USC Trojans Coach Lincoln Riley Addresses Flu Outbreak Ahead Of UCLA Bruins Game

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley talked about the impact of D'Anton Lynn ahead of Saturday's contest against his former squad, the UCLA Bruins. The Trojans are also dealing with a flu outbreak heading into their matchup with their crosstown rivals.

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans cornerback Greedy Vance Jr. (21) celebrates after intercepting a pass against Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) for the game victory at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

USC Trojans coach D’Anton Lynn coached for nine seasons in the NFL before he became the defensive coordinator in 2023 for the UCLA Bruins. Now, Lynn prepares to face his former squad when the Trojans take on the Bruins at the Rose Bowl on Saturday. Coach Lincoln Riley hired Lynn away from the USC’s crosstown rivalry last December to transform his defense that ranked at the bottom of almost every statistical category last season. 

The Trojans have played with a level of physicality under Lynn that was sorely missing a year ago. It was evident from the start in USC's win against the LSU Tigers in the season opener and carried on throughout the regular season.

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans cornerback Greedy Vance Jr. (21) celebrates after intercepting a pass against Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) for the game victory at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

“I think the culture defensively within our program has really shifted in a lot of ways,” Riley said. “I’m proud of how we’ve progressed schematically. I’m really proud of how we’ve progressed fundamentally, especially with it being year one and that probably being the biggest difference for us. I’m proud of how we’ve responded when we haven’t had all of our weapons there and we just kind of kept going and we played some really steady ball.

“Obviously you can look at the statistics and see a pretty massive difference there but I don’t think that tells the whole story. I think D’Anton’s been a really consistent leader, along with our defensive staff. I think our players see that and appreciate that. The progress is real by stats, but you feel the difference right now. I think he’s done a tremendous job up to this point,” Riley said. 

Despite being plagued by injuries at almost every position on defense, the Trojans have been better in every metric in 2024. USC has been forced to turn to a number of backups and young players across the defense throughout the season.

The constant change in availability can be a lot of a coordinator to handle but Riley praised Lynn’s ability to have his unit ready no matter the situation. 

“I think there’s a confidence in the guys of what we’re doing and the calls that we make or the schemes or the techniques that we teach are going to put ourselves in positions to make plays. I think our guys have went out there pretty clear-minded and confident to go make them and typically the teams that are the most clear-minded and confident, well prepared show up in those big situations. 

“That’s been some of our biggest moments. I mean the third down defense. The one I was most proud of the other day was in the Nebraska game was the stop after the fumble, getting that red zone stop. That was a huge part in that game,” Lynn said. 

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans cornerback Jaylin Smith (2) reacts after intercepting a pass against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Late in the third quarter the Trojans had a 21-17 lead when quarterback Jayden Maiava fumbled, and Nebraska recovered on the USC 16-yard line. The turnover set the Cornhuskers up in the red zone with a chance to take the lead but picked up just four yards in three plays and had to settle for a field goal. 

The key stop kept USC on top and they never relinquished the lead. For a team that has struggled in the second half for most of the season, they handled the sudden change very well to keep their hopes of making a bowl game alive.

Flu Outbreak

USC has been dealing with a flu outbreak that began last week heading into the Nebraska game that effected a number of players, including running back Woody Marks, who was still able to run for a career-high 146 yards. However, since then the outbreak has continued to spread, effecting more players than it did a week ago, including Riley.

"It's had a little bit of an impact, it's part of it though, Riley said. "It's like I told the guys that Saturday at 7:30, nobody's going to care what you did or didn't have, you got to be ready to play the game. You have different hospitals that come up and you got to go face them, so we'll deal with it adjust how we need to, but no excuses got to be ready for Saturday.

"Most of the people it has been running it course like 48-72 hours, we're kind of thinking today was the peak of it and I think we'll get better from here," Riley said.

USC will take on UCLA in the 'Battle of LA" Saturday, Nov. 23. Kick off at the Rose Bowl is slated for 7:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on NBC.

MORE: Did NIL Factor Into Julian Lewis Decommit From USC Trojans? Colorado Buffaloes Loom

MORE: USC Trojans Schedule Release: Notre Dame Kickoff Time, TV Broadcast

MORE: USC Trojans Quarterback Miller Moss' Potential NIL Value as Transfer

MORE: USC Trojans Quarterback Jayden Maiava Explodes In 28-20 Win Over Nebraska

MORE: USC Trojans' Bear Alexander Visiting Georgia Bulldogs: Transfer Portal?

MORE: Five-Star Quarterback Julian Lewis Decommits from USC Trojans: Flipping to Colorado?

MORE: Imperfect Sam Darnold Leads Minnesota Vikings To Win Over Tennessee Titans Win

MORE: Chicago Bears' Caleb Williams Reveals Advice from USC Trojans Coach Lincoln Riley

MORE: USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley on De-Commitments: 'Great Ones Always See The Opportunity'

MORE: Why 4-Star Hayden Lowe Flipped From USC Trojans To Miami Hurricanes, Mario Cristobal

MORE: USC Trojans Women's Basketball Star JuJu Watkins Makes Name, Image, Likeness History

MORE: USC Trojans Schedule Update: UCLA Bruins Official Kickoff Time, TV Broadcast