Lincoln Riley Finds Meaning in USC's Late Goal Line Stand
USC’s goal line stand in the final minute of the Trojans’ 45-17 win against Fresno State meant absolutely nothing in terms of winning or losing the game. But those four tackles might mean everything when it comes to the program head coach Lincoln Riley is building at USC.
“That’s what we’re about,” Riley said after calling that his favorite sequence of the game. “No matter who thinks the game’s over, or this doesn’t matter, it all matters to us. And if you’re going to be a champion, it’s got to all matter. For our guys to get that stop right there at the end to close the game was as meaningful as anything that happened tonight.”
The tackle on first down came on the edge from backup cornerback Jacobe Covington. On second down, lineman Stanley Ta’ufo’ou brought the running back down for a solo tackle at the one-yard line. Third down resulted in a stop by reserve linebacker Ralen Goforth. On fourth down, linebacker Raesjon Davis met Fresno State running back Malik Sherrod at the line of scrimmage and four other Trojan defenders helped Davis drive him backwards to set the final score.
Strain and finish are two things defensive coordinator Alex Grinch preaches to his defensive players. He saw it on that series.
“Call it a meaningless score, but it’s only meaningless if you attach that moniker to it,” Grinch said. “It obviously did mean something. It might be a bigger thing that any of us realize.”
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It’s not just coachspeak, either. A vast majority of the defensive starters weren’t on the field for those plays. But they were very much involved. Linebacker Eric Gentry was one of the more vocal supporters.
“I told them championship teams finish,” Gentry said. “Championship teams, the starters cheer on the players…They were locked in like the game was on the line. I was really, really happy to see that because we’re still trying to find the standard. You just try to do that, to be able to stop them on fourth and goal at the end of the game. Half of the stadium is gone and you think nobody is interested. But it means a lot. Twenty-four versus 17 means a lot.”
The Lasting Impact
This is a game in which USC allowed 421 total yards and 5.1 yards per rushing attempt. There is plenty to clean up and improve upon on that side of the ball. But there was a lot to like about those final plays and what they say about the mentality of this team and this program now.
That stop won’t do anything to slow down a very good Oregon State rushing attack in a tough atmosphere for the Trojans. But it does send them into this week on a positive note. It’s another example of this USC team taking strides toward becoming the type of team they believe they can be.
