D’Anton Lynn explains how USC must prepare for Big Ten competition

The next time USC steps on a football field for a regular season game, Big Ten logos will be sewn on their jersey. With this comes opponents changing their style of play. Offenses are going to look slightly different and we all know Pac-12 teams feasted on the Trojans over the past two seasons.

Lincoln Riley has brought in D’Anton Lynn as the next defensive coordinator. While there are multiple problems for Lynn to patch up, getting right at the line of scrimmage is certainly one of them. He knows Big Ten opponents are going to have heavy personnel on the field quite frequently.

Big Ten West offenses consistently get made fun of but most of them are still able to run the ball well behind a good offensive line. USC needs to make sure they are ready for it on a weekly basis.

“We’re going to see different styles in the Big Ten,” Lynn said. “That’s something where we have to do a good job in the spring, making sure we’re seeing the stuff that we’re going to see in the fall. We’re going to see some two-back formations. We’re going to see certain rum schemes we didn’t see in the Pac-12.

“We’re going to see more 12, 13, 22 personnel. That’s stuff we have to make sure we’re preparing our guys for all throughout the spring. That way, Week 3 — Michigan, we’re not showing them this for the first time.”

Not everything will be ground and pound, though. USC still has to face familiar foes UCLA and Washington, two teams the Trojans gave up a combined 90 points to this season. The secondary needs to be improved a ton in that aspect.

Even LSU in the nonconference threw the ball downfield and made plays against whatever defense they were going up against.

Then you see teams like Michigan, Nebraska, and Wisconsin on there. Those are the type of teams Lynn will have to be preparing his guys for. Luckily, none are them are expected to be a cold weather game, with the Wolverines being the only one on the road and the date being Sept. 21.

But they are going to want to line up, head-to-head, and try to run the ball down USC’s throat. Just look at how Michigan has fared over the past month with Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards. JJ McCarthy only has one passing touchdown since Oct. 21.

USC will have to be ready and once done with the bowl game against Louisville, a new era of defense will have to emerge.