Lincoln Riley, USC battling to avoid complacency after strong start

On3 imageby:On3 Staff Report09/20/22

No. 7 USC has quickly stormed into the national conversation under first-year coach Lincoln Riley, out to a 3-0 start and readying for a road trip to unbeaten Oregon State this weekend. For Riley and the Trojans, avoiding complacency at USC is the biggest battle right now.

That’s something Riley has not let his team forget, getting after his players about it in Monday’s practice.

“Nobody came here just to win the first three games,” Riley said on a weekly Trojans Live appearance. “We’ve got a long ways to go, man.”

USC has cruised to a 3-0 start after topping non-conference opponents Rice and Fresno State convincingly on either side of a conference road trip to Stanford, one the Trojans also managed relatively comfortably.

The Trojans lead the nation in turnover margin currently at +3.33 per game, while ranking sixth in scoring offense (50.7 points per game) and 11th in total offense (520.0 yards per game).

All of that has put USC firmly into the national spotlight once again.

“There’s a ton to get excited about, but there is a long way to go and a lot of work to do and the biggest challenges for us as a team — and not talking about a particular opponent — but the biggest challenges are continue to improve,” Riley said.

At USC, avoiding complacency is Riley’s challenge

Want to ensure you remain in the national conversation? Don’t get upset.

It’s often that simple in college football.

USC will take on an Oregon State squad this weekend that has yet to lose a game. There should be little risk of the Trojans taking the Beavers too lightly after losing at home 45-27 last season. Whether this week proves a real test for Riley’s group or that will come in the weeks ahead, he simply wants his guys to focus on the task at hand and understand they haven’t ‘arrived’ just yet.

“The biggest challenges are ahead for us,” Riley said. “I hope we understand it. I feel like we will. But this is what you do it for.”

But no matter how you slice it, USC’s start to the 2022 season has a lot of people hyped for a reason. A proud powerhouse program down on its luck the last several years is beginning to resemble one again.

“It’s a tremendous start,” Riley said. “Your record-wise, you can’t start any better. Playing-wise, we can play a lot better and we’re going to need to.”