On a not-so-neutral field, No. 23 USC Trojans football will face the No. 13 LSU Tigers on Sunday, September 1 at 7:30 p.m. EST. It's not a neutral field since the trip from Los Angeles to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a four-hour drive or a little over an hour-long flight, and many USC fans will be there. USC head coach Lincoln Riley hasn't yet returned the blue-chip program to its former glory, but a win against Brian Kelly's Tigers could be the start of a special season. D'Anton Lynn, USC football's first-year defensive coordinator is ready to get the job done.
“We’re prepared,” the new coordinator said. “We’ve known what the challenge is going to be since I got the job here.”
Lynn arrives with the Trojans after a one-year stint at UCLA in 2023. From 2014 to 2022, he worked his way up the NFL coaching ranks from intern to the Baltimore Ravens' safeties coach in 2021-2022.
Lincoln Riley, D'Anton Lynn attempting to reinvigorate USC football
The USC football defense will heavily rely on the big-bodied 6'3″, 315 lb. defensive tackle aptly named Bear Alexander. While he lacks a wide array of pass-rush moves, his strength can anchor and move the pile. A seasoned veteran of the USC defense has been LB Eric Gentry. The 6'6″, 215 lb. senior has 162 career tackles across 34 games.
What Lincoln Riley can be for their offense, the Trojans are hoping Lynn can be that on defense. In 2022, Riley's first season, he carried the team to an 11-3 record, although the end of the season was disappointing. USC football finished that year with back-to-back losses to No. 11 Utah in the Pac-12 Championship and No. 16 Tulane in the Cotton Bowl.
In his year as UCLA's defensive coordinator, Lynn's defense allowed just 4.63 yards per play, eighth-fewest among all FBS teams. They allowed just 21 offensive touchdowns (fifth) and 301.5 yards per game (10th).
Riley won't just have Lynn to lean on in 2024. Former USC coaching legend Pete Carroll has taken on a lecturer role at USC and Riley will be happy to get opinions from the old ball coach.
“I'd love to have him. He's great. Coach has been great to me. We've had a chance to catch up pretty often and check in with each other. He's been a great resource. And, you know, great person to be able to pick his brain, and he's been very good to me. So, yeah, shoot, I'm excited he's going to be here more and would be crazy not to take advantage of having him around, so whether it's in an official role or not, he's made it very clear that we've got a good open line of communication,” Riley declared.
USC football has three other ranked matchups this season in addition to LSU: at No. 9 Michigan, vs. No. 8 Penn State and vs. No. 7 Notre Dame.
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