Report: USC Fires DC Alex Grinch After Allowing 52 Points in Loss to Washington

After Saturday's 52-42 loss to No. 5 Washington, USC felt the need to make a change.

According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, the Trojans have dismissed defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. The Athletic's Chris Vianni added that Brian Odom and Shaun Nua will take over as co-defensive coordinators.

The loss to the Huskies (9-0) marked the third in the last four games for the Trojans (7-3). It was also the sixth straight game that USC surrendered more than 30 points on defense.

Saturday's loss also had further consequences for the Trojans. After entering the 2023 ranked No. 6, the team fell out of the AP Top 25 for the first time under head coach Lincoln Riley. It's the first time USC is unranked since former head coach Clay Helton led the team to a 4-8 record in 2021.

"I think our guys are frustrated that we've been so, so close and we haven't played good enough to be able to separate," Riley said after the game.

A longtime assistant who started his coaching career in 2002 as a graduate assistant at Missouri, Grinch originally joined Riley's staff when he was at Oklahoma in 2019. He followed Riley out West when he accepted the position at the helm of the Trojans after the 2021 season.

Grinch inherited a USC defense that struggled mightily to keep opponents out of the end zone, ranking 103rd in the nation in scoring defense at 31.8 points per game in 2021. The unit saw a marginal turnaround in its first year under Grinch, giving up 29.2 points per game in 2022. However, that number has jumped to 34.5 points per game this year, so Grinch's firing comes as little surprise.

USC will try to bounce back when it faces No. 6 Oregon (9-0) next Saturday.