USC Football: Lincoln Riley Explains Team's "Only Goal" Ahead Of Must-Win Oregon Game

He hit the nail on the head with this one.

USC's ambitious postseason hopes are all but over, as the Trojans already sit at 7-3, and now have an incredibly difficult matchup today against the 8-1 Oregon Ducks in Eugene.

While making a solid bowl game is still in the cards, the Trojans' main goal should be shifted to improving their defense.

Doing so not only makes today's game more winnable, but a good performance confirms that former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was the issue, improving the image of the program that recruits and transfers have. Already, recruits have begun to voice their support for Grinch's firing, suggesting that they'll be paying close attention to how the program responds, and if he was really the constraint on this defense.

Moving off of Grinch is huge for the program, but it also means that the defense has a lot of adjusting to do. They're being asked to become familiar with new co-defensive coordinators Shaun Nua and Brian Odom in less than a week, and then take on top Heisman candidate Bo Nix's 8-1 Oregon Ducks. 

When asked about the exceedingly difficult challenge that lies ahead, here's what Lincoln Riley had to say, per Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times:

“The only goal right now is getting this team, getting our defense, ready to play this week as well as we possibly can,” said Riley, who added coaches still spent their typical time breaking down the film. “That’s the only goal, the only focus. We went forward with that mindset.”

Entering this week's prep with what seems to be a collectively increased emphasis on the defense, expect USC to come out strong in what could end up being one of the best games of today's slate of college football. 

Oregon is well-coached with a lethal aerial attack and an NFL quarterback. And, given how how much the Trojans have struggled against great offenses and big plays dating back to the Helton era, it's hard to be particularly confident in this group's potential going into today's game. 

We'll see if Nua and Odom can get the job done, but we're looking at a few years back since the last time the Trojans' defense was formidable against a quality opponent. 

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