Matt Leinart calls for changes amid halftime deficit to Cal
USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has been under fire all season long for the Trojans. And after the Trojans came out with a disappointing performance in the first half on Saturday afternoon, plenty of prominent figures, including former Heisman trophy winner Matt Leinart, in the USC fan base had seen enough.
A number of former USC football legends voiced their frustration on Saturday afternoon via social media. After the Trojans were trailing 28-17 at halftime to the Cal Golden Bears, Leinart had seen all he needed to see. And he took to Twitter to demand change.
“Regardless of the outcome of this game, change needs to happen. It’s obvious at this point that Usc is not a championship level team and that’s ok. But you can’t go backwards,” Leinart demanded in his tweet.
Quite frankly, it’s surprising it’s taken this long for USC legends to criticize the coaching staff. The Trojans’ defense has been among one of the nation’s worst all season long. And it’s been quite obvious. They’ve allowed 30.5 points per game, ranking them 107th out of 133 qualifying teams. Their passing defense has allowed over 243 yards per game, ranking them 99th in the country. Their run defense hasn’t been any better, allowing over 164 yards per outing, which ranks them 101st in the nation.
USC managed to escape Cal on Saturday, 50-49, thanks to their defense getting a stop on a two-point conversion with less than a minute remaining. They still allowed the Golden Bears to score 49 points and pile up 527 total yards of offense.
Regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s game, the Trojan fan base has clearly become frustrated. And rightfully so. Leinart wasn’t the only former USC legend to voice his frustrations. Keyshawn Johnson let it be known on Twitter that he’s not happy with the job Alex Grinch has done with the Trojans.
“I dislike our DC,” he tweeted in the middle of the USC vs. California game on Saturday evening.
After another horrendous performance on Saturday, the criticism of Alex Grinch is only sure to intensify both from the Trojan fan base and former players. Bad defense is something that plagued Lincoln Riley teams dating back to his days as the head coach with the Oklahoma Sooners and especially the 2021 season, when Grinch was the defensive coordinator. The Sooners ranked 91st in the nation in passing yards per game allowed that year (240.4).
It’s certainly going to be interesting to see what happens between Riley and Grinch in the final few games of the season.