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LOS ANGELES — Lincoln Riley said he hadn't seen much progress or improvement from Southern California's defense since the previous November. That's why he finally decided to fire coordinator Alex Grinch. Riley acknowledges he felt the same way as most of his team's fans while the defense failed to match the USC offense's excellence this season, finally culminating in three losses in the Trojans' last four games. That didn't make the decision any easier for Riley, who fired a good friend and longtime colleague with two regular-season games left in only their second year at USC.
