Lincoln Riley reveals USC's mindset after falling behind to Texas A&M

Lincoln Riley never doubted that USC would find a way to come back despite trailing most of the game against Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Trojans were down 24-14 entering the fourth quarter before rallying to take their first lead of the game with 4:30 remaining.

However, the Aggies would answer with a touchdown of their own on the next drive to make it 31-28 with less than two minutes to go. USC didn’t buckle, however, as Jayden Maiava took the team 75 yards downfield before throwing a 7-yard touchdown to Kyle Ford to win the game.

Speaking in his postgame press conference, Riley talked about where the confidence in his team came from and what it meant to see them respond the way they did.

“I just think we didn’t flinch,” he said. “We’re a pretty battle-tested group. We’ve been through a lot this year. We’ve been in a lot of big games. Been in a lot of games that have obviously come down to the end of it. So there wasn’t really anything in this game that could happen, I felt like, where we were gonna just totally flinch. That doesn’t mean we were gonna play perfect, but I knew we would stay with it. There wasn’t one thought in my mind that we wouldn’t.”

USC never trailed by more than 10 points, hanging around and keeping itself in the game to give itself a chance at the end. Maiava finished with 295 yards and four touchdowns to three interceptions.

Even in the midst of being behind, it was the composure of the players on the sideline that gave Riley the belief that the comeback would be completed.

“The attitude leading into the game and then their attitude on the sideline, the way everybody was lifting each other up, nobody was down,” he said. “They just kept going. They knew we were gonna get ourselves back in it. I think there was a confidence on the sideline. That’s that hardness and that toughness starting to develop in this program. There was a lot of example of that this year and it was great to be able to finish on a great note where that was required.”

The victory allowed USC to conclude its third season under Riley with a 7-6 record and marks the second straight year the Trojans have won a bowl game. They’ll look to carry that momentum over into the next season for an even better finish.