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Lincoln Riley says USC’s run defense played ‘like a boss’ for much of game vs. Michigan
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Lincoln Riley wasn’t happy with the end result last Saturday at Michigan, where his USC Trojans let a potential galvanizing victory over the defending national champions slip away in the final moments.
The 27-24 gut punch of a loss dropped USC from the ranks of the unbeaten after 2 wins to open the season, and the defeat dropped the Trojans 2 spots in the latest AP Poll to No. 13.
But after an extra-long plane ride home from Ann Arbor to Los Angeles, Riley found a silver lining in his team’s performance, including the run defense, which he said played “like a boss” for most of the contest.
After Tuesday’s practice in preparation for a Week 5 home matchup against Wisconsin, Riley expounded on what he saw from his team’s run defense, which did allow Michigan to churn out 290 yards on the ground but also showed good signs.
“The tape revealed, we saw 47 runs, and we played 43 of them like a bunch of bosses,” said Riley. “Now, it doesn’t excuse the fact that the three long ones they got out, we got to make those 10- or 12-yard runs. When somebody runs it that amount of times and they’re a talented group, they’re going to get through clean like every now and again.
“We got to limit those to a 10-yard run, a 12-yard run,” Riley continued. “If it is, we probably give up 7 points in the game.”
USC will try to get back on the winning track on Saturday against the Badgers in a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on CBS.