USC Football: Where Lincoln Riley Ranks Surprise Holiday Bowl W In His Prolific Career
The USC Trojans end the nightmare 2023 season in a W and in grand fashion.
Thanks to their quarterback, Miller Moss, the Trojans took care of business against the Louisville Cardinals in the Holiday Bowl. Boy, was he spectacular, wasn't he? Although Moss stole the show, the entire team played like the team we all thought they would be in 2023. From start to finish, the Trojans gave us a glimpse of what could've been and what could be for the 2024 season.
Fans, players, and even coaches, including head coach Lincoln Riley, loved what they saw. Riley spoke to LA Times staff writer Thuc Nhi Nguyen and said this win was the most fun he's had as a head coach.
“Honestly, all the years and wins and stuff, this was as fun a win as I can remember as a head coach,” said Riley, who got a bucket of egg nog dumped on his head after the trophy ceremony. “Just with all the changes, all the back and forth, six weeks, 20-plus guys that didn’t play in this game for different reasons. We could have come into this game not caring about it. … I thought the team leadership in this game was as strong as it was the entire year. I thought that was a big reason why the guys played the way we did.”
If you had told USC fans, players, and coaches they would've been in the Holiday Bowl at the start of the season, we all would've laughed. Now, a day later, many fans feel about what's to come after winning the Holiday Bowl.
The expectation at USC is to win championships, and this season, they were far from it due to many limitations on defense. But that seems to be fixed, at least on paper, and we'll have to wait and see what they offer.
Greatness takes time; it doesn't happen overnight, and Riley realizes that. On the outside looking in, a win in this bowl game doesn't seem as much, but for Riley and his staff, it means the world considering how things transpired this season.
Onward and upward!
