Lincoln Riley on Injured Trojans, DTR and What's at Stake on Saturday Against UCLA

USC head coach Lincoln Riley covered a lot of ground in his Tuesday post-practice media availability. As usual, he didn’t get deep into injury updates, but he did touch on a few of the key injured Trojans. He spoke about his history against UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. And Riley gave a nod to the opportunity the Trojans have in front of them when they take the Rose Bowl field on Saturday evening.

Checking on the Injured Trojans

USC took the field the past three weeks without starting middle linebacker Eric Gentry and starting wide receiver Mario Williams. Star wide receiver Jordan Addison played sparingly against Colorado this past Friday. Safety Max Williams left the Colorado game partway through. And offensive guard Andrew Vorhees went to the sideline during the Colorado game after missing all of the Arizona game.

Those are significant names for the Trojans missing huge chunks of time.

Riley was asked specifically about Mario Williams and Gentry. Williams was in uniform on the sideline for the game at Arizona. Riley said he said during warmups that he wouldn’t be able to go. He warmed up in uniform ahead of the Colorado game but came out of the locker room for the game in street clothes. Gentry hasn’t participated in any warmups ahead of games since leaving the Utah game with an injury.

“They’re doing well,” Riley said of the two. “They’re practicing, progressing. It’s an inexact science. We’re at Tuesday morning right now. But we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to rep some of them both in the game.”

As to Max Williams’ status, Riley said the veteran safety benefitted from the Colorado game taking place on Friday night.

“Able to participate some, which has been a positive,” Riley said.

Addison taking the field for USC against Colorado was a great sign for the Trojans. He caught a quick throw on the first play of the game and then wasn’t really a factor after that. But it was important for him to get some game reps after missing two weeks and with UCLA up ahead.

“Moved around good,” Riley said of Addison during his appearance on Monday night’s Trojans Live radio show. “We didn’t want to overdo anything. We just kind of put him out there and let the offense go…He moved well. It was good for him, I think, just get out there, get some confidence back.”

Riley said Addison wasn’t 100% healthy for Colorado but they expect him to be full-go for UCLA.

Riley on DTR

This will be the third time Lincoln Riley faces off against UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The Bruin’s signal-caller threw for 455 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in two losses during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

In the 2018 edition, Thompson-Robinson went up against Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray.

Riley joked Tuesday that Thompson-Robinson must have been about 15 at the time of that meeting, considering how long it feels since Murray has been in college.

“He was impressive from the jump,” Riley said of Thompson-Robinson. “The second year when we came out here to the Rose Bowl, you could tell he had really improved. And it looks like he’s just continued that trajectory.”

Riley said it’s evident from the confidence that he plays with how much football Thompson-Robinson has played and how much time he’s spent in that system.

Thompson-Robinson has far more experience in this USC – UCLA rivalry. But Riley said he likes the experience USC quarterback brings to this one.

“Caleb’s played in a lot of, not only rivalry games, but games with title implications,” Riley said. “Those get different this time of year. Both guys are obviously very good players. But I like where our guy’s been and some of the battles he’s been in. And I think that will help him play well.”

What’s on the Line this Saturday

Riley isn’t going to go overboard when it comes to hyping up this rivalry game. He said it’s more about the players being prepared to play well as opposed to playing a rival. But for the Trojans, Saturday doesn’t just represent an opportunity to beat the Bruins. A win at the Rose Bowl would guarantee USC a spot in the conference championship on Dec. 2.

“They’re aware,” Riley said of the Trojans. “We’ve talked repeatedly, especially as we got into the back half of the season…understand there’s a great opportunity there. I don’t know that we have to define it.”

Riley said after the loss to Utah that USC’s opportunities weren’t over. Teams that put their heads down and just win games have a way of being in the picture at the end. He said two weeks ago that he didn’t care at all where the Trojans were ranked in the initial CFP Rankings. It’s all about posting wins and controlling the controllable.

“If you keep improving, keep getting yourself chances to win and go out there on Saturdays and win ballgames, then they’re going to get more fun and there’s going to be more and more opportunities and more things riding on them,” Riley said. “And that’s what makes these games even better. It’s the best part of the year. These are the most fun to play in. This is what you do all this for. This is what you work so hard for. So, we’re right where we expected to be, and great opportunity. Now the focus is going to be going and taking advantage of it.”