USC left Saturday’s 31-23 win over Penn State with something bigger than just a resume boost: a clear blueprint for the bye week.
Lincoln Riley said Tuesday that the Trojans have two main areas to attack before they head to Wisconsin on Oct. 24, and the first one sits right at the heart of the offense. USC’s ground game has been productive, but not nearly at the level Riley wants from it. The Trojans are averaging 4.3 yards per carry, which ranks No. 80 in the FBS, and Riley made it plain that good enough won’t cut it for what’s ahead.
“We've been effective running it, but we can run it much better,” Riley said. “That's our attitude right now.
Yeah, we've been effective. The thing I've been probably most proud of is we've been able to do it in crunch time.
We've been able to do it to close out some games, which previous years here we had a harder time doing. So that part has been really really positive.
But yeah, we definitely can run the ball better. We're going to need to run the ball better.
Good is not good enough for us, and it's been good, but we want it to be great. We feel like we're capable of great there, and our ability to surge and really be able to do that in this back half of the schedule will be very important for this football team.”
That message comes after a game in which King Miller gave USC a real lift. He ran for 102 yards, averaged 5.4 yards per carry, and punched in a 13-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter to put the Trojans ahead 24-20.
USC never trailed again. The offense also leaned on play action enough that Penn State - and the rest of USC’s opponents - had to honor the run.
Miller said he likes what the backfield can become.
“If you just take a look at our backfield, we got great guys in this room,” Miller said. “We got a great o-line set up.
The world hasn't seen nothing yet from this room. We're just continuing to improve on it so far.”
Tucker Ashcraft echoed that sense that the run game showed real signs against Penn State, even if there’s still work to do.
“There's always room for improvement, but I think we're playing physical,” Ashcraft said. “That was a physical road win. It's something we can really build off of, and we've got a bye week to get a whole lot better.”
Trent Mosley framed the work a little differently, pointing to what he can do from the receiver position to help the rushing attack. He said USC’s wideouts have a role in making the ground game go, and he wants to sharpen his own blocking.
“We did do a lot of good things, but then we do have a lot to work on,” Mosley said. “We're not where we want to be at, and this week we're spending a lot of time to focus on those things that we need to get better at moving forward.
“The one thing they stress here is they say a block that could help a 40-yard run is like dropping a 40-yard pass if your guy makes the tackle,” Mosley said. “Taking pride in your blocks and establishing the run game, doing your part.
That's huge for any offense to be able to run the ball, and receivers have a big part in that. I want to work on blocking [this week].
I had some good blocks, but just overall could do a lot better.”
Riley also hinted that the extra time could help USC get healthier. He did not get into specifics, but he sounded encouraged about tight end Mark Bowman and several others who were not full go or did not play against Penn State. The bye week, Riley said, could be especially useful with the Bloom Center helping the recovery process.
“He's getting better,” Riley said. “We got several guys that either didn't go or weren't full go the other night.
Getting to this bye week is huge for us. It gives them obviously extended time to get healthy.
I'm hopeful going into Wisconsin that just from a whole we'll be as healthy as we've been the whole year. We haven't been able to see this team quite at full strength yet from a health perspective.
So I'm excited and interested to see what that would look like. But yeah, guys are progressing.
We definitely wouldn't rule anybody out here going forward, and the bye week is going to really help.”
In Other News...
USC Just Got A Late-Season Boost From An Unlikely Starter
USCs latest road win brought a useful reminder that depth can still swing a season in October, and left tackle Vlad Dyakonov was one of the reasons why. Filling in for Elijah Paige, Dyakonov drew praise from Lincoln Riley for the competitiveness and energy he brought on the edge, the kind of steady work that can quietly stabilize an offense when the schedule starts to tighten.
Riley also singled out quarterback Jayden Maiava for his poise and confidence, another sign the Trojans handled a tough environment with more composure than they might have earlier in the year. With a bye week coming, USC now has a chance to rest, regroup and keep developing the roster, which may matter just as much as the win itself as the games get more demanding. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon's QB Situation Just Got More Unsettling For USC Fans
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For USC fans, the most interesting part is the uncertainty at quarterback, where the Ducks are still waiting on Dante Moores concussion status while Dylan Raiola and Brock Thomas continue to compete for the job if needed. Lanning also left open the possibility of changes in play-calling responsibilities, pointing toward a more collaborative approach without offering specifics, which only adds another layer of intrigue to a matchup that already feels like it could feature a very different Oregon offense. [Read more 🡒]
USC Gave Lincoln Riley The Response He Desperately Needed
After a stretch in which every snap around USC seemed to come with a question attached, the Trojans finally had the kind of night Lincoln Riley has been waiting to point to. Their 31-23 win over Penn State was built on a balanced offense and, just as importantly, the sort of late-game defensive resistance that has not always been there when the pressure rises.
Jayden Maiava kept the attack moving with 21 completions for 301 yards and three touchdowns, while freshman Trent Mosley emerged as a dependable target and King Miller added a productive ground game. The bigger signal for USC, though, came on the other side of the ball, where the Trojans made enough key stops late, including a third-down sack from freshman Luke Wafle and a busy night from Desman Stephens II, to turn a good win into the response Riley badly needed. [Read more 🡒]