Lincoln Riley Makes Bold Statements on Caleb Williams’ Departure and USC’s Future
Will USC football thrive without Caleb Williams in the media spotlight? When Lincoln Riley arrived at USC, he brought with him high expectations.
This was partly due to his impressive 55-10 record at Oklahoma and partly because he brought quarterback Caleb Williams with him from the Sooners.
Riley and Williams quickly became major figures in Hollywood. Their first season with the Trojans began with a 6-0 record, ranking them No. 6 in the country. Even after an upset by No. 20 Utah the following week, USC remained in the top 10. However, they suffered another loss to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game, which eliminated them from the College Football Playoff.
Although the season didn’t meet all their hopes, an 11-3 record, including a bowl loss to Tulane in the Cotton Bowl, was a significant improvement over the previous four seasons under former coach Clay Helton. Additionally, Williams became USC’s first Heisman Trophy winner since Reggie Bush in 2005. However, the following season felt like a step backward, with the Trojans finishing 8-5 and showing regression in many areas, including Williams’ performance. The team’s defense was one of the worst in the country, ranking 118th in scoring defense. Despite his talent, Williams could only do so much, leaving many curious about how USC and Riley would fare without him as they join the more challenging Big Ten Conference.
“It honestly can be a positive,” Riley said on Big Ten Today about