USC Trojans Discuss their problem areas in the defense

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USC Trojans Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn Discusses some of their weakness areas in the defense, Lynn says the team understands what they did wrong and they practiced these problems during the bye week

Transcript

00:00When you watch the tape of that game against Illinois, what did you see from the defensive line and how can it improve?

00:05Just being more physical, being more consistent.

00:08It all starts with the front. We have to be able to stop the run, have to be able to affect the quarterback.

00:13When you're not doing those things, it makes it hard to protect other areas of the field.

00:17It all starts right there, so that right there is something that group has to set the tone every single week.

00:23Any idea why they didn't set the tone in that game?

00:25I have no idea why. They got off to a slow start. Unacceptable. We've already talked about it over the bye.

00:32They had a good week of practice. They're locked in this week, but starting fast and just controlling the front has been a huge emphasis.

00:41What was the emphasis with the secondary just kind of going over the course of this bye?

00:45It was good to get a lot of guys reps in different spots and really just taking it back to day one.

00:55Unique, fundamentals, tackling, getting off blocks, man coverage, leverage, just small things like that.

01:01The guys did talk a lot last week about starting fast, the need to start fast.

01:05So what did you do during the bye week to really make sure that happens?

01:07And what can you do leading up to the game, too, even in warm-ups?

01:12I think it's just you're prepared and you go out there and you execute.

01:15I don't think it's something that you can just, you know, do in practice to magically pop up on the game.

01:21It's just, you know, you emphasize it. You practice hard. You practice the right way.

01:27You try to say it's process-oriented as you can and just seeing, you know, are we doing things the right way?

01:33And then on game day, you know, when they hit the field, it's not like practice.

01:36You know, we're on the sidelines. They have to go out there and, like I said, especially starting up front,

01:41they have to set the tone really for the entire team.

01:43So when you say process-oriented, how would you define the process at this point in the season?

01:48You know, we need to clean stuff up. We need to be more consistent up front.

01:53Linebacker-wise, we need to be more consistent with our fits.

01:55And then just from a secondary standpoint, really being more consistent with everything.

01:59When you say practice the right way, have they been practicing the right way since the last?

02:03Yes, they have.

02:04And what has their response been since the last?

02:06It was good. You know, we had a good bye.

02:08We had three or four competitive practices against the offense.

02:13And then this week, it's just been all locked in on Michigan.

02:16Riddick was kind of thrown into the fire against Illinois.

02:18What did you see from him in gameplay?

02:19Yeah, that was tough for him to do, man.

02:21I was super impressed.

02:22You know, he didn't get a chance to enroll early, so he wasn't here at all in spring.

02:26And he missed a big portion of camp.

02:28So he's been behind on reps, but he went in there.

02:30One thing, he's super competitive.

02:33So he was competing every single play.

02:34He's super, super unconscious.

02:37So every mistake he made, you know, he was very, very locked in, understood why.

02:41He's typically not a kid that makes the same mistakes twice.

02:44You know, there are some ups and downs, but he did a lot of good things out there.

02:46He did enough.

02:47You know, we were excited about it, and we're excited about the direction he's going.

02:51Michigan played this past weekend, obviously touted for the rushing attack.

02:53But what did you see against Wisconsin?

02:55You know, they're a complete team.

02:57You know, they obviously can run the ball, but as you look from week one to now, their

03:01passing game has kind of expanded each week.

03:04And you see the quarterback just getting more comfortable with the college game, with the

03:08speed of the game, and processing what he's getting from the defense.

03:12And I think you've seen him improve every single week.

03:15You know, at this point, I think they're a complete offense.

03:17What did you see from the three linebacker looks against Illinois?

03:20And what needs to happen to play three linebackers more often?

03:24It really just depends on the team that we're playing.

03:27You know, there's going to be times where we have three backers.

03:29There's going to be times where we have five D linemen.

03:31It's just going to depend on the package.

03:33What did you think of the three linebacker packages against Illinois?

03:37How did those look?

03:38They did some good things, and then there were some plays that we had to correct.

03:41You talked a lot about getting stronger and more physical, bigger in the trenches coming

03:45into the season.

03:46Does this feel like a game where that's really tested?

03:49Yeah, every team really from here on out is going to be tested.

03:53You know, every team from here on out has an offensive line that has the ability to control

03:58the line of scrimmage and has the ability to be able to control the game.

