USC Football: Lincoln Riley's Past Heisman QB Provides Insight on His Offensive Philosophy

Baker Mayfield knows a thing or two about his old coach's offensive tactics.

When it was announced that Lincoln Riley, formerly the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, had been hired by the University of Southern California, fans knew that their offense was about to take a significant step forward.

In Riley's first year as the Trojans' head coach, USC averaged 41.4 points per game, the fifth-highest in college football. This season, their average of 53.6 points per game is the most by nearly a touchdown.

In contrast, in the 2021-22 season — the year before Riley came to LA — USC scored just 28.7 points per game, outside of the top 50 in NCAA football.

Since becoming a head coach at Oklahoma, a Lincoln Riley-coached team hasn't finished outside the top 12 highest-scoring offenses.

Baker Mayfield, who played for Riley at Oklahoma and won the Heisman Trophy, knows how offensive-oriented the former quarterback's teams always are.

"I guess the main point is he tries to score more points than everybody," said Mayfield. "But, he doesn't make it easy on himself."

^{(Via Saturday Out West)}

The problem that has arisen in several games for Riley, including College Football Playoff matches, has been that damn defense.

Since becoming a head coach, Riley's best-performing defense in terms of points allowed per game ranked 34th overall. Across his seven seasons as a head coach, including his 50th-ranking defense this season, his team's average rank is around 64th overall.

Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has been present for four of those seven seasons and has often drawn criticism for how his defense has performed on the field.

The USC team doesn't need the defense to be a top-10 performing unit in college football to win games; they've shown they can win plenty without turning heads on defense.

But in the Trojans' big games against high-powered offenses like Oregon and Washington, even just one or two key stops or turnovers could give Caleb Williams and the electric USC offense a chance to make a run at a national title.