Justin Wilcox shares key to stopping USC on offense

When Lincoln Riley took over the USC job, he was expected to build one of the best offenses in the country. With the help of the transfer portal, Riley was able to do that, revitalizing the program, which is now ranked 9th in the College Football Playoff rankings. This week, USC is going to push forward and through California and head coach Justin Wilcox.

However, Justin Wilcox knows that stopping USC won’t be easy to do. While speaking to the media, he was asked about what it would take to stop USC schematically.

“Limit the explosive plays,” Justin Wilcox said. “Which is simple in concept but more difficult to do if you look at–there’s a reason, again, you go back, there’s a lot of people that are good football coaches and there’s good players in our conference and these guys they put up 43 or whatever it is a game.”

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Justin Wilcox emphasized that there to limit the explosive plays there are several important things that you need to take care of, which are designed to counter how USC is going to try and create explosive plays.

“But, to play good football, you’ve got to have your numbers right and you’ve got to limit the explosives and make some one-on-one tackles or one-on-one plays on the ball. Because, the style of offense that they employ, and a lot of folks do, is they create isolations and make you tackle. Then, in the pass game, they can protect it and if the quarterback can get out of trouble, you may have to cover longer. If you’re not quite able to get him on the ground within 2.7 seconds and that play goes three, four, five, six, seven seconds, then the secondary and the cover guys are gonna have to attach to people, and when the ball is thrown you got to make a play on it.”

However, even though this is going to be a difficult game for California, Justin Wilcox thinks his team is up for the challenge.

“So, again, simple in concept, but it’s a challenge and that’s what our guys live for. I mean, that’s why you sign up to play is you want to play against the best and these are some of the best.”

Justin Wilcox on Cal’s future against USC

Justin Wilcox was also asked about the future of Cal and USC. Given that USC is leaving for the Big Ten, the future of the series is in doubt. However, Wilcox doesn’t have a crystal ball about what the future holds.

“I don’t know. That’d be up to the administration and chancellor. I’m sure there’s a lot of people that would be involved. I’d be all for that,” Justin Wilcox said.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen moving forward. Again, so much is changing so rapidly. And that’s really not where my head’s at right now. But I’m sure that there’s a lot of people that are discussing those things, so I’ll leave that to them.”