Lincoln Riley Addresses Big Ten Scheduling Before Friday Matchup with Northwestern

The No. 20 USC Trojans took care of business against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, and USC coach Lincoln Riley and his team will have to quickly turn the page to Northwestern as the Trojans host the Wildcats on Friday, Nov. 7. After playing a prime time matchup on the road against Nebraska, Riley had some sarcastic remarks about USC's Big Ten schedule.

"Of course it's progress. Come win at a place like this against a good football team. The night kick, the crowd riled up," said Riley. "They have a good crowd every week, I'd be surprised if they have a better crowd anytime this year than that tonight. They were tremendous. Yea to overcome all that was great. Yea is it a sign of progress? Of course it is."

"Thankfully the Big Ten took care of us schedule-wise and we'll get home at 3 o'clock in the morning and turn this thing over, and we'll go play on Friday, and it is what it is. But it's fun. I told our team there it's a fun challenge. Let's see how well we can go prepare and go handle it, so we're excited about the next one," Riley continued.

Lincoln Riley USC Trojans Nebraska Cornhuskers win Big Ten schedule criticism Northwestern Wildcats friday night kickoff — Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley celebrates after kicker Ryon Sayeri (48) hit a 54-yard field goal in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

USC Trojans Survive Nebraska's Blackout Environment

On Saturday night, USC beat Nebraska 21-17 as an impressive performance by the Trojans backfield propelled the team to a win. USC running back King Miller finished with 18 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown while Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava carried the ball 11 times for 62 yards himself.

USC's defense held Nebraska to 286 total yards, including 98 passing yards after Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola missed a majority of the second half. Raiola was injured as he was sacked by Trojans defensive end Anthony Lucas, and he did not return to the game. On Sunday, it was reported that Raiola will be out for the remainder of the season.

MORE: What USC Coach Lincoln Riley Said About Nebraska's Hostile Environment

MORE: USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley Trending For Poor Play Calling vs. Nebraska

MORE: Biggest Winners And Losers in USC Trojans' Signature Road Win Against Nebraska

Lucas finished with one sack, one forced fumble, and one tackle for loss in the winning effort while Kameryn Crawford and Kamari Ramsey both added a tackle for loss.

In the Trojans' passing game, Maiava threw for 135 yards and completed 9/23 attempts. Maiava also threw an interception in the third quarter, but USC's turnover margin was zero after Lucas' forced fumble on the following drive.

USC took the lead with 10 minutes remaining on Miller's touchdown rush, and the Nebraska offense only gained 36 yards for the rest of the game with backup quarterback TJ Lateef leading the Cornhuskers.

USC Trojans vs. Northwestern

As Riley mentioned, USC is now set to host Northwestern in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Friday night. Most recently, Northwestern lost 28-21 to Nebraska as the Wildcats were on a bye during week 10.

Can the well-rested Wildcats pull off the upset on the road? According to DraftKings, USC is favored by 15.5 points over Northwestern. The points total is currently 51.5.