FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: What Can We Learn From Indiana?

Can we learn anything from Indiana winning the national championship?

Curt Cignetti is a leader of men. Lincoln Riley is not.

Systems are nothing vs. culture.

USC used to succeed because of an unmistakenly strong and defined culture of rugged football. It imposed its will on the other team.

Now? It tries to be operate a fancy-pants offense with sand-castle defending.

Who would you want to listen to? Cignetti or Riley.

Could Riley make the changes necessary to transform USC? He hasn’t done it after four years.

26 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: What Can We Learn From Indiana?”

    1. Hindsight is always 20/20. When Riley was hired, he was the Cignetti of that time period. After the Helton Era, Trojan fans including me were excited to get Riley and for ten years. I also do not remember Scott criticizing the hire at that time either. So, let us all reserve judgment until after next year. As true Trojan fans we do want Riley and his coaching staff and his team to be successful. In the current football age, going undefeated and being the national champion is not reasonable to expect every year, but being in the top ten and competitive every year is. If we can beat Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon next year, all will be forgiven. We have a lot riding on the next DC, so that hire will be telling. I am intrigued by a Gary Patterson hire. Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962.

      P.S. Just a reminder, John McKay only had two undefeated seasons out of 15, and he had a number of 7-3 years including some big blowout losses like 51-0. Even the reknowned Howard Jones had about six mediocre seasons in the 1930’s between championships.

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      1. Oklahoma averaged 10.5 & 2.6 losses under Stoops, before Riley took over. Indiana was 3-9 the year before Cignetti got there. He turned it around in 2 years. Riley was never Cignetti.

        I wasn’t thrilled when we hired him. I had wanted someone who had actually turned a program around. But I hoped he would prove me wrong, the way Pete did. He has not and will not.

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      2. KAM: Thanks Mrs Riley.

        DON: Trashing McKay to build up Riley Coyote is a new low for brainless rah rahs.

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      4. KAM: And what was McKay’s record your 3rd year?

        Let me help you… it was 11-0 and #1 in the nation.

        DON: What was Riley Coyote’s record his 3rd year?

        7-6!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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      5. And, from 1963-66 Coach McKay had mediocre six and seven win seasons, but I don’t recall any Trojans in those years ridiculing him even though they may be concerned about his teams. Then in 1967-69 he had very good teams and won Rose Bowls. But, 1970-71 were mediocre again until the great years of 1972-4. He had a down year in 1975, his last year as our coach before he took over the expansion Tampa Bay Bucs where he just won a few games in his first few years because of the rejects from the other clubs that were given to the expansion team. He finally went to an NFC championship game which showed his coaching prowess. We are in a different age with NIL and the portal. Curt Cignetti is the coaching standard that every school wants, so we have what we have at least for next year. Just be a supportive USC fan and if Coach Riley can’t cut it, he will be replaced just like Helton, Sarkisian, Kiffin, Hackett, Robinson II, and Smith. Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962

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    2. Ambitious —In my opinion that 51-0 score was due to the officiating.

      # [I Just Can’t Help Myself]

      Seriously, in all those 7-3 seasons McKay always beat some ranked teams too. No one can praise Riley for doing the same.

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      2. Riley would have found a way of getting out of every tough non Pacific Conference game on the ’67 schedule sometime around 1964.

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  3. Finding a coach like Curt Cignetti is very difficult. Pete Carroll was apparently the 4th or 5th pick. Lincoln Riley is no Curt Cignetti. He doesn’t develop players and doesn’t inspire his players to be better players and better people.

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  5. Garrett didn’t feel the need to keep making offers to obvious coaches, hiring Pete as his 4th choice.

    Now, I doubt that USC (well, Jen) would ever pursue an up and coming coach like Cignetti because it is assumed USC would hire a coach from a leading program.

    The AD has cover if a well-known coach comes in an doesn’t deliver. But they don’t have cover if they hire a relatively unknown coach if the unknown coach doesn’t deliver.

    Personally, I am all for going in on a high-energy coach who wins wherever they go, and has a record of turning around programs, even if he isn’t a household name.

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    1. Agreed! We don’t want A.D.’s “seeking cover” when they hire coaches …. we want them making smart, bold choices based on records and interviews [in conjunction with their own good judgement —[which I’m not sure is Jen’s long suit].

