Lincoln Riley looking to silence critics as Trojans approach Big Ten

INDIANAPOLIS — After starting last season No. 6 in the AP Poll, then losing five games to finish out the year, USC clearly hit the huge red button on underachieving for 2023.

Coach Lincoln Riley received the shoulder of the blame for the way the Trojans crumbled down the stretch, and for many reasons. After all, he had the reigning Heisman winner at quarterback, the team won their first six games, but they had to outscore the opposition because of an inept defense.

The fans criticized Riley after he retained Alex Grinch from the 2022 season, and by the time he decided to pull the plug on the Defensive Coordinator the season was already in a wash. However, Riley was able to somewhat salvage his campaign, and took down the ACC runner-ups in the Holiday Bowl.

USC replaced Grinch with D’Anton Lynn, who fielded a tenacious defense at UCLA last year. After a productive spring, it appears the Trojans finally have the best of both worlds, which is a potent offense with Riley’s play-calling, and an attacking defense under Lynn’s leadership.

“We’re still on our climb here, our talent base has been better, and it’s going to continue to get better, but I want coaches that can adapt, and I think the best coaches are able to do that,” Riley said. “I think D’Anton definitely has an eye and ability to do that at a high level.”

In Riley’s mind, USC has the ingredients it needs to make a splash in the new 18-team, Big Ten. The naysayers see it otherwise though, and aren’t giving the Trojans much of a chance as contenders this fall. The Preseason Big Ten Media Poll that was released last week listed USC at No. 5.

Riley could care less about any preseason projections, but understands everything with the program will be put under a microscope.

“That’s part of being at USC, that’s part of being at a blue-blood program,” he said. “The thing that you learn pretty quickly is everything in program’s like this is going to be sensationalized.”

Regardless of the matter, USC is the biggest brand that’ll be invading the Big Ten on August 2. This will also be Riley’s third conference in the past four seasons. He’s no stranger to adjusting on the fly, and knows how to adapt. The Big Ten is physical though, and the games are won in the trenches. Which is why Riley is beefing up both sides of the lines.

He believes USC’s performance against Louisville gave the players the momentum they needed to approach a new conference with confidence.

“It was a blueprint for us going forward on the mentality that you have to play with, which is momentum and togetherness” the 40-year old said. “I think the bowl game was the most together that our football team was all of last year.”

For a coach that has had three Big 12 Titles, and three Heisman Trophy winners, and three Playoff appearances, Riley deserves more respect. This fall he’ll have the opportunity to prove that he belongs with the nation’s elite. Until then, he plans on going about his business, with building the Trojans back into National Title contenders. The schedule has some blockbuster matchups, including LSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State, Washington, Notre Dame, and Nebraska.

Riley plans on having his squad ready for the challenge, and they aren’t backing down to anyone. This will be one of the most anticipated campaigns for USC in quite some time. The road games in massive stadiums, and the brands the Trojans are going to clash with brings excitement. Riley knows USC will get every opponent’s best. The critics want to see him fall flat on his face. The Texas native anticipates that the outside noise will get louder as the Trojans inch closer to the season.

Regardless, Riley will have the perfect opportunity to silence the naysayers. This is his time to shine, and he doesn’t plan on disappointing.

“If I sat there and listened to every person that told me or teams that I’ve been apart of that we couldn’t do things, then we wouldn’t been able to enjoy all of the success that we’ve had over the years.”