USC Fans Will Love What Lincoln Riley Said About Trojans' Penalty Problem

Riley Addresses Penalty Problem

If USC wants to contend in the Big Ten Conference and challenge for a College Football Playoff berth, it must find discipline... something Riley and the team are working on during their bye week.

"Obviously having a few of these guys starting to get back healthy a little bit was certainly very, very helpful. We spent time with our guys on some of the penalties," Riley said. "The majority of our penalties have come from the defensive side. So we spent some time in terms of going back through those, penalty education, making sure that if we have a penalty it's an aggressive penalty that happens in the flow of play versus some of the intolerables, which we've had too many of."

"Each position group and each guy had even more specifics on top of that, but from a general perspective, those were the biggest areas that we targeted for the entire group," Riley continued.

Riley Highlights Specific Changes At Practice

The old adage rings true for USC - Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

The Trojans are switching it up, and making changes in preparation and practice to improve their penalty problem.

"We did a lot of fundamental work, block destruction, just making sure that we're closing some of the air in the run game," Riley said. "So we spent a lot of time on that with the guys. With some of the moving pieces in the secondary, we did a lot of different work in terms of communication, making sure coverage adjustments, motion adjustments, were buttoned up."

USC's costly errors may were a huge difference maker in the loss to Illinois. A potential game-changing touchdown by Makai Lemon was erased vs. the Fighting Illini because of an ineligible player downfield. If the Trojans stop beating themselves, they have an exciting roster that could make noise in the Big Ten.

USC Schedule

USC's season is certainly not over but adjustments are needed. The Trojans are 4-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play. The trajectory of USC’s season may hinge on its upcoming slate, as the Trojans face:

• No. 20 Michigan on Oct. 11 at home

• No. 21 Notre Dame on Oct. 18 on the road

• Nebraska on Nov. 1 on the road

So far this season, USC's penalties have consistently stalled drives and erased big plays. The Trojans' opponents have taken advantage... For USC to succeed this season, cleaning up penalties has to be a priority.