National pundits have a lot to say after USC begins new era under Lincoln Riley

There were much bigger games on Saturday than USC-Rice, but Lincoln Riley has very quickly made the Trojans relevant again for national CFB media stars.

Yes, the USC Trojans were supposed to beat Rice easily. Yes, there is a ton of excitement with Lincoln Riley and the new-look Trojans in town.

But who saw a 66-14 victory coming in which USC scored THREE defensive touchdowns? Not many, yet that’s what happened.

It was an all-around effort and Riley had the luxury of resting his starters early on a hot Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum. Caleb Williams played well, the running attack was strong, and there are just so many options to choose from in the passing game. Miller Moss got to play along with lots of other backups for at least the full fourth quarter. That’s how players get to develop within a system: playing ball. USC rarely demolished opponents like this under Clay Helton. It’s part of why player development lagged behind top national programs.

After the victory, the media exploded with excitement after months and months of curiosity about the Riley-led Trojans.

Former Boise State player and current USFL star Tyler Stephens chimed in as well.

Now, Rice scored one touchdown in the first quarter on a long drive and had some people hitting the panic button — although that was way too early to do that.

Former USC star Matt Leinart weighed in with one simple tweet:

Ouch, and Colin Cowherd fired a shot at Clay Helton and the former staff while praising Lincoln Riley and the new staff.

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