USC spring football game: Preview, TV schedule, storylines to watch
College football spring games usually aren't what you call must-watch TV, but this year's scrimmage at USC will be just that as the Lincoln Riley era kicks off.
A football powerhouse for decades, USC has fallen on hard times since Pete Carroll left, hasn't won a national championship since 2004, and hasn't come close to qualifying for the College Football Playoff.
This offseason, the school made the move it hopes will change all that. Riley comes to Southern Cal with a reputation as an offensive guru after five years at Oklahoma, where he earned three CFP bids and coached two Heisman-winning quarterbacks.
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He could have a third after bringing over former 5-star quarterback Caleb Williams, who originally pledged to Riley at Oklahoma, but who transferred to USC along with some other blue-chip talent from around the country.
Now, we get our first look at what kind of progress Riley has made with his new staff and roster. Here's how and what to watch as the Trojans take the field.
2022 USC spring football game schedule
When: Sat., April 23
Time: 3 p.m. Eastern
Where: L.A. Memorial Coliseum
TV: ESPN
Live stream: ESPN+
The four-letter network brought out the big guns to show the Trojans' spring scrimmage, with color analyst Kirk Herbstreit on hand in addition to commentator Joey Galloway and field reporter Molly McGrath at the Coliseum.
USC spring football: What to watch
1. Don't expect "tag". Riley was adamant that the spring game wasn't going to just be a game of touch football. Expect to see a more physical spectacle this weekend as the coach hopes to get a clearer picture of what his roster looks like. The move is also a ploy to get butts in the seats with memories of last season's sparsely-attended games still a recent memory and with ESPN showing the event on-site.
"It's not going to be a game of tag," Riley said. "We're going to play football, like we have every single day. It'll be fun. We're going to try and keep it pretty fast-paced. We'll play a half of football."
2. What's up at running back. Expect Oregon transfer back Travis Dye to take and hold the starting position after placing second in the Pac-12 with over 1,200 rushing yards last season.
But Riley wants this backfield to run deep behind him. Austin Jones, a Stanford transfer, will get attention, as will USC's top returning rusher, redshirt junior Darwin Barlow. 4-star freshman Raleek Brown will get involved this summer, too, and Riley, who always emphasizes balance on offense, is also talking about adding another piece via transfer.
3. Defensive upgrades. It's no secret this unit suffered badly last season. USC ranked 89th overall in total defense, was one of three Pac-12 teams to allow over 400 yards per game, gave up almost five TDs per game to conference foes, and posted the league's overall second-worst scoring defense (31.8 ppg), worse than Arizona and better than only Stanford.
Needless to say, Alex Grinch has his work cut out for him. Transfer corners Mekhi Blackmon and Latrell McCutchin are important additions, as is Alabama transfer linebacker Shane Lee. USC needs more bodies and depth just about everywhere on this defense, except perhaps safety. This weekend's game will be vital to sort out position battles and address persistent weaknesses.
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