Lincoln Riley Addresses Uncertainty On Injuries To Ja'Kobi Lane, Elijah Paige

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley addressed the uncertainty of the injuries to two of his star players: receiver Ja'Kobi Lane and offensive lineman Elijah Paige. The Trojans are preparing for a ranked matchup vs. the Illinois Fighting Illini in a Big Ten clash with conference implications.

Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley speaks with the official during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Coach Lincoln Riley and his USC Trojans are undefeated through four games in the 2025 college football season, and ranked No. 21 in the AP Top 25 Poll. The Trojans await their biggest test so far this season, when they travel to face the No. 24 ranked Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday, Sep. 27.

Riley spoke after practice to reporters on Tuesday in lead up to Saturday's Big Ten showdown. The biggest update is the uncertainty surrounding receiver Ja'Kobi Lane, who missed USC win over Michigan State game with an upper body injury. Lane returned to practice on Tuesday and Riley was asked about his availability after practice.

What Riley Said

Jul 24, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; USC head coach Lincoln Riley speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

On If There Are Injury Updates For Ja'Kobi Lane and Elijah Paige

"Nah, we’re going to keep it at the availability report before the game." 

(The Big Ten Injury Report is released two hours before kickoff)

Offensive Line Performance After Injuries 

"I thought they did a good job. We had one communication error on it, but largely played well. We ended up shifting a couple a guys because of that. They handled it well. Those guys take a lot of reps at different positions throughout the week and really have throughout spring and camp. I think some of the position flex that we built up at that position in particular really paid off there."

Playing Without Ja'Kobi Lane vs. Michigan State

"J Rich (Jaden Richardson) came in and played well. We felt like he would be one of the next guys there to go and had a lot of confidence in him…He’s really created his own value here. He can play any of the receiver positions in our offense. Just does a lot of things well. Both things that show up in the box score and a lot of things that don’t; the way he blocks, the way he communicates, he’s a really good route runner, strong, tough kid. He stepped up and did some really nice things." 

MORE: Why USC's Top Linebacker Recruit Could Be Future Face of Trojans' Defense

MORE: USC Coach Lincoln Riley Quietly Escaping Hot Seat Allegations with Trojans

MORE: Caleb Williams Returns To USC Heisman Form In NFL Leading Stat

Team Assessment After Four Games

Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) runs the ball against Michigan State Spartans defensive back Malik Spencer (43) during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

"I like the win-loss record. I think we’ve shown flashes on all sides of being a team that could be really tough to beat. Our battle is going to be is our ability to do it from a consistency standpoint…Cutting out some of the errors that have kept a couple of these games probably closer than they felt on the field…I feel like we have units that can win games."

On Assistant Coach for Offense/Tight Ends Coach Zach Hanson 

"He’s done a great job. I give him a lot of credit. There’s a few new faces in there. Have had to play a few different lineups and he’s really steady…Long been one of the most valuable coaches on this staff…Couldn’t hire anyone better."

USC Set For Big Noon Kickoff

Sep 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans tight end Walker Lyons (85) runs into the end zone for a touchdown as quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) celebrates during the first half against the Georgia Southern Eagles at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans will aim to start the season 5-0 with a 3-0 mark in conference play when they play Illinois. It will be a very early kickoff, with the game getting the Big Noon Kickoff of the week on FOX. It is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. PT

Illinois is coming off a 63-10 blowout loss to the Indiana Hoosiers.