Alex Grinch on Creating Takeaways, Fixing the USC Run Defense and Solomon Byrd Earning Reps

USC’s turnover rate is unsustainable. Right?

The Trojans forced eight opponent turnovers through two games this season. There were maybe a couple of gifts from Rice wide receivers who deflected passes that should have been caught. But the four against Stanford were forced takeaways caused by Trojan defenders. All reason says USC’s defense can’t possibly go through the season forcing four turnovers per game. But USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch doesn’t see why creating takeaways can’t be a big part of what this defense does throughout 2022.

“The ball has no idea it’s supposed to go from the quarterback to the receiver,” Grinch said after the Trojans’ Wednesday practice.

No quarterback every throw, but Grinch said that often the assumption is every pass will be caught and taken upfield by a wide receiver. But the defense has a say in whether that happens.

“You see the brand of football that we’re trying to play on just about every one of them,” he said of the takeaways. “Guys straining…The guy straining to the football to get a hand on it. Or one guy getting a hand on it, the other guy getting two hands on it. That’s the biggest message in those. Because if you don’t do those things, you don’t come down with the tipped pass.”

Grinch also singled out the effort Tuli Tuipulotu made in chasing the ball all the way to the sideline and forcing an important fumble against Stanford. He also praised the goal line effort shown by the Trojans in forcing two turnovers inside the five-yard line.

“The world says, well, obviously they should have scored,” Grinch said. “You don’t get points for putting the ball in the paint in basketball. You’ve got to put in the basket. So just keep playing, keep fighting, keep swinging. The messaging is 100% we control it 100% of the time.”

Asked whether he believes USC could continue forcing turnovers at this rate, Grinch had a quick reply.

“Tell me why we can’t,” Grinch said. “You’ve got to think that way. You’re not a passive member of the game of football. You’re an active member. We choose to have that approach, that it’s controllable and we’ve got to go get them.”

Grinch on Improving the Run Defense

Rice gashed USC a few times on the ground. Stanford ran for more than 200 yards, including a 50-yard run on an end around by the tight end. Grinch said fixing those big bursts by opponents is a priority.

“The explosive plays,” Grinch said. “Is it a mental error, is it a missed assignment, is it a combination thereof, is it a miscommunication? And what all those things are, one, they’re excuses if you allow them to be. And they’re symptoms of what bad defenses do.”

Grinch said it’s always worth looking at coaching, effort, and real-time decision-making by the players in evaluating what any issue might be. But the end result right now need improvement.

“It’s unacceptable,” Grinch said of the defensive performance against the run. “It’s not good enough. We know that. And it’s something that we continue to evaluate. It leads to points, which in the end, puts us in a situation where the offense has to score more. We’re not fans. We can’t be in a position where we’ll be fine as long as the offense scores. So we have to be much better in the run game. And in the pass game.”

It’s a high bar Grinch is aiming for this year.

“The brand of USC determines, by and large, what the standard is,” Grinch said. “It’s a lot higher than what we’ve done so far.”

Solomon Byrd Earning Reps

Wyoming transfer Solomon Byrd didn’t see much time in the season-opener against Rice. But when Romello Height left the Stanford game early with an injury, Byrd saw significant action and responded with two sacks and a pass deflection. If Height is out for Saturday night’s game against Fresno State, Byrd and Korey Foreman could play important roles at rush end.

Grinch said allocating snaps at any position always comes down to performance during practice and Byrd earned those with his play during the week.

“I was thrilled for Solomon,” Grinch said. “He had a major impact and a couple of sacks for us. He’ll have an impact this week as well…He’ll have every opportunity to be a starter here, and so goes it for everybody else.”