04:02So that's something that we have to respond, you know, with our front seven every single

04:07week.

04:07What stands out in particular about Michigan's running?

04:10They're very, very well coached.

04:12You can tell that they know what they're doing.

04:15Their offensive line plays very well together.

04:17It's probably the best backs we've played all year.

04:20Their tight ends are complete tight ends.

04:23You know, they're very, very big.

04:24They can block, but they can also hurt you in the pass game.

04:26Like I said, it's, you know, it reminds you of an NFL team.

04:29It's a complete offense.

04:30They can beat you in the air.

04:31They can beat you with their interior run game.

04:34They could beat you on the edge.

04:36You kind of have to defend everything.

04:37But again, it starts up front.

04:38How much confidence do you have in D?

04:40I know you already talked about him a little bit, but if he's progressing well, could Kamari

04:44potentially fall back into his normal spot and D play nickel?

04:47Yeah, so that was a good thing over the bye was being able to just pour into a ton of

04:52guys and get guys reps in spots where they've been getting reps, but being able to get them

04:57just a lot of just concentrated reps and back-to-back.

05:00And we have a lot of confidence in guys like D.

05:02You know, we have a lot of confidence in guys like Alex when we're able to get him back.

05:07And the more those guys get reps, the more comfortable we'll be with them in games.

05:12Where do you feel like Eric Gentry has maybe added most to his game coming into this season?

05:16And how important is he in a game like this when you have a mobile quarterback, you have

05:20a good run game?

05:20I would say just with the personnel and some of the injuries like that, he's been doing

05:25a lot more off-the-ball stuff.

05:27Last year, he was kind of like half and half.

05:29And I've just been impressed, really, with him taking that step off the ball.

05:32You see him communicating a lot more.

05:34You see him calling and plays out.

05:38You see him playing like an inside backer in the box.

05:41I just think he's getting more comfortable off the ball.

05:43Did you see the defensive line take what Illinois did on the offensive line personally?

05:48Have you seen any of that the past couple of weeks?

05:49I think the entire defense did, yeah.

05:52Giving up the big play was a point of concern last year against Michigan.

05:54We saw a little bit of that against Illinois.

05:56How do you, in practice, emphasize stopping that?

05:58I mean, it's tackling.

05:59It's getting off blocks.

06:00If there's an eight-yard curl that goes for 60 yards, we have to get him down.

06:06If there's a screen and we have three guys that can make the play, we have to get off

06:10the block.

06:10We have to know where our leverage is.

06:13And we have to just do small things like that.

06:16And you dealt with our mobile quarterback, Aiden Childs, Bryce Hunter.

06:19It's a little bit bigger.

06:20He is, yeah.

06:21How much different of a challenge has he maybe done?

06:24You know, they're similar.

06:26I would say he's probably a little bit more explosive.

06:28You know, they both have really strong arms.

06:31They can make any throw on the field.

06:34You know, I've just been impressed when you watch week one to week two to week three to

06:37week four.

06:38You actually, you know, you see him getting better and better each week.

06:41So, you know, I think he's going to be a hell of a player.

06:45Tremaine Carroll was spoken so highly of early in the season as far as conditioning goes.

06:49Now that we're quite a few games in, are you still seeing the results of that early

06:52season conditioning?

06:53Maybe even what he's doing now, too?

06:55Yeah, the guys love Coach True.

06:57He's done a great job with him.

06:59Him and his entire staff have.

07:01Hey, Coach, outside of Gentry, super young linebacker, how do you feel this bias helped

07:05with kind of the development of guys like Stevens, Walker?

07:08You know, it's helped a lot.

07:10It's helped, you know, let their bodies heal some.

07:13That's the thing you don't take account for.

07:15You know, that was really our first time playing in games.

07:17And just having that week to be able just to rest and heal up and then, again, take things

07:23back to square one.

07:24Okay, let's just go back to basic fundamental things.

07:27But I think all the young guys in that group have improved.

07:31Let's do one more.

07:33Coach, what's been the vote of confidence that you've been instilling throughout this entire

07:36play?

07:37You know, just playing our brand of ball, you know, and just really just staying locked

07:42in and just talking about mental toughness and really, you know, regardless of what happens

07:48to play before, regardless of outside circumstance, you know, just locked in and just playing our

07:53brand of ball and just being more consistent.

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