Lincoln Riley: USC took recent series history with Stanford personally in Week 2

Lincoln Riley was brought in to turn around the USC football program. Through two weeks, it’s so far so good in Los Angeles. That’s especially so after Saturday night’s 41-28 win over Stanford. To return to form, the Trojans will need to keep pace in the Pac-12. With their first conference road test behind them, Riley says his players took this one personally.

Riley opened his press conference by highlighting the importance of winning that game at Stanford. With the Cardinals winning 10 of the 16 matchups since 2007, this is a game Riley and his team wanted badly.

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“We’re really excited about the win,” said Riley. “We came down here for one reason. This series has been extremely one-sided over the last 15 years, especially here. We took that personal.”

The Trojans left little doubt in the victory. Stanford closed the gap in the second half, but USC entered halftime up 35-14. It’s a complete turnaround from last season when Stanford won their matchup 42-28. That was Riley’s biggest takeaway from the game. The change in score says a lot to him about the progress his program is already making.

“I’m thrilled for the victory and that’s the number one thought and takeaway. Look at 12 months ago. This is a good Stanford team (but) a lot’s changed,” said Riley. “I’m proud of the way our guys responded. Road victories in conference are like gold. That was a huge win for us.”

Lincoln Riley’s team set the tone for their season over their first two wins. The Trojans started with a blowout over Rice and then capitalized on a road win in conference play. If this is their floor, there’s no telling where their ceiling could be. With a jump to No. 7 in this week’s AP Poll, Fresno State will have a lot to handle when they head to LA Memorial Coliseum next weekend.