Yes, Lincoln Riley was a superb offensive play-caller against Notre Dame. His opening drive was pure perfection. He gave Caleb Williams a roadmap for success against a good Notre Dame defense which was significantly better than the other defenses the Trojans have faced over the past month (Utah, Arizona, Cal, Colorado, UCLA).
Riley ran the ball against the Irish to keep the USC defense off the field, a clever inversion of the formula Notre Dame needed to win (keeping Caleb Williams off the field).
The one bad moment for Riley in this game was his use of the Philly Special. When an offense is flowing well, gadget plays aren’t necessary. USC got away with that one. Other than that one play, however, Riley delivered the goods.
Let’s focus on his best coaching move from Saturday against Notre Dame. It wasn’t his offensive play selection.