Nick Saban explains how Lincoln Riley has USC 'moving in the right direction'

For the third time in four seasons under head coach Lincoln Riley, USC is off to at least a 5-1 record or better. Things are rolling.

The Trojans have slipped up just once this season on the road at No. 23 Illinois (lost on a walk-off field goal), but immediately bounced back two weeks later with a 31-13 pounding of No. 15 Michigan in The Coliseum last weekend. That win propelled 5-1 USC back into the AP Top 25 Rankings (No. 20) ahead of its clash against rival No. 13 Notre Dame on Saturday.

Ahead of that matchup, College Football Hall of Famer Nick Saban spoke highly of the job Lincoln Riley is doing at USC on Friday’s edition of ‘The Pat McAfee Show.’ Riley, who took over the program in 2022, has led the Trojans to a 31-15 record over four seasons. When he was at Oklahoma, he was 0-1 against Saban and Alabama (2018 Orange Bowl).

“I think they’re definitely moving in the right direction,” Saban said. “First of all, I think they’re the only team in the Big Ten that’s scored 30-plus points in every game. So, they’re still doing a good job on offense. The issue, to me, with Lincoln Riley’s teams have been ‘how physical can we be on defense, can we stop the run and can we create positive down-and-distance situations?’ They’re doing a better job of that. They are doing a better job of playing defense.”

USC is (statistically) the second-best offense in the country

“They’re creating a lot of negative plays,” Saban continued. “They’re one of the top teams in the country in sacks and affecting the quarterback. You can’t do that unless you can stop the run because you’ve got to create positive down-and-distance situations for your defense so you can give some looks that will confuse the quarterback and pressure the quarterback. And last week against Michigan, they stopped the run and did a good job.”

Through six games, USC‘s offense ranks second in the country in yards per game (552.3 YPG) and ranks third in the country in points per game (45.5 PPG). Its defense ranks 13th in the Big Ten in yards allowed per game (352.2 YPG) and ranks 12th in the Big Ten in points allowed per game (21.3). It has scored at least 30 points in all six games this season.

Following its game against No. 13 Notre Dame this weekend, USC still has games against No. 25 Nebraska, Iowa, No. 8 Oregon and a suddenly resurgent UCLA team on the docket. If the Trojans want to have a shot to make the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history, a win in South Bend is necessary.

Kickoff for the matchup in South Bend is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game can be seen on NBC and Peacock.