Commentary: USC fans better get ready for a lengthy Lincoln Riley rebuilding project
J. Brady McCollough (LA Times) — It’s going to take a long time — especially when calculated in USC years. How long did it take with Pete Carroll? Two to win a major bowl game, three to win a national championship.
Lincoln Riley’s Trojans spelled it out clearly Saturday night during their meek little showing in South Bend, Ind. They are not going to break through this season or next, their first playing a schedule full of brawny, stubborn Midwestern teams that have all been losing to USC in Rose Bowls for generations and are thirsty for revenge.
48-20? Clay Helton’s final parting gift is that Saturday wasn’t the worst defeat the Trojans have experienced at the hands of the Fighting Irish in recent years (Notre Dame won 49-14 in 2017). Regardless, for the last few weeks, USC has looked just as clueless and poorly prepared as it was under Helton.
The Trojans stink on offense, defense and special teams — and in the realm of “situational mastery,” as Helton used to say. They are masters of zero football situations.
But a short stretch of glaring ineptitude does not mean that Riley won’t get the job done for USC. It just means that we can now all see — Riley included — the job for what it has always been: A full-fledged, long-term rebuild.
Is Riley up for it? Is the USC fan base? Are Rick Caruso and the donors who ponied up to buy out Helton and make Riley feel like he just struck oil out in his native West Texas? We’re about to find out who is willing to get their hands dirty to create something lasting. Because there’s no gusher right now in downtown Los Angeles.
Dang, that was hard to watch. I can’t imagine what it was like for a die-hard Trojan who’s suffered through the last 15 years. How could USC with a returning Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback be that far away from elite?
It’s not that we’ve been hoodwinked or something sinister. But everything that’s happened from the moment USC stole Riley from Oklahoma — until Saturday — has felt like trippy delirium.
At Riley’s introductory news conference atop the Coliseum, our Bill Plaschke asked him how long it will take, and he said, “In this day and age, I think it can happen quickly, I do. … With the way college football works, you can turn over rosters in so many different ways, we’ll be very deliberate and creative and intentional about that. … I just look at it like, how can we not do it? No time is soon enough.”
Lincoln Riley bows his head and walks to the bench during the first half of his team’s loss at Notre Dame on Saturday. (Michael Caterina / AP)
Well, we now know how USC cannot do it.
The way Riley talked that dreamy day, he must have felt confident Caleb Williams was going to find his way from Oklahoma to USC, along with Georgia’s starting defensive line. Or maybe it was just the moment talking.
Williams’ commitment to the Trojans made anything feel possible. Then Riley pulled in star wide receiver Jordan Addison, the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner from Pittsburgh, from the transfer portal. When Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi called out USC for allegedly buying Addison’s commitment with a name, image and likeness deal, Riley already had Trojans from coast to coast backing him on social media.
The new guy was cutthroat, willing to raid the transfer portal for fresh talent across all position groups and tell guys who’d already bled out some cardinal and gold during trying seasons that they had better find another place to play college football.
Sure, 2022 wasn’t perfect, but a close loss at Utah was understandable in year one. And the Pac-12 championship defeat to the Utes could be easily stomached because of Williams’ hamstring injury, which limited his transcendence for one half. It was logical to think that if he hadn’t gotten hurt, the Trojans would have prevailed and made the playoff. The meltdown against Tulane in the Cotton Bowl could be written off as a hangover from that disappointment.
In 2023, with Williams back for (theoretically) one last season, the expectations for many elevated to playoff or bust. Riley acknowledged that this season was a special opportunity, saying, “These windows are short. You only get so many shots at this.”
Given the pressure to get it done this fall, I can see why Riley stuck with defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. He valued stability over starting over since he probably felt his defense didn’t need to get that much better for Williams to put the Trojans over the top.
After Saturday’s stunning embarrassment, Riley can start viewing such crucial decisions with a longer lens.
The portal patchwork worked well to create buzz around the program and flip USC from a total mess into a team that, while flawed, could spend time in the top 10 and tease its fans into believing.
Riley’s salary plus the program’s expectations gave him no other option but to use every tool at his disposal to accomplish something tangible as quickly as possible. The portal was the only path.
