USC Coach Lincoln Riley Gives Complicated Injury Updates Before Nebraska Game

The No. 23 USC Trojans are just days away from a road Big Ten showdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

USC coach Lincoln Riley spoke to reporters after practice and gave an update on if he expects his offensive linemen (Killian O' Connor, Elijah Paige, etc) to be healthy enough to return to the lineup. The injury report is both good and bad - a little bit complicated for the Trojans geading to Lincoln.

What Lincoln Riley Said

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Offensive Line Injury Updates Nebraska Cornhuskers Big Ten Starter Jayden Maiava Killian O' Connor — Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley talks on his headset in the third quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Hopeful About Offensive Line Being Back Together This Week?

“I definitely think we’re making progress. We’ve got a couple of lingering things that some of these guys are able to start doing some things on the field and then you’re trying to judge the different between being able to do a few drills in practice and then realistically being able to go in and play in a game.”

“We’re trying to judge that with these guys. We got a couple guys that are close, but also dealing with a couple nagging things that have held us back…We’re trying to keep as much continuity there as we can.”

Is Sam Johnson (Punter) Injured?

“No. He had prior commitment off the field thing. He’s all good. He’ll be back tomorrow.”

Redshirts?

“No, not really. Most of our redshirts I think were pretty well defined. I think the kids from the outside have struggled a little bit. I know the NCAA finally came out and said they’re not going to do the five for five right now.”

“Some of the back and forth on that, I think both them and the schools, not just us have been trying to make decisions playing, just guessing on what that’s going to be like. I still have a hard time imagining that won’t happen at some point…We’ll see what happens from that.”

Second Time This Season Coming Out of Bye Week Off A Loss

“I think there’s a confidence that we did handle the bye well and we got better as a team and we’re able to respond and play well. It’s a new challenge. New matchup, all of that. You take some of the things that we did. You take the confidence from it and we poured a lot into that first bye week and then that prep week the following week and the play showed, so we got to be willing to put it all on the line again.”

“I do think we’ve improved. I think we learned a lot about ourselves with some of these really good matchups that we’ve had here as of late. We know what we got to do…Just got to do a great job of it.”

Young Guys That Have Made A Jump in Bye Week

“It’s been great getting a couple of the young secondary guys a few more reps; (Kendarius) Reddick and (Alex) Graham and some of those guys continuing to improve…We do have a pretty deep linebacking core, but I think some of our young linebackers are continuing to come along as well and have a chance to help us both this year and obviously in the future.”

“We’re still playing a handful of young guys on the defensive line as well and their improvements, whether it’s guys like Jahkeem (Stewart) and some of these guys that are new to ball or even a guy like Kam Crawford, who played a little bit of ball for us last year, is still young and growing.”

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Quarterback Change Last Year Heading into Nebraska Game

“The way that Jayden handled, both when he wasn’t the starter and then when he was I think set the stage for the player he’s started to become and what he means for this team and program right now. Handled it with class both ways and that made a huge difference when you’re going through something like that. Even to look back now at last year’s film…it’s a shocking difference.”

Nebraska’s Pass Defense

“They’ve been really good all year. They got a coupe of really gifted DB’s. They’ve been able to play some different lineups there. They do a good job of mixing up coverages, giving offenses a lot of different looks. Making competitive plays down the field when they do get aggressive, but they are also really disciplined in their zones as well…It will be a good challenge.”

Benefits of Having Coach Zach Hanson

“He’s done a great job, he really has. I think that was a hire that some people in the beginning maybe looked at a couple of times. It’s obviously an important position at a place like this, but it was really a no-brainer hire for us. And he’s done an awesome job just building the mentality in the room, building the depth.”

“To miss the guys that we’ve missed this year, play with a different lineup with all the guys out and really the guys have played at a pretty high level…We look like a well coached unit right now and I give him a lot of credit…It’s a great room right now…As you look forward the next few years, it’s just going to get better and better.”