Lincoln Riley isn’t sugarcoating what’s ahead for USC.
After the Trojans moved to 3-0 with a 49-30 win over Louisiana on Sept. 12, Riley used his Sept. 14 appearance on Trojans Live to make one thing clear: the easy part is over, and the Big Ten is next.
USC’s start has been strong enough to keep it in the national conversation, with the Trojans now ranked No. 12 and sitting as the Big Ten’s only unbeaten team at 3-0. But Riley spent much of his radio appearance focusing on what those first three games taught his team - and why that matters now that conference play is about to hit.
"We've learned a lot. The games have all been three different challenges. And different schematically with how all of them played."
"We were able to play a ton of players in all three games. Our first group did a great job of separating and giving us those opportunities. And those have been invaluable."
"You can see the growth out of these young guys we're playing. You can see the growth week-to-week and see guys start to come on."
"With the schedule that we have, and what's upcoming, we're going to need these guys. We've learned a lot and now, we're set to take on new challenges.
"And we're excited about that. We're ready to get on the road and ready for Big Ten play.
"We've had our fun here in the beginning and it's been great, but it's time for the next thing."
Riley also looked back at the Louisiana game and called out the specific issues USC has to tighten up. He pointed to the challenge of facing an athletic quarterback, praised the Trojans’ overall work in containing him, and then zeroed in on the details that need cleaning up.
"I thought that was definitely a different challenge. Defensively, playing against that athletic of a quarterback was definitely going to be a challenge for us.
And it was. He was a great player and a competitor."
"For the most part, I thought we did a really nice job against him. We did give up a lot of big plays and obviously, the penalties showed up. That's something we've got to clean up."
"But we're still able to create a lot of havoc in the backfield. Our defensive line has been very, very active."
The backfield remains a shared job, and Riley made it clear that the rotation is still intact. He said Waymond Jordan and another back are handling the workload together, and he likes what the duo can become over the course of the season.
"It's definitely still a competitive group. He and Waymond Jordan are the two starters for us."
"When you're playing two guys, you're going to have games like that. The ball finds its way to one guy a little bit more and he pops another run or two."
"That's the way it's going to go. But it's going to be beneficial for us in the long term throughout the season."
"And you know, Waymo (Waymond Jordan) continues to get better each week. He's just starting to look like his old self each week.
You see a little bit more jump and pop, and that's going to bode well for us. But it's a great one-two combo."
Riley also noted the unusual timing of the Louisiana matchup, saying, "We played in a late kick here, which was 11 p.m. their time."
Now USC turns the page again, this time toward Rutgers. Riley described the Scarlet Knights as a different-looking team this season, with new pieces on offense, a new defensive coordinator who has also been a head coach, and the kind of size and physicality he expects from Rutgers.
"But they're a little bit of a different team this year. Definitely got some new faces offensively and in the skill room.
Got a new defensive coordinator too who's been a head coach. They've got some big guys, which you would expect from a Rutgers team especially with how physical they are."
USC has already handled three different tests. The next one, Riley said, is another challenge the Trojans need to be ready for.
"We've got some great challenges coming up, including this one. We've got to be ready to play."
In Other News...
USCs Defense Has A Depth Problem At The Worst Time
Early in the season, USC has already seen the kind of defensive depth issues that can turn a promising year into a long one. The Trojans have gotten uneven play from backups in recent games against Michigan State and Louisiana, and the dropoff from the starters to the reserves has been hard to miss, especially in the secondary.
Brandon Riley acknowledged the problem and said the group needs more players to step up, which is a bigger concern now than it might have been in September. With injuries always a possibility in the months ahead, USC is staring at a test of whether its defense can hold up when the rotation gets thinner and the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]
USC Heads Into Big Ten Play With Two Growing Problems
USC closed its non-conference schedule with a 49-30 win over Louisiana, and the night offered another reminder of how much the Trojans are leaning on young talent. Freshmen Trent Mosley, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Mark Bowman all turned in notable contributions, a promising sign as the offense continues to look for reliable playmakers while the schedule gets tougher.
The concern, though, is that the victory came with the same issues that can quickly become costly in league play. Penalties kept piling up and the injury situation worsened as several players left the game for various reasons, leaving USC with a few extra questions just as Big Ten competition arrives. The Trojans get the result they wanted before conference play, but the way they got there left enough to sort through. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Just Added A Defensive Name Oklahoma Fans Know Too Well
Gary Patterson is back on the sideline, and this time he is walking into a USC program that badly wants a defensive reset. After three years away from coaching since leaving TCU in 2021, Patterson had been keeping busy as a special assistant at Texas and later as a consultant at Baylor, but Lincoln Riley reached out with a bigger job in mind. Patterson, who was just elected to the Hall of Fame, has agreed to join USC as defensive coordinator, giving Riley an experienced hand with a long track record of shaping physical, disciplined defenses.
For Oklahoma fans, the name alone carries plenty of history, since Patterson spent so many years as one of the Big 12s most recognizable defensive minds. Now he is trying to help USC clean up a side of the ball that has lagged behind the offense, and the fit is intriguing because Riley is betting that a veteran voice can change the tone quickly. The question for the Trojans is how much Patterson can lift the unit, and how fast. [Read more 🡒]