He should (and will) continue to use it to improve the roster, but he’s also going to need to develop high school talent. It’s too early to know how Riley’s staff has done there, but success in the Big Ten transition will depend on the last two years’ freshmen turning into productive upperclassmen, particularly along the line of scrimmage.
Saturday night, USC could not hang with a pretty-OK Notre Dame team, which had two losses.
MarShawn Lloyd tries to pull away from Notre Dame DL Javontae Jean-Baptiste on Saturday in South Bend, Ind. (Michael Caterina / AP)
USC’s portal-infused offensive line was overmatched, the Kryptonite hanging around Williams’ neck. The quarterback nicknamed “Superman” looked withered by the task of rescuing his team on this night, tossing three bewildering interceptions that basically sealed the Trojans’ fate by halftime.
USC’s portal-infused wide receiver corps dropped passes at key moments and could not get open downfield. Arizona transfer Dorian Singer was supposed to replace Addison, but he was either overhyped or Riley has struggled to integrate him into the offense.
Notre Dame’s 251 yards suggest USC’s defense had a solid night, but most of the credit for that goes to the offense for turning the ball over and giving Notre Dame a short field. The Trojans winning the time of possession battle 35 to 25 has never meant so little.
When USC scored to pull within 31-20 in the fourth quarter, the defense would have had a chance to get a stop and prove something. Of course, the special teams unit wouldn’t allow it that chance, giving up a kickoff return for a touchdown, effectively ending the Trojans’ comeback attempt.
A season and a half into Riley’s tenure, USC looks lost. I never would have thought a Riley team would lack identity, but it seemed the Trojans — and their coach — did not know who they were in their showcase game of the year to this point.
I suspect that Riley tried to lean on the ground game and use less tempo early in the game in an effort to protect his much-maligned defense later. The logic was sound, but USC is not used to executing that kind of plan.
Notre Dame RB Gi’Bran Payne scores a TD as USC CB Christian Roland-Wallace tries to tackle him Saturday in South Bend, Ind. (Michael Caterina / AP)
Lincoln Riley — “A lot of the good (against Notre Dame) gets overshadowed. We’re not far away. We’re definitely building. That’s how I want it to be. We’ve made remarkable, amazing progress in a short amount of time. We can be the best program in the country, but you have to struggle. The confidence of the team is very, very strong…”
https://youtu.be/kfG-TI-9NgY
The Athletic’s most recent College football midseason bowl projections. All times Eastern Sugar Jan. 1 No. 2 Georgia vs No. 3 Washington New Orleans 8:45 p.m. Cotton Dec. 29 Oregon (at-large) vs Oklahoma (Big 12) Arlington, Tex. 8:00 pm Sun Dec. 29 Virginia Tech (ACC No. 8) vs Utah (Pac-12 No. 5) El Paso, Tex. 2 p.m. Alamo Dec. 28 Kansas State (Big 12 No. 2) vs USC (Pac-12 No. 2) San Antonio, Tex. 9:15 p.m. Holiday Dec. 27 Miami (ACC Nos. 4-6) vs Oregon State (Pac-12 No. 4) San Diego, Calif. 8 p.m. Vegas Dec. 23 Arizona (Pac-12 No.… Read more »
As I have in the past, I highly recommend these “Coaches Cavier” film breakdowns – they are great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXANx83Tkeo From an offensive standpoint, this confirms my view that Caleb is putting too much trust in the offensive line. There were plays to be made if he pops the ball out quickly, but he keeps having faith when he drops back that he will either be able to step up and buy more time. Against weak teams, yeah. But against better teams, that pocket is going to collapse fast. Teams have seen the film, they know where Caleb is going to… Read more »
Comparing Lincoln Riley to Helton. Brilliant!
Hard to believe The Cat would actually be used as some kind of a benchmark for LR.
Jerry Palm’s best bets for this week also include games featuring ranked teams in the SEC and Big Ten, as well as USC Palm — Each week, I use this space to tell you what I think are a few of the best bets heading into the weekend. I also throw in an upset of the week, which will feature a team that is at least a touchdown underdog that I am picking to win outright. Upset of the Week No. 14 Utah at No. 18 USC (-7) The Trojans are coming off a terrible performance at Notre Dame in which they… Read more »
That seem to me (But I am prejudiced ) closer to reality . There probably are some football programs in this country that could come into the LA Coliseum this season and be the Favorite over SC…..Not sure that Utah has reached that status …..(Not yet anyway )…..Fight On !!!!!
