Lincoln Riley learned more than just the need to take defense seriously at USC
Remember the first game of USC football’s 2023 season against San Jose State? We wrote this about Alex Grinch’s approach, and we wonder if Lincoln Riley finally saw the light as the 2023 season evolved:
“On 3rd and 22, or at the end of a half, the main focus is to not give up a big downfield play. Allowing 15 yards in either of the above situations is an acceptable, reasonable outcome which doesn’t do significant damage. USC should welcome giving up a short pass in a long-yardage or end-of-half situation. This means putting seven or eight guys back and having the safeties play center field. With seven back, receivers aren’t going to get behind a corner or linebacker the way San Jose State did. This is pretty basic, and it leads us into the heart of the skeptic’s argument against Grinch.”
USC failed to do simple things on defense. Lincoln Riley finally grasped this, and it’s important to underscore this point. Let’s explain:
BASICS
We wrote last season that “Good teaching starts with simplicity and then moves toward clarity. In no rational world does it make sense to start with complexity and then move toward simplicity. When that happens in coaching, it’s an admission that players were given too much information at the beginning, instead of being slowly brought along.”
Alex Grinch never seemed to understand this. Lincoln Riley seems to have realized how crucial and damaging it was that Grinch never arrived at this place of understanding.
D'ANTON LYNN BELIEVES IN SIMPLICITY AT THE BEGINNING
D’Anton Lynn said in his media availability last week that “I would much rather go too slow than too fast” in installing and teaching a defense. Making sure players understand the core concepts comes first. The added layers can come later.
This is totally different from how Alex Grinch approached his role, given the example of using complicated defenses in Week Zero versus San Jose State last August, when USC did not need to be so complex in its schemes.
D'ANTON LYNN ON TEACHING COLLEGE ATHLETES
Lynn said, “You can’t assume anything (in college). In the NFL there’s a certain level you assume the guys know. In college you don’t know these kids’ background at all. You have to assume these kids don’t know any football at all. You have to coach the room as though they don’t because there’s probably someone in the room who doesn’t.”
Simplicity and clarity really matter in teaching.
USC PLAYERS CONFUSED UNDER GRINCH
Well into the 2023 season, USC defensive players were visibly confused and out of position. They didn’t know what to do. Grinch did not give them a simple plan. Players’ minds were cluttered, not clear. Lincoln Riley has assembled a staff which will work in a very different way.
USC DEFENSIVE SCHEME
Lynn said “the scheme has flexibility built within it.” USC will start with a simple set of concepts and can add elements to that core look. Complexity will flow from original simplicity, something the Trojans lacked under Alex Grinch. Lincoln Riley really did seem to learn not just about teaching defense, but connecting with players and practicing clearer forms of communication.
