LOS ANGELES — The countdown is officially on for USC’s prime-time matchup with LSU next Sunday night in Las Vegas.
Here are some thoughts and takeaways as the Trojans move into the regular season.
1. There was a lot of talk in the spring about Lincoln Riley relinquishing quarterback coaching duties to Luke Huard and what it means for the head coach in terms of being involved with other position groups.
On Thursday, Riley was asked how that will play out in the regular season.
He said he is still in the meeting room every day — some days more than others. He and Huard have spent time mapping out what each coach will cover and when Riley needs to be with the quarterbacks. The new arrangement has allowed Riley to spend more time with the defense, special teams and other offensive position groups.
“I feel like we’re finding a nice balance,” Riley said. “But I’ve got a lot of trust in Luke. He’s done a great job with them. As I told you guys, that’s a really difficult thing just to give up. You have to have a crazy amount of trust in someone, but I’ve got that much trust in him. … I know I’ve loved getting a chance to be more present in some of these other parts and I think it’s helped us. I think it’s helped our team so far.”
It’ll be interesting to track what a more involved Riley looks like for the other position groups and if he approaches the game differently from a play-calling perspective. USC played solid complementary football in the first six games of the 2022 season but really hasn’t done so since. It needs to be better in that department, and I believe that’s something Riley recognizes.
2. Stating the obvious here, but this is such a critical year for Riley. There is some truth to what he said at Big Ten media days. He did walk into a tough situation and there are some things he can’t fix overnight.
But it’s also Year 3 and most of the Clay Helton-era players have been nudged out or have exhausted their eligibility. It’s Riley’s roster, his program and his vision.
The job has changed with the Trojans moving to the Big Ten. It’s more difficult now. But this roster wouldn’t have been favored to win the Pac-12 this year. Oregon would have been the pick, and USC would’ve likely been behind Utah and maybe Arizona in the preseason polls.
So having the third- or fourth-best roster on the West Coast — and yes, I’m aware of where the 247Sports Team Talent Composite has the Trojans ranked — is not where most people expected the program to be at this stage of Riley’s tenure.
Recruiting hasn’t been at the elite level most predicted, and Riley has been criticized for several other reasons — the continued defensive struggles, saying the program would evaluate the long-term viability of the Notre Dame series and reportedly wanting to get out of the LSU game.
All of this coming off USC’s massively disappointing 8-5 campaign. So Riley will either prove he’s got the Trojans on the right track this season, or those who are doubting him now will prove to be correct.
It’ll be fascinating to watch unfold.
3. Riley has received some heat from USC’s fan base in the past for not having a dedicated special teams coordinator. To be fair, I’ve witnessed plenty of bad special teams play when the Trojans have had a coordinator over the years.
Regardless, change is coming. The NCAA recently removed the limit on the number of coaches who can instruct on the field. So Riley has promoted a few staffers.
Zach Crabtree’s title changed from offensive graduate assistant to assistant offensive line coach. Taylor Mays went from defensive analyst to assistant defensive backs coach. And Ryan Dougherty is now the special teams coordinator after having the title of senior special teams analyst.
So USC officially has a special teams coordinator now, though Dougherty spent the past two seasons in that role — just unofficially. The Trojans special teams must take a step forward this year after really struggling in the first two years of Riley’s tenure.
Georgia Southern transfer Michael Lantz should be an upgrade as the field goal kicker. USC will also need him to deliver more touchbacks to improve field position.
Ready to carry the torch 🔥 pic.twitter.com/kjnUE8Ars5
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) August 22, 2024
4. USC answered its quarterback question this week when it named Miller Moss the starting quarterback. The main position up for grabs now is right guard.
When asked if the staff is close to having more clarity there, Riley said: “We’re getting it.”
Amos Talalele and Alani Noa are the primary contenders, but Talalele had been limited a bit during camp before returning to full participation recently. So the staff wants to see more of him.
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Gino Quinones is practicing but still working his way back to full health after suffering a knee injury last year. He could be an option too.
Whoever starts will be under the microscope. Talalele and Noa are both inexperienced and in their second year in the program.
I know the defense will be a major question, but the offensive line is quickly climbing up the list of concerns. Elijah Paige is a promising left tackle but has started just once in his career. The right guard will be young as well. Jonah Monheim is a good player but has never started at center. And Mason Murphy is inconsistent at right tackle. Not to mention, there’s not a lot of depth.
USC will face several teams with strong defense fronts, and I keep coming back to the following question: Can the Trojans consistently block the likes of Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant at Michigan — or those types of players at other schools? I’m not sold they’ll be able to, and that will be a real issue.
5. We’ll finally see what D’Anton Lynn’s USC defense looks like in a competitive environment. I’m not sure how many spots the defense will jump in the national rankings, but it should be better.
I do think having a handle on the basics — like knowing where to line up, what the assignments are, etc. — should help a lot. It will be a step in the right direction if players aren’t looking down at their wristbands as the ball is being snapped. That was a staple of the Alex Grinch era.
“I would say that’s the biggest thing,” linebacker Eric Gentry said. “Just being able (to not) overthink or worry about doing your assignment, instead just make the play. I think it was more other stuff (in the past) than playing football. So I think it’s way more straightforward this year, I feel (it’s) an NFL style. That’s the biggest thing.”
Eliminating the overthinking on game day should be one of the main priorities for this defensive staff.
6. It served as pretty big news this week when Pete Carroll revealed in a radio interview that he intends to teach at USC in the spring. A few days after Carroll broke that news, Riley was asked how he felt about having the former USC head coach around the program in an official or unofficial capacity.
“I’d love to have him,” Riley said. “Coach has been great to me. We’ve had the chance to catch up pretty often, check in with each other. He’s been a great resource and a great person to be able to pick his brain. He’s been very good to me. So, yeah, shoot I’m excited he’s going to be here more.
“We’d be crazy to not take advantage of having him around, whether it’s an official role or not. He’s made it very clear that we’ve got a good open line of communication. It’s one that I appreciate and respect very much. We’ll never hesitate to pick up the phone and call him or reach out to him because obviously how successful he was as a coach and he’s obviously got a great knowledge of this place. So I’ve been appreciative of his help, his friendship and (would) be glad to have him around a lot more.”
We’ll learn more in the spring about how much he’ll be involved with the program.
7. Since the season is about to start, here’s my prediction for the Trojans: 7-5.
There’s a concerning lack of depth along the offensive line, and while the defense should be better, I believe the Trojans are a body or two short on the D-line as well. Those aren’t great spots to have issues for a team transitioning into the Big Ten.
Maybe the Trojans could upset Penn State or Notre Dame at home to get to 8-4. It wouldn’t shock me, but I think seven or eight wins is the most likely scenario. If USC can win nine games with this schedule, I think that would be an unquestioned success and would be a great sign for the trajectory of the program.
Eight wins would probably be fine — not great, not terrible. And seven wins would leave a lot of questions.
(Photo of Lincoln Riley: Tom Hauck / Getty Images)