The general mood about USC football countrywide after the Notre Dame loss has turned remarkably negative. There is clearly a lot of lost faith in Lincoln Riley, that I only share up to a certain point which is far behind many others.
But LR has to start winning some games that matter to others big-time this year (like big brand names), or he could actually start making some Hot Seat lists, which seems irrational to me at this stage.
We will see what LR has and is this game … a ND type bounce back after they were embarrassed or another shitfest we have watched since the bye week. Which,not coincidentally, was the same time that stupid F ing LR whiny interview came out.
Been watching some USC Fans podcasts on You Tube and the REAL FEAR about the LR Firing chatter is that LR brings(it is hoped) a certain higher Level to football program and that if LR got fired (Which I very much doubt …at this point in time anyway) that the next coach would not possess the “Ability “to keep SC at a high level .
Tho I haven’t checked it myself yet on some other places per FOX Sports website it appears My USC Trojans …..going into this coming weekends game vs Utah ….Is something that ALL the Media that HYPED USC last August would have said “No Way” to >>>>> SC (Per Fox Sports ) being a Home Underdog vs UTAH .
Yes, some USC fans actually want Lincoln Riley fired, which is pure lunacy Matt Wadleigh (Trojans Wire) — Firings do need to occur at USC football, this is true. In all likelihood, Alex Grinch needs to be fired as defensive coordinator at the end of the season unless he can deliver good performances against Washington and Oregon in November. Other assistant coaching positions that are not delivering maximum value to the Trojans also need new and better voices to provide a higher quality of coaching, so that a team that is getting shoved around at the line of scrimmage right… Read more »
As expected, Caleb Williams has dropped way down in the Heisman race
Per B/R
The Favorite
QB Michael Penix Jr, UW
Top Chasers
QB Jordan Travis, FSU
QB Jayden Daniels, LSU
QB J.J. McCarthy, MICH
QB Drake Maye, UNC
QB Dillon Gabriel, OU
QB Bo Nix, ORE
Still In The Picture
QB Drew Allar, PSU
QB Quinn Ewers, TEXAS
QB Caleb Williams, USC
Need a Jolt
QB Carson Beck, GA
RB Blake Corum, MICH
QB Sam Hartman, ND
QB Kyle McCord, OHIO ST
bleacherreport.com
The Heisman campaign seems like a weekly popularity poll. The award is based on a season, but I guess it generates clicks.
https://youtu.be/mXANx83Tkeo Video breakdown of USC/ND
Some breakdown of USC and their mistakes.
Interesting video and pretty much on point except when he said Mario Williams was a great receiver. To be clear I don’t hate Mario, but he is just a guy in a football suit. His gaffes are legendary including setting up the winning safety at the bowl game and always giving ground needed to move the chains. It’s okay to disagree with my assessment because most people do, but we’d be better off sending him to the portal.
At 5-9, 175 at best, you and I agree that Non-Super Mario would not be a loss for USC. Since he immediately followed Lincoln from OU, he’ll remain at USC I suppose. Hopefully, our receivers start stepping up to the plate. I expect Brenden Rice to have a big game against UTAH.
Throw in the lazy penalties and drops … including that stupid block on Tahj big gain vs ND.And then the embarrassing fumble scoop and score. Pathetic. Embarrassed the entire program. Why the hell was he in the damn game at that point. Nothing good will happen with him in the game in that situation. Btw, on Rice’s TD. Williams could had been flagged for O interference there too.
Guy is a train wreck. Move on and play Duce.
