Lincoln Riley, Caleb Williams claim USC's defense won game vs. Arizona

Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams had to give props to the USC defense for the win over Arizona. The Trojans beat the Wildcats 43-41 in triple overtime so on the surface, it’s a curious statement.

However, the way the coach-quarterback combo explained it, the defense brought the team back. USC trailed 17-0 to underdog Arizona at one point.

Despite giving up 41 points, albeit with extra football played, Riley praised his USC defense.

“I thought we took some great steps,” Riley said postgame. “Again, when you go down 17-0, you get tested right there internally. Do you really believe? Are guys ready to really fight? As Jamil (Muhammad) said and I’ve said before, your culture gets tested quick, and the defense is what got us going. Defense is what won this football game. 

“It got us going in the beginning down 17-0 and closed it against a play that they’ve been running well all night. Closed it with a huge TFL to win the game, so I’m proud of those guys. We’re gonna get better. Missed a lot of pieces tonight. Even as the game went on, guys got in there and responded. So we’ll keep growing and I’m proud of their fight tonight.”

Williams made it clear the defense did a good job, immediately adding to his coach’s answer.

“We wouldn’t have won that game without defense,” Williams said. “We were down 17-0. So this whole defensive thing, our brothers, the score wouldn’t be 43-41 without them. So put it simply that way.”

USC defense the key in Trojans’ win

Riley noted the USC defense had to prepare for Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, while the team was unsure of which signal caller would play.

“We didn’t know which quarterback was going to play, so we prepared for both,” Riley said.
“I thought he played about like he did against Washington last week — pretty good. He’s got some boys, he’s got some playmakers. I thought he threw it to us a couple of times and they just went up and made a couple of tremendous individual plays. The kid’s got some poise and some moxie. He’s an impressive player for a young guy.”

Fifita finished with 303 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. If future quarterbacks have that type of performance against the USC defense, it might not end positively for the Trojans.

Next up, the USC defense has a big time game on the road, going to Notre Dame and having to defend Sam Hartman.