Joel Klatt reaffirms belief in Lincoln Riley after USC loss to Illinois

The USC Trojans suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday, dropping a close battle with Illinois. It was a frustrating loss, but analyst Joel Klatt is still confident in the direction of the USC program under head coach Lincoln Riley.

Klatt shared some thoughts on the loss on The Joel Klatt Show. There, he acknowledged that USC has a right to be frustrated with these losses, particularly as Riley has struggled on the road. At the same time, there are reasons to be confident too.

“From USC’s side, I know it’s disappointing for USC,” Joel Klatt said. “They continue to lose these road games, which is frustrating. I think it’s hyper frustrating to feel like you’re getting better and you’re on the precipice of something special.”

One major issue in the loss that Klatt pointed out was injuries that USC has been trying to deal with. Those came out in the Illinois game and ended up helping to shape the loss for the Trojans.

“Then, you show up to a game and there’s just a ton of injuries. Kamari Ramsey, out at safety and he’s their best defensive back. Sure enough, they didn’t play well in the secondary. Elijah Paige can’t go at left tackle. Then you lose Kilian O’Connor at center and you’re down two offensive linemen. It becomes a different game. That team that I saw on film, I largely didn’t see on the field on Saturday, in part because the style of game that played out. It started being a throw game, rather than a run game for them. They’re better when they can be balance.”

Despite those struggles in the short term, Joel Klatt is excited about USC long-term under Lincoln Riley. In particular, how the program is being built with general manager Chad Bowden. That’s made it look like they’re trending in the right direction in the next few seasons.

“I think they’ll be fine, I really do. I think that the best days for USC are still ahead. I’m a believer in what is happening with Chad Bowden and Lincoln and everybody over there because what they’re going to build and what they’re going to be at the end of this year, next year, and then the year after is something really special. They are building something that is going to have some sustainability. I’m just telling you right now. I would be a futures better on USC at this point.”

None of that is to say Klatt didn’t have some questions for USC in the loss to Illinois. The Trojans needed a touchdown, and they scored quickly, not taking much time off the clock. That gave time for Illinois to score and win, which Klatt did think was a mistake by Riley.

“If they would have just taken it down to 40, to 30 seconds, like they had a ton of time. I know that they needed to score, but I was surprised that they didn’t at least run the football on first down, maybe second as well. Taking a shot right there, calling something that had a shot to the end zone, eh, I get it. You gotta score. You’re not gonna not take it, let’s just say that, but it ended up hurting them in the long run.”

The challenge for USC is that the schedule only gets tougher from here. The Trojans’ next two games are against Michigan and Notre Dame. There’s a chance this becomes a stretch that defines their season for better or worse.