A reimagined song dedicated to Lincoln Riley. Never had a doubt in the beginning Never a doubt Trusted you true in the beginning I trusted you right through Arm in arm they played like kids And all the silly things they did You made us promises, promises Knowing we’d believe Promises, promises You knew you’d never keep Second time around, I’m still believing The words that you said You said you’d always get better “In Troy forever”, still repeats in my head You can’t finish what you start If this is football, it breaks my heart You made us promises,… Read more »
Lincoln Riley’s living in a totally different world now than he was before the ASU game, when god-awful “Winning Ugly” unfortunately and officially returned to USC. Remember these words which were originally written by Luca Evans (once misguidedly banned from campus by LR) and reprinted right here on Sept. 24, not very long ago. It’s been a somewhat downward trip for Lincoln ever since… USC’s attempt at road villainy falls flat in ugly victory over energized, better-prepared ASU The Trojans won with a sloppy, disappointing performance saved by five touchdowns from Caleb Williams, but it didn’t inspire confidence that it… Read more »
From reading and listening to the insane amount of speculation about USC and Lincoln Riley out there, one theme I’m picking up a lot that I didn’t anticipate is LR’s age being only 40 years old. Thinking about that more has me agreeing with the sentiment that LR needs more time to grow and mature as a coach. Looking at his issues, I can see where his relative immaturity as a HC has contributed to possible staff problems that USC is unfortunately experiencing right now. John McKay was absolutely ruthless with his assistants, and if he didn’t like how a… Read more »
Good observation, he is young in our eyes and some of that wisdom is yet to come. I remember seeing talent in other ways in young guys that really shined, and they had to grow into it. I believe he is growing right now, having never had this amount of negative feedback before. Hopefully he reflects on it.
Allen, I commend you for your positive thinking. It’s probably better than the full-time bitchfest to which we have been driven due to the events in South Bend last Saturday night.
I had a memorable (for me at least) lunch with former CAL and ASU HC Bruce Snyder down here in Laguna after he retired. He worked for John McKay briefly from ’74-75. Snyder moved on from USC to the UTAH ST HCing job where he coached from ’76-’82. Frankly, Snyder didn’t seem like he liked his experience with McKay that much and passed along some anecdotes about the Silver Fox that shed a little bit of negativity on him in his opinion. Snyder was one of the nicer, more pleasant head coaches I ever met while I was in the… Read more »
Always like BS… wish he had won the NC in 1996.
McKay was not happy go lucky. He was a tough, smart, football coach.
My favorite McKayism is when JK and Pat Haden, then highly recruited high schoolers, came into his den as he was reading the paper. JK says dad ‘We have decided we are going to Notre Dame’ … with out looking up, Coach McKay says ‘No your not’
JK and Haden just quietly walked out.
Just got into my den and turned on my Computer ….Reading this article and the Comments connected to it and it took a little longer to read (which is OK ) Seems there are a lot of long paragraphs today . I will attribute that to USC Fans want to say ……”Get some things off their chests” It seems my family is almost forbidding me to be negative about USC because compared to their team (NY Giants ) I have no complaints but as always ….. Fight On !!!!!
USC fans have to admit: In 2023, Oklahoma fans were right about Lincoln Riley Matt Zemek (Trojans Wire) — The relationship between USC and Oklahoma as football programs and as football communities is a constant point of interest in Los Angeles and Norman. Tensions between these two schools have rarely existed over the broader scope of college football history. Tensions briefly emerged in the 2003 and 2004 college football seasons. In the 2003 season, OU took what should have been USC’s spot in the BCS National Championship Game at the 2004 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans against LSU. In the… Read more »
Matt Zemek is a negative jerk. He’s picked up the mantle from the other jerk. As soon as I see his name, I just pass. I l ready know his angle.
I intentionally leave some of his more negative takes off the TDB, but I like to include others because I am also filling these pages with info that others who never even want to comment about here, but still want to read. As he writes for Trojans Wire, and is picked up by Yahoo, he has a perspective some people find very valuable. And even if I don’t agree with everything he says, I do agree with some of it. For instance, I do believe that Brent Venables is doing a better job in year 2 at OU than Lincoln… Read more »
No worries. I appreciate the articles. I just don’t like Zemek. I also am a total homer, more than most. I have little to no objectivity, I get that that. I wear that badge proudly. Thanks again for the content.
You contribute a lot of significant things here Chris and play a major role in the reach of the TDB. We wouldn’t be the same without you and I hope you continue to provide your insight and opinions for the benefit of us all. I’m a big-time homer too, so we’re in the same boat there. I’m probably just a little more jaded because of my age at 71, and the Trojan battle scars that have accrued upon me over the years. It’ll be so interesting for me to watch how LR deals with this amazingly crucial part of his… Read more »
This season has a feel a lot like Sam Darnold’s last year .Pre season playoff hype, struggling vs. average teams, and getting blown out by good ones. Very unsatisfying.
