Lincoln Riley didn’t spend much time feeding the fire after USC’s win over Ohio State, even though the scene at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum had already gone viral.
The Trojans’ 30-18 victory was followed by a tense postgame moment involving Riley and Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork. In videos circulating on social media, Riley is trying to guide his family off the field and toward the tunnel when they’re held up by Ohio State personnel still making their way out. As Bjork passes by, he appears to say something to Riley, and the USC coach quickly snaps back.
The exchange keeps going as the pair head toward the tunnel, with staff members eventually stepping in.
Asked about it during his press conference on Tuesday night, Riley brushed it off as a byproduct of the moment and said the two moved past it right away.
"Not an issue," Riley said. "Just typical emotions after the game.
We squashed it on the way up the tunnel. Ross is a good guy and a really good AD.
Just really a non-issue. "
Riley didn’t say what started the back-and-forth.
The emotion made sense. USC’s win over then-No.
2 Ohio State was the biggest of Riley’s tenure with the Trojans, and it came at a time when his job security had been a major talking point. That kind of result can change the mood around a program fast.
Now USC turns to its next trip, heading to Bloomington to face Indiana next weekend after an open date. Hopefully, the postgame traffic is a little less complicated this time around.
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