Everything Lincoln Riley Said Before USC Trojans Face Fresno State

No. 14 USC Trojans coach appeared on Trojans Live on Monday during the program's short week before facing Fresno State on Friday.

USC started the season 1-0 with a win against San José State, and Riley offered his initial impressions on the win. The Trojans coach also spoke about the performance of USC's true freshmen while breaking down what to expect from Fresno State and coach Matt Entz, who spent the 2024 season under Riley at USC before getting hired by the Bulldogs.

lincoln riley usc trojans fresno state bulldogs matt entz jayden maiava mike ekeler gary patterson trent mosley big ten — Aug 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the San Jose State Spartans in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Here's everything Riley had to say:

When To Go Over Film With the Team

"Sunday for us. Yeah, we like to get them in and get that done, get that game put to bed, and get on to the next one," said Riley.

Getting Film on a Lot of Young Guys

"We did. We had a plan that if we were able to separate and get the game in hand, we want to be really aggressive about playing guys, and honestly, even more aggressive than we've been in the past. I mean, even you look, like last year in the Missouri State game, we were much more aggressive, especially defensively. But we were much more aggressive in terms of getting some of the guys out of the game, not subbing them anymore, and using all different types of combinations."

"And I feel like that's important. It's a long season. We've got a roster right now with, obviously, a lot of young guys, a lot of new faces that we need to develop, we need to see them. And I think games like that where you can play that many people, it's great on that Saturday, but those pay dividends down the line."

"And so it was good that our starters and our kind of ones and twos went in there and took care of business and obviously dominated the football game. Got it well out in front where we could go test the waters with some of those guys, and there were mixed results on it. There's some guys that really, even there in the fourth quarter, there's some young guys that went in there and did some really, really good things."

"Had a couple of breakdown and a couple things that obviously don't need to happen and can't happen. But, yeah, it's an incredible learning experience. But, listen, the team takes the performance personally, always. And, you know, whether you were a starter and when you came out of the game it was 35-3 or you're one of the guys that plays in the end, like, you know, we all own all parts of the performance."

"And that's how you rise and create the standard and expectations that the entire team has. Because, yeah, in a game like that does, you know, 35-3 – Okay, were you ever in danger of the game? No. But what's gonna happen is, hopefully there's many other opportunities where we play well and separate and can do that."

"But it's gonna be bits and pieces where you're gonna need this guy here, that guy there, and we need those guys ready to roll. And so yeah, the film's very valuable. We try to take just a very honest approach, a very honest look at it. There's a lot of good, especially in the first three quarters. The fourth quarter wasn't very good. And there's a lot of corrections, and we'll be better because of it."

Clarification on the Depth Chart

"Sure. I think that's always evolving, especially when you have a roster as deep as we do. I think getting that first chance to see the guys compete, I think there was definitely some clarity in our minds, whether it's guys that played a bunch and played well. We had a few guys that didn't play a ton but played really well that said, 'Hey, all right, we may be in line to have bigger and more roles as we go on.' And then there's a few guys that weren't quite ready yet."

"I mean, there is. And that need a little bit more seasoning for us to be able to put them in a game that's still – you know, where the outcome's still hanging in the balance, right? And you're going to have all parts of that, as you said, the ability to evaluate it, to be able to give these guys some honest feedback on where they're at and then lay out a plan to develop everybody. That's the whole thing."

"And then, you know, the guys have got to buy into it. I mean, you hear the old adage in football, you typically improve the most right after the first game. And so we got a really valuable film, but we got a short amount of time. So we got to do that and balance obviously getting ready for a good Fresno team."

Something He Learned from Playing San José State:

"Well, I mean, I liked how we started the game. That's been a big emphasis for us. You know, we were able to close pretty well in a lot of games last year, but we weren't always the fastest starting team. And so that's been a big emphasis for us. And I love how we started. I love where we really had a surge of all three sides playing together. We were making big plays on (special) teams. We were shutting them down on defense. Offense was moving the ball. And that's when you get those chances to knock people out and create separation and play a bunch of guys. So I liked a lot of that."

