After a very positive first season, Lincoln Riley took a step backwards with USC football in 2023. Riley joined the Trojans before the 2022 season, and year one was promising. USC finished the regular season 11-1, and they would've been a College Football Playoff team if they had beaten Utah in the Pac-12 title game. USC had high expectations for the 2023 season with Heisman winner Caleb Williams returning, but it was an extremely disappointing season. Their defense was a big reason why.
USC football had one of the worst defenses in college football last year. Their offense was great, and they could score a lot of points, but they rarely got stops. That's why they say that defense wins championships. It's hard to win football games when you can't get stops.
Lincoln Riley knows that his defense has to be much better this year if his Trojans want any chance in the Big Ten, and he seems confident that things are turning around.
“Our defense, we know that's an area we have to have a jump,” Riley said at Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday, according to a tweet from Brett McMurphy. “People inside the walls, who actually know what's going on, fuel that momentum.”
One thing that Riley has done this offseason to help the defense is the hiring of D'Anton Lynn. Alex Grinch was the previous DC for USC, and he simply wasn't getting the job done. Riley had to move on from him, and he did. He then took Lynn away from the Trojans' cross-town rival, UCLA.
According to Riley, a lot of people wanted this defensive coordinator job. NFL experience and a vision helped D'Anton Lynn get the gig.
“The number of names that wanted this job was pretty cool,” Riley said. “I loved his NFL experience & we shared a lot of similar beliefs on how great defenses should be played.”
USC football ended the 2023 season on a high note
The 2o23 season was an overall disappointment for the USC football team, and Lincoln Riley knows that. The Trojans returned the best player in college football following an 11-1 regular season, and they followed it up with a 7-5 dud. However, the Holiday Bowl against Louisville gave Trojans fans some hope for the future.
USC football fans got their first real taste of their new quarterback, Miller Moss, in the Holiday Bowl. Caleb Williams opted out as he was a lock to be the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, so Moss got the start. Louisville was a good team that went all the way to the ACC title game, and they were big favorites over the Trojans in that game. However, Moss led USC to their best performance of the year.
Everything was clicking for USC as they won 42-28 in the Holiday Bowl, and Miller Moss threw six touchdown passes. That got Trojans fans feeling good about the future with Moss leading the way, and Riley loved the way the team looked in that game.
“The bowl game was the most together our team was all year,” Riley said.
USC is hoping that they can carry the momentum over to the 2024 season. This is a crucial year for Lincoln Riley.
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