Latest debacle costs USC defensive coordinator his job

“I'm not into the big picture questions right now,” Riley said. “Like, my job's to go try to beat Oregon next week and to coach what we have here. I know as a head coach it all falls under my responsibility ultimately, and I don't shy away from that — and I never have — but there's times and places for those discussions and those will happen at the appropriate times."

The Trojans ranked 122nd in total defense (436 yards allowed per game) and 124th in scoring (34.5 points allowed per game) this season under Grinch, who was in his second year as the team’s DC after following Riley from Oklahoma. The Trojans are surrendering 6.6 more points per game this season than they did in 2022.

With Grinch gone, defensive line coach Shaun Nua and linebackers coach Brian Odom will serve as co-defensive coordinators for the final two games of the season as Riley assesses the best way to fix USC’s defensive woes.

"I think you evaluate everything that you're doing … is the problem the call, is it the player, is it the execution of the call, like what is it?” Riley said. “And you keep grinding to fix it because every week's new, every week's new matchups, it's a new game.”