What Lincoln Riley said after USC beat Washington State to improve to 6-0

'Really, really tough, hard-fought win. We had to win this one, again in a different way.'

USC is 6-0 for the first time in 16 years.

The Trojans' 30-14 victory over Washington State on Saturday was another reminder that Lincoln Riley's team can win games in different ways. This time, it was the run game and defense that rose to the occasion.

“Really, really tough, hard-fought win,” Riley said. “We had to win this one, again in a different way.”

Travis Dye rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown and USC's defense held the Cougars scoreless in the second half to run away with the Pac-12 victory.

Here's a look at what Riley had to say after the game. Watch his full postgame press conference above.

Riley on playing without injured LB Shane Lee and ejected safety Callen Bullock:

"You lose two of your best players — two of your leaders. Your leader at linebacker, team captain that we thought was gonna be able to play and then ultimately was not," said Riley. "And then lose Calen (Bullock) the way we did - you’ve got to step up, and we had a lot of guys step up. I would especially highlight the defensive front. The defensive front was dominant and was a force in the game, and it came from a lot of different people."

Riley on the kicking game and Denis Lynch making three field goals:

“I thought our special teams really stepped up tonight," said Riley. "We really challenged our guys. We were good on kickoff, good on field goals and extra points. A great job by Denis (Lynch) getting that last one in. Punt team was awesome on the night as well. We had a couple of kickoff returns where we got good yardage and were really close to breaking them. I’m so excited about the way we played on special teams, and I’m really excited about the way we finished."

Riley on improving to 6-0:

“It means something, it does," said Riley. "When you’re in the middle of it, you try not to get too caught up in all the historical things. But obviously, all of us come in here. You’ve got three different examples sitting right up here with you. Two guys that came into this program, have been here. One guy that chose to be here from the very beginning and elected to stay here. I think we all came here for a reason. We’re all aware of the history — both positive and some of the tough parts of it. To be able to find a way to win these games, especially in a lot of different ways, has been a lot of fun. We know more challenges are upcoming, and we’re going to appreciate it, but also keep our sights forward.”