"I think there's, like any first game, you come back and you just find just so many little things across the board that you've got to correct or that you've got to iron out or just adjust slightly. And that's kind of the fun in it, right? It's like the game, as much as you simulate, and we're obsessive obsessive about like how much you try to simulate before you get in a game. You can never make it feel exactly like that. You try, but you can't."

"And so when you get in those, like the chance to go back and evaluate every part of it, not just the game, you know, the operation of from going to the hotel and how the meetings were set up and the walk throughs, and how was pregame, how was halftime, the adjustments, the coaches' communication, especially with some new staff members, right? Like, there's just a million little things, and it's kind of fun going through that and then having a plan to make each of them better."

USC Trojans Cornerback Room:

"The kind of the high-end experience like you said, Jontez (Williams) obviously played a lot of ball. He played well for us the other day, and he's been pretty steady. You know, getting Chasen (Johnson) back off of injury. I mean, he's definitely one of the most talented corners in our room, and so losing him last year hurt us. I mean, there's no question. And so having him back and healthy is great. And thought he didn't get challenged a ton the other day, but I mean, he was in great position all day."

"We were able to rest Celles (Marcelles Williams) a little bit. He had had a little soft tissue kind of middle of camp. And one of those things where he could have played, but the way the game went, we were able to rest him, which was good. And he'll be ready to roll going forward. And then, Rock (Elbert Hill) played well. I thought (Jayden) Crowder came in there and did some really nice things."

"You know, RJ Sermons is one of the guys I thought that really kind of really took off towards like the middle to end the camp. And we were really impressed with him. And he was pretty sticky a couple of times. He missed one tackle that I know he wants back. But other than that, I mean, they have one completion on him where he was all over the guy and they made it, you know, give San José credit. They made three or four just kind of this out of their mind catches and plays on the ball. So they give them credit on that. But I thought RJ did some nice things too."

"But talent, experience, depth, so far we're in a different place here than we've been."

Young Wide Receivers' Performance:

"They did a good job, you know, and I think especially considering, we didn't have Tanook (Hines) and didn't have Terrell (Anderson), you know, chose not to use those guys. And so, you know, not having two of our older, more experienced guys in there too. And they did a nice job. You know, the freshmen were – I didn't think they were hesitant kind of going into that moment for the first time. And I thought they settled in pretty quickly. They all were pretty steady there."

"I thought Corey Simms did a really nice job for us. I think he's one of the most improved players on our roster from last year to this year and making a huge impact for us on special teams as well. But yeah, the guys, you know, they caught the ball. They ran well after the catch. We made some, you know, within the tape, there was definitely some freshman mistakes in there that we'll have to clean up as we go. But yeah, for all those guys, their first action, you could see why we have a lot of confidence in that group."

Importance of New Bloom Facility During Short Week:

"Huge. I mean, you couple the fact of it's not just the hot game last Saturday, but we practiced in it all week. So you practice in it, you play in it, and then you're coming back and playing on one short day or one short week. And so it's really important. It'll get more important as the year goes on, but in the early part of the year, this will probably be the most important week of the year for us to be great at it."

Facing Coach Matt Entz, Fresno State:

"Yeah, good team. Coach Entz, as you said, obviously did a really nice job for us in his one year here. And it was good to get to know him and get around him. And yeah, no surprise that he's gone there and done a nice job. I mean, Fresno State, obviously, historically a really good football program. And he's done a good job of kind of maintaining and elevating that. And yeah, they had a nice year."

"They played really, really well defensively last year. They were top 10 in the country in several statistical categories defensively. So had a really nice group there, a really good group of running backs that they're going to bring in here in this game, an experienced receiver, be a new quarterback. But, yeah, it's a good group. I mean, it's kind of, you know, we haven't seen them yet this year, right?

"But you watch them kind of last year. It's what you expect, you know, from Coach Entz, and it's what you kind of expect out of that Fresno State team. With their mentality, I think they play gritty. They play tough. I think they complement each other on both sides of the ball. So it'll be a good challenge for us. There's no question about it. I mean, there's been a lot of competitive games, obviously, in this series and got a lot of respect for that program historically and certainly for Matt."

