The Pac-12’s best shot at postseason glory kicks off its spring football season today as USC opens its 2023 season in earnest with the first of more than a dozen practices.

If last spring was all about installation for 1st-year coach Lincoln Riley, Year 2 is when the tweaking comes in. In some ways, that’s hard to imagine. How could the Trojans possibly top 2022’s prolific offense, which led to the team’s first Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback since 2004? USC thrived last year in Riley’s first season, regularly finding ways to work itself out of jams with big plays or timely conversions as trophyist Caleb Williams dazzled with his arms and legs.

But that defense? There’s plenty to improve upon on that side of the ball, which is priority No. 1 for Riley and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.

Here’s a look at the key storylines to which we’re playing close attention this spring around Heritage Hall…

No, seriously, can Grinch fix the defense?

Riley has been on the precipice of greatness time and time again in his brief tenure as a head coach. And, time and time again, it’s been the defense that has held his teams back.

  • 2017: 27.1 points per game allowed (68th of 130)
  • 2018: 33.3 (101st of 130)
  • 2019: 27.3 (64th of 130)
  • 2020: 21.7 (29th of 128)
  • 2021: 25.8 (60th of 130)

Last year, the Trojans allowed 29.2 points per game, 94th in the country, Riley’s worst output since 2018.

USC also ranked 124th out of 131 FBS programs in yards allowed per play last year, surrendering a whopping 6.5 per play. When they weren’t allowing chunks, they were forcing turnovers, one of the strangest dichotomies on college football. The Trojans had 28 takeaways, 6th in the nation, including 19 interceptions, which ranked 3rd. They also ranked below No. 100 nationally in several categories, including rushing yards per carry allowed, passing yards per play allowed, success rate allowed, third-down defense, fourth-down defense, and red zone touchdown percentage allowed.

For the Trojans to improve on those numbers — and they must, in a big way, to have any chance at sniffing their first CFP berth — they must play an entirely different brand of football, one that is far more team-oriented and, in some ways, basic.

They’ve got some star pieces, including stud DB Calen Bullock, but transfers Mason Cobb (Oklahoma State), Anthony Lucas (Texas A&M) and Jack Sullivan (Purdue) should add some good toughness.

How can this offense get any better?

As crazy as it is to say, USC’s offense wasn’t nearly as crisp and efficient as it should be in Year 2. So much of the Trojans’ success last season came from the brilliant improvisational skills of one Caleb Williams. Was that always a good thing? I’m not so sure. Look, you can’t argue with results, but I do sometimes wonder if the Trojans’ offensive line and wide receivers knew Williams would bail them out and went off script.

I wouldn’t be shocked to see Williams’ numbers go down but the Trojans offense become more efficient, and that starts in the spring. Can the Trojans nail down Riley’s idiosyncrasies in Year 2?

Who carries the rock?

When Travis Dye suffered a brutal knee injury in Week 11 last year, it dealt a tremendous emotional blow to USC, where he’d come to be a leader in his lone season with the Trojans. The former Duck was terrific in his time with the team, and he remained a leader even after his injury.

On the field, Austin Jones became a capable replacement. The former Stanford running back had back-to-back 100-yard games in his 1st two starts for USC in Weeks 12 and 13, going off for 120 yards on 21 carries against the Bruins on Nov. 19 and following with 154 yards on 25 carries against Notre Dame a week later. But he gained just 35 yards on 15 carries in the Pac-12 championship game on Dec. 2 and managed only 61 yards on 22 carries in a 1-point Cotton Bowl loss to Tulane.

That inefficiency may open a lane for Raleek Brown or MarShawn Lloyd to fill. Brown teased with his talent last year, displaying a shiftiness and energy that was reminiscent of some top Trojan ball-carriers of years past. Brown had 227 rushing yards and 175 receiving yards last year as a true freshman, adding 3 touchdowns on both the ground and through the air. Lloyd, a bruiser who came to USC via the transfer portal from South Carolina, will also get major reps.

Do the Trojans have replacements up front?

Out of all the talent that exited the program this offseason, USC will miss Andrew Vorhees and Brett Neilon most of all. The two veteran Trojans helped ease a talented offensive line through a coaching transition, where they fit in well with new OL coach John Henson. Vorhees and Neilon fit in the most, providing Williams and Co. with two of the most talented interior offensive linemen in the game. Both embodied the confidence and swagger that befits a Trojan, something the program woefully lacked in a calamitous 4-8 2021.

The Trojans poached a pair of Florida Gators from the transfer portal in Ethan White and Michael Tarquin and also added an all-conference talent in former Washington State offensive tackle Jarrett Kingston. They’ll join all-conference candidates Justin Dedich and Jonah Monheim, as well as part-time starters Courtland Ford and Mason Murphy to give the Trojans some big-time options up front.

But replacing the veteran leadership of Vorhees and Neilon will be difficult.

What about on the other side?

This may be hard to imagine, but Williams one the Heisman Trophy, yet he still may not have been the most impactful Trojan last year. Edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu had 22 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks last season, pacing the Pac-12 in both categories. A good player in 2021, when he had 5 sacks, he blossomed into one of the country’s most imposing linemen as a junior, and he should be rewarded with an early round selection in next month’s NFL Draft.

As hard as it is to imagine who’ll follow in Williams’ steps in 2024, it’s difficult to guess which USC defensive lineman will raise to Tui’s level in 2023. Will it be Lucas, the former Aggies 5-star recruit? What about Korey Foreman, a former 5-star recruit himself? Or how about former Arizona lineman Kyon Barrs? If the Trojans get anywhere near that kind of production again, they’ll be ecstatic.