USC head coach Lincoln Riley met with the media Friday morning in anticipation of the Trojans’ (3-0, 1-0) first Big Ten home showdown of the season against Michigan State (3-0) on Saturday. Riley isn’t taking the matchup lightly, and is cautious of Spartan junior quarterback Aidan Chiles’ dual-threat abilities.
“It’ll be a big focus point for us to be able to keep him in the pocket, to contain him in there,” Riley said of Chiles. “Sometimes it’s sacks. Also, sometimes it’s just trying to affect a guy and make him feel our presence and being able to try to bottle him up, which is a tough task. He’s a good athlete.”
In addition to Chiles, Michigan State has a physical run game that will likely challenge USC’s defense on all levels. The Trojan defense has shown improvement, notching 14 sacks through three games and holding opponents to fewer than 17 points per game. Riley noted that the defense, particularly the defensive line, has been taking coaching changes to heart and rising to the new challenges staff has brought to them.
USC’s defense has been sturdy in the first few weeks of the season, but struggled with penalties against Purdue and Georgia Southern. Still, Riley expressed confidence in his squad going into Saturday.
“I don’t think there’s any limits to what this current roster can accomplish. I believe very, very much in this roster,” he said. “We’ve got to meet that and stay healthy and do all the things that you’ve got to do to make a run.”
There are fewer questions surrounding USC’s high-powered offense, a unit that has generated 55 points per game so far behind redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava. Junior receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane have been the key contributors, and the Trojans’ backfield is incredibly quick and versatile. But Riley has shifted more toward using 12 personnel in his time at USC, which he addressed to the media.
“I’ve got a strong belief that you have to be able to run the ball, and I’ve got a strong belief that tight ends create mismatches that are tough to recreate with any other position groups,” he said. “There’s not that many people that are big enough and strong enough to block like an offensive lineman, but nimble enough to go catch balls like a receiver, and then smart enough to be able to process and handle all that.”
Be sure to keep an eye on redshirt senior tight end Lake McRee, who caught a 64-yard touchdown pass from Maiava in Week 1 against Missouri State and has emerged as one of the QB’s favorite targets. Sophomore tight end Walker Lyons also plays valuable snaps for the Trojans, notching a 14-yard touchdown grab against Georgia Southern.
For some, Saturday’s 8 p.m. kickoff from the Coliseum will be reminiscent of USC’s ‘Pac-12 After Dark’ showdowns of old. Whether the rest of the nation is tuning in or turning in, Riley is confident his squad will take the field with the tenacity necessary to secure another Big Ten victory and remain undefeated.
“We’ve got to handle it well. Our crowd needs to handle it well,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s a game, it’s being played, it’s being played in the Coliseum, and we expect to win… We’re not going to make excuses about it.”