Lincoln Riley Reveals Reason For USC Trojans' Growth with Key Defensive Statistic

Lincoln Riley was asked about his biggest takeaways from the win over Georgia Southern.

“It was good to be able to separate again and make enough plays on all sides to get that done,” Riley said. “We had to deal with a little bit more adversity than we did in the first game…I think to have to deal with that was good and I thought the team responded well from.”

Riley noted that while they did control this game much like they did a week prior, there were more moments of uncertainty with a turnover and early Eagles scores. As USC stretched the lead and eventually put the game out of reach, it allowed for players further down the depth chart get a chance to play. Riley believes this trend will pay off down the line.

“It’s been two games we’ve been able to play a lot of the roster,” Riley said. “That is going to pay dividends later on in this season. That will pay dividends in the future…You’re spreading out the reps. You’re developing more guys for the stretch run.”

Lincoln Riley's Reasons for Defensive Improvement

The USC defense has been much improved since D'Anton Lynn took over as defensive coordinator in 2024 and it look to still be on the rise in 2025. USC already has 21 tackles for loss through two games this season compared to 53 they had all of last season. What does Riley credit this to?

“We haven’t had the blitz to get pressure or to get in the backfield, No. 1. I think No. 2, we’ve had more production from our edge players," Riley said. “Those were two things we talked about at length throughout the entire offseason…I think the depth and talent there on the defensive line and the production with some of the edge guys really showed up.” 

USC Trojans 2-0 in 2025

The USC Trojans dominated the Georgia Southern Eagles and have momentum heading into Big Ten conference play. USC’s offense has been unstoppable so far this season, dropping 73 points vs. the Missouri State Bears and then 59 points vs. Georgia Southern. 

Quarterback Jayden Maiava has looked comfortable in Lincoln Riley’s offense to this point. Maiava started the final four games for USC last season, going 3-1. Now his record with the Trojans as a starter is 5-1. 

The Trojans next opponent is the Purdue Boilermakers. Kickoff for this Big Ten conference battle is scheduled for Saturday, Sep. 13 at 12:30 p.m. PT It will be broadcast on CBS. Purdue is 2-0 this season with wins over Ball State and Southern Illinois. 

USC has opened as a massive road favorite in this game. They are currently favored by 21 points according to the DraftKings Sportsbook. The over/under is at 58.5 points. 

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