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USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn walks on the field after the Trojans’ 27-20 victory over LSU at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday. (Jevone Moore / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
D’Anton Lynn walked along the perimeter of Allegiant Stadium hours before his anticipated USC debut, headphones on, shutting out the noise around him for one lap around the sideline, then another … then another. In a loud stadium, on a crowded sideline, Lynn walked as if totally alone, talking to no one, entranced in a silent, steely focus.
The Trojans’ new defensive coordinator had certainly earned a few moments of calm before the chaos of a new college football season, his most critical yet as a coach. He’d carried on the past nine months amid constant noise and persistent questions about how quickly he’d turn around a dismal USC defense after doing the same in a single year at UCLA. All throughout, he’d kept an even keel, making no promises other than to assure his team would come prepared Sunday.
“He’s actually a lot more relaxed [of a coach],” safety Akili Arnold said. “Because he knows we’re going to play good ball. He trusts in us.”
Read more: Hernández: USC finally has a defense under Lincoln Riley. Let the playoff dreaming begin
That quiet confidence was felt throughout Sunday’s 27-20 season-opening win over LSU as USC’s defense delivered in its coordinator’s debut, clamping down against the run and making key stops at critical times, two things the Trojans rarely managed under his predecessor, Alex Grinch.
It wasn’t always perfect. The secondary still allowed 304 yards through the air. But the difference on USC’s defense was still staggering.
“This new defensive identity is way different than in previous years,” defensive end Braylan Shelby said. “We hold ourselves accountable. We hold ourselves to a standard.”
Nowhere was that new standard more clear Sunday than at the line of scrimmage. Few fronts in college football were…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/danton-lynn-unlocking-uscs-defensive-113046947.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-09-03 11:30:46
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