Lincoln Riley issues powerful statement with Ohio State win, postgame comment

USC scored one of the biggest wins of coach Lincoln Riley‘s tenure on Saturday night, knocking off No. 2 Ohio State by a score of 30-18. The Trojans were in complete control of the game for the vast majority of the evening.

After the game, Riley wrapped up his press conference by pulling out a sheet of paper and reading from a prepared statement. Clearly he’s heard the noise surrounding the program, and he wanted to let everyone know where his allegiance lies.

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“I’ve got one other thing I want to say here,” Riley said. “I just took a second, I wanted to make sure to articulate my thoughts. This program’s not built on internal joy; it is, excuse me, built on internal joy, not external applause. This win is for all the staff members, the players, the leaders, admin, all the people within the walls.

“I said before this game that I’m the right person for this job, and as long as all those people know that that’s all I care about. I appreciate being a part of this university and all it does. I appreciate our kids and our staff, and I’m going to continue to Fight On, because that’s what being a Trojan’s all about. Adios.”

Lincoln Riley has certainly dealt with his fair share of doubters during his five-year tenure as the program’s head coach. He’s had some real success, winning 11 games in 2022, his first year in charge, as quarterback Caleb Williams won the Heisman Trophy.

But sustaining that level of success has proven difficult. USC has recorded 8-5, 7-6 and 9-4 seasons since then. This win, though, could change the trajectory that the program has been on.

USC will face Indiana on the road in two weeks after a bye with a chance to score another of those elusive marquee wins. Such a win would likely vault the Trojans into the thick of the playoff conversation.

You can’t fault Riley for being aware of the outside noise, either. It was growing to a deafening roar after the team suffered a 24-7 loss to Wisconsin a week ago. Even USC legends were quick to chime in.

“To go into Madison and sort of lay the egg they did, especially on offense, was a little bit alarming because you know when we think of Lincoln Riley and these offenses, they always can score points, move the ball,” former Trojans superstar Matt Leinart said on College Sports Radio on Sirius XM this week. “I think the problem is this … obviously I’m critical of USC when I think you should be critical, and I also praise them because I think they are a good football team. But you know, they haven’t proven that they can win a game like [Ohio State].”

Lincoln Riley answered that concern on Saturday in resounding fashion. He spoke his piece after the game. Now we all wait to see if he can repeat the feat again in two weeks in a game of increasing importance.