USC Coach Riley Dismisses Criticism After Close Call

USC head coach Lincoln Riley has largely dismissed widespread criticism of his team's defensive performance, particularly after a narrow 35-30 victory over Rutgers on Sept. 19. Despite the close score against a team considered one of the weaker opponents in the Big Ten, Riley stated his focus remains on the team's performance and development.

"Yeah, I base my opinions on what I see on tape, I base my opinions on what I see in the thousands of hours that we put into this and that’s kind of where my opinions stay, so I really don’t have a response to that," Riley said when asked about the public and media scrutiny. "Our job is to win, our job is to continue to battle and continue to improve."

The Trojans' defense allowed 460 yards and 35 points to Rutgers, a performance that has drawn particular attention given the team's expectations and the early season schedule. Through the first four games, USC's defense ranks No. 60 nationally in yards allowed per game and No. 73 in points allowed per game. This marks the third consecutive season the Trojans' defense has struggled, with fans and analysts expressing concern that the issues have persisted despite defensive coordinator Gary Patterson's arrival.

Riley specifically pointed to the team's struggles on third and fourth downs against Rutgers, where the Scarlet Knights converted 6 of 11 third downs and 3 of 4 fourth downs. "We need to play a lot better on third down and fourth down than we did the other night, and that’s the biggest thing that we took away from that. So, we made a lot of big plays, but we’ve got to play steadier, and we’ve got to get off the field when we get the opportunities."

The Trojans, currently ranked No. 12, are preparing to face No. 20 Oregon on Saturday at the Coliseum. This matchup was anticipated as a significant game, though the recent performances of both teams have tempered some of the preseason excitement. Oregon also experienced an upset loss to Oklahoma State the week prior to USC's close call with Rutgers. Riley has a 0-2 record against Oregon.

USC's upcoming schedule includes challenging road games against No. 13 Penn State and No. 5 Indiana, as well as a home game against No. 7 Ohio State. A loss to Oregon could significantly impact USC's College Football Playoff aspirations, especially given the team's ongoing defensive concerns. Riley acknowledged the importance of the Oregon game, stating, "This game should have a lot riding on it and be important. It’s important to the fan bases, it’s important to college football. … It’s going to be an electric atmosphere."