USC’s defensive makeover has come down to one surprisingly simple adjustment: moving Gary Patterson upstairs.
Lincoln Riley’s decision to bring the former TCU head coach out of retirement and install him as USC’s defensive coordinator was the headline-grabbing move. But the part that’s actually started to show results came after the Trojans’ loss to Oregon, when Patterson left the sideline for the coaches’ booth.
“It was really a great thought on [Lincoln Riley’s] part. There was so much going on, you know, two new staffs trying to meld it all together.
That me moving up the box has really, really helped. Not just with me seeing things, cause I’ve always been a guy that saw things from the sidelines," Patterson said.
"Putting us in a situation where I get more communication from the sidelines cause I’m not down there. Coach [Paul Gonzales] is kind of my lead guy, kind of getting that distributed.
Everybody getting a chance to do their thoughts and processes. Really allows them to do their job,” Patterson continued.
“Moving me upstairs also has helped get the call in. Understand because I can see it quicker, especially the way people have done things. It's starting to pay off.”
That shift has also fit neatly with the way USC has built the rest of the operation. Safeties coach Paul Gonzales has worked alongside Patterson to help install the system, and that familiarity has helped keep the communication flowing. With coach-to-player communication now allowed with one player on the field, the Trojans have needed that information to move cleanly and quickly.
The numbers since the change tell the story. USC gave up 35 points to Rutgers and 41 points to Oregon before Patterson moved upstairs. Afterward, the Trojans held Washington to 21 points and Penn State to 23.
USC is in its first of two bye weeks after opening the season in week 0, but the schedule gets much tougher from here. The Trojans head to Wisconsin next, then face No.
4 Ohio State at home and No. 5 Indiana on the road.
A home date with Maryland comes before the regular-season finale across town against No. 12 UCLA.
Ohio State and Indiana were always expected to be the biggest challenges on the slate, but UCLA has become a bigger concern than it looked at first. The Bruins will finish the rest of their season without starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, yet USC is still likely to have plenty on its plate in that rivalry game.
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