The USC Trojans football program is back. Coming off a season defining 31-13 home victory against Michigan, Lincoln Riley and his squad are riding high. Other than a two-point loss on the road, the team has looked flawless.
In past years, Riley’s teams were criticized for a lack of physicality, citing poor performance on both sides of the line of scrimmage. This past year, he spent the entire offseason revamping his coaching staff and adding talent in the trenches.
The biggest change he made was promoting Zach Hanson as the offensive line coach, reinforcing his commitment to win the line of scrimmage. With the amount of injuries his unit has dealt with, it is astounding how seamlessly he has transitioned them to perform at the highest level.
Riley silenced all of his critics this past weekend when the Trojans rushed for 224 yards against a Michigan defense that was hailed as one of the best and most physical in the country, despite USC’s top two running backs going down to injury during the game.
Lincoln is only 42 years old, yet he has found tremendous success despite being eight years younger than the average FBS coach. He is rightfully praised as a quarterback guru leading three of his former players to a Heisman Trophy in just a six year span. All three eventually went on to be selected #1 overall in the NFL Draft.
In his career, Riley boasts a 77.5 winning percentage and has never finished a season without a winning record.
His success six games into the season has earned him a place into conversations of a top coach in the country.
The American Heart Association presents the award and in the words of their website, “The Paul Bear Bryant College Football Coaching Awards is an exclusive event that honors a college football coach whose great accomplishments, both on and off the field, are legendary.”
Riley’s masterful playcalls this season have left fans speechless, most notably his game breaking wildcat flea flicker that resulted in a 75-yard touchdown before being called back for a penalty.
If there’s one drawback to Riley’s team so far, it would be the lack of discipline. The Trojans rank in the bottom 30% in penalties per game, averaging seven. They improved on this weakness, improving from 19 in the two games prior to just three against Michigan. There is a clear focus on improvement in the program, with answers to almost every question from prior seasons.
Riley’s job is nowhere near done however, as he prepares for two brutal road games, against a bitter rival No.13 Notre Dame and newly No.25 Nebraska.