USC Football: Is It Too Early to Worry About the Trojan Defense?

Going into this season of transition for the USC Trojans, there were many questions to be answered.

Could the Trojans shake off the negativity that came with the hammer laid down by the NCAA over the Reggie Bush scandal?

How would the Lane Kiffin era begin as the young coach took over for the departed legend, Pete Carroll?

And how about young Trojan quarterback Matt Barkley? Would another year of maturity translate into an improved offense?

Finally, what about the porous 2009 version of the USC defense?

Would the arrival of defensive gurus Monte Kiffin, Ed Orgeron, and company translate into a return of the vaunted Trojan defense of yore?

After USC's 49-36 victory at Hawaii yesterday, those questions remain largely unanswered.

Only time will tell how the Trojans respond to the long-term ramifications of the punishment handed down by the NCAA.

Same with Kiffin. One game does not make a season.

As for Barkley and the Trojan offense, they were simply amazing.

With the help of running back Marc Tyler and a cadre of receivers, led by Ronald Johnson, the Trojan offense was nearly perfect.

It's a good thing they were, because they had to be.

The 2009 Trojan defense, you know, the one that was simply shredded by Oregon and Stanford, was assumed to take big steps forward in 2010 because, hey, by Trojan standards, they couldn't get any worse right?

Ummmm, maybe they could.

After the Trojans gave up 588 total yards en route to that bloated 36 points scored by the Warriors, the questions about the defense loom even larger.

It was assumed that a very young Trojan secondary would struggle early in the year as they gained seasoning.

They didn't disappoint.

As Hawaii's receivers got open with ridiculous ease, the only thing that exceeded the defensive backfield's lack of coverage was their inability to tackle anything moving.

But hey, as stated before, that was somewhat expected.

What wasn't expected was the futility of USC's front seven.

Going into this game, the Trojan defensive line was thought to be among the best not only in the Pac-10, but indeed the entire nation.

No less an authority than defensive line coach Ed Orgeron said so.

This unit would also be facing a completely revamped Hawaii offensive line.

This should be a mismatch right?

It was, except that the mismatch was for the Rainbow Warriors.

With ample time to find receivers and open lanes to run when he couldn't, Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz shredded the Trojan defense with ridiculous ease.

Of course, the lack of defensive pressure by the Trojan defensive front seven put additional pressure on that young secondary to hold coverage, which they couldn't.

And what about the linebackers?

With Devon Kennard replacing middle linebacker Chris Galippo, Coach Kiffin promised more athleticism at the position to support both the run and pass defense.

The addition of Kennard was also going to free up fellow linebackers Malcolm Smith and Michael Morgan to make plays on the edge.

Again, not so much.

With the exception of a nasty hit by Morgan that removed Moniz from the game (after a 13-yard gain, of course), the Trojan linebackers' names were rarely called.

All in all, a very disappointing performance from a defense whose improvement is being counted on if the Trojans are to fulfill their promise of a significantly better year in 2010.

Of course, it may turn out that Hawaii is an offensive juggernaut and no one is able to slow them down this year.

Only time will tell.

So, is it too early for Trojan fans to push the panic button for the 2010 Trojan defense?

Probably, but they may want to locate it just in case.