And we all know what happened when Sam left, the bottom fell out( 4-8).
Lincoln Riley is no Gomer, but this doesn’t bode well for the future.
I still can’t believe our offense can look so inept. Something is really wrong. Probably looking at a 8-4/7-5 season.
There are quite a few USC insiders who agree with you. Shocking, I know.
Sam’s second year was marred by Claydough trying to correct Sam’s flaws. It was the biggest mistake to try and tame his natural instincts.
I loved watching Sam. And I’ll always remember his Rose Bowl victory over PSU as one of the most remarkable CFB games I ever witnessed. Fortunately, we won that sucker. What a gas.
Sam Darnold was amazing a real natural … Caleb before Caleb
It’s pretty obvious that this SC team is not good enough to compete for a Pac12 title in one of the toughest Pac12 years in recent memory. Like it or not, LR has only had 1.5 years to build for this year while Oregon and Washington have been building their teams steadily over many more years. We have been slapped with the reality that, even with the portal as an option, building a quality team in all three phases takes time. Maybe more than ever, as our opponents are also able to plug their deficiencies with quick portal fixes. Just… Read more »
I doubt we’re ever gonna get “point-blank honesty” from LR. I don’t think that’s in his blood. He’s never been remotely close to that with the public as a coach. But I also don’t think he’s ever been this threatened or under this large of a microscope before either. The press will probably start to hound him now for more astute observations about USC’s issues (none of which have been corrected) which should serve us all well. Now that Notre Dame has exposed the USC program in a harsher light, and with so many respected and wide-ranging media voices calling… Read more »
LR was a little to honest and dumb during the bye week with that LA Times interview … unbelievable he would run his mouth like that in year 2
Spot on Rock…..one personal point is that I’am not sure about Riley. He is billed as an offensive genius. Preseason analyzing the OL…..no way it was going to be good/great. Without getting into personalities, after all they are all Trojans giving their best, every position except LT is a good sized down notch from the questionable line last year. Playing Colorado types…who cares….playing Oregon….we’re going to care. He should have known that and planned for it in the big games…..Planned Rollouts particularly with Williams ability to throw on the run, deliberate QB runs, Screen plays to the backs, Crossing routes… Read more »
Very true, IL. There is a lot to question on offensive play calling for this last game, and the Utah game (if not last season), should have led to a different game plan. Expecting that line to straight-up hold, without more draws, screens, and lateral pass plays, was just wishful thinking. There was a complete lack of early adjustments — we had to wait until halftime to really adjust anything at all. It is fair to say that an effective 6-0 loss of the turnover battle was going to be a loss no matter what we did. We just can’t… Read more »
Can’t agree more … great post
Where’s the Steak, Lincoln? Colin Cowherd on USC: “The O-line is terrible. They can’t run, and so the entire offense is, ‘Hey Caleb Williams, go make an amazing play.'” “USC on Saturday embarrassed themselves. Colorado and USC are the two most penalized teams in Power 5 football and they are also the two most transfer-reliant. “They both have a lot of sizzle and not a lot of steak. A lot of headlines and hype, and not a lot of substance. Both are fun. Both feel like frauds today. “Last week, Colorado and USC were in the headlines because of the… Read more »
USC has been demoted back to the Pac-12 Network for its Oct. 28 game at CAL (1:00 pm PT).
WSU at ASU also got stuck there (5:00 PM PT) that weekend.
