Report Card: Grading USC after defense saves the offense against Oregon State

How the turn tables, as they say.

The first three games of the USC season painted a very clear and obvious portrait of a team almost completely reliant on its offense to score in bunches, build a lead, and prevent the defense from having to take the field in a tight game in the fourth quarter.

USC led Stanford 41-14 midway through the third quarter of Week 2. The Trojans led Fresno State 35-17 in the fourth quarter of Week 3. The defense never had to play a possession in which the outcome of the game hung in the balance.

That all changed in Week 4 against Oregon State … and the defense was able to answer the bell. Our report card looks very different this week.

Quarterback

Sep 24, 2022; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) throws from the end zone against Oregon State Beavers defensive lineman James Rawls (52) in the second half at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

GRADE: B-minus

Whoa, whoa, whoa, you might be saying. Caleb Williams played a LOT worse than a B-minus in this game, right?

Correct. Caleb was at a D-plus or C-minus for the first 58 minutes of this game. However: A game-winning drive when everything was on the table is worth a full grade higher than the 60-minute body of work. Winning matters. Caleb Williams is a winner. He made the game-winning throw when his team needed it. We value winning at USC. Obviously, Williams needs to get a lot better and learn from this experience in Corvallis.

Running Backs

Sep 24, 2022; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; USC Trojans running back Travis Dye (26) runs against the Oregon State Beavers in the second half at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

GRADE: A

USC doesn’t win without Travis Dye being a total baller. He is the one Trojan on the offensive side of the ball who gets straight As for his work against Oregon State, a team he had tormented before as a member of the Oregon Ducks.

Wide Receivers

Sep 24, 2022; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Oregon State Beavers in the second half at Reser Stadium. The touchdown was the game winner as Trojans defeated Beavers 17-14. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

GRADE: C-plus

Oregon State took away the deep ball, and yes, it’s on Caleb Williams to make a lot of adjustments. That said, USC’s receivers were outclassed by the Oregon State secondary. Lincoln Riley and Dennis Simmons have a lot of work to do in terms of scheming guys open and also getting Caleb Williams to look for certain openings in defenses by scanning the whole field.

Offensive Line

Sep 24, 2022; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; USC Trojans running back Travis Dye (26) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Oregon State Beavers in the second half at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

GRADE: C-plus

Courtland Ford did not play, and Justin Dedich looked noticeably limited playing on what was essentially one leg. This group is banged up, and you’re going to see a dropoff in quality when guys aren’t healthy, so we’re not going to be too harsh with our grade. Nevertheless, Oregon State did not have a good pass rush in its first three games of the season, and the Beavers were able to generate a good amount of pressure on Caleb Williams. To be fair, Lincoln Riley didn’t run the ball as much as he probably should have.

Also: Brett Neilon’s “nudge” of Caleb Williams on fourth down becomes an instantly iconic play in USC football history. Neilon individually gets an “A” for that piece of quick thinking.

Defensive Line

Sep 24, 2022; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; USC Trojans defensive lineman Solomon Byrd (51) pressures Oregon State Beavers quarterback Chance Nolan (10) in the second half at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

GRADE: A-minus

On a night when USC scored just 17 points, the defense stood on its head and has to get high marks. Solomon Byrd and Earl Barquet joined Tuli Tuipulotu in creating pressures which led to Oregon State turnovers. USC did not give up any home-run plays once again. We still haven’t seen an opponent bust out a 60-yard touchdown run or a 50-yard touchdown pass. This defense has its flaws, but it saved the day against Oregon State and is simply not getting burned in big situations. The grades need to reflect that.

Linebackers

Sep 24, 2022; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Oregon State Beavers wide receiver Tre’Shaun Harrison (0) holds onto the ball against USC Trojans linebacker Shane Lee (53) in the second half at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

GRADE: A

USC’s linebackers continue to make the plays which put this defense in a position to succeed. Eric Gentry is the front-runner for 2022 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, full stop. Gentry is often the guy who makes the deflection which leads to an interception. He has been doing that all year long. The linebackers have been tremendous in pass defense this season, and they answered the bell against Oregon State.

Secondary

Sep 24, 2022; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; USC Trojans defensive back Mekhi Blackmon (6) makes an interception during the second half against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

GRADE: B-plus

The secondary sometimes failed to hold up in coverage when the D-line generated a good pass rush, so the grade isn’t quite as good as the D-line or the linebackers … but not by much.

Another game, another boatload of interceptions. Again, no huge touchdown passes of 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, or 80 yards. When a group continues to shut off big plays from the opponent while making lots of picks, the grades have to reflect that, especially against quality opposition.

Kicking Game

Sep 24, 2022; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; USC Trojans punter Aadyn Sleep-Dalton (42) punts from the end zone in the second half against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

GRADE: D

USC won in spite of its kicking game. A missed field goal and an out of bounds kickoff are completely unacceptable. Punting was not great, either. USC needs wholesale improvements in this area. The Trojans are lucky their kicking game did not burn them in Corvallis.

Offensive Coaching

Sep 24, 2022; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches his team warm-up before playing the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

GRADE: D-plus

The coach did not put his players in position to succeed. It’s true that Caleb Williams had some plays available to make, but then again, Lincoln Riley was supposed to teach Caleb Williams so well and so thoroughly that his quarterback would be able to make the right responses to situations.

That did not happen against Oregon State until the final drive.

Riley did not have his offense or his quarterback prepared for this game, and that’s on him. Are we likely to see another game as bad as this one from the USC offense this year? No … but Riley still deserves a very low grade nonetheless. We’re not going to sugarcoat our analysis of him.

Defensive Coaching

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 03: Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch on the sidelines during a 66-14 Trojans win over the Rice Owls at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 03, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

GRADE: A

None of us expected this outcome, but it is the outcome which unfolded in Corvallis. Alex Grinch saved Lincoln Riley, the offense, and the team. It’s one thing to grab interceptions when leading Rice by 21, or Stanford by 27, or Fresno State by 18. It’s quite another matter to get interceptions when trying to hold on for dear life in a one-score road game in a tough Pac-12 environment against a good Oregon State team, with the season’s goals hanging in the balance. Grinch’s group delivered the goods under enormous pressure with no margin for error. That’s a straight-A effort for sure.

LINCOLN RILEY

CORVALLIS, OR – SEPTEMBER 24: USC Trojans Head Coach Lincoln Riley encourages his team before their game against Oregon State University at Reser Stadium on September 24, 2022 in Corvallis, Oregon. (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)

GRADE: A

Wait a minute, you might ask, didn’t you just give the offensive coaching a D-plus? Yes we did … but there’s a separate category for Lincoln Riley here: not as offensive coach and play-caller, but as the face and leader of the USC football program.

In this regard, he gets an A. Why? Because you saw how tough, resilient, and unified this team really is. Playing with poise under pressure late in a game, being able to make so many huge plays in the final three minutes, guys sacrificing the way Brett Neilon did on his famous “nudge” of Caleb Williams on fourth down.

This is when we learn whether a culture really has changed from Clay Helton.

Lincoln Riley has clearly changed the culture at USC in less than one year on the job. Do you all realize how insanely difficult it is to do something like that?

The critics all said one year was too soon to expect a true transformation at USC. Riley has this team in position to win 10 games in Year 1, everybody. That’s what it means to change a culture.

Story originally appeared on Trojans Wire