"The strange thing with the way this lays out, we'll have played two games before like 95 percent of the country has even played one, which is crazy. But you know what? I think you just have to look at the positives, right, no matter what, right? Like, yes, they have a game to evaluate on us, and we don't on them. But we've also had a chance to play. And it's not going to be our first time."

"We're going to be right here at home. I think we'll make a lot of improvement from game one to game two. So I think in any of these, you've got to, whatever hand you're dealt in that, it's your job as a team, coach, as players, to make it our advantage. And we've got to have that mentality."

On Fresno State's Defense:

"They were, you know, again, this is all off of last year. They were one of the best pass defenses in the country last year. They did a good job limiting explosive plays, yards after the catch. And then they were able to turn the ball over a lot. They created a lot of turnovers. So, I mean, if you stop the pass and create a lot of turnovers, that's going to be a pretty good start. So they had some really good players, a couple of good corners, and they returned several."

"We'll have a little bit more idea of the personnel of this group. Last week, San José State had so many transfers that you're kind of trying to figure out even who was going to play and where'd they come from and all this. Fresno State has some new players as well, but there's certainly a lot more in terms of returning experience and guys that you can see on tape previously."

Special Teams Impressions

"I mean we've gotten pretty good production out of our specialists, really, in our time here. But we felt like we needed to get a little bit more and wanted to attack things a little bit differently in some of the other phases. And yeah, I think Coach Ekeler's brought together some really good things for us. Obviously, he's got a great roster to work with. And we're going to attack people some different ways than we have in the past. It was good to see some of that come to fruition, right?

"Like you said, the returns were both big. We were just agonizingly close on the kickoff returns as well. We had two of those that were just really, really close. So there were some good things to see. It wasn't a lot of action for the other groups with the way the game went down. We did a good job, obviously, on fielding the onside there at the end of the game. But yeah, that's important. And I think part of the roster rebuild and the build, and you're talking about the depth and all that, is people first are always going to think about defense and offense."

"But honestly, the depth of the roster affects special teams more than it affects anything. And when you really start diving into the game, the hidden yardage, like just how much special teams affects the game with such a smaller amount of plays, like it's wild. And so the combination of Coach Ek, our staff, these players, the vision there is to be very dominant. And I think we've got a group that can do that."

On Jide Abasiri:

"He can take it really far. I thought he kind of graduated last year into becoming a really, really good player. I think the goal for him is to be a great player now and to be a guy that affects every single game. He obviously affected the game massively the other day, but he's a problem. I mean, he just is. His ability to He can rush the passer. He's athletic enough in there that he's not just a guy that's just going to stand there and hold up gaps."

"But then, I mean, you see even on the fourth down play, I mean, they tried to double team him. I mean, he didn't just defeat one block. He defeats two blocks and makes the play. And so, you know, when you have that, you have some of the other pieces that we have on the D-line. And then, obviously, you know, you get Jahkeem (Stewart) and (Braylan) Shelby and those guys back here pretty quickly. I mean, you start to see why we're pretty excited."

"But Jide's certainly a leader there. And his game just continues to rise. His confidence continues to rise. And, yeah, I mean, he's a problem for all of our opponents."

Defensive Coaching Staff's Communication:

"Yeah, I thought we did a nice job. I appreciated the fact that we stuck to our sub plan, you know, because that's, you know, obviously. I mean, you've been there. You know, you want to, you got to shut out or you're pitching a (shut out), they got three, I mean. You obviously want to hold that in there. But I mean, it was more important for us to play all these other guys, it just was."

"So I thought they held strong to that. Yeah, I mean, I thought obviously the first group kind of went in there without many hiccups and played really clean. And I think that was a reflection of the staff. And I think like any time for a staff, whether you've been coaching together for 20 years or it's your first game together, there's always going to be things in terms of the communication and the preparation that you want to get better at. But it was a good first start. I thought the staff handled it well, and they're going to continue to grow and get better as this thing goes as well."

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