond of saying that at some point, reality is reality. It might not be what anyone expected, and it might not seem to mesh with months of offseason analysis or a larger understanding of rosters and schemes, but at some point, we have to accept reality for what it is: This USC defense knows how to get turnovers.
It saved the Trojans against Oregon State. Let’s dive into this amazing plot point for USC’s 2022 season:
4 MORE TAKEAWAYS
USC won’t get four takeaways in every game … but the Trojans have gotten four takeaways in three of four games. When you do something so consistently that it keeps showing up over a whole month, it stops being a total fluke. Maybe a partial fluke, but not a total one. There’s something here.
TURNOVER MACHINE
USC players have consistently gotten their hands in passing lanes — Eric Gentry most of all — and when balls are tipped, teammates catch interceptions instead of dropping them. This is a skill. This is the product of good coaching.
DOING IT WHEN IT MATTERS, PART ONE
USC’s takeaways against previous opponents were part of blowouts. This was the first game in which USC gained game-changing and game-sealing turnovers. The takeways contained a higher value against Oregon State.
DOING IT WHEN IT MATTERS, PART TWO
Oregon State was such an important game. Getting turnovers against Rice and Stanford? Nice, but not a huge deal. Getting turnovers in a tense, close, season-shaping game against Oregon State? The turnovers matter more when they come under these circumstances. We told you that if USC could in fact replicate its takeaway tendencies in this game and deliver a big result, Grinch and the defense would merit praise. They certainly earned it.
NO HUGE PLAYS
USC continues to not give up 50-yard passes or 70-yard runs. As weak as this defense often is, the haymakers just aren’t coming. This defense continues to contain and limit damage, which — when it continues to happen — becomes part of the defense’s identity, just like the ability to force turnovers.
THIRD DOWNS
Oregon State was just 5 of 13 on third downs. That’s a Herculean effort from Alex Grinch’s defense.
SOLOMON BYRD
He helped create the Ceyair Wright interception which enabled USC to score a touchdown and take a fourth-quarter lead.
EARL BARQUET
He was also involved in the Ceyair Wright INT by pressuring Oregon State quarterback Chance Nolan.
2-MINUTE-DRILL DEFENSE
Chance Nolan led a winning two-minute-drill drive to beat Fresno State in Week 2. USC did not allow the same. The Trojans’ defense really did answer the bell in so many different situations, not just one.
PASS RUSH IMPROVED
Though the secondary didn’t give up long balls, it didn’t provide airtight, blanket coverage throughout the game. There is still room to improve. The facet of this defense which took a step forward was the pass rush. Grinch and Shaun Nua made real improvements in this area.
Grinch created so many different advancements on this defensive roster, but the bottom line is USC’s defense not only came up with turnovers; it did so in crunch-time moments when the Trojans faced a very small margin for error. Alex Grinch really has changed the conversation for a team and a defense which still have a lot of room to improve, but which saved USC’s season against Oregon State.
