The Times of Troy: The big difference so far this season: D’Anton Lynn

Hello, everyone! I’m Ryan Kartje, your USC beat writer at the L.A. Times, still reeling hours later from the whiplash of Saturday’s second half, as the Trojans looked like a totally different team after halftime and wiped the floor with Wisconsin. Having witnessed the tail end of the Clay Helton era, when the notion of a second-half adjustment was a truly foreign concept, I was struck by just how calm and confident USC looked coming out of halftime.

“We don’t panic,” coach Lincoln Riley said.

I wish I could have conjured the same energy, as I deleted most of what I’d written in the first half about what had previously been a mistake-filled performance.

But Riley has routinely done some of his best work in the third quarter. In 2022, his first season, the Trojans’ ability to outscore their opponents in the third quarter — 140-84 — was a big part of their success. That post-halftime mark took a major swing in the wrong direction in 2023, as opponents actually outpaced USC, 107-100, in the third.

The difference this season, though, is significant. And I don’t think it has much to do with Riley.

In his 17 games as a college defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn has proved to be a true virtuoso of the halftime adjustment. Over that stretch, Lynn defenses have allowed just 12 second-half touchdowns. Only once has Lynn’s defense ever allowed more than one second-half touchdown in a game, and in 10 of those 17 games, his defense gave up seven points or fewer after halftime. Five times, his defenses haven’t given up a single point after half.

That was the case again Saturday, as Lynn made a mockery out of Wisconsin in the third and fourth quarters, holding the Badgers to just 82 yards. Most of that yardage came on a nine-play, 47-yard drive that ended with a critical, fourth-and-one blitz that saw Kamari Ramsey burst into the backfield to force a turnover on downs. The remaining 16 plays Wisconsin ran accounted for just 20 yards, fewer than Mason Cobb earned on the fourth-quarter interception that sealed the game.

It’s impossible to overstate just how much more confident USC’s defense looks, with much of the same personnel this season. And that’s a credit to Lynn, who has brought the resolve that USC defensive coordinators have lacked since the Pete Carroll era.

“He’s obviously one of the smartest in the game,” defensive tackle Nate Clifton said. “He’s very confident in his ability and also the defense’s ability to execute. So whenever he instills that confidence in us, it’s not hard to go out there and do what he tells us to do.”

If the last 17 second halves are any indication, sounds like a pretty good plan going forward.

Turns out, there was a story there

While Riley insisted to reporters earlier that there was no story behind the discontent over defensive tackle Bear Alexander’s role, the truth is the seeds of a story had been planted long before, when Alexander announced that he plans to sit out the season and redshirt.

Disagreement had been simmering since last season as Alexander and his father, Tony Jones, made clear behind the scenes that they felt Alexander wasn’t getting what was promised in NIL from USC. Whether that was the case depends on who you ask, but that’s how his camp felt coming into the spring.

That’s when Alexander initially told the staff he planned to enter the transfer portal, and Jones floated the notion that he’d discussed NIL terms with other collectives, including at Texas, where he felt Alexander could earn more without so many strings attached.

So USC pulled out the stops to keep its all-conference defensive tackle. Defensive line coach Eric Henderson laid out a plan for him. Conquest, the now-dormant collective at USC, helped arrange outside commercial deals to help boost his NIL portfolio from House of Victory. A person familiar with the situation but not authorized to discuss it publicly described it as “a huge headache for everyone involved.”

When Alexander missed most of the spring, it was clear with USC’s coaches that patience was running short. Riley, while insisting he was making progress, continued to hint at the fact that Alexander needed to step up.

He never did. And for that, most USC fans have turned their ire to Jones, who hasn’t been shy about voicing his displeasure during the past week. Many folks have wondered aloud about Jones and his influence. And while Jones certainly didn’t go about this the right way — calling out other teammates of Alexander was especially cringe — I think it’s important to understand the background of where Jones and Alexander are coming from.

Both were in search of stability when Alexander started living with Jones as a high school freshman. Both had been let down by so many others in their lives. Both found someone they could trust in the other. Jones took on two jobs at one point to help keep them afloat and nearly had his house foreclosed on.

All along, Jones has had many people question his intentions with Alexander, floating accusations about him being just “a handler.” He told me last year how much those accusations hurt him.

