Lincoln Riley hopeful that USC will get multiple players back for UCLA game

USC is battling injuries coming down the stretch, which has contributed to the Trojans struggling as of late.

Entering Saturday’s matchup against UCLA, USC has dropped four of its past five games.

Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley is hopeful that his team will be healthier for Saturday’s matchup against the Bruins, particularly in the secondary.

“I think we will. I think we’ll have a chance to get a handful of guys back, which will be good,” Riley said on Trojans Live on Monday. “Especially, as you said, the secondary has been the one that’s gotten the most hit by the injury bug. And so hopeful to get guys like Jaylin Smith and [Jacobe] Covington and some of those guys that have obviously been contributors, and then even some of the guys that played the other night, hopefully getting a chance for those guys to be healthier.”

Smith has been one of USC’s best defenders this season. The junior has 57 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a forced fumble on the year.

Covington has only been able to play in five games this season. He has eight tackles, a tackle for loss and an interception for the Trojans.

USC has some players who played last weekend against Oregon who weren’t close to 100 percent healthy. Riley is also hopeful that some of them will be closer to full strength on Saturday against UCLA.

“Had we had anybody else, we would’ve probably not played those guys in an effort to try to have them ready for this one,” Riley said. “Because some of them, honestly, probably weren’t well enough to play. So yea, I think we’ve got a chance to be better. Obviously see how the week unfolds, but certainly crossing our fingers.”

USC vs. UCLA point spread: Picking Trojans vs. Bruins

UCLA and USC meet this Saturday for a Week 12 clash in what will be the final matchup between the two schools as Pac-12 programs. The Trojans have opened as 6.5-point favorites over the Bruins — and On3’s Josh Newberg joined Andy Staples’ show to reveal his pick between the two in-city rivals.

Both teams began the year on a high, but the home stretch of the regular season hasn’t been kind to either program. Both teams are just barely bowl eligible — but there’s one major difference between the two programs. One has one of the most dynamic offenses in the country, while the other has failed to produce more than one touchdown in each of its last two losses.

“You’ve just got to put up points if you’re Chip Kelly — because that’s the reason you’re there,” Newberg told Staples. “They can bring in anybody and do what they’re doing right now. … I like USC big in this game. They still know how to score points. I don’t think UCLA can come up with the stops to slow USC down.”

According to Newberg, if USC doesn’t turn the ball over and plays a “somewhat” clean game, the Trojans should cruise to, at the minimum, a two-score victory. To Staples, all you need to look at are the last two weeks of the Bruins’ schedule to get a feel for what Saturday’s outcome will eventually look like.

“Losing 17-7 to Arizona State is a fireable offense — like, when I saw them when they lost Arizona the week before, my thought was, ‘Okay, Arizona is playing great. … And I liked Kenny Dillingham, I think he’s, he’s actually doing a good job given the circumstances.’ But that’s an inexcusable loss if you’re UCLA and you’re in Year 5 with Chip Kelly.”