USC Football: Trojan Faithful Furious At This Assistant Coach After UCLA Upset

After your USC Trojans dropped a listless 38-20 bout against the visiting UCLA Bruins on Saturday, falling to a 7-5 record while losing their fifth contest in the last six weeks, fingers were pointing at a lot of potentially culpable parties.

USC head coach Lincoln Riley, a splashy hire in 2021, seems to have more or less wasted generational talent Caleb Williams, thanks to middling offensive line protection and a terrible defense. He's 7-8 in his last 15 games, spanning back to last season. But the blame extends beyond Riley.

Strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wylie also bears some blame, at least if fans online are to be believed.

Alex Grinch Defense vs Best Offense of all time pic.twitter.com/OMKo2k9LH6
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) November 15, 2023

Some fans questioned his basic fitness with regards to how much he was actually adding onto players:

Lincoln Riley’s problem has always been his obsession with his friend Alex Grinch
— Texas Longhorn Fan Battle Podcast (@LHFanBattle) November 15, 2023

Another fan believes that Wylie, not now-fired defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, has been Riley's Achilles heel all along.

More so Bennie Wylie. LR’s teams the first couple of years at OU had a little physicality but the further they got away from stoops and Schmitty that faded. Then throw in Grinch who wanted his interior DL playing at 280 and it’s not a recipe for success.
— kirk (@ks5_) November 15, 2023

Two-time national championship-winning USC quarterback Matt Leinart called out the defensive and offensive lines. A fan countered.

Should start by firing his buddy Bennie Wylie, but he won’t. Dude is a joke of a S&C coach.
— Grayson Schuering (@Grayson_S) November 18, 2023

Trojans Wire called for Wylie's firing immediately after the game. As of this writing, that has yet to transpire.

.@ADJenniferCohen has to make sure Bennie Wylie gets his pink slip in the next 24 hours.

As with Grinch, Lincoln Riley has no leverage and cannot argue/protest his way out of this.

Wylie simply has to be fired after this.

Even if USC improbably rallies, we all see the mess. https://t.co/MWbXdEajVa
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) November 18, 2023

Will Wylie get his just desserts? Stay tuned.

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