USC Football: Lincoln Riley Concedes He Has Several Regrets After Miserable Season Finish

It was a frustrating year all around for the Trojans.

USC Trojans football head coach Lincoln Riley remains one of the better coaches in the country, and it's a huge reason why the Trojans brought him into the program in the first place. He is expected to help bring this team back into national prominence, but so far, it's been anything but that.

This past season was frustrating all around for USC, and Riley knows that they need to improve. He even conceded that there were several regrets that came from the tough year.

"When it doesn’t go your way, there’s always regrets. There’s pieces with the team that I clearly didn’t handle good enough. I think the balance of the expectations versus how do we handle them, I did not do a good enough job with."

Per Antonio Morales of The Athletic

Riley knows that coaching at USC is very different than almost anywhere else in the country due to the expectations that come with the job. He is starting to feel the pressure a little bit, and that could end up being a good thing for the team's future success.

"I think, just overall, this is a special job. It’s a special place. It’s also really, really unique. You could go work at 20 different Division I football programs, have all this experience, all this and that and then you come here and there’s a lot of monster advantages, but there’s also a lot of this job that is very unique. And I think two years just being able to get a feel for the things that it takes to be successful here and not just successful in general, I know my vision for it and kind of what that is … it’s sharpened and it’s much more clear. I think that’s something you can only learn by being here and going through it."

Per Antonio Morales of The Athletic

The Trojans can use this past season as a motivating factor to never let it happen again. Entering the Big-10 next season, USC will need to be much better, otherwise, it will be more of the same for them.

"So, yeah, I know I’ve got to be a lot better. It starts with me. As you guys have seen, I’ve got no problem owning anything that’s not where it’s supposed to be. And I will get better and this program will get better. If everybody hangs in there, fun times are coming."

Per Antonio Morales of The Athletic

Patience isn't the name of the game with the Trojans, and the team does need to start seeing success again next season. His job is on the line now, and if he isn't careful, he could be looking for a new one within two years.

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