LOS ANGELES - Gary Patterson’s “video test” is doing more than filling up a Friday night in USC’s game prep. It’s giving the Trojans’ defense a sharper edge, and the last two weeks have shown it.
Patterson described the routine Monday on USC’s Trojans Live show, explaining how he told his players they had blanked Washington in the second half - with the only blemish coming on a touchdown in the opening 48 seconds.
“They all kind of looked at me, and nobody had even said that to them,” Patterson said.
That kind of detail is exactly the point. Patterson said he has been telling the defense that if USC wants to become the kind of program it believes it can be, it eventually has to win games because of defense.
“I’ve been talking to them and said, at some point in time, you’ve gotta win because of defense if you want to become the program that you want to become,” he said.
The “video test” comes during Friday night prep, and those sessions have become a big part of what the Trojans are building. Patterson used the same tool at TCU, where it helped fuel 17 bowl trips and a 2010 Rose Bowl win that capped a 13-0 season.
The format was demanding. Patterson would show still images of a play and quiz players on their assignments in that exact situation, including the spacing between teammates.
Marshall Newhouse, who played for Patterson at TCU before a 10-year NFL career, called it one of the most intense experiences of his football life.
“It was some of the most tense moments of my entire football career,” he said.
“There was an individual onus and an offensive, defensive onus to be able to know what you’re doing and be able to convey to the rest of the team. That’s the level that he set of being prepared.”
Patterson didn’t say whether USC’s version is identical, but he confirmed the video test is part of his routine with the Trojans. And the results showed up again on Saturday, when USC’s defense closed the door late against Penn State.
Cornerback Chasen Johnson was in position to recover the ball after safety Christian Pierce punched it loose from Penn State receiver Brett Eskildsen, a key turnover that helped shut things down in the game’s final stretch.
“Just being able to go out there and execute and mentally translate from the film room to the field, it helped a lot,” Johnson said.
“With his intensity, (Patterson) makes us uncomfortable. We have to be comfortable being uncomfortable, and that’s something that he emphasizes. So, just being in that little room and having to depend on your teammates to make the right call and let them know that you’ll make the right call - it’s a good feeling.”
Patterson also seems settled into another change: calling plays from the coaches’ box instead of the sideline. He has done that for the last two games, after spending the earlier part of the season on the field.
The shift has coincided with USC’s best defensive work of the season, especially after halftime. Washington was held to one second-half touchdown, and Penn State managed only two field goals after the break on Saturday.
Patterson pointed to head coach Lincoln Riley’s decision as part of what has made the adjustment work.
“It was really a great thought on (head coach) Lincoln (Riley)’s part,” Patterson said. “There was so much going on - two new staffs trying to meld it all together - that me moving up to the box has really, really helped.
“And not just with me seeing things, because I’ve always been a guy that saw even things from the sidelines, but putting us in a situation where I get more communication from the sidelines now.”
On the field, safeties coach and defensive pass game coordinator Paul Gonzales is Patterson’s main link to the sideline. He passes along calls and handles communication for the defensive coordinator.
That arrangement has been easy for USC to settle into because Gonzales and Patterson already know each other well. The two worked together for 13 seasons at TCU, and that familiarity has made the box-to-sideline setup smooth.
“They think exactly the same, so giving us the calls and coaching us on the field just feels like the same,” Pierce said. “For sure, their intensity and just their attention to detail on the field.”
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