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    2. Couldn’t agree more! Back to persona of LR, or lack of one- I have a friend who’s daughters are friends of LR’s girls- same school etc. The girls and LR’s wife are super nice he tells me. At all of their school functions, the wife saves a seat for LR who comes in right when the program starts- hat and sunglasses, and leaves early. He has zero interaction with anyone in the school- he keeps his head down most of the time and doesn’t give anyone an opportunity to even say hello. Pretty much like he treats the alumni I guess!

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  6. A lot to unpack, here. Cignetti is no brain surgeon, but holds his team to a very high standard, much like Saban did. Cignetti knows what he wants his team to do on the field, and is aggressive in his own way about achieving it, a lot like PC was. LR in contrast is an apologist who makes deflection excuses when he cannot and does not steer his program to success after each game or season. So USC, as unsavory as it sounds, get ready for a 7-5 season where we drop our home must win games to tOSU and Oregon, and drop the Indiana game as well as two others we should have won. We always have the talent, we simply lack the predatory aggressiveness and winning mentality that can only be imbued by the attitude of a true HC. LR is just an overrated QB position coach who calls plays on offense and needs his back rubbed during games, i.e. a wimp. We need a real DC hire who could potentially take on the HC role in form, fit, or function while LR is still here, and officially after LR is fired, which could very well be after the 2026 season.

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    1. You call not being able to score on TCU on first and goal from the two yard line…and settling for a field goal… non-predatory?!!

      #I’mGladYouNoticedTheBackRubbing, btw…

      [He sez it’s to let him him know when the clock is about to run on a play —-but nobody else does it….and it doesn’t explain why Grinch was doing it to him in the backseat of his limo]…

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      1. Hilarious! It’s like every little thing he does ( even wearing his stupid visor when it’s raining) is annoying. We even have to question his play calling -and that’s allegedly what he’s good at.

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  7. Scott Wolf is exactly right…..It all starts at the top in creating a strong culture for a program. Lincoln Riley, “might” be a very good offensive play caller, but as Indiana proved tonight the game is won in the trenches moving the sticks, winning the time of possession, and playing good defense. Importantly, both head coaches in last night’s game have strong leadership skills, and the players all reflected the intense personality of the coaches with very aggressive play and passion to play team football.

    Did anyone notice both Miami’s, and Indiana’s offensive and defensive lines play every down until the ref blows the whistle dead. Each linemen carried out their assignments, and kept playing after to assist other teammates make the play. Time and time again I have noticed USC linemen stand around after making initial contact with the opposition with little emphysis on the “ball” as Pete Carroll wherever it moves during a play, and a result over 4 years I have seen very little team football.

    HC Curt Cignetti of Indiana, just might be another Knute Rockne– a real football coach who can lead, and teach the fundamentals of the game. USC, hired an offensive coordinator who understands only the passing game as the way to win football games which does not win football games on a consistent basis. The great coaches lead and develop young men regardless of how many stars they have when they enter a university, and importantly knows what it takes to develop a entire team from top to bottom. USC, now competes with some of the most physical teams in college football within the Big 10 it’s time to match up with that style of football or move to another conference, and that starts with hiring a head coach who understands the key ingredients to winning football games in the Big 10 starts with the offensive and defensive lines not wide receivers, and an air raid offense.

    Indiana, made a great choice with their current football coach after many bad choices. The AD that hired him must know football the ones that hired Lincoln Riley did not. Has anyone noticed that UCLA hired Bob Chesney from James Madison who was just as successful as Cignetti at the same school, and like Indiana is getting many of his top players to transfer over with him to UCLA. No one can predict the future, but I do have the feeling Chesney will do very well at UCLA because he understands football games are won in the trenches controlling the line of scrimmage which is way to win in the Big Ten.

    Recruiting classes are still important, but developing players into a team on both defense and offense is more important. USC, has the players still but not the leadership necessary to win from top to bottom within the athletic department.

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  8. Michael, yes Coach McKay had some good wins in the seasons that were generally mediocre, but so did Coach Riley. The team beat ranked teams in Michigan and Iowa. My sons took me to the Michigan game, and the play was outstanding for a lot of reasons. Mainly, they had a healthy offensive line with stellar blocking. As I recall the year before they started with an LSU win when they were ranked. A few good wins shows potential but not sustainability. Coach Riley and his staff leave a whole lot to be desired. But, as I remind everyone, if you are a true USC fan, you hope for the best in every game, in every sport, every year. The real problem for USC is that Pat Haden was a terrible athletic director and Mike Bohn made a terrible deal with the ten year contract and no opt out for Coach Riley. Coach Riley did what any of us would have done, get the best deal possible.

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