USC defense looks to ‘start faster’ after dismal performance against Illinois

LOS ANGELES — Pregame warmups are always full-out before the USC football team takes the field for kickoff. From dialogue to drills, it’s all 100%.

“Every single time,” defensive lineman Devan Thompkins said. “You have to. We want the warm-ups to be harder than the game. Just like practice.”

But somewhere between warmups and the first snap of Saturday’s 34-32 road loss to Illinois , that intensity was lost. The Trojans’ defense had its worst performance of the season.

Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, who usually addresses reporters on a weekly basis, was not available to the media on Wednesday due to illness. His players relayed a clear message that was given to the team.

“It just took us too long to get adjusted to the game,” Thompkins said. “We’ve definitely got to start faster.