Lincoln Riley Elaborates on USC Trojans' Biggest Challenge in Big Ten Play

The USC Trojans delivered the clean sweep of their non-conference slate. Capped off by defeating Sun Belt Conference power Louisiana 49-30 on Sept. 12 in week 2.

Coach Lincoln Riley has overall been pleased with the product on display amid the 3-0 start. Yet let it be known that this is the time of year when the Trojans must now be "raising the floor" as he described on Sept. 15.

Here's what Riley said before facing the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in USC's first road trip and Big Ten Conference opener of the 2026 season.

'Raising the Floor' Message From Lincoln Riley

USC Trojans Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Big Ten Conference Rutgers Scarlet Knights — Sep 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts after the game against the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns atUnited Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"We've had some different positives, but with that different issues."

"But one thing we've talked about with our guys is raising the floor with our play."

"A lot of times you hear coaches say 'be more consistent' or 'make less mental mistakes.' But one thing we determine in our program is the floor of your play. And that's often how great players are determined to be, right?"

Lincoln Riley USC Trojans Fresno State Bulldogs College Football Big Ten Conference Rutgers Scarlet Knights — Sep 4, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley leaves the field against the Fresno State Bulldogs in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"It's not just the great plays either. Known a million guys who could make great plays who weren't great players. There's a big difference."

"A lot of times it's how if we went and found your worst plays in the game, are they the plays that kill us? Or are they pretty solid, average plays? The great players for the most part, even their bad plays aren't all that bad. And because of that, there's a smaller gap between what their good plays and bad plays look like."

"At the end of the day, that's what great players and teams do: They minimize the bad football and when they have their opportunities, they make great plays. That's been a big emphasis point for us for the last three weeks."

Looking at Areas That Need to be Cleaned up on USC Side

Jayden Maiava USC Trojans San Jose State Spartans Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Big Ten Conference Lincoln Riley — Aug 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) drops back for a pass second quarter against the San José State Spartans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"We've had areas where we've needed to get better. But we've shown some improvement."

"We've had some things that weren't an issue one game. You know, penalties have been a huge issue. There were too many of them the other night."

"So I think the consistency of play, raising our floor, and the penalties were prety far and center in mind [this week]."

Impact of the Play Action Pass for USC

Mark Bowman Avery Demery USC Trojans Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Big Ten Conference Sun Belt Conference Priest Ashe — Sep 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans tight end Mark Bowman (19) leaps over Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns cornerback Avery Demery (10) and defensive lineman Priest Ashe (0) on a 35-yard reception in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"It's different every week. But it's something we've evolved a lot. I mean, years ago at Texas Tech we didn't do play action a ton because we didn't run the ball [as much]. So it probably wouldn't work."

"At ECU [East Carolina] we started to run the ball more. Especially the later years at ECU we got really good at play action."

"Play action's definitely different now than it was back then. But that's where I think I definitely fell in love with it and try to complement it with some of the things we do in the run game. Just to put people in conflict and it's just evolved based on how we run the ball."

"There's definitely some cat-and-mouse games to that, and it starts with running the ball really good."

Long Travel Coming for USC with Piscataway Trip

Boston College Eagles Rutgers Scarlet Knights USC Trojans Big Ten Conference Zaire Angoy College Football — Sep 11, 2026; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Boston College Eagles quarterback Mason McKenzie (10) throws an interception as he is tackled by Rutgers Scarlet Knights defensive lineman Zaire Angoy (55) and defensive lineman Sekou Kromah (8) during the second half at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"We're doing things a little bit different. We're going out on Thursday. Felt like that was th right thing to do with the length of the air travel."

"But we won't do that with every road game this year. Just this one. We've definitely adapted our practice schedule during the week."

"I don't know if I want to sit up here and give specifics, but we've made some adjustments to when we play on the road."

"We have made some adjustments with the aircraft and these guys' body clocks and how we're handling that. And it's been good."

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