Jul 24, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; USC head coach Lincoln Riley speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Lincoln Riley Addresses Concerning USC Penalties, Discipline

Originally posted on USC Trojans on SI | By Cory Pappas | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 10:49 AM ET

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley spoke to reporters following USC’s practice on Tuesday. Riley has the Trojans 2-0 for the fourth consecutive season following their win over the Missouri State Bears and Georgia Southern Eagles.

USC now will get Big Ten conference play under way on the road against the Purdue Boilermakers.

Lincoln Riley Addresses Penalty Concerns

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Despite coming out on top by 39 points against Georgia Southern, USC by no means had a clean game. The Trojans committed eight penalties for a total of 93 yards. The Eagles had just one penalty all game. Riley spoke on the excess of penalties and where they need to clean up.

“Most of the ones that we were disappointed with were discipline penalties. A couple of the hands to the face where we’ve got our hands there and all we got to do is just take it down,” Riley said. “There were a few aggressive ones throughout the game that are going to happen when guys are competing at a high level…We don’t get too down on guys because of those.”

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Riley made it clear that there are some penalties that he doesn’t have a huge issue with. The ones that are a problem are the ones where it wasn’t a “competitive play” in his words.

“The ones that really, really matter are the ones that you did something that really wasn’t even a competitive play and you just handed them an explosive play and 15 yards on either side of the ball,” Riley said. “Those are the ones that we cannot have. So I think our message has been made loud and clear.”

As Big Ten play approaches this week against the Purdue Boilermakers, the Trojans cannot afford to hand out first downs on defense and set their offense back with unnecessary penalties.

Can USC Compete for Big Ten Title, Playoff Spot in 2025?

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans have regressed record wise in each of Lincoln Riley’s seasons as coach. In his first season in 2022, USC won 11 games and were just a win over the Utah Utes away from making it into the four team College Football Playoff.

2023 saw USC get out to a hot start but then faltering down the stretch, finishing with an overall record of 8-5. 2024 was more of the same. USC finished the regular season with a .500 record at 6-6 before winning their bowl game.

Being on the brink of bowl eligibility is not the expectation USC had when they hired Riley to a massive 10-year $110 million contract. Especially now with the expanded College Football Playoff, the Trojans should consistently in the race for a conference title and a playoff spot.

Is USC trending towards that in 2025? So far, so good. However, their schedule is only going to get tougher as the season goes on.

This article first appeared on USC Trojans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: