Lincoln Riley dismisses impact of new clock rules

The NCAA made changes to the way the game clock is managed to help speed up the length of games. The governing powers changed the game clock to a running game clock unless the ball goes out of bounds or on first downs but only if it’s under two minutes in the second and fourth quarters.

While some college football coaches are up in arms about the rule change, USC’s head coach, Lincoln Riley, has no quarrel with the updates. Recently, the Trojans’ headman addressed the new clock rules, dismissing the notion of the change having a significant impact on the outcome of games.

“Maybe one possession a game,” said Riley. “I mean, there’s some times when you look up, and there’s a little bit more off the clock than you feel. But I don’t think it’s as drastic as everybody else is making it out to be.

“Am I in favor of it? Probably not. I think we got a great product. I think less of it is not good. I mean, we don’t play 20-something games. But do I think it’s a huge deal, like some game-altering decision? Not really. I think just a lot of people have opinions on it, and at the end of the day, here in a few weeks, nobody will be talking about it.”

Reiley’s offense can be fast-paced and high-tempo, so the clock rules wouldn’t carry much of an impact on how USC calls plays. But as the Trojans headman pointed out, it shortens the length of games, and that could be bad for the sport in the long run.

Riley explains why Tahj Washington thrives in USC’s system

When USC kicked off the season in Week 0, Tahj Washington was on the receiving end of the first electric play. After Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams recovered from a fumble on a play-action attempt, he found Washington galloping down the right side for a 76-yard touchdown, the longest of his career.

It’s been that way ever since Washington arrived on campus in 2021 as a transfer from Memphis. Through a coaching change in his second season and the addition of several transfer receivers the past two years, he’s managed to remain one of USC’s most productive playmakers.

On the Trojans Live radio show Tuesday, Riley praised the receiver for his selflessness, saying his willingness to take on any task has earned him respect from teammates and coaches alike.

“He’s one of the most unselfish players I’ve ever coached,” Riley said. “He just comes to work every single day. He’s really competitive. There’s no job too big and no job too small. He’s just tremendous. He’s a great special teams player. He’s a great blocker. He’s really focused. He’s really worked hard at his craft. There was a laundry list of things when we got here evaluating that we knew he needed to improve on quickly. We laid those out for him in the plan and he just takes it and runs with it.”