Lincoln Riley Deserves A Lot Of Credit For USC’s Bowl Win

Lincoln Riley has come in, deservedly, for criticism after the USC Trojans stumbled to a 7-5 regular season record, despite having reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams.

Kirk Ferentz came after him and the Trojans program, saying all that matters is wins, not how pretty they look. Paul Finebaum described Riley’s performance this year as one of the worst coaching jobs he’s ever seen.

READ: PAUL FINEBAUM GOES AFTER LINCOLN RILEY: ‘DON’T KNOW IF I’VE SEEN A WORSE COACHING JOB’

Finebaum also called for Riley to go on the hot seat after USC’s defense somehow got worse in 2023. There’s plenty of things to criticize about the direction of the program, especially heading into a new conference with an absurdly tough schedule in 2024. That said though, Riley also deserves praise for how his team played against a top-15 Louisville team in the Holiday Bowl.

While there were some predictable defensive lapses, especially considering new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn has yet to start coaching, mostly USC looked like a relatively sound football team in an impressive 42-28 win.

For a team decimated by transfer portal entries, NFL draft entries and Caleb Williams’ understandable opt out, it was a surprising performance, and speaks to Riley’s talents as a head coach.

Dec 27, 2023; San Diego, CA, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley is doused with eggnog after defeating the Louisville Cardinals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Lincoln Riley Has Something To Build On For 2024

There’s no excuse for how poorly the Trojans defense played in 2023. But few people, if any, thought that the Trojans could beat a quality Louisville team with Miller Moss playing quarterback and a squad of backups on offense. Not to mention an incredibly thin secondary with just six scholarship players available.

Moss though, completed 23 of 33 passes for 372 yards and six touchdowns with one interception. Against a Louisville defense that held Florida State to just 16 points earlier in December. Receivers were frequently open and Moss more often than not, delivered catchable passes. It’s a testament to Riley’s offensive scheme and play calling that he was able to coax an exceptional performance out of someone making their first career start against a top-15 team.

And it shows that if Lynn is able to create a capable defense, the Trojans’ ceiling under Reilly is as high as any team in the sport. Sure, Caleb Williams was an exceptional talent, frequently creating something out of nothing. But Moss showed that when taking the open, unspectacular play, the USC offense can still be explosive.

There’s no guarantee that Moss plays that well again, if he is the starter in 2024. Or that Lynn will be able to take one of the worst defenses in the sport and turn them into a top-30 or 40 unit. But there’s credit due to Riley for the team’s Holiday Bowl performance when they had every reason to fold and focus on next season.

And it makes that next season a lot more interesting.