ABC reveals 9.2 million viewers for LSU vs USC, third-best Sunday opener ever

USC‘s exhilarating 27-20 win over LSU on Sunday averaged 9.2 million viewers on ABC and peaked at 11.1 million, per ESPN PR. Further, it was ABC’s second-most watched Week 1 on record, with 8 million viewers across its four games.

It was a barn burner between USC and LSU, with three lead changes throughout the game. USC ultimately escaped with a win when running back Woody Marks punched in an 11-yard touchdown run with eight seconds left in the game.

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In the victory, USC quarterback Miller Moss was fantastic, completing 75% of his pass attempts for 378 yards and a touchdown without throwing an interception. After the game, USC head coach Lincoln Riley raved about his team’s performance.

“Opportunities like this don’t come every single day — high-profile opponent, all the exciting lead up to the game — so I’m glad that we took advantage of it,” Riley said. “But regardless of what happened today, it’s still not going to change what we’re building and a thing we’re doing.

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“We’re just so committed to it. Nothing’s going to change it. We’re just going to keep getting better and I’m proud of us for taking this step and getting this opportunity done today.”

Lincoln Riley addresses his critics after win

It was a statement win for USC and Riley after the program finished the 2023 campaign with an 8-5 record and 5-4 mark in conference play. After the game, Riley didn’t hesitate to address his past critics.

“I don’t coach for the media. I don’t coach for headlines. We just try to do what’s best in our program,” Riley said. “We try to stay incredibly committed to it regardless of what anybody says on the outside. Whether they agree with us or don’t agree with us is honestly irrelevant to us.”

USC was most scolded for its defense last season, which allowed 438.8 yards per game and ranked 120th in the country. In December, Riley addressed the problem by hiring former UCLA defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn to serve in the same role at USC.

Lynn’s presence was obvious on Saturday. Although LSU recorded 421 total yards of offense, USC only allowed the Tigers to convert five of their 13 third-down conversion attempts and squeezed one turnover out of them.