It’s kind of amazing that someone with Lincoln Riley’s history (mainly at Oklahoma) seems befuddled at addressing USC’s problems. “Anything we see that’s not functioning at a high level or heading that way, we’re aggressively addressing it, and we’ll do anything to continue to plug these leaks,” Riley said Monday night. So the ship is sinking and Riley and Co. are plugging the leaks? What … Continue reading Lincoln Riley Plugging The Leaks

As if football struggling isn’t enough, how about time for a scandal? From the L.A. Times: “For years, USC quietly offered wealthy families an alternate path to admission with much lower academic expectations and an acceptance rate of 85 to 90%, a Times investigation has found.” The story is behind a paywall, but here’s a paragraph: Continue reading How About A Scandal?

QUARTERBACK There are two versions of Miller Moss: The one who has time to throw and the one who is under pressure. Unfortunately for USC, successful quarterbacks can navigate in both worlds. Apparently, Lincoln Riley is going to spend the season accepting that the offense sometimes has one hand behind its back. Grade: D+ RUNNING BACK How do you rush for 189 yards against Penn … Continue reading USC-Maryland Report Card

There are only 10 teams in the nation with less rushing attempts than USC, which ranks No. 123 nationally. USC is actually No. 129 in rush attempts per game because some teams have played fewer games. The funny part is USC ranks No. 54 in rushing yards per attempt (5.25 yards per rush). So why won’t Lincoln Riley run the ball more? But it does … Continue reading USC Needs To Run The Ball

I spoke to a Big 12 coach on Sunday about Lincoln Riley. “How many more years does he have on his contract?” the coach asked. “Seven,” I replied. “They made a deal with the devil,” the coach said. This is the bind USC got itself into when Mike Bohn and Brandon Sosna were getting high-fives from everyone for giving Riley that 10-year contract worth at … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Can Anything Be Done With Lincoln Riley?

Did Lincoln Riley distinguish himself as a master coach at the end of the first half and game on Saturday? He called timeout with 1 second left in the first half and then had Miller Moss take a knee. I saw an apologist theorize Riley thought about kicking a field goal but changed his mind. A 62-yard FG? USC can’t even make a 41-yard FG. … Continue reading Sunday Fallout: The Genius Can’t Finish A Half Or Game