So when I see him getting defensive on social media now — or pushing for more respect for his son — I understand where it’s coming from. Even if I don’t condone the approach.

And as Alexander moves on to another school, I hope their story continues on a much happier note.

Extra points

USC defensive end Devan Thompkins, left, sacks Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes with help from Akili Arnold.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

—While Alexander wasn’t making a major impact, his absence still left a hole in the Trojans’ interior rotation. I thought that might clear the way for freshman Jide Abasiri to see some opportunity on Saturday, but Abasiri didn’t see a snap. Instead, it was Devan Thompkins who played 18 snaps, a career high, as the clear replacement for Alexander. Thompkins has had a fascinating journey at USC, arriving in 2022 as a 220-pound edge rusher. He’s put on 65 (!) pounds since and still has the rush skills to carve out a role. But I expect that role could change week to week, with Abasiri factoring in eventually.

—Riley left the door open last week for changes to the offensive line, but ultimately, USC stuck with basically the same group up front. Amos Talalele did get the nod to start Saturday in place of Alani Noa, but Noa ended up playing 56 snaps to Talalele’s 32. That spot is clearly still up in the air, and with redshirt senior Gino Quinones still working his way back, it’s possible that neither is the starter by the end of October. Riley said he thought the line “bounced back,” but the only difference, as I saw it, was a less talented defensive front across from them. Elijah Paige especially still struggled at left tackle, allowing four more pressures to bring his season total to 12. That’s the second-most of any offensive lineman in the Big Ten, per Pro Football Focus.

—Among USC’s quartet of talented sophomore receivers, Zachariah Branch seemed like the surest bet to break out this season. But through four games, there’s no doubt about who’s stepped into the go-to receiver role. Ja’Kobi Lane has been a revelation recently, with 14 catches, 155 yards and three touchdowns over his past five quarters. Eight of those catches went for first downs, as Lane has been, by far, the Trojans most reliable big-play option. Branch, meanwhile, continues to be an effective pass-catcher in space, where he best use his lethal speed. But after coaches challenged him to be a more complete receiver, we haven’t really seen more from Branch’s role. As evidenced by Moss’ early interception on Saturday, catching 50-50 balls or tough passes in traffic isn’t his forte.

Big Ten travel tip … Minneapolis

As USC heads to Minnesota next weekend, this week’s travel tip comes from Minnesota native and USC deputy athletic director Jay Hilbrands, who suggests hitting up The Nook for a Juicy Lucy, the delicious burger with cheese melted inside that’s a must when in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.”

Big Ten Best Bet, Week 6

Indiana (-10.5) at Northwestern

We’re 2-0 on the season after Illinois held tough, only losing by two touchdowns to Penn State, instead of 18. We’ll take it!

Indiana has looked great through five games of the Curt Cignetti era, and here’s betting that the Hoosiers keep rolling, even on the road at Northwestern.

Share your thoughts …

Last week, Reggie Bush announced that he’d filed a lawsuit against USC, as well as the Pac-12 and NCAA, for compensation stemming from their use of his name, image and likeness while he was a star at USC.

There’s a lot to talk about on this topic, and this week, I want to hear from you. How do you feel about Bush taking legal action against his alma mater? What does USC owe Bush, if anything? Email your thoughts to ryan.kartje@latimes.com, and I’ll share the best ones here in our next Times of Troy newsletter.

In case you missed it

Plaschke: USC can reach the playoff thanks to a quarterback who never stops swinging

USC overcomes mistakes to rally past Wisconsin for Big Ten win

USC tackle Bear Alexander is redshirting after dispute over playing time

Lincoln Riley confident USC offensive line can be ‘damn good’ despite Michigan loss

Reggie Bush lawsuit accuses USC, Pac-12, NCAA of profiting from his NIL ‘without compensating Bush one penny’

What I’m Watching This Week

Top billing on my television this week is reserved for my Detroit Lions, who seem destined to disappoint me against the Seahawks on “Monday Night Football.” But when football is over for the week, a moment my wife is already eagerly awaiting, “Inside Out 2” is finally available for streaming on Disney+. Loved the first movie, and I know this one won’t disappoint me.