To many stubborn Trojan football fans, the 2023 season is already a waste. Losses to Notre Dame and Utah before November even strikes do not inspire a lot of faith in a fanbase that expected a quick rebuild when head coach Lincoln Riley came on board at the end of the 2021 season.
While their College Football Playoff hopes may have disappeared, the Trojans still control their destiny regarding a berth in the Pac-12 Championship game. Those appearances should not be taken for granted, as the Trojans have only had two in the past five years.
The road will not be easy, as the Trojans will face three straight top-25 opponents. The first is No. 5 Washington, who comes to town with one of the best offenses in the country, as well as a potential Heisman-winner in senior quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
In Riley’s weekly media availability, he discussed the opportunity ahead, and dove deeper into some topics related to the defense.
Riley acknowledged the position the Trojans are in, and how they very much have a road to make this season a successful one. It starts this Saturday, and Riley believes the opportunity is not lost on the guys in the locker room.
“[The opportunity] is as good as anybody has anywhere in the country right now,” Riley said. “Losing to Utah on the last play of the game was heartbreaking, but that’s why you try to win all those conference games before that, so that even if you drop one, you’re still in a great position. We gotta not miss these opportunities that are right here in front of our face. And man, do we have a golden one right here. It should be a hell of a night in the Coliseum.”
Limiting Penix Jr., and an offense that is ranked up there with the top in the country, is going to be crucial for a defense that has struggled to limit some mediocre offenses, specifically in Cal and ASU. Speaking on the keys to limiting their production, Riley believes it starts with Penix Jr. and getting him out of sync.
“He does a good job of getting the ball out of his hands and getting [it] to these talented playmakers that they have,” Riley said. “They do a good job with motions and shifts and all that, changing the pictures formationally to try to challenge or stress defenses.”
The Trojans allowed 49 points and 527 yards to a Cal offense that ranks eighth in the Pac-12 in total offense. A lot of their issues came in giving up big plays, which swung the momentum in the Golden Bears’ way. Against Washington, those same mistakes will cost them, as the Huskies had 18 plays of 10 or more yards in last week’s game against Stanford alone.
“I think the teams that have been able to slow them down have limited some of the big plays,” Riley said. “When they do make mistakes, you got to make them pay for it. When they put you in those positions, you gotta go win your battles.”
A big contributor at Cal was junior linebacker Eric Gentry, who had six tackles, a forced fumble and an interception against the Golden Bears. To Riley, Gentry’s impact was felt heavily in Berkeley last weekend. The Trojans need that same type of performance this weekend if they hope to escape with a win.
“He was very impactful in the game the other day,” Riley said. “His good plays are really, really good. He had a couple of mistakes that he needs to be cleaner on. But you can’t deny the impact that he’s made. I think the end goal for him is to be able to make the impactful plays like he made last Saturday and then also do it playing a clean brand of football.”
Kickoff between the Trojans and the Huskies is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Coliseum.