In recent years, it has felt like head coach Lincoln Riley’s USC football teams have never been able to perform late in the season. In 2023, the Trojans lost five of their last six games, and just last season, they dropped five of their last eight. With a loss against No. 9 Notre Dame, a mediocre win at Nebraska and a razor close first half against Northwestern, the past seemed to be repeating itself once again.
That was until a second half explosion against the Wildcats put the Trojans back into the spot they have wanted to be in all season long, which may prove fruitful if they win their final three games and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.
“We’re not trying to hide or minimize it. Winning is fun. Putting yourself in opportunities to accomplish some cool things is a lot of fun,” Riley said. “We’re trying to embrace it and enjoy every moment. This team is definitely embracing it right.”
A huge revelation for the Trojans has been the emergence of redshirt freshman running back King Miller throughout the year. He has stepped up into the starting role after both junior Waymond Jordan and redshirt senior Eli Sanders went down with long term injuries earlier in the season
He now has three games of 125 or more rushing yards in just four starts, finding the endzone three times during that span. Over the past four games, it is clear that he has built a tremendous amount of chemistry with his offensive line, finding the right gaps and timing his acceleration at perfect times.
Miller discusses how he would describe his chemistry with the unit.
“Tremendously,” Miller said.“We already have that great bond, no matter whether it was before or now. Those are guys I eat with. Those are guys I hang out with all the time. There’s no doubt that we are always going to have each other’s back.”
While the run game seemed to come out of nowhere, the highly praised passing offense finally picked back up this past week. After two straight lackluster games through the air, junior wide receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane answered the doubters, each grabbing a receiving touchdown. Lemon had 165 yards of total offense and found the endzone on the ground as well.
On the other side of the field, Lane had one of his signature one-handed highlight reel grabs.
Now heading into the home stretch of the season, the Trojans face back-to-back ranked foes, hosting the No. 21 Iowa Hawkeyes this Saturday and traveling up north to face the No. 8 Oregon Ducks in two weeks.
With the road in front of them, Riley finds himself in a similar position to 2022, when the Trojans were a win away from a CFP berth. If Riley learned from the past, he can hopefully find a way to get USC back to championship contention.