Lincoln Riley after Cotton Bowl loss: 'We are here and we're not going anywhere'

Considering USC finished 11-3, the feeling around the Trojans is pretty pessimistic with their 2022 season now over. That’s because they were man-handled in the Pac-12 Championship by Utah with a College Football Playoff spot on the line and then stunned by Tulane with a blown 15-point lead in the Cotton Bowl over the final four minutes and change.

Still, Lincoln Riley says USC isn’t going anywhere. After the loss in the Cotton Bowl to the Green Wave, he reminded everyone that this was just his and his program’s first run in Los Angeles. Now, with a ton of wind still in their sails, Riley says USC is focused on finishing better in similar positions in 2023.

“We were in those positions. Those positions are very, very real. We’re in the Cotton Bowl in a New Year’s Six Game. And, again, 12 months ago? I don’t think many people on the outside thought that was even possible,” said Riley. “So I think getting through this first season? There’s a ton of great momentum in this program and today’s result, as sick as it is, does not change that. The reality is we’re here and we’re not going anywhere.”

“We know what we need to get better at as a program. We have to finish better and we didn’t get that done enough this year. And we were really, really close,” Riley said. “The line to finish and win these big games like we had here at the end is so thin, man. It’s a fine line. It’s one play, here or there, and it changes everything. That’s how close we are. But we’ve got to go get that as a program. And we will. We, in a lot of ways, were further ahead in so many areas than I would have thought. But we clearly have a lot of work to do.”

Riley and USC accomplished a lot in 2022. They won the Pac-12 regular season with a Top-3 offense in the nation that averaged 41.4 points per game. Still, their candidacy for the CFP came down to their three losses with two of them being lost in the final minutes, and in once case seconds, of the game.

Now, for Riley, he’s ready for him and his team to get over this loss and look ahead to next season. He wants next season’s team back in a similar position and then to show what they’ve learned by finishing strong the next time around.

“This one won’t be easy to get over, but we’ll get over it. And the journey for next season starts tomorrow,” Riley said. “I can’t wait to get up, go back to work, and figure out what we’ve got to do as a program to finish better, to continue to put ourselves in these opportunities that this team did a great job of this year. And then, when we get there, finish them. We will get there and we will get there sooner rather than later.”

2023 can’t get here soon enough for Riley. He spent a ton of time following the loss talking about their upcoming opportunities and how he wants to set them right. Riley is ready for USC to turn the page, be back in a year’s time, and, then, make up for every way they fell short in 2022.

“Like I said, we’re not going anywhere,” said Riley. “(That’s) a tough one today but we’ve got to own it as a team and that’s what we’re gonna do. And we’ll see you back here in 12 months.”