LOS ANGELES — Eric Gentry will never forget the number 116, because it has been weaponized around USC, a painful trigger pressed over and over and over again as a reminder of the season that was lost.
116. It comes after every defensive workout, one additional set of repetitions, as Gentry described after USC’s final spring practice on Thursday. One more rep for every rung USC dropped in total-defense rankings in 2023. 116 reps. 116th in yards-per-game allowed. A cardinal-red stain on the back of the returning Trojans’ jerseys...