Biggest Defensive Takeaway From USC’s Non-Conference Slate

The football season is long and grueling. Injuries are part of the game and can occur at any moment, which means depth vital. Especially for teams that want to make a run in the College Football Playoff.

No. 12 USC saw its depth tested last season because of injuries. King Miller was the fourth-string running back who was thrust into action after a series of injuries in a win over Michigan.

USC Trojans Recruiting Freshman Class Defense Lincoln Riley Gary Patterson San Jose State Depth Louisiana Fresno State — Sep 4, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans defensive coordinator Gary Patterson during the game against the Fresno State Bulldogs at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dee Reddick was essentially the fifth nickel, but several factors led to him being inserted into the lineup against Illinois on the road. The Trojans had to constantly reshuffle its offensive line throughout the season because of injuries. They also lost both starting safeties during the final month of the season.

Ideally, USC would prefer to not be in those situations again this season, but it’s not something that can be controlled. They just have to be able to adjust.

However, after wrapping up its non-conference schedule against Louisiana on Saturday night, there is concern about the depth on the defensive side of the ball for the Trojans.

Late-Game Defensive Struggles

In their week 0 matchup against USC led 35-3 heading into the fourth quarter. It gave them the perfect opportunity to get some young guys some valuable experience and test their depth.

Instead, the Trojans second and third units looked lost on the field. The Spartans were able to do whatever they wanted on offense as they orchestrated three consecutive touchdown drives to close out the game.

“Bunch of guys got opportunities, and we had several that did not play the way that we anticipated,” Riley said after the game.

It appeared the USC’s backups on defense had turned the page and first game jitters were out the window for a group of freshmen seeing their first action as they were able to secure the shutout in a week 1 win over Fresno State. But against Louisiana in week 2, it looked more like it did in the season opener.

The Ragin’ Cajuns engineered back-to-back 75-yard touchdown drives to close out the game. USC’s defense was gutted up and down the field.

But the most concerning part of the defensive struggles isn’t just the yards and points allowed, it’s the lack of effort and energy across the board that has been evident. The dropoff in play from the starters to the backups is alarming. The standard has to be the standard no matter who is in the game and through three games, that message has not gotten across.

Riley pointed to the secondary after Saturday night’s win as a spot they wish they had a few more bodies and they’re going to need to bring some guys along. But based off the first few games, USC needs better depth at every position unit, not just the backend of the defense.

“I know we've said this a bunch the last few weeks, where we're going to need this one guy here, one guy there,” Riley said. “We're going to need those guys to rise up and step up.”

USC’s Defense Under Gary Patterson

Contrary to popular belief, this isn’t the same USC defense it has been under the previous two defensive coordinators with Riley at the helm. The scores at the end of the game have been a little misleading as to what the starting unit has done.

Barring any blowout wins in the Big Ten play, it’s highly unlikely there will be a scenario where the Trojans are playing all the players that have struggled in the first three games at once. But if USC does get hit by the injury bug at a position, offenses can exploit that.

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