USC still pissed over defensive busts from Gary Pattersons unit

Three lockdown quarters followed by something far less satisfactory did not equate to a happy Gary Patterson.“I know he’s pissed right now about the fourth quarter,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said of his new defensive coordinator in the immediate aftermath of their season opener against San Jose State.How were Riley and Patterson feeling three days later, after having a chance to fully digest the game footage?“Not really anything different,” Riley said Tuesday, “than what we said after the game.”Uh-oh.This can’t be good.It all started with such promise.Through three quarters, the Trojans had given up just a field goal.

They shut down the run game.They made a fourth-down stop inside their 10-yard line.

They allowed the Spartans to mount only two sustained drives.What happened next was almost the opposite of what preceded it.A host of reserves failed to provide much resistance over the final 15 minutes of USC’s 42-26 victory, allowing 23 points.Riley said his team piled up more defensive “busts” in the final quarter than it did the rest of the game combined.Human nature was undoubtedly a factor after the Trojans raced to a 35-3 lead.“When you start scoring a bunch of points and start letting up a little bit,” defensive tackle Jide Abasiri said, “that’s when things can go south, and so I think that’s where we let our foot off the gas and that’s just something we’ve got to get better with next week.”So, was there reason for concern?Well, yes and no.On the one hand, it was mostly backups who got burned.

On the other, Riley said those players must improve because they will need to contribute in more meaningful situations later in the season.“We need those guys to all go in there and play well,” Riley said, “not just seven or eight of them, which was basically what the case was in the fourth quarter the other day.” Riley will seek signs of improvement Friday evening at the Coliseum when the Trojans (1-0) face Fresno State (0-...