Colin Cowherd says the ORE at UW game won by UW 36-33 is the 2nd or 3rd best CFB game he’s ever been to. Both are “really well-coached” and can compete with any program in the country. He gives Dan Lanning a pass on his “hyper-aggressive Southern brand.” Cowherd loves big (6-3, 216) Michael Penix Jr as an amazing inside-the-pocket thrower and probable first-rounder. Says ORE has more depth and talent, but UW has the better QB over Bo Nix. Even though UW was missing their #2 receiver, ORE could not cover the Husky wide-outs. After seven games, I fully… Read more »
USC’s problems have big implications for Miller Moss, Malachi Nelson in 2024 Matt Zemek (Trojans Wire) — USC’s ugly blowout loss to Notre Dame has the Trojans in a very bad position under Lincoln Riley. Unless they pull a rabbit out of the hat and abruptly discover how to play football at an elite level, they are likely to miss the Pac-12 Championship Game. They would go to the Holiday or Alamo Bowl. That’s a disaster, folks. Nothing — absolutely nothing — we have seen from USC suggests the Trojans can go 4-1 in their next five games, which is what… Read more »
The big assumption here is that Caleb will leave after this season. I wouldn’t be surprised if he stayed at USC for his Senior Year, like Matt Leinart did back in 2005. With Caleb’s awful game against the Irish, I wonder if his draft position has taken a hit like his chances of a repeat Heisman. Caleb’s father has been more vocal that his son may stay in school if he doesn’t want to play for the NFL team that would be in line to draft him. It will be interesting to see how things play out. I’m hoping this… Read more »
I think Caleb is a definite goner, regardless of his public statements, but that’s just me. I’d tell both him and his father to say all the same stuff to the press if I were his agent. Patrick Mahomes, who left a year early for the pros, was the 10th overall pick in Round 1 by the KC Chiefs — who traded up from #27 to get him in the 2018 Draft. At TEXAS TECH, Mahomes was only 13-19 as a starter, so all those losses didn’t hurt him at all. Everyone knows it is the USC team itself that… Read more »
You are probably right in that Caleb is a goner. Number 1 recruiting priority should be OL in my opinion. I live in Northwest Arizona in my retirement, so I don’t get the LA Times and other scoop on USC sports like I used to when I lived in Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village for over 30 years. All I get is the news about QB, WR and DB recruits. OL, DL and LB need to be emphasized as far as I am concerned.
I totally agree about the USC OL being our #1 priority. Absolutely!
The loss of Gino Guinones has seemed to set the Trojans very far back in that area. He wasn’t some dominant dude with an NFL future necessarily, but he was very experienced and versatile. USC just isn’t doing well in the OL without him and our OL Portal guys haven’t worked out as well from what I have seen.
Yep, yep and yep
No chance ZERO … no Bowl game GONE
hell he may leave before at Oregon
Which Programs Are Really Back? Nicole Auerbach (The Athletic) — Oklahoma is also back. The Sooners weren’t down for long, but Brent Venables’ 6-7 debut season was a disappointment for a fan base used to Big 12 titles and CFP semifinal spots. Oklahoma fans also spent the 2022 season feeling jilted by coach Lincoln Riley and quarterback Caleb Williams, and Riley’s first USC team nearly won the Pac-12 and did earn Williams the Heisman. But Venables’ Sooners are much better than they were last year, thanks to a tenacious defensive front and a healthy Dillon Gabriel at quarterback. Oklahoma may no longer… Read more »
The programs that play the best defense are back, until we commit to defense, we are good but not close to back. I will say the defense tackled well vs Notre Dame. We need a co-head coach, a defensive minded coach! Carroll was a defensive minded but USC had explosive offenses. A defensive coordinator with credentials is needed, Norm Chow was the OC that got Carroll his real glory and turned USC into QBU. Sure Grinch was good at Washington St but teams don’t give Wash St their best each week.
Great point … SC sells out and opponents want to beat them no matter how bad SC is
I didn’t have a chance to watch the game except for the first drive and then had to take care of some health matters most of the evening involving one our our cats. Followed the game on my phone and saw us fall behind. When I saw what Caleb’s stats were at halftime, I quickly knew we were struggling because of the three interceptions. On the road, you can’t make mistakes against even a marginal ND team and expect to win. Our O-Line was also getting killed and that just can’t happen as well too. Overall, I was happy with… Read more »
After RE-watching the game and looking for positives I found a few, almost all on defense and a few on offense. Zach branch is great, we’ve known that. Jonah Monheim played well. He wasn’t getting beat. The right side was terrible, beaten like a drum. Caleb had no time, but Zach and Tahj were open all the time, just no time to see them. Zion Branch played really well. Tackett had his best game by far. Domani had his best game. Jaylin Smith played well. The defense had 1 bad play. They stood up well and got off the field… Read more »
Too late to finally hire / promote someone to be the special teams coordinator?
