USC hosts Nevada as Alex Grinch’s defense needs to make a statement

Their paths diverged a few years back, the two former Washington State defensive minds set to square off on opposing sidelines at the Coliseum with radically different outlooks.

At Nevada, Ken Wilson leads as the architect of a patchwork foundation, a puzzle-piece roster constructed of transfers and underclassmen and a handful of returners who stuck it out from a 2-10 season in 2022. In the second year of a program overhaul, changes are rampant; as recently as Monday, just five days before their season opener, they were still announcing personnel changes to staff. For about seven months, before a new facility was finished this month, players were changing in the swim locker room. “Nomads,” as head coach Wilson put it in a weekly pregame presser.

At USC, Alex Grinch leads as the defensive motivator of a push for the college football summit, any slip bringing mounting pressure with expectations for immediate results. Questions about USC’s defensive improvement from a shaky 2022 weren’t exactly answered in the Trojans’ 56-28 Week 0 win over San Jose State, and Grinch was left to externally balance a mix of healthy optimism and critique.

“At the risk of sounding like a coach that’s bluffing you,” Grinch told media Tuesday, “I’m extremely excited after Week (0) and very, very disappointed by individual plays.”

If Grinch was indeed bluffing, he can’t hide his cards any longer against Nevada on Saturday, where the former Washington State defensive coordinator will face off against close friend and former Huskies linebackers coach Wilson.

“I think, probably, they’re worried about their signals and all that, because we have the same signals,” Wilson grinned to the media Monday.

After swatting away the Spartans while cycling through an array of new faces, the world saw a glimpse of the unit USC could trot out come the late-season push for the College Football Playoff. Oklahoma State transfer Mason Cobb was an instant difference-maker at linebacker, and Solomon Byrd, Jamil Muhammad and Bear Alexander all caught eyes for the pressure they generated on the interior.

But the Trojans too often let San Jose State’s Chevan Cordeiro and Quali Conley run amok. And if the defense stumbles again, against an inexperienced Nevada offense they could smother? Sound the alarms at Heritage Hall.

When Nevada has the ball

A trio of new faces from the Pac-12 – quarterback Brendon Lewis (transfer from Colorado), running back Sean Dollars (transfer from Oregon) and tight end Keleki Latu (transfer from Cal) – should factor heavily into Nevada’s first-game plans Saturday, after the Wolf Pack fielded one of the worst offenses in the FBS in 2022.

At Colorado, Lewis didn’t threaten defenses much with the deep ball, so expect USC’s secondary to mainly have to contain hits over the middle and dump-offs similar to San Jose State last week. The key here is containing Dollars from bouncing hand-offs to the outside, as the back will get the touches and has the speed to keep the Trojans’ defense on the field.

Look for USC’s Eric Gentry, the 6-foot-6 wraith who’s been leapfrogged on the Trojans’ depth chart by freshman Tackett Curtis, to make a big impact containing the run after coaches were impressed with his effort against San Jose State.

When USC has the ball

Nevada, perhaps more than any school on USC’s schedule, was plenty aware of freshman Zachariah Branch entering Week 0. Branch was a top recruit out of Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas.

They just didn’t quite expect him to break out so massively in his first game.

“You better know where No. 1 is, especially on special teams right now,” Wilson said, “because he’s a game-changer when he gets the ball in his hands.”

If Nevada’s secondary keys in on Branch after his two-touchdown debut, it’ll be a tall exercise to guess who’ll lead USC in catches Saturday. Perhaps it’ll be Brenden Rice’s day in the sun after a quiet outing against San Jose State, or Kyron Hudson’s turn to break out after a buzzy camp. Keep an eye out for tight end Lake McCree, too, who had a solid debut and has “taken that position over,” Riley said Thursday.