secondary

After an inconsistent start to the season for USC’s secondary, the defensive coordinator stood in front of a cadre of cameras and didn’t mince words. There were too many coverage busts leading to too many big pass plays, he said. He planned to spend the bye week studying film with microscopic focus in hopes of understanding exactly what had gone wrong.

“The lowlights cannot be that low,” he said. “You can’t just say it happens sometimes. Those things can’t happen.”

That coordinator was Alex Grinch, speaking in September 2023. Six weeks later, he was fired.

The circumstances aren’t quite that dire for the Trojans’ defense — or Grinch’s successor, D’Anton Lynn — in October 2025. But the problems with big pass plays have persisted since then. In fact, they’ve been worse this season than they were under USC’s previous coordinator, in spite of the fact that USC has yet to play a top-40 passing offense.

Through five games, USC has given up 51 pass plays of 10 yards or more. That’s eighth worst in the nation, equating to an average of over 10 such plays per game. And against Illinois, that propensity for allowing explosive plays came back to bite USC in a brutal loss.

“The pass defense has to get better,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said after the game. “It just wasn’t good enough.”

Two days later, when asked about the state of his secondary, Riley took a more encouraging tone. The cornerbacks, he said, “had a few errors here and there.” Take the game’s two biggest pass plays out of the equation, he added, and “it’s going to be really tough for them to beat us.”

Whether his cornerbacks have that same confidence coming out of the loss could be another question. How they respond out of this week’s bye, with key matchups against Michigan and Notre Dame ahead, might ultimately determine the course of USC’s season.

“Confidence, you can’t fake that,” Riley said. “We’re doing enough good things that it should show up and there should be confidence from that, but if we keep making some of the mistakes that we’ve made, whether it’s a busted coverage, or like not leveraging the football — those are controllable on us. Other people aren’t even having to make plays that way.”

Three consequential moments in the second half last Saturday were directly correlated to crippling mistakes from USC defensive backs. An Illinois swing pass in the third quarter went for a 64-yard score after safety Bishop Fitzgerald took a bad angle on running back Justin Feagin, and two corners in the area failed to shed blocks. Then, in the fourth quarter, another cornerback, Braylon Conley, was burned twice on explosive pass plays — first, when he was beat for a touchdown on a slant over the middle, and then, on the ensuing possession, when he fell down defending a hitch route that exploded for 61 yards.

Most of the group’s most glaring mistakes on big plays this season have been attributed to breakdowns in communication. Those issues were only exacerbated last week in the absence of safety Kamari Ramsey, who had recently taken over relaying calls from the sideline to the secondary.

Ramsey should return next week, but Riley said this week that communication on defense has been a primary focus for USC.

To Fitzgerald, the week off was a chance to “fully reset everything” in the secondary.

“It’s really just focusing more on the same things and trying to execute as a whole,” Fitzgerald said. “As a defense, if 10 guys do one thing but one person does the wrong thing, it’s a busted play. We can’t afford that. So we’re just trying to get everybody on the same page.”

As the Trojans enter the most difficult stretch of their schedule, it’s not clear who the coaches will trust most at corner going forward.

Injuries early this season robbed USC of two of its most experienced cornerbacks, Prophet Brown and Chasen Johnson. Then last week, as USC’s secondary unraveled in the loss to Illinois, redshirt senior DeCarlos Nicholson was in and out of the lineup with what appeared to be a nagging hamstring.

Nicholson, nonetheless, has been USC’s most consistent cover corner through five weeks. Across from him, redshirt freshman Marcelles Williams has started the last three games, but hasn’t by any means run away with the job.

Senior DJ Harvey was brought in from the transfer portal to be a major contributor at corner, but he has fallen far short of those expectations. He played only five snaps last Saturday, in spite of the team’s dire depth at corner, but one of those plays resulted in a devastating pass interference call on Illinois’ game-winning drive.

“We’re pretty young out there on the perimeter right now, without having Prophet and Chasen,” Riley said. “We need [Harvey’s] experience to show up. His emergence in this next phase of the season will be important for us, and he’s going to get every opportunity to do it.”

The most uncertain spot in the secondary has been in the slot, where Riley has yet to find a capable replacement for Brown. But USC might have an answer on the way in the form of true freshman Alex Graham.

Graham was an early standout during USC’s preseason camp but has been on the shelf since. Coaches have suggested he could return as soon as next week against Michigan and potentially step into a significant role right away in the slot, where, to this point, USC has relied on Ramsey playing out of position.

There’s not much depth at defensive back for USC to mine after that. True freshman RJ Sermons was one of the more coveted cornerback prospects in America, when he reclassified in the spring to enroll at USC a year early.

Riley didn’t rule out the possibility that Sermons, who should be a senior in high school, could play a critical role down the stretch. He said USC was “pushing it” with both he and Graham in hopes that they’d be ready “sooner than later.”

