Lincoln Riley Says USC Has a Good Football Team, Prove It

The support for USC coach Lincoln Riley is at its breaking point after suffering a 41-27 loss to Oregon on Saturday night.

In a must-win game and undoubtedly the most important one in his five seasons and the Trojans head coach, Riley failed and he failed miserably. Riley had a chance to change the narrative in a positive direction and begin to usher in a new era but once again, it failed.

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Big Ten Oregon Ducks College Football Schedule Playoff Ohio State Indiana — Sep 4, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches against the Fresno State Bulldogs in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ducks quarterback Dante Moore was carted off the field after taking a big hit from Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens and in came backup quarterback Dylan Raiola. Still, Oregon managed to rack up over 500 yards of total offense and had almost no resistance.

The same issues were still prevalent for USC. Bad red zone and third down defense, or just defense in general, despite making a big move this offseason hiring Gary Patterson, penalties, not tough enough in the trenches, undisciplined and can’t win big games. The list goes on and on.

“The time is now” marketing campaign was used in the offseason, but right now it's a program that shows no urgency on the field or plays to the level of the slogan. Still USC coach Riley is optimistic about what he has in his locker room.

“I know we have a damn good football team in here, and we're going to keep going,” Riley said.

Then prove it.

The time for talking has been long gone. This is a result based business. If Riley truly believes they have a good team, then go prove it on Saturday’s in-between the white lines.

Tough Path Ahead

No, USC’s season is not over after dropping their first game of the season but the road doesn’t get any easier as the calendar moves to the month of October.

USC will host Washington on Saturday, Oct. 3, followed by a trip to Penn State on Oct. 10 and then Wisconsin on Oct. 24. And for a team that has played poorly on the road, those are two concerning games.

Ohio State comes rolling into town on Oct. 31. Indiana looms on Nov. 14 and then a matchup against a surging UCLA program on Nov. 28.

“If we're as good as we think we can be, and we have the character and competitiveness that I think we have in that locker room, then we'll handle this the right way,” Riley said. “That's what I told them. If we're as good as we think we can be, then we will flip this. We will turn this as a positive. We will learn. We will grow together. That’s what these seasons are for us, right?

“Whether you're right now in that locker room celebrating like crazy because we had this great come from behind win, or you're in there and everybody’s said. Your response week in and week out is everything, and that's what we got to do as a team. We have to respond, and I'm very confident in the people in that room that that will happen.”

Those are great sound bites, but those are just words and in year five, and it doesn’t mean anything. Riley has been given everything he’s needed from NIL resources to opening a brand-new $225 million dollar facility.

The support for Riley after losing to their West Coast rivals again by double digits is gone from the fan base and it’s running thin with the administration and boosters. His seat is red hot heading into the second month of the season.

The only way to change the narrative is win. Not come close, not be a few plays away, just win.

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