USC Coach Riley Backs Defensive Coordinator Patterson Amid Struggles

USC football fans may be growing impatient with defensive coordinator Gary Patterson and a defense that has been significantly underperforming. However, head coach Lincoln Riley publicly supported his veteran coordinator on Thursday, offering a vote of confidence amidst the team's ongoing defensive struggles.

"Trust me, nobody takes it more personal than him or takes more responsibility than he does," Riley stated regarding Patterson, who is slated for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Riley emphasized Patterson's extensive experience at a high level and his commitment to improving the defense. "He’s done this for a long time. He’s done it at a high level, and there’s nobody more committed to getting it fixed," Riley said. "I would also say my confidence level in us being able to elevate and play defensively comes from our players, and it comes from the fact that we have a Hall of Fame coach, and you don’t get to the Hall of Fame without dealing with some adversity in your career."

Defense has been a persistent issue for USC under Riley. After a change in coordinators from Alex Grinch to D’Anton Lynn, which saw some improvement before Lynn's departure, the defense has regressed in Patterson's first season.

The Trojans have allowed an average of 35.7 points over their last three games, facing opponents like Louisiana, Rutgers, and Oregon. The team's pass rush has struggled to generate sacks, linebacker Desman Stephens II is currently suspended following a controversial on-field action, and the secondary has faced coverage issues.

Patterson has not spoken to reporters since before the season, making it difficult to gauge his direct perspective on the team's performance.

Riley acknowledged the scrutiny Patterson faces, stating, "You know, listen, that’s the nature of what we do. I mean, you know, head coaches, coordinators, quarterbacks – I mean, that’s the first thing that people are gonna point to, and I understand that, that’s part of it."

According to Riley, the defensive problems stem from numerous small breakdowns rather than a single major issue. "It’s not like, well, this one position group’s been terrible or this one player hasn’t been good enough, and that’s just killed us," he explained. "We’ve had some breakdowns at all levels where really, we don’t necessarily need any level of defense to make this massive jump. Like, we just need each level to play a little bit better, and each level to play a little bit better together."

Riley pointed to specific areas needing improvement, such as coverage and pass rush, and the impact of costly penalties. "Like, you know, your coverage gets better, you know, the more you hit the quarterback, you know? Your pass rush gets better when your coverage is better. When you do capitalize and get stops, you can’t have back-breaking penalties that give them a fresh set of downs. Like, those are the things that we have to do better at all levels."

The coach also referenced a roughing-the-passer penalty on defensive tackle Jide Abasiri, which he felt was incorrectly called.

Despite these issues, Riley stressed that the team must focus on internal improvements. USC's defense has logged only two sacks in the last three games, with none against Oregon. While safety Prophet Brown's interception return for a touchdown against Rutgers was a highlight, the secondary has struggled against opponents like Oregon.

"We think we’ve got to play a little bit more in sync in the secondary," Riley said. "And certainly some of that communication falls upon those guys, and we’ve just got a high standard because they’re both really good players."

Patterson has approximately half a season to demonstrate improvement and alter the perception of USC's defense.