Lincoln Riley must develop a true complementary offense for USC football

Lincoln Riley needs to prove his words about a philosophical change are real, and not just lip service.

USC football head coach Lincoln Riley has had to revise the larger balance of offense and defense on his team. Last year at USC was an eye-opener which clearly brought about new changes on his defensive staff. Riley used one set of methods under Alex Grinch. It’s different now. Riley is learning how to be a better football coach. He is, after all, only 40 years old.

Riley recently said, “Everything here is going to be done with the defensive mind first,” and that has to start with the offense. Although USC finished the 2023 regular season third in points per game (41.8), fifth in yards per play (7.0), and 13th in total yards per game (468.4), USC was 113th in the country in time of possession. That would place them squarely at 16th among the 18 Big Ten schools which will play football in the conference this fall.

USC’s quick-strike aerial attack, a lack of commitment to the run game, an inability to secure the football, and generally undisciplined play led to penalties and missed pass blocking assignments. Those flaws contributed to a feast-or-famine offense. Turnovers and short drives put the defense in difficult positions and led to physical and mental fatigue late in games.

USC needs to find a mix of pass and run in 2024 that will take pressure off this emerging defense as the Trojans find their way in the new scheme under D’Anton Lynn. Swing passes, dig routes, and screens can be utilized as an extended run game. Riley and his quarterback need to be patient and take what the defense gives them to control the ball and clock. Although it’s hard to argue with a top three scoring offense in 2023, we will see if Riley’s new mindset of defense first is a new identity or if it just pertains massive changes to the defensive side of the ball.

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Where does Wisconsin football stand in the new Big Ten?

Site editor Ben Kenney joined the Trojans Wired podcast to give his thoughts on where Wisconsin stands in the new Big Ten landscape, plus much more:

Badgers Wire site editor Ben Kenney joined Trojans Wire‘s Matt Zemek on the Trojans Wired podcast today to discuss a variety of topics, focused on where Wisconsin and USC stand in the new Big Ten landscape.

In the episode, Ben gave specific thoughts on the following:

  • What should we make of the new Big Ten landscape and the progression of college football?
  • Where does Wisconsin stand in the new Big Ten?
  • What do Badgers fans think about USC and other West Coast powers joining the conference?

Related: Breakout candidates for Wisconsin football 2024 spring practice

  • Did Luke Fickell make the jump to an air raid offense too quickly?
  • What does Wisconsin’s quarterback room look like moving forward? Is Tyler Van Dyke good enough?
  • What Wisconsin must do to improve upon their 7-6 2023 campaign
  • What’s next for Jim Leonhard after moving to the NFL
  • Wisconsin’s hire of Alex Grinch as safeties coach

Here is a link to the full episode, also available wherever you get your podcasts:

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JuJu Watkins threw a USC touchdown pass … and Lincoln Riley noticed

JuJu Watkins can do it all. Watch her throw the ball like a born quarterback.

JuJu Watkins can obviously do it all. She can score 42 points against No. 11 Colorado. She can score 51 against No. 4 Stanford. She can shoot, pass, dribble, make tons of free throws (18 of 18 versus CU on Friday night), defend, rebound, block shots. She’s a well-rounded player for USC. She did something else which got the attention of her coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, who playfully made sure football coach Lincoln Riley was aware of what happened.

What exactly was it that JuJu Watkins did, and which Gottlieb tweeted about, and which Riley learned about? We’ll show you below in this clip, which has a very Steph Curry-like flavor:

Lincoln Riley embraced D’Anton Lynn at USC because he studied the past

Lincoln Riley observed UCLA well before D’Anton Lynn came aboard. That was the root of this hire at USC.

Lincoln Riley was drawn to D’Anton Lynn as a candidate for USC’s defensive coordinator opening for a lot of reasons. Many of those reasons flow from what Riley saw and heard when he talked to Lynn face to face. However, the root of this decision and why Riley made it comes from the 2022 college football season.

Lynn did impress Riley in the job interview process. Any candidate for any job would necessarily have to impress the interviewer in order to get hired. This goes for any line of work, not just football coaching. However, there was something beyond the simple fact that Lynn aced the interview. He already had something in his pocket which increased his chances of working with Riley at USC.

It’s not as complicated as it might seem, either:

USC’s change of philosophy goes beyond defense — it also involves recruiting

Lincoln Riley is beginning to gain a fuller sense of program building.

First things first: USC really does need a big transfer portal addition in the spring. USC grabbed Jordan Addison in the 2022 spring window, then Bear Alexander in the 2023 spring window. USC needs that next splash player — ideally a defensive or offensive tackle — in 2024 to boost its roster and provide the toughness in the trenches to compete in the Big Ten. That said, USC does have to improve as a program primarily through recruiting, and especially on the offensive line. The best programs develop elite talent from within, recruiting them into the program and then teaching them expertly. Is Lincoln Riley beginning to understand this? It seems that he is. Let’s talk more about it:

USC realized that in order to get better results, the process must also improve

Sometimes a bad process can still get good results. Usually that’s not true. Lincoln Riley finally grasped that.

