Reloaded USC ready to debut Lincoln Riley’s signature offense
Riley had a top-10 scoring offense in each of his seven seasons at Oklahoma
Adam Grosbard (OC Register) — When USC announced the hiring of Lincoln Riley in November, there were many reasons for optimism. A new energy on the recruiting path, a coach with College Football Playoff experience, a level of legitimacy that USC had not enjoyed for several seasons.
But perhaps the biggest reason for excitement surrounding Riley’s hiring: His high-scoring and creative offense.
In each of his seven seasons at Oklahoma as both offensive coordinator and head coach, Riley’s offenses ranked at least No. 8 in points per game. He turned Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray into Heisman Trophy winners, not to mention producing high-end NFL talent such as Mark Andrews, CeeDee Lamb and Joe Mixon.
Saturday’s season opener against Rice will be the first opportunity to see how Riley implements his iteration of the Air Raid at USC after spending an off-season remolding the roster into his image (more on that in a moment).
It’s difficult to predict exactly what the season will hold for USC. The natural growing pains that come with a new coaching staff and a bundle of new players all across the field make predictions mere speculation.
But a high-powered offense under Riley is a near certainty.
“Coach Riley, he’s a mastermind, so he’s got all that stuff up in his head. I don’t know where he puts it all,” quarterback Caleb Williams said. “It’s one of the reasons why I came here, because of his adaptability to being able to adapt to his quarterbacks and certain personnel.”
Now, as for that personnel …
Quarterback
Williams’ transfer from Oklahoma in February was an important moment for this offense. He provides Riley a quarterback who knows his system and already has his trust, not to mention one that fits exactly what Riley wants to do with his mobility and arm strength.
Behind Williams is redshirt freshman Miller Moss, who made a strong impression at camp, though his preference for playing in the pocket would give the offense a very different look if he takes the field.
Running Back
Despite losing Keaontay Ingram to the NFL draft, USC added a lot of intriguing talent to this room to go alongside Darwin Barlow, who rushed 62 times for 289 yards last season.
The biggest addition is former Oregon running back Travis Dye, who accrued 1,673 total yards from scrimmage last season while rushing for 16 touchdowns. He has averaged at least 6.0 ypc each of the last three seasons and his ability to contribute in the pass game will make him a valuable asset.
USC also added Stanford transfer Austin Jones and blue-chip freshman Raleek Brown, whose speed should make him an option not only in the backfield but out at the slot, too.
Wide Receiver
This is the unit that got perhaps the biggest influx of talent across the entire USC roster. The headliner, without question, is Biletnikoff winner Jordan Addison, whose top-end speed made him a no-brainer addition in May despite all the other receivers USC added prior to spring camp.
Former Oklahoma wideout Mario Williams provides Riley and Caleb Williams (no relation) a familiar target to work with, and also has noticeable speed on the field. Brenden Rice gives USC a bigger target at 6-foot-2, while Terrell Bynum is a needed veteran presence in the room.
And don’t forget returners such as Gary Bryant, Tahj Washington and Kyron Hudson competing for snaps.
Tight End
This position has already been hit by injury with Jude Wolfe requiring surgery and Josh Falo missing much of camp. Falo was back practicing on Tuesday, but Lake McRee figures to be the first-team H-back while veteran Malcolm Epps fills the traditional tight end role.
Offensive line
USC returns four players who started along the line at some point last season, and three have settled into their roles. Long-time stalwarts Brett Neilon and Andrew Vorhees will man center and left guard, respectively, while redshirt sophomore Jonah Monheim will take over right tackle. And newly-crowned team captain Justin Dedich will step into the right guard job.
The one question that remains for the line is who will take over the left tackle job. Courtland Ford started eight games at the position last year for USC, but the Trojans added Virginia grad transfer Bobby Haskins during the winter. The two are still battling for the starting job, a competition that could spill over into the Rice game.
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