Practice Report: USC Football Benefitting from Year 2 Under Defensive Coordinator Alex Grinch

After a week off for spring break, the Trojans returned to practice to begin a five-week stretch of camp. Though some might describe it as "football weather," heavy rain and wind welcomed the team back to Howard Jones Field on Tuesday (Mar. 21).

News & notes from USC's fourth practice of spring:

While it's usually 75 degrees and sunny year round, the Trojans have needed to adjust to some inclement weather this spring. Head coach Lincoln Riley joked after the team's rainy practice Tuesday that he was sold a bill of goods.
- "I'm gonna tell Mike [Bohn] and President [Carol L.] Folt, 'You guys told me the weather was gonna be a hell of a lot better than this,'" Riley said with a smile.
Riley then shared that he views the rare stormy weather as an advantage for the team.
- "We've actually, even in February and early March, rescheduled some walkthroughs to the days that it did rain so that we could get out in it because you just don't get to practice in the elements much," the head coach explained. "The guys know me, I'm always excited when it's going to be windy or rain or anything that's a little bit of a change up. It's great ball handling, great for footing. The game is just a little bit different when you get in those conditions and having to adjust is good for every position on the field."
Year 2 is underway for Riley & Co., which includes a "very clear plan" to improve the Trojans' defense. The head coach detailed how that plan is coming together Tuesday.
- "I've been very pleased with the progress defensively this offseason. I think the group as a whole, I see our guys really bonding together," Riley said. "I think they really sense, after going through some of what we put these guys through in the offseason, even early here in spring ball, it's got a chance to be a really good group and has a chance to be a really strong part of this football team."
- "A lot of times adversity or challenges like that can really pull people together in ways that sometimes success has a hard time of doing. I think that the coaches have done a really nice job. We've made some adjustments with the roster. We've got a great plan. I think we've executed well up to this point. I can tell you the practices at this point have been completely back and forth."
Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch saw much improvement from Year 1 to Year 2 with his previous defenses while at Oklahoma. He shared the advantages of entering a new year with a roster that has a season of experience under its belt.
- "Guys just come with a knowledge base that way. You're not installing everything, every technique, every drill, expectations and all those things," Grinch explained. "So now, believe me, everybody loves year two compared to year one, but that's not the magic elixir either. There are no magic bullets to this thing. So we have a responsibility to stack days and work harder. But there's a bigger unit, there's a stronger unit. I think it's a very confident unit, and it's something that is ongoing because you've got to go do it on the field. You can do that in the offseason, but you've got to do it through spring football and all those things. It's been good."
Grinch also explained that in order to see improvement this upcoming season, it will take an equal amount of effort from players and coaches.
- "What's the most tangible thing that we can do? At the moment, it's [getting] bigger, faster, stronger, and so you're attacking that mindset," Grinch explained. "It's all encompassing, and then it's ongoing. Then you take it on the practice field and say, 'These are the things, some of the adjustments maybe we want to make. Is there a coaching point, it may not be big picture scheme, but it may just be simply, are we asking an individual guy to do the appropriate thing within that scheme?'"
- "They've got to have responsibility on their part to act like they played 14 games last year," Grinch said of his players. "There are guys who were an eight-game starter, nine-game starter, whatever it is; They've got to bring those experiences with them. They should beat the coaches to some of the coaching points and an older guy that's been around should say these are the expectations of how we practice."
South Carolina running back transfer MarShawn Lloyd spoke to the media Tuesday for the first time since becoming a Trojan. He described what stood out about USC when he first entered the NCAA Transfer Portal:
- "I just feel like the offense is unique in every way. A lot of people when they look at the Trojans, they look at them being a pass first team," Lloyd explained. "But if you look at the numbers at running back, the running back is getting about 20 carries a game as well. I just liked the way that they execute on all levels. They execute passing the ball, o-line blocking, I just felt like it'd be a great fit to add to the great running backs here already."
The running back also shared how frustrating it was to go up against Williams as a kid.
- "I played against him in little league and high school. I hated it every time because I couldn't do anything to stop him, but all his defenses couldn't do anything to stop me," Lloyd said with a smile. "Every time you know, we played against each other, it was a great game."