“ Lincoln Riley is a soft coach and he has a soft program.”
Those words were uttered by Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy on Big Noon Kickoff Saturday before his alma mater No. 15 Michigan were brutally defeated 31-13 by USC.
Portnoy’s comments made sense at the time – in fact, many fans of other Big Ten schools likely thought the same.
However, USC’s win over Michigan was a step in the right direction in proving those skeptics wrong. It was the program’s first ranked conference victory since joining last season.
Soft is definitely not a term to describe how USC came out and played against Michigan. The defense was making stops and utilizing pressure in the form of three sacks and two interceptions behind 225 yards of hard-nosed rushing offense.
“I think it says we’re a tough a** physical program,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said of the win. “It was a complete performance on the line of scrimmage and that’s where it always starts in football.”
Those facets of USC’s game have been under work since the Trojans entered the Big Ten, with Riley emphasizing physical growth in order to compete with the marquee Big Ten programs like Michigan.
That physical gain and improved discipline were key in shutting down the Wolverines, a team that ranked inside the top ten in rushing yards per game.
“They executed at a high level and executed at the times they needed to,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said of the Trojans.
Another emphasis? Taking advantage of what most Big Ten schools can’t – recruiting in their own backyard.
“I think the core beliefs in terms of how you build a program is always going to start from your high school recruiting, specifically in Los Angeles and in Southern California, and branching out all over the country, and then your ability to develop that and then supplementing it, at times, with the portal,” Riley said at Big Ten Media Day back in August.
In terms of West Coast ball, it’s the Trojans who decided to stay close to home after high school that ended up being key factors against Michigan.
Arizona’s Ja’Kobi Lane and Los Alamitos’ Makai Lemon each grabbed a touchdown, with the latter’s being a sweet diving catch with defenders on him to go along with nine receptions and 93 yards. Hawaii’s Jayden Maiava threw for 265 yards and completed 78% of his passes.
However, the big story of the night came from the walk-on redshirt freshman running back from Calabasas in King Miller, who replaced injured junior running back Waymond Jordan.
Miller couldn’t be stopped once he entered the game, finishing with 158 rushing yards on 18 attempts and a touchdown. He also had two big rushes that went for longer than 45 yards.
“I’m a guy who’s just trying to earn everything he can,” Miller said. “I couldn’t play last year, so I just wanted to try and put my name out there. I didn’t really expect much coming into the season, but once my coach believed in me everything played out.”
Hitting back on Riley’s point about recruiting, his portal utilization allowed redshirt senior safety Bishop Fitzgerald to transfer from North Carolina State. Fitzgerald recorded his third and fourth interceptions of the season against Michigan, along with a big 11-yard sack on freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood.
Riley’s strategy of West Coast recruiting and physical build up played a crucial part in the Trojans’ domination on both sides of the ball against Michigan, with Portnoy’s comments potentially adding a bit more fuel to the fire.
Alas, Rome wasn’t built in a day. The Trojans are starting to reap the benefits of the work they’ve put in these past few seasons ramping up for Big Ten football.
With the win against Michigan, USC’s path to the playoffs just became a bit smoother. However, the road still looks treacherous ahead with USC traveling to South Bend next week to take on No. 13 Notre Dame for the Jeweled Shillelagh.
USC was embarrassed in South Bend two years ago with Heisman winner Caleb Williams at the helm. The Trojans can use those memories for extra motivation to continue playing the hard-nosed brand of football Riley wants to emphasize.