USC’s 41-27 loss to Oregon last Saturday was a disappointing outing for the Trojans, but Lincoln Riley refuses to demoralize his group.
“We just need each level to play a little bit better and each level to play a little bit better together,” Riley said Thursday morning in a Zoom press conference.
His sentiments this week echo his words directly after the loss, where he cautioned against big-picture thinking and emphasized marginal improvements to take USC to the next level, but the pressure is still on. Last week offered the perfect opportunity for Lincoln to dissuade the doubters about his big game yips, but the loss only fortified the program’s critics.
Washington and USC each suffered their first loss of the season last week. The Huskies fell to Minnesota, a loss that can largely be attributed to their struggles on the ground. Washington posted just 40 rushing yards, or 1.5 per play. Freshman running back Brian Bonner Jr. has just 22 carries and 126 yards on the year. He’s the team’s leading rusher.
That figure rendered the Huskies one-dimensional. Washington junior quarterback Demond Williams Jr. managed only 239 passing yards alongside two touchdowns and two interceptions. It would be remiss to think this is a skill issue on Williams’ part. He notched an impressive 3,000 yards last season and currently ranks fourth among Big Ten quarterbacks in production. The Huskies’ offensive line has been leaving Williams high and dry behind center.
Minnesota recorded a whopping seven sacks and nine negative plays against the Huskies last week. Williams’ ability to orchestrate his offense will be mostly contingent on his line’s ability to hold off USC’s front seven. USC’s spotty secondary will be easy to maneuver if Williams can afford some time in the pocket.
The prevailing narrative around USC’s shortcomings this year has been its defense. The Trojans rank 15th among Big Ten units, allowing 26.4 points per game. Their collapse in the back half of the Oregon contest allowed the Ducks to score twice in the game’s final ten minutes, sealing the victory after totaling 504 yards on the day. It’s imperative for USC to patch miscommunications in the secondary to prevent Washington’s playmakers, like sophomore tight end Baron Naone and sophomore wideout Dezmen Roebuck from biting off chunk plays.
Last week, senior safeties Christian Pierce and Prophet Brown appeared to suffer from a lack of communication. After stepping in for senior quarterback Dante Moore, a historically middling Dylan Raiola had a nearly flawless outing, tossing just six incompletions against two touchdowns.
Following the loss, Pierce commented on communication flubs in the secondary.
“It was more of just miscommunication on the secondary side of the ball, and like that just can’t happen. We have to get that fixed,” Pierce said.
USC’s offense was the program’s silver lining in last week’s defeat. Senior quarterback Jayden Maiava leads the NCAA in passing yards, and boasts a 70.1% completion rate. The Trojans’ run game has steadily improved, complementing its air attack.
Washington’s defense was iron-clad before their relatively leaky showing last week, where Minnesota junior quarterback Drake Lindsey docked three first-half touchdowns. However, Minnesota failed to push 4 yards per play in the game’s latter half. Still, the Huskies are allowing an average of 16.7 points per game, 34th nationally.
Their unit has been banged up, but is approaching a return to form as several cornerstone defenders may take the field Saturday. Washington senior cornerback Emmanuel Karnley was out last week, but is expected to return. Fourth-year center Landen Hatchett’s status is pending as he nurses a wrist injury suffered last season.
“We’re getting just better and better at running the ball, I think, as the year goes on. And that was a tough group to run the ball against. Um, been making, you know, explosive plays in the passing game really all year. So, there’s a lot to like,” Riley said.
The Huskies will be tasked with herding USC’s cast of pass-catchers. Freshman wideout Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and freshman tight end Mark Bowman are Maiava’s favorite targets in freshman wideout Trent Mosely’s absence. Dixon-Wyatt ranks 17th among all receivers, hauling in 372 yards and three touchdown passes on the year. Bowman flaunts 21 receptions and two scores. Defending the 6′4″ will be a tall task, even for the Huskies’ talented secondary.
Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters spoke about the freshman phenom’s talent this week.
“He was rated the No. 1 tight end in the country for a reason,” Walters said.
Riley has tempered conversation about the narrative of the program, opting to speak about games as distinct moments as opposed to pieces of a bigger picture. Regardless of how he chooses to approach it, there’s no sidestepping the reality: a victory is absolutely pivotal for the Trojans this Saturday.
A loss would be catastrophic, and likely preclude USC from College Football Playoff contention, considering their approaching gauntlet. Wisconsin, Penn State, Ohio State, and surging UCLA all remain on the horizon. If the Trojans and Coach Riley want to correct their wayward start; they need to start on Saturday. The contest will either be a disaster or the catalyst for a better chapter of Riley’s fifth year.
Edited by Sammie Vassallo & Lauren Worley