LAS VEGAS — Lincoln Riley refused to take the victory lap on Sunday night.
He could’ve, coming off the mess that was USC’s 2023 campaign. This long offseason has been filled with nothing but questions about the direction of the program, his commitment to defense and whether he wanted to play games like Sunday night’s — a Top-25 matchup against LSU.
But after a dramatic 27-20 USC win — the best of the coach’s 28-game tenure — Riley sidestepped the chance.
“I don’t coach for the media. I don’t coach for headlines,” he said. “We just try to do what’s best in our program, and we try to stay just incredibly committed to it regardless of what anybody says on the outside — whether they agree with us or don’t agree with us is honestly irrelevant to us.
“We know what we’ve been building.”
Several things can be true at the same time. Sunday night’s victory was only one game, and there’s a lot of season left to be played. But that was also the sort of redemptive moment Riley and those within USC’s program have desperately needed to wash the stench from last season away and to show positive signs the program is on an upward trajectory.
It hasn’t been difficult to find doubters of Riley or this team (full disclosure: This writer predicted a 7-5 season not too long ago). The Trojans were a 4.5-point underdog against the Tigers in this game, face one of the most difficult schedules in the country and just lost the Heisman Trophy winner in Caleb Williams.
There were fair questions about how this team would stack up, physically and in mindset, in the Big Ten. But Sunday night was a big step for Riley’s vision. The decision to keep former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch as long as he did was a major mistake that set his build back. But he course-corrected and made a shrewd hire, taking defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn from crosstown rival UCLA. He built a strong defensive staff, probably the program’s best since Pete Carroll’s tenure.
Riley spoke about the improvements during camp, the cohesion of this team and all that other stuff that is popular to talk about during the preseason. It’s one thing to hear it. It’s another to see it actually happen.
Through the first half of last season, USC was achieving the results it wanted, but the process was clearly lacking. The fundamentals were bad. The Trojans were more talented than other teams but played down to their competition and were unfocused at times. And when adversity finally hit, USC rolled over.
The Trojans didn’t play a perfect game on Sunday. Riley didn’t coach a perfect one either. But the process, for the most part, was still sound. And that’s a positive first step for the plans Riley rolled out this offseason.
“Regardless of what happened today,” Riley said, “it’s still not going to change what we’re building and the things we’re doing. We’re just so committed to it. Nothing’s going to change it, and we’re just going to keep getting better. I’m proud of us for taking this step and getting this opportunity done today.”
Sunday night wasn’t just a redemptive moment for Riley though. It went beyond that. The last time USC played in Allegiant Stadium, Williams injured his hamstring and was clearly not himself the last three quarters of the 2022 Pac-12 title game.
Miller Moss warmed up on the sidelines and looked ready to enter the game, but Riley never called his number. USC’s offense stalled, and the Trojans lost the game and a bid for the College Football Playoff.
Here was Moss on Sunday, throwing a go-ahead, 28-yard touchdown to Ja’Kobi Lane with 5:44 left, and then after LSU had tied the score minutes later, making clutch throws to lead the game-winning touchdown drive.
USC quarterback Miller Moss has waited his turn to play in games like Sunday’s. (Candice Ward / Getty Images)
More than a season removed from being left on the sideline, he threw for 378 yards, hit 10 different receivers and played with poise and confidence as he beat his second top-15 team in as many career starts.
“The biggest thing is just excitement for our team,” Moss said. “We worked really hard this offseason to build an identity. A tough team, a team that really cares about each other. … I think our identity really showed through the latter part of that game.”
Teams often take on the identity of their quarterback. Moss has been resilient throughout his USC career, staving off several challenges to eventually become the starter, and on Sunday he and the team displayed that.
The most clutch throw Moss made on Sunday night was a a late second-and-15 pass to Kyron Hudson, who took a shot and caught the ball for a 20-yard gain (15 yards was added for targeting). That put USC in position for a game-wining field goal that the Trojans did not need because Woody Marks rushed in from 13 yards out for the game-winning score with eight seconds left. But it was clutch nonetheless.
Hudson made all the highlight reels for an amazing one-handed catch he snagged in the first half. But after that, he was in position to make a few contested catches that would’ve resulted in some big gains. To be fair, they were tough, but also missed opportunities for Hudson and the offense that left some meat on the bone in the red zone.
“It’s just respond,” Hudson said. “That’s the key word that comes to my mind. Respond. Finish. That’s something that we (talked) about through the year is when something bad happens or when something doesn’t go your way, how are you going to respond?”
The list goes on. Linebacker Mason Cobb was an All-Big 12 performer at Oklahoma State in 2022 but had an underwhelming season last year after transferring to USC. He came up with the game-sealing interception on Sunday night.
There has been so much discussion about linebacker Eric Gentry’s size and weight and whether he can hold up at 6 feet 6 and 215 pounds. He notched five tackles and two tackles for loss against the Tigers — including a critical stop in the fourth that got the Trojans the ball back and resulted in Moss throwing that touchdown to Lane.
After that Pac-12 title game in Allegiant Stadium two years ago, USC’s tackling was so bad against Utah that Riley was asked whether the coaching staff taught the players to strip the ball instead of teaching them how to tackle.
The tackling — an aspect that’s dogged Riley’s teams throughout his career — was markedly improved Sunday. USC gave up just three plays of 20-plus yards against a really good LSU offense.
The tackling and fundamentals were sound. The Trojans were in better position defensively. They showed much more fight and physicality than they have in previous years, and it’s not easy to change that mindset in one offseason. But USC showed those signs and that resilience on Sunday.
“We’re just not into it for (sending) messages, man,” Riley said. “My message is I really like my team. I like our team. I like our defense. I like our coaches. I like our offense. I like our special teams. I like the vibe of this team. A long, long, long ways to go, but I’m glad I’m coaching these guys.”
It was just one game, but what was put on display on Sunday night showed that USC and its fans might have a lot to look forward to over the next 11.
(Photo: Candice Ward / Getty Images)