They have guys on staff who have done it. I know Kiel McDonald was a special team coordinator, I think others but maybe not. Dedicated coordinator or not, spend some more time practicing to get better. We’re brutal and were last year as well.
I agree. We have to do something.
I wonder if the BYE week had something to do with this weird situation at USC. I know the competition prior to the BYE was not as rigorous as it has been after but if you look at the team effort following the weekend off you see it seems to have had an effect. Prior to the break USC had momentum, cohesiveness and swagger. The line was protecting Williams better, and even the defense had something going. Again the caliber of opponents went up after having nothing to do for a week, but I wonder if stopping so early in… Read more »
I will be attending the UTAH-SC game Saturday night. I just figured out that this will be the first USC game I have seen in person since September 2, 2006 (SC @ ARK–50-14 Trojan victory). I am meeting my Denver son in LA so we can take in a game at the Coliseum with my nearly 89 year-old dad. My son is the oldest of my dad’s 8 grandchildren. Fight On Trojans and beat the Utes (what ever the hell that is)!
With USC stinking up the joint as it’s been doing lately, it’s obviously in large part because Caleb Williams rarely has the time to do anything except run for his life, duck for cover, twist his way out of crumbling pockets, try to be Superman way too much, and pray he doesn’t suffer another serious injury, which would render USC noncompetitive. He’s now immaturely trying to make low percentage throws because people aren’t getting open as much, he’s pressing, his receivers make too many drops, and the Trojan run game isn’t good either, even though MarShawn Lloyd can definitely carry… Read more »
Realistically, LR cannot make staff changes mid-season because we have started our Gauntlet Schedule with currently top 25 teams facing us almost every game until the end of the season. He can tell every member of his staff that they are auditioning for a spot on next season’s SC coaching team. I wonder if LR can do this and mean it?
https://twitter.com/i/status/1713403486115656017
He may not be able to make changes but he can bring in a consultant in a similar fashion Saban brought Kiffin and Sark in
I wonder if Riley’s ego is such that if he brings in said consultant, he will be admitting he was wrong to ignore certain facets of his team/coaching staff and he just won’t do that (admit he was wrong)?
Good summary Allen of all we’ve been talking about since the South Bend beat down. I think Caleb is the key. When he is on and confident the rest of the team follows. Hope LR and KK can get him to stop pressing. LR is one of the youngest HCs we need to give him time to learn and grow. As far as defense goes, Urban Meyer has a good piece on Big Noon. He said the schemes are good and players are in the right position. The 2 problems he saw were DBs not turning and jumping for the… Read more »
Many of us would feel a lot different about LR’s current approach if his teams at USC were improving instead of usually regressing during a season. I now realize I have critically underestimated the importance of the relative shortness of LR’s career. He already seemed to have all the answers when he first arrived at USC, at least to me. He’s made such a rapid ascent in the coaching game. It’s hard to believe he only just turned 40. As you accurately point out, we need to give him time to continue to grow as a coach. He faces a… Read more »
I sensed Caleb entered the game knowing he would have to have a big game. With most of the players on the team new to the ND setting and playing as poorly as it had the previous two games, there was a sense of caution as it was pretty obvious the team was not prepared to handle this environment. So Caleb ignored taking what the Irish defense was giving him, short passes and being patient with the ground game to start off. It went bad from there and before you knew it, the game was totally in control of ND… Read more »
It’s sad that so many people are calling for LR to be fired. More want Grinch fired, including me. As I look back on my 58 years of watching USC football, people often dismiss when a Coach comes in and makes improvements over his predecessor. John McKay certainly did that and so did Pete Carroll. Hands down, Riley is an improvement over Gomer Pyle Helton. I’m not the historian some people are of the “Air Raid” and who has followed the Mike Leach (may he R.I.P.) principles. The bottom line to me is that Leach took teams that were poor… Read more »
It’s not complicated. If you review tape for let’s say the last 10 cfb national champions, the formula is quite clear. Yes a solid, productive offense, based on a power running game and efficient, even advanced passing game. Some misdirection to throw off the scouting. A hard hitting fundamentally sound defense. Gap control, downhill linebackers, a few perfected and highly practiced coverages. Of course it takes good to great players. How? You demonstrate to the “high school” kids you’re competent, balanced, and not single focused. You disallow discussions in the recruit’s living rooms by competing coaches that you’re a gimmick coach who is more Texas Tech than Georgia. If LR… Read more »
If it were that easy everyone would do it.