One of the things we wrote last year about Alex Grinch at USC was that the Trojans were not Georgia. They had not arrived. They were still in a building phase on defense. They couldn’t rise to Georgia’s standard in one year. They had to develop an identity. They couldn’t think they were more advanced than they actually were.

Here’s what we said after the 2023 season opener against San Jose State:

“It stands to reason that at a program which has established an elite national championship standard on defense, it’s a lot more reasonable to teach concepts at a high level. Players have demonstrated they can absorb information, process it, and execute the plan on Saturdays.

“USC isn’t nearly as advanced in its ability to process defensive concepts. One could say USC isn’t advanced at all. Why would Alex Grinch try to include so much complexity in the equation this early in the season, instead of developing a steady, slowly escalating build?

“This could be intentional, but even if it is intentional, it just doesn’t come across as the right sequencing for USC.”

It seems Lincoln Riley learned a lot about improving process and not thinking solely about results. We’ll explain this point below:

Lincoln Riley learned more than just the need to take defense seriously at USC

Lincoln Riley seemed to learn how to create good defense. It’s part of an underlying awareness about coaching.

Remember the first game of USC football’s 2023 season against San Jose State? We wrote this about Alex Grinch’s approach, and we wonder if Lincoln Riley finally saw the light as the 2023 season evolved:

“On 3rd and 22, or at the end of a half, the main focus is to not give up a big downfield play. Allowing 15 yards in either of the above situations is an acceptable, reasonable outcome which doesn’t do significant damage. USC should welcome giving up a short pass in a long-yardage or end-of-half situation. This means putting seven or eight guys back and having the safeties play center field. With seven back, receivers aren’t going to get behind a corner or linebacker the way San Jose State did. This is pretty basic, and it leads us into the heart of the skeptic’s argument against Grinch.”

USC failed to do simple things on defense. Lincoln Riley finally grasped this, and it’s important to underscore this point. Let’s explain:

Mutual respect and collaboration are keys for Lincoln Riley at USC in 2024

This is why people are excited about USC’s defense in 2024: No one cares who gets the credit. It’s all about the team.

A lot of themes emerged from Lincoln Riley and the new members of his defensive coaching staff at USC last week when they met the media. One of the themes which really came through as a centerpiece of the media availability session was mutuality. These guys are in this thing together.

In the NIL space, there is something called a “collective.” This USC defensive coaching staff is a collective. It’s not about one guy calling the shots. It’s about a group of really talented coaches working together to create the best results for this USC defense. It’s hard not to get very, very excited about this group and what it is capable of achieving for USC.

Let’s go inside this theme of collaboration, as viewed through the comments made by USC’s coaches:

Which Sooners could have been on the cover of EA Sports NCAA football during its absence?

With EA Sports NCAA Football returning, which Oklahoma Sooners could have graced the cover during their hiatus since 2015.

EA Sports did what many thought was impossible by announcing it would bring back its college football video game series. After a hiatus that will have spanned at least 10 years come July, the newest version of the beloved game series will return sometime in the summer of 2024.

The last one to drop before the series ended came out in July 2013. NCAA 14 is one of the most iconic sports video games of all time because of the attachment many have to it. Its resale value has never been higher.

The reason for the original cancellation of the series? Name, image and likeness — a hot-button topic that eventually led to NIL being accepted into collegiate sports.

EA Sports couldn’t figure out how to compensate players because it wasn’t legal in that era of collegiate athletics. That hurdle has been cleared and the game looks headed for a summer release date.

Who gets the distinction of being the game’s cover athlete in its resurrection? It’s always a fun and exciting debate when new sports games come out. Former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson graced NCAA 14’s cover. Since the last game, college football has had iconic athletes that would’ve been perfect fits to be cover athletes.

Our friends at College Wire went through and named which players they thought would have been great fits as cover athletes for the years we didn’t have a game. We decided to do the same, but only with Oklahoma players for those years. Take a look below.

Player development is the clear theme for Lincoln Riley and USC’s defense in 2024

USC’s defensive coaches are using the same hymnal. They hope their defense sings with success in 2024.

USC did not have good teachers on its defensive coaching staff in 2023. Alex Grinch, Donte Williams, Roy Manning, Brian Odom — basically everyone other than Shaun Nua — did not come particularly close to maximizing the talent of various players and position groups on the Trojans’ roster. Nua was good. He developed Bear Alexander into a strong, high-quality defensive lineman whose play and overall influence were consistent through the season. It was hard to find another USC player who reached the standard Bear Alexander set. Accordingly, Lincoln Riley retained Nua and also retained Taylor Mays as an analyst, but he cut loose the other members of his defensive staff. It’s a move everyone saw as necessary.

What’s the new theme for the new defensive staff? You’ll find the answer soon enough when you look at some of the comments below from USC’s coaches: