Lincoln Riley’s USC offense did not seem to use the tight end position with great frequency under Caleb Williams, but that has changed with Miller Moss. Riley spoke after the win over Utah State about this. If you watched the game, you would have seen tight ends Lake McRee, Kade Eldridge and Walker Lyons in 12 personnel, finding ways to get open and give balance to the USC offense.
McRee said that Miller Moss likes to find the tight ends. It shows on the field, that’s for sure.
All of this is a callback to Riley’s Oklahoma years.
In Riley’s inaugural season as head coach at Oklahoma in 2017, junior tight end Mark Andrews had a breakout year. He accumulated an impressive 62 receptions for the Sooners, totaling 958 receiving yards and scoring eight touchdowns. Andrews’ outstanding performance earned him consensus All-America honors in 2017, making him the only Sooner to receive the prestigious John Mackey Award, which recognizes the top tight end in college football. Remarkably, he ranked among the top 10 receivers in the Big 12 Conference in terms of receptions, yards, and touchdowns.
Lincoln Riley is using the tight end as both a safety valve and as a downfield weapon for Miller Moss. When linebackers cheat up in the tackle box to stop the run, Riley is using the tight end to slip behind them in the vacated spot in the middle third of the field. Riley has made some very conscious tactical adjustments for USC in its first two games of the season, and the tight ends have often been central parts of those chess moves.
https://twitter.com/CoachZachHanson/status/1832701231359471883
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