“They’re two guys that are talented enough to contribute for us right now,” Riley said. “You’re on just a race against time to get them ready, to pump as many reps into those guys. Because they clearly have the ability.”

Regardless, it’s going to take more than two true freshmen to steady USC’s secondary. The more pressing question now, after a suspect start this season, is whether the rest of the group is able to right the ship from here.

“One game doesn’t define them as a player, doesn’t define us as a defense,” safety Christian Pierce said. “We just keep our heads high and put the best foot forward.”

A baggage cart passes by a Southwest 737 Max 8 airliner after arriving from Los Angeles at St. Louis-Lambert International Airport on March 13, 2019. Over the Labor Day weekend, Southwest became one of the first U.S. carriers to take delivery and fly a plane with a “secondary barrier” to protect pilots from cockpit intrusions. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 1 (UPI) — Southwest Airlines has become one of the first U.S. carriers to take flight with an added barrier to protect pilots from intrusions when they exit the cockpit.

Southwest took delivery of the Boeing 737 Max 8, with the added retractable gate-like feature, and put it into service over the Labor Day weekend. The change comes nearly 24 years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

“For Southwest this was the right decision,” the airline said in a statement. “We have a robust safety management system that takes a proactive approach when it comes to enhancing safety wherever possible.”

The additional flight deck barrier is designed to prevent cockpit invasions, like those during the 2001 terror attacks when hijackers took control of four jetliners. The secondary gate is closed to provide added protection for pilots when they open the cockpit door to access the lavatory.

Before the barriers, flight attendants have routinely blocked access to the front of the plane, using themselves or a drink cart, whenever a pilot leaves the flight deck. While existing planes cannot be retrofitted with the barriers, newly delivered planes will come with the barrier installed.

Last week, a 2023 Federal Aviation Administration regulation required Boeing and Airbus to begin delivering its new planes with the secondary barriers.

According to the final rule, the new barrier “will be deployed, closed and locked whenever the flight deck door is opened while the airplane is in flight.”

While Southwest has decided to take immediate delivery of planes with the secondary barriers, other airlines have opted to wait until July 2026 after the FAA granted a one-year exemption.

Top United States diplomatic negotiator Steve Witkoff visited Moscow on Wednesday in a last-ditch push to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine before an August 8 deadline set by President Donald Trump.

After Witkoff’s meeting with Putin, the White House said that Russia had sought a meeting with Trump. The US president, the White House said, was open to meeting both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump, who during his re-election campaign had promised he would be able to end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours if he came to power, has so far failed to mediate a truce despite months of hectic diplomacy, direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv, and phone calls with Putin.

Increasingly frustrated by Putin’s unwillingness to agree to a pause in fighting without imposing conditions unacceptable to Ukraine or the West, Trump has threatened a new wave of economic measures punishing Russia if it does not accept a ceasefire.

Since Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US and its allies, including the United Kingdom and the European Union, have imposed more than 21,000 sanctions on Russia’s economy.

The new tariffs Trump has threatened are unlike any of those earlier sanctions, however. They target Russia by hitting out against its trading partners, in the hope that they will stop buying from or selling to Moscow.

But these secondary tariffs also carry risks for the US and its allies.

What are the secondary tariffs Trump is threatening?

In mid-July, as peace talks stalled despite Trump’s efforts, the US president threatened Russia with 100 percent secondary tariffs if it did not work towards a ceasefire. He gave the Kremlin a 50-day deadline to cooperate.

After Moscow suggested that it wouldn’t bow to US pressure, Trump moved up the deadline, which now expires on August 8. It is unclear if Trump’s openness to talks with Putin and Zelenskyy following Witkoff’s Moscow visit has changed that deadline.

On Wednesday, Trump doubled the tariff rate on Indian imports from 25 percent – which he had announced in late July – to 50 percent, as punishment for New Delhi’s refusal to stop buying Russian oil. That makes India the country facing the highest US tariffs at present – along with Brazil.

If Trump’s secondary tariffs go into effect, goods that the US imports from countries still trading with Russia would face duties of 100 percent on top of the tariffs Trump has already imposed on those nations.

That would at least double the price of those products, making them less competitive in the US market.

The idea behind these tariffs is to persuade Russia’s trading partners to stop buying and selling with the country, isolating its economy and depriving it of revenue it earns from exports, especially from energy.

Despite the sanctions it already faces, Russia has consistently earned more than 500 million euros ($580m) a day from energy exports since 2022. That will be disrupted if countries stop buying all oil and gas from Russia.

Which countries could Trump’s secondary tariffs hit?

