USC’s first three games gave a mixed verdict on one of the clearest defensive priorities in camp: what happens when opponents get inside the 20.
The Trojans looked sharp in the first two weeks, allowing touchdowns on only two of five red-zone trips. Then Louisiana walked away with three touchdowns in three chances Saturday, and that changed the numbers in a hurry. USC now sits 80th nationally in red-zone touchdown rate allowed at 63 percent, a figure that matches five other teams and lands almost exactly where the Trojans finished last season at 62 percent.
That’s not the neighborhood USC wants to live in if it expects to climb. The elite teams are keeping opponents below 50 percent in the red zone, and the best of the best are even tighter than that.
Last season, Ohio State and Indiana tied for No. 2 nationally by allowing touchdowns on just 37 percent of opponent red-zone drives. Both ended up in the College Football Playoff, with the Hoosiers winning it all.
Lincoln Riley has made the issue a priority since fall camp, and he said the starting point is obvious.
"Great red-zone defense starts with stopping the run," Riley said. "You look at great red-zone defenses, the number one thing they do is they don't give up rushing touchdowns in the red. Once a great defense can eliminate that, it allows you to focus in on some of the other areas."
USC flashed that formula against Fresno State. The Bulldogs reached the red zone only once, and the Trojans finished the drive with a Jadyn Ramos fourth-down sack at the 8-yard line on the way to a 39-0 shutout, with backups on the field.
Louisiana was a different story. The Ragin' Cajuns punched in two of their three red-zone touchdowns before the fourth quarter, while USC’s starters were still on the field. That made Saturday’s lapse harder to dismiss as simply a bench-player problem.
The bigger picture through three games is familiar, too. USC built a 35-3 lead over San Jose State before the game settled into a 42-26 final, and it led Louisiana 35-17 after three quarters before finishing 49-30. The Trojans have shown they can create separation; they still have to prove they can close the door.
Riley also pointed to the cramped nature of red-zone football as its own challenge.
"It's a shorter field space. Windows by nature of that, no matter what type of coverage you're playing, are going to be more narrow," Riley said. "Guys that can be in position to make some of those competitive plays, whether in man, whether in zone, whether you're blitzing, whether you're not, are really important."
Defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren said the group has already shifted its focus.
"Red zone defense has been a huge emphasis for us," VanSumeren said. "As far as the last game, we've moved on from it. We've learned from it, and we're just focused on this upcoming week and the Big Ten opponent we've got."
That’s where the real test begins. USC’s defense has seen only eight red-zone trips across three non-conference games. Big Ten offenses are likely to create far more traffic down there, and whether the Trojans can drag that touchdown rate closer to 40 percent will go a long way toward shaping how Gary Patterson 's unit is viewed this season.
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Oregon Walks Into A Much Bigger USC Test Than Expected
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The matchup now carries a little more intrigue than the rankings might suggest, since Oregon is listed as a 1.5-point favorite even with USC sitting higher in the AP Poll. Both teams are expected to take care of business in the immediate lead-up, which only adds to the sense that this one could say a lot about where the Trojans really stand when a top opponent shows up in the Coliseum. [Read more 🡒]