Jordan Addison reveals Lincoln Riley's message before USC's game-winning drive

On Saturday, the USC Trojans pulled off a come-from-behind victory to avoid anupset on the road against Oregon State. USC scored the go-ahead touchdown with just over one minute left in the game on a pass from star quarterback Caleb Williams to star receiver Jordan Addison. The Trojans survived that scare thanks to their star offensive players coming up big when it counted the most and also some strong words of inspiration from their head coach Lincoln Riley.

On Tuesday, during the Trojans’ practice, Addison revealed Riley’s message to the team before their game-winning drive.

“It’s our moment. It’s 0-0. This is where great offenses perform, in games like this. So let’s go out there and show everybody why we are a good offense,” said Addison.

It might not have been much, but Riley’s message hit home with his players as they were finally able to put a drive together late to take the lead. That 17-14 advantage was the Trojans’ first lead of the night and would prove to be all they needed as they went on to win by that score.

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Addison continues to come up big for the Trojans and has proved to be Williams’s favored go-to receiver when converting drives into touchdowns. On the season, Addison has recorded 21 receptions for 337 yards and six touchdowns. And not only do his six touchdowns pace the team, but it is also double the number of touchdown receptions of the rest of the team.

Up next for the Trojans is a home matchup against the Arizona State Sun Devils. While it may have been exciting to some to enjoy the late-game theatrics, expect for the Trojans to come out with a better sense of purpose, especially since narrowly escaping an upset last Saturday.

Paul Finebaum weighs in on USC, answers whether Trojans are contender or pretender

Through four games, the Lincoln Riley era at USC is off to a great start. The Trojans have opened 4-0 with a Top-20 offense and a Top-30 defense. They have started 2-0 in Pac-12 play as well after this weekend’s close encounter with Oregon State. While some are still hesitant on putting USC amongst the elite yet, Paul Finebaum has come around on the Trojans amidst their start.

Finebaum broke down USC’s College Football Playoff chances in an appearance on ‘Keyshawn, JWill & Max’. He said the Trojan’s 2022 campaign will now come down to their matchups with Utah and Notre Dame with both games, specifically their games against the Utes, set to determine their fate.

“I don’t care what happened the other night (at Oregon State). USC is down to about a two-game season and they are a legitimate show to make the playoff. I didn’t believe that before the season. There was no reason to believe it. It felt like a lot of Hollywood hype, but it’s real,” said Finebaum. “Should they be able to negotiate this game against Utah in a few weeks, which will be extraordinarily difficult, I think they have a very good chance of making the playoff.”

Finebaum felt like one of the biggest knocks on Riley so far was that he was still being measured up by Oklahoma. The two programs will be linked all season long because of the way Riley left Norman. However, the Sooners slipped up this weekend with a loss to Kansas State. With that in mind, the comparison stops there for Finebaum.