Confidence radiated from Will Campbell as the towering left tackle and future first-round pick out of Louisiana State leaned back comfortably in his chair this week and, in a deep bayou voice, announced his intentions for Sunday’s season opener against the USC defense in Las Vegas.

“We know what we’re there for. It’s not to go to Caesars Palace,” said Campbell, the All-Southeastern Conference lineman. “It’s to be in a fistfight.”

Nor did he hide how it would be fought. “We’re going to run the ball,” Campbell said in another interview. “That’s not something we … try to hide.”

This wasn’t exactly bulletin board material in the traditional sense. Even if it was presented that way to USC defenders, they responded with shrugs or sideways glances. But Campbell’s confident statement drove home the reality of USC’s situation.

There’s no warm-up week this season for a new coaching staff to work out any issues in their new scheme. After eight months of USC taking blow after blow for its poor defensive performance last season, here’s a heavyweight showdown against one of the most physical offensive fronts in college football, a group seemingly built to exploit the issues USC sought to solve in the offseason.

D’Anton Lynn, the man tasked with making those repairs, called it a “big test” of the Trojans’ evolution up front, as USC looks to get bigger and stronger this summer for the jump to the Big Ten. Asked what gave him confidence as USC takes on a seasoned LSU line that returns four starters, including Campbell, the best tackle in college football, Lynn was blunt.

“We’re prepared,” the new coordinator said. “We knew what the challenge would be since I got the job here.”

Players and coaches have been answering the same questions for months, repeating the same refrain about how a defense that ranked near the bottom of every statistical category last season would be decidedly different. They pointed to the depth of the secondary and the apparent 1,400 pounds of mass added in their offseason training program. They assured anyone who would listen that the scheme is smoother and easier to understand.

But despite his confidence in the Trojans’ defensive turnaround, Jamil Muhammad knows no one will be convinced until they see it with their own eyes.

“You have to realize,” the senior defensive end said, “until you get another real chance to show what you’re working on or how much better you’ve become, what you did and what everyone saw is going to stay in their minds until you change it.”

Can Lincoln Riley cool his already hot coaching seat? Can UCLA’s DeShaun Foster coach the team to a winning record?

A strong first impression on Sunday would go a long way in that regard. Especially with USC holding its own at the line of scrimmage, where LSU is at its best. Last season, the Tigers ranked first in the nation in yards per attempt (6.18) on the ground.

“Teams in the SEC, they’re going to run the ball,” USC linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold said. “That’s inevitable. We pride ourselves on being a run-stopping defense.”

That pride was noticeably absent last season as USC fell to 119th in run defense, second-worst among power conference teams. But while the Trojans bottomed out against the run, Lynn led a UCLA defense that improved from 36th to second in rushing yards given up.

What progress looks like against LSU, a team that has replaced more than 75 percent of its rushing production from a year ago, is difficult to gauge. The Tigers relied heavily on Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels to rack up rushing yards when he got out of the pocket last season. Without him, LSU is expected to split carries among a deep, experienced rotation that has yet to produce a lead back.

Although, behind an offensive line that can be dominant, it doesn’t matter who carries the ball for LSU.

“We have no problem blocking anybody,” Campbell said. “If you line them up, we block them.”

It will be up to Lynn and his revamped defense to complicate that equation for LSU. But while USC’s potential redemption is still lingering, any concerns about confidence after last season’s collapse have evaporated.

When asked how USC’s new defense would match up with LSU’s fierce defense, Mascarenas-Arnold didn’t hesitate to make his own statement, one that will undoubtedly be tested.

“As a defense,” Mascarenas-Arnold said, “we’re not afraid of anyone.”