USC’s defense spent most of its first season under defensive coordinator Alex Grinch firmly in the spotlight.

The Trojans took the ball away from opposing offenses at a clip unmatched by the rest of the country, but they also yielded yards at a pretty high rate as well. In two games against Utah, USC gave up 43 and 47 points.

Grinch has been the subject of criticism all throughout the year — and even during his time with Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma before coming to Los Angeles.

Mekhi Blackmon — a corner who transferred to USC ahead of the 2022 season to play for Grinch — came to his coordinator’s defense on social media this week, calling him a “great” coach.

USC ranked 119th out of 131 FBS programs in defensive efficiency this season, giving up 6.3 yards per play on average. The Trojans ranked 82nd in scoring defense as well. And in five of USC’s last seven games, the Trojans allowed at least 35 points.

“You’ve got one more opportunity this season against a quality opponent, another team that moves the ball at an elite level and scores points,” Grinch said last week when he met with reporters. “You compete in the sport to have a chance to put yourself in a championship game and we didn’t play a championship caliber. Not even close.

“That hurts. It’ll always hurt as a competitor. You’ll never get over it and you will never forget that game, but one of the messages for the guys is as professionals and as players in this sport, you gotta move on.”

As USC approaches its Cotton Bowl matchup with Tulane, Grinch’s message has largely been one of finishing.

“We didn’t finish and we haven’t done that for 13 games by and large. It didn’t hurt us in 11 of them and it’s hurt us in two and that’s why we’re not champions right now.”