Lincoln Riley's USC Trojans embracing 'next man up' mentality

Without several key players, the Trojans rallied to play one of their best stretches of football this season, outscoring a good Washington State team 13-0 in the second half

Most of what USC showed in Saturday’s 30-14 victory over Washington State can be seen as positive. 

Down their best linebacker in Shane Lee and their best defensive back in Calen Bullock - who was ejected for targeting - the Trojans gave up just 14 points and held the Cougars scoreless in the second half.

USC didn't force any turnovers, but they (eventually) found a way to contain Washington State's quarterback and get the Cougars off the field on third down. 

Head coach Lincoln Riley was pleased with the way his team played, particularly in the second half. 

“That’s one of the 25 best teams in the country that we just played, there’s no doubt about it," Riley said. "Coach (Jake) Dickert and his staff have done a tremendous job. We found a way to win there, and again, despite some of the adversity, we came away with a big time win. So we’re thrilled with the win, and onto the next one.”

Here are four key takeaways from USC's sixth consecutive victory:

USC FOUND SUCCESS LEANING INTO THE RUN GAME

Photo by Jason Goode

Quarterback Caleb Williams threw for just 188 yards, completing 15 of 29 throws, but the Trojans’ run game drove the offense for the majority of the night. Travis Dye went for 149 yards and a touchdown on 28 touches.

Dye praised his offensive line for opening up the field for him after the game. “All credit goes to the O-line. That defensive line is crazy good, and that defensive coordinator can really dial it up. The O-line was identifying everything and blocking it. It was wonderful tonight, all credit to them,” Dye said.

Riley said he was proud of the way Dye stepped up again Saturday to turn in his fourth 100-yard performance of the season. “He’s a tough player. He’s a very reliable player. I just have a lot of trust and faith in what we’re going to get out of him each and every week. Our team knows, our line does. You have to win these different ways. You have to find ways to move the ball if something’s not working,” he said. “It’s just to continue to find ways and adapt to the situations, and we adapted, and he was a big part of it.”

“Even on days when we’re not our best, we can still come out and compete. That’s something scary for us because honestly if we really come out three and do what we’re supposed to do and put our right foot forward, we’re gonna be a dominant force, and I can’t wait to see that,” wide receiver Brendan Rice said.

ARE THE TROJANS A SECOND-HALF TEAM?

Much like the Arizona State game, this was another performance showcasing a reinvigorated USC team in the second half.

“We should have attacked the moment a little better. We came out a little flat. We need to carry it all the way through four quarters. We have yet to play a four quarter game. We have yet to show what we’re really capable of, and we’re gonna go back to work on Monday and we’re gonna get this thing right,” Rice said.

The conversations after the Arizona State game and all week at practice were about bringing full energy and focus from the jump and not coming out flat again in the first half, and the Trojans were slightly better about that, but still not quite where they wanted to be.”

“I felt like we didn’t come out as flat as we did last week. There’s still a lot of things to work on energy-wise, but I feel like we came out with some better energy than last week,” Dye said.

When asked about how the team turns it up at halftime, defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said “I wish there was a magic answer. If there was, then you probably do it before halftime.” He can’t quite pin down the difference but credits his players for recommitting to executing their individual assignments, which translates to the quality defensive possessions they put together on Saturday.

USC EMBRACING 'NEXT MAN UP' MENTALITY

Losing two key defensive starters did not seem to be a problem for the Trojans, and the guys who filled in were ready for the moment. “All our guys are ready to play. Next man up mentality,” said cornerback Mekhi Blackmon, who wasn’t surprised by the way some of the second-stringers stepped up.

“Yeah, I think for the most part, I mean, every guy did [step up]. I mean, I think Ralen [Goforth’s] role went up in terms of linebacker, and [Tuasivi Nomura] played some as well. And then at safety, a mix of Anthony Beavers and Bryson Shaw, both held up very well, versus a team that likes to throw the ball,” Grinch said.

“Ralen stepped up and had an amazing game, so I wasn’t really worried, it’s next man up. Shane, he’s fine, you know he’s trying to help us as much as he can,” Eric Gentry said.

“The resilience is unique. Calen goes down, Shane is down, it’s a lot of guys banged up right now. We’re all hurting, but you know, at the end of the day, that’s football, and that shows the toughness that we have as a group, the brotherhood that we have as a group, you know, you’re not just doing it for yourself, you’re doing it for the man next to you,” said Goforth, who filled in for Lee.

Many players and coaches also had high praise for Tuli Tuipulotu, who recorded three sacks and set the tone for USC’s defense.

IS THIS TEAM GOOD ENOUGH TO MEET LOFTY EXPECTATIONS?

This game probably went the way a lot of people expected it to. Washington State’s pass rush was able to pose some problems for USC’s offense. When the Cougars made things happen, it was because Cameron Ward was doing things with his legs, or USC’s suspect run defense opened up in the middle of the field.

Even though the offense didn’t look great, USC proved it can run the ball; Travis Dye went for 150 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. Putting up 30 on an off day against a quality team that should probably have been undefeated coming into this one is a good sign.

But it never felt like the sixth best college football team in the country was playing in the Coliseum Saturday night. Nothing came easy for the Trojans, really on either side of the ball. Way too many second-and-10s to start drives for the Trojans, not as many wide open receivers as would be expected from such an elite receiver room, and too many punts, including consecutive three-and-outs at one point.

The defense was still giving up third down conversions on ridiculous scramble-drill type plays, and the Cougars scoring back-to-back touchdowns to take a lead was also cause for concern.

Ahead of this game Washington State ranked 11th in pass defense among the Pac-12, a conference that isn’t exactly known for being stuffed with elite defensive teams. Shouldn’t an offense featuring arguably a top five quarterback, wide receiver, running back, head coach, and receiver room be able to rack up more than 200 passing yards?

If the Trojans couldn’t string together big chunks of yardage through the air against this team, they won’t be able to against the likes of Utah and Notre Dame, let alone a top opponent out of the SEC or Big 10 in the event that USC makes the College Football Playoff.

Maybe they had a bad day. But that’s the third time that statement has summarized one of USC’s six wins thus far. Best case, they’ll have a “bad day” soon enough against a team that will punish them for it. Worst case, this was just a regular day, and this is simply what USC’s offense is.