USC’s upset of Ohio State did more than give the Trojans a signature win. It also gave a glimpse of Lincoln Riley in a different light, with the coach sounding every bit like a man who felt his team had finally found its footing.
The Trojans are in their bye week now, with No. 4 Indiana waiting on Saturday, Nov.
- But USC’s social media team has already started rolling out behind-the-scenes clips from the 30-18 win over the Buckeyes, and the postgame speech Riley delivered to his team stood out.
“That’s us right there, baby. That’s us right there.
Listen, there’s nothing that gives me more joy than listening to you guys right now. I just sat back there in my office just listening to you guys.
Staff, the players, man, you deserve this moment. It’s important that you understand why you’re in this moment right now.
Because you stuck together. Because you made it about us and not anything else.
There’s so many unselfish, team first examples across this thing, man, I could go on for days.”
Riley also singled out USC’s kickers, Ryon Sayeri and Caden Chittenden, after both contributed against Ohio State. Sayeri drilled a 54-yard field goal, while Chittenden made both of his tries from shorter range, and Riley praised the way the two handled the split duties.
“Defense, how ‘bout that red zone defense tonight?” Riley said.
He kept the message rolling by calling the victory a payoff for the work the Trojans put in during the week.
“This is a special moment, special win, and you deserved it for what you did through the week. I promise you, the Trojans are coming. And we are peaking right here at the right time, and that’s what we’re gonna do,” the USC coach continued.
Riley then shifted from celebration to business, telling the team they’d be back in the building the next day.
“Listen, listen, a couple things. We are bringing you in tomorrow,” Riley said.
The backdrop makes the speech even more striking. Ohio State came into the game ranked No. 2 after beating Indiana and surviving an injury to quarterback Julian Sayin in that contest, but the Buckeyes’ offense couldn’t consistently finish drives against USC in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Trojans handled the moment and walked away with a 30-18 win.
That result came after plenty of noise around Riley and his fit at USC, especially after the Trojans were stunned by Wisconsin 24-7 on the road. But the Ohio State win changed the tone fast, putting USC back into the conversation for the Big Ten title and the College Football Playoff.
The Trojans had already dropped out of the AP Top 25 after the Wisconsin loss, then jumped back in a week later after taking down Ohio State. Now the question is whether they can keep proving people wrong and push toward their first postseason berth in program history.
For now, the focus shifts to Indiana. USC returns from the bye and heads back on the road for a 12:30 p.m. PT kickoff on CBS.
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