USC Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn Earns MVP After Trojans Beat LSU Tigers

The No. 23 USC Trojans stunned the No. 13 LSU Tigers with a 27-20 win Sunday night. The biggest surprise of the night was the USC defense. They held the Tiger offense in check all game and was key to prevailing with a win. Who earned MVP of the game honors?

Sep 1, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Southern California Trojans running back Woody Marks (4) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the LSU Tigers during the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

In the USC Trojans 27-20 win vs. the LSU Tigers on Sunday night in Las Vegas, Trojans defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn stole the show. Lynn took the USC defensive coordinator job at USC this offseason after moving on from crosstown rival UCLA. 

The Trojans defense over the last few seasons has been among the worst in the country. They looked anything but that against LSU tonight. This was Lynn's first game as defensive coordinator for USC.

USC Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn the MVP of the Night for the Trojans

Sep 1, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; LSU Tigers running back Josh Williams (18) carries the ball against Southern California Trojans cornerback Jacobe Covington (14) in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn had his side of the ball flying all over the place. Right out of the gate, USC showed that this was not going to be the same story as last year. After LSU drove into the red-zone on their opening drive, the Trojan defense stepped up. They forced a turnover on downs after linebacker Mason Cobb was unblocked on a blitz, and forced Tiger quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to throw the ball away on 4th down. 

Even on drives that LSU did score, nothing was easy. The Trojans limited big plays all night, something they were not able to achieve last season. Allowing only 20 points to a team with the offensive fire power such as LSU is a huge achievement. 

Up 20-17 late in the 4th quarter, LSU was driving to tie or take the lead. They got in the red zone again with just a couple minutes to go in then game. The Trojan defense stood tall once again and held the Tigers to a field goal to knot the game up at 20-20. 

From there, the USC offense led by Miller Moss, went on a touchdown scoring drive to take a 27-20 lead on a Woody Marks touchdown run with eight seconds left. The USC defense put the finishing touches on the victory with a Mason Cobb interception just before time expired. 

A tip of the cap to D’Anton Lynn. He had his defense show up big time tonight. 

USC Trojans Defense Looks Much Improved

Sep 1, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; LSU Tigers wide receiver Aaron Anderson (1) is tackled by Southern California Trojans safety Kamari Ramsey (7) in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, the USC defense gave up an average of 34.9 points per game. This ranked tied for 123rd across all FBS teams. Even with the number one pick in the 2024 NFL draft lighting it up for the Trojans, Caleb Williams, USC only had a record of 8-5. 

Number one on the list of offseason priorities was to find the coach to shore up the defensive issues. Granted it is just one game into a long season, but coach Lincoln Riley appears to have found a really good defensive coordinator in D’Anton Lynn. 

This was the first game in quite some time where where there weren’t players constantly out of positon. There were also very few missed tackles. It was a breath of fresh air for Trojans fans, who have been sick of having such a putrid defense. 

What’s Up Next For Trojans

Up next, the 1-0 Trojans will be hosting Utah State on Saturday night at the Coliseum. Utah State won their first game of the season on Saturday, with a 36-14 win over Robert Morris. USC will try to keep their defense rolling and improve to 2-0.

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