After barely winning against a top-heavy Colorado team, USC head coach Lincoln Riley is defending defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. This comes after the Trojans gave up 28 points to Arizona State the week before. In this game, they gave up 41 points in a performance that isn't encouraging leading up to games against Oregon and Washington. USC is led by Heisman candidate front-runner Caleb Williams, but the defense is their main weakness.
Riley says that the team is not having "the same issues" as last season. To be quite blunt, the defense seems as bad as it was last season. In all fairness, coaches usually say this in front of the press to quell nerves no matter what they are actually thinking. USC boosters and fans alike will most likely be disappointed if Caleb Williams ends his Trojan career without a playoff appearance at the very least.
If USC doesn't make the college football playoff this season or loses in the playoff, the reason will be because of their defense. It's tough to see the best if not one of the best offenses favored in their games against Notre Dame and other top schools with the defense playing the way they are. Whether the team fires Grinch this season, USC can't really do much at this point to improve their defense.
What are the ways that USC could work around their defensive issues?
Due to the fact that this defense will not fare very well against the best teams in the country, it might be wise for the team to control the clock for as long as possible. This means that the Trojans will have to be creative and run some clock. That doesn't mean that the passing game can be out of the question. In fact, Williams can prove himself to be a QB who can do anything if he is able to regularly keep the Trojans on schedule.
USC's defense couldy be the reason that they lose to one of Notre Dame, Utah, Washington or even Oregon. Simply outscoring opponents is not the answer, as eventually they will need to come up with a critical stop.