Will Lincoln Riley be back to coach No. 24 USC at Cal?

The USC football coach, struggling with pneumonia for more than a week, says there are ‘plans in place’ if he’s limited Saturday

Luca Evans (OC Register)  —  Guess who’s back? Back again? Shady’s back. Tell a friend. 

And indeed, as the intro of Eminem’s “Without Me” blared over Wednesday afternoon speakers, the white visor was back on Lincoln Riley’s forehead at USC’s football practice. Back, as captured by the publication InsideTroy, nestled among a row of stretching players, doling out fist-bumps after two days of missed practice with pneumonia. Two days of rampant speculation, of fan confusion, erased by the repetition in Eminem’s shrill voice, perhaps a coded message from a coach with a politician’s savvy: Guess who’s back, guess who’s back, guess who’s back, guess who’s back.

Minutes later, he bent down for a brief word with lunging defensive lineman Kyon Barrs, as the bass of Lil Baby’s “Sum 2 Prove” thumped next.

I got somethin’ to prove. Yeah I’m young, but I got somethin’ to lose.

The indications of illness were there, even beyond a screaming affair with officials during USC’s loss to Utah on Saturday. Last Thursday, in a regularly scheduled media availability over Zoom, Riley’s demeanor was noticeably downtrodden. On Saturday night, he sat down at the podium with a coughing fit, needing a drink of water before launching into a disappointed reflection on a season-shifting loss. And after his return Wednesday, he still seemed labored in his responses at times one day later, even as Riley said he was “feeling a lot better” in his recovery from pneumonia.

“Last week kind of felt like I was in one of those positions where it’s like, do you take away from the prep or do you what you probably should do for your body?” Riley said Thursday. “I chose (option) A and paid for it, obviously, early this week.”

It first came on last Tuesday, Riley said, and the surge of adrenaline from Saturday’s game completely wore off Sunday, which “didn’t go too well,” the head coach said with a slight smile. He was at home Monday and Tuesday, wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons elevated to acting coach and analyst Kliff Kingsbury made a countable coach, Riley still calling quarterback Caleb Williams to discuss plays after practices.

“If I’m limited in any way, we’ll have plans in place and be ready, but definitely going to do my best to be ready to do my part for the team come Saturday,” Riley said.

And therein lies the rub: as recently as Thursday, Riley, even, was unclear of his own status for Saturday’s game at Cal (3-4 overall, 1-3 Pac-12) beyond careful optimism. At the same time as the head coach’s noticeable spin of externally created expectations – to make nothing of championship aspirations that clearly existed preseason within the walls of this program – he might not be fully healthy Saturday, which would likely put No. 24 USC (6-2, 4-1) in an interesting position with Simmons wearing the headset.

Tied for second in the Pac-12, there’s no more backsliding on hopes for the ceiling of this USC team: Starting with Cal, every game from this point forward is a must-win, and falling out of the race for a Pac-12 championship would be a major disappointment.

With Washington, Oregon and UCLA looming large on USC’s schedule; a loss to Cal would mean unmitigated disaster, both to season hopes and overall program structure, with pressure intensifying on recovering Coach Lincoln Riley to make personnel changes.

“We gotta handle our own here and go find a way to go up here north and get a win, get some momentum going, and then we can be a pretty dangerous team down the stretch if we can find that,” Riley said Thursday.

When Cal has the ball

Cal’s current starting quarterback, baby-faced redshirt freshman Fernando Mendoza, has started all of two games for the Golden Bears – and was still figuring out the intricacies of game-week preparation earlier this month.

“Now I know how to manage my schedule of film, manage school now, when I’m actually playing,” Mendoza said after losses to Oregon State and Utah.

Mendoza is green, but he still presents a challenge, because anyone with the ability to throw a ball and a sub-6-second 40-time has presented a challenge behind center for USC’s defense. He got out of the pocket well against Oregon State, and that will be a point of emphasis for the Trojans this week to contain Mendoza alongside shifty running back Jaydn Ott, a Norco High product who is arguably the best running back at any program in California.

When USC has the ball

Trailing 21-14 midway through the third quarter against Utah, running back MarShawn Lloyd took a carry and was unceremoniously stripped of the ball, a play that briefly removed all wind from USC’s sails.

Lloyd had run for 86 yards on just seven carries to that point. He didn’t receive another touch the rest of the game.

“I think I was probably a little gun-shy coming off the Notre Dame deal, when you have a crazy turnover game like we did the week before,” Riley said Thursday, referring to USC’s five turnovers in its loss to the Fighting Irish.

Cal’s defense has struggled but has held up more against the run than the pass this season; with Riley saying “I gotta do a better job” of utilizing USC’s running game, it will be interesting to see if that comes to light Saturday or if the Trojans will again lean on Williams.

For all the negative talk about the Trojans’ defense, Cal enters 110th out of 133 FBS schools in opponent points-per-game, was pummeled by Washington and Oregon State, and has generated just a handful of sacks this season. It’s a prime chance for a noticeably off Williams to get back on track.

Key matchup to watch

USC’s defensive line vs. Ott. Pretty obvious one here – USC just gave up 247 rushing yards to Utah and 203 two games earlier against Arizona. Ott is the best back they’ve faced all season, a shifty 200-pound escape artist who can explode at any given moment but was largely held in check by Utah’s defense two weeks ago. After a strong start, this USC front has been carved up by the run and will be further tested as nose tackle Bear Alexander will serve a first-half suspension after being ejected for targeting against Utah.

No. 24 USC (6-2, 4-1 in Pac-12) at Cal (3-4, 1-3)

Saturday, 1 p.m.;  California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley; Pac-12 Network/790 AM

Prediction: USC 41, Cal 28. This game won’t be a blowout, but Williams should take over, similar to USC’s September battle in the desert with Arizona State.

ocregister.com

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