Lincoln Riley says his team has to ignore the noise Luca Evans (OC Register) — “The most important thing for this locker room right now,” Riley said postgame Saturday, in a fairly strong display of passion, “is going to be ignoring all the outside noise.” The head coach took responsibility Saturday, saying, “We gotta do a better job,” but also stood on business, holding onto the same star-reaching optimism in the face of clearly growing challenges. Caleb Williams can’t dance forever behind this line Williams’ ability to create something from nothing only goes so far against elite defenses. And USC’s… Read more »
If your O Line can
t hold a 5 man rush, you tell your QB to dink and dunk short quick passes. If he continues to dance around waiting for the deep ball getting sacked, you tell him to stop or sit. Thats coaching that adapts to your talent and what the opponent throws at you.Whoever wins dinking and dunking or throwing to check downs all day against good comp? Nobody. Seems like eventual futility to me. USC’s OL is a huge problem IMO.
Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, any good team that finds a way, any way to win. The dink and dunk slows the pass rush opens runs and screens and eventually, the big play down field. Always trying for the big play down field goes nowhere.
Nobody suggested USC should “always” go for the big play. At least not I. That would just be stupid football if played by any team.
I have to ask, what does the bold letters represent on here?
Allen is the top dog around here and he gets to use bold face type. Of course!
Just because John and I created the fun TDB so long, long ago, it certainly doesn’t make me any top dog around here. Not a chance as any reader can see. And I’m happy to say that our readership is growing vastly by huge leaps and bounds lately. And John’s in charge of the mechanical workings of things like comments, tools, etc. Maybe we can make it so all of your comments are in “special auto” bold if you like D.D.S. I’ll take it up with John immediately! Actually, you can already bold what you want right now, and have… Read more »
For the sake of page appearance and variance, to break up each page, as graphics, italics, name and place ID, outside links, unique phraseology, controversial material, colors, photos, and film clips do, and also to place both stylistic and content emphasis within certain parts of whatever I am saying. Hopefully, you haven’t been wildly tormenting yourself by wondering what bold type in my comments and posts means since John and I started up the TDB in first week of Feb, 2018. I incorrectly assumed you would have finally figured out what “bold” means here by now Steveg, as we move… Read more »
Allen, I appreciate all you and John put into this blog, and I have tried to participate whole heartedly ever since you started it up. It seems occasionally you sound like you are talking down to me, and that I do not appreciate. I asked you a very simple question. By now I should have understood. That is an assumption on your part.
Hopefully you understand I was simply asking a question, and if I had known the answer it would not have been asked. Keep up the good work Allen. 😉✌️
What you say here makes absolutely no sense to me Steveg. You weren’t even involved in any way in this interesting thread between GT and me — yet you stuck your nose in here for no plausible reason whatsoever, except to suddenly and bizarrely remark about my bolding techniques. Really? Did my bolding of words actually bother you? That’s simply ridiculous Steveg. If you don’t like my comments and can’t stop taking things so personally, even things that don’t involve you in any way whatsoever, then feel free to stop reading or responding to my work anytime. There’s plenty of… Read more »
I agree with you 100% that the OL is a huge problem. USC has always had one shining star on the OL and some solid players to compliment that guy. I’m thinking Anthony Munoz, Brad Budde, Bruce Matthews, Tony Boselli, and Tyron Smith type of guys as the shining stars. USC hasn’t had one for a while although Vera-Tucker was good.
That is what they did late in the 3rd and they moved the ball. Caleb threw over the linebackers, in front of the safeties accross the middle. He showed it works, not going deep but steadily moving down field.
Give Riley a few years and see where USC is at. Caleb will be gone, someone else will Qb and possibly he will have a solid team around him. Depends on recruiting and Rileys judgement of player development. Perhaps a few coaching changes along the way. At least 2 I can think of right now. Funny thing is they both coach the defensive backfield.