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On Sunday evening, USC football head coach Lincoln Riley and his Trojans will get their 2024 college football season underway with a date vs the LSU Tigers from the neutral location of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The game will mark USC's foray into the post-Caleb Williams era, and Riley is hoping to find his first real taste of success since leaving the Oklahoma football program two years ago.
One thing that has consistently kept USC football from being competitive over the last couple of years has been the team's defense, as the Trojans have consistently been eviscerated by opposing offenses, offsetting their own elite offensive output during many of those games. It follows then that Riley and his staff wanted to shore up that end of the field this offseason, and USC did so by adding several names in the transfer portal, including safety Kamari Ramsey from USC as well as linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and safety Akili Arnold from Oregon State.
Recently, Riley broke down the team's approach to building up the defense as well as the opportunity that sits in front of them on Sunday evening, per Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.
“You've got to get off to a good start, just get some confidence,” said Riley. “At places like this and like [LSU], once you get some momentum going, then it'll take hold. All of a sudden, we'll recruit a little bit better and it just builds and builds and builds. It takes that spark to get it going, and obviously, we both made some big changes in search of that. Both get their first chance on that type of stage, to see what we've got.”
How will USC football fare this season?
As previously mentioned, Sunday evening will mark the first game in two years that the Trojans will play without star quarterback and Heisman trophy winner Caleb Williams, who has since taken his talents to the NFL level, on the roster. Instead, it will be Miller Moss under center for the Trojans to open up the year vs LSU.
Further complicating matters for Riley and company is the recent conference realignment, which means that USC has dates with talented teams like Michigan and Penn State which weren't previously on the schedule.
In any case, the Trojans will have a huge opportunity to make an epic opening statement for their season on Sunday evening. The game is slated to kick off at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN.