The countries most affected by such secondary tariffs would be:

• China: Russia’s most important ally, China is by far the largest consumer of its northern neighbour’s exports. In 2023, China bought almost a third of all Russian exports. It also bought almost half of Russia’s oil exports.
• India: An old friend, India has been buying up large volumes of Russian crude since 2022, including almost 40 percent of Russia’s total oil exports in 2023. That year, 17 percent of Russia’s overall exports went to India. Trump had already imposed a 25 percent tariff on Indian goods. On Wednesday, he doubled that rate as punishment for India’s continued oil purchases from Russia.
• Turkiye: The third-largest buyer of Russian energy, 8 percent of Russia’s exports in 2023 went to Turkiye. It is a NATO ally of the US.

Turkiye isn’t the only ally that could be hit if Trump truly targets all those who trade with Russia.

Could US allies be hit?

Pushing back against Western threats over its ties with Russia, India has pointed to the EU’s own trade with Moscow. And while that trade has plummeted since 2022, it is still substantial.

According to the EU, its total trade with Russia was worth 67.5 billion euros ($77.9bn) in 2024. India’s total trade with Russia in 2024-25, by contrast, was worth $68.7bn.

The bloc still relies heavily on Russia for its liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies. In fact, its import of Russian LNG has been rising: In 2024, EU imports of Russian LNG were 9 percent higher than the year before.

Europe has already been hit with a 15 percent tariff from Trump. Will Trump punish his closest supporters to pressure Russia to end the war?

Could the US face risks, too?

It is not just allies – secondary tariffs on those who trade with Russia carry risks for the US itself, too.

Trump’s team is currently working on a trade deal with China, and those talks have led to a pause in a tariff war between the world’s two largest economies.

That detente would break down if Trump imposes 100 percent tariffs on Chinese goods simply because Beijing also trades with Russia.

China, Europe and India are all major suppliers of goods to the US: If the cost of those products – from clothes to lamps to iPhones – doubles, American consumers will feel the pinch.

The US also buys chemicals, including uranium hexafluoride – used in uranium enrichment – from Russia.

Will India and China stop buying Russian energy?

That looks unlikely. China continues to buy oil from Iran, despite US sanctions – and Russia is arguably its closest strategic partner.

India has also shown no sign of loosening its ties with Russia. Witkoff isn’t the only foreign envoy visiting Moscow at the moment. India’s national security adviser, Ajit Doval, is also in the Russian capital. India’s foreign minister, S Jaishankar, is expected to visit Russia later this month, and India has announced that it intends to host Putin later this year.

On Wednesday, India described Trump’s 50 percent tariff as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”, adding that its purchase of Russian oil was rooted in its desire for energy security for its 1.4 billion people.

July 14 (UPI) — President Donald Trump warned Russia Monday that it may face “severe tariffs” if a peace deal with Ukraine isn’t negotiated.

Trump said the United States would impose 100% secondary tariffs on nations that engage in trade with Moscow.

“We’re very, very unhappy with them,” Trump said. “And we’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days.”

Trump shared this during a meeting and press conference in the Oval Office Monday with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in which he also explained how American weapons will now head to Ukraine.

“We’ve made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons and they’re going to be paying for them,” Trump said, reiterating what he had said Sunday to the press at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on the same subject.

“The United States will not be having any payment made,” Trump added. “We’re not buying it but we will manufacture it and they’re going to be paying for it.”

Trump also explained some weaponry, including Patriot missile systems, will be in Ukraine “very soon, within days,” and that the arms would first arrive in NATO countries before being transferred to Ukraine.

Rutte added that the process will run through NATO’s system, and that Ukraine will receive what it requires. “It will mean that Ukraine can get its hands on really massive numbers of military equipment,” he explained. “For air defense, missiles, ammunition, etc.”

“So if I were Vladimir Putin today,” Rutte continued, “I would reconsider if I should take negotiations with Ukraine more seriously.”

While PE is a mandatory subject in schools, the recommended amount of two hours a week is not enforced.

YST chief executive Ali Oliver said: “Our children are moving less, feeling unhappier, and losing access to the transformative power of PE, contributing to stagnant physical activity levels.

“The fall in PE hours is sadly an exacerbation of a longer-term trend and should be a wake-up call to society, from policymakers to schools and parents.

“Unless we take action to reverse these damaging trends and increase activity levels to improve wellbeing, we risk failing a generation.”

In a statement, the government said: “These figures highlight the government’s dire inheritance, but we’re determined to break down barriers to accessing PE and school sports for young people through our Plan for Change, helping to improve their mental and physical wellbeing.

“We are working across the government and with our partners including Youth Sport Trust and Sport England to boost participation and have already invested £100m to upgrade sports facilities and launched a programme to improve access to sports for pupils with special education needs and disabilities.

“Our ongoing curriculum and assessment review seeks to deliver a broader curriculum, so that children do not miss out on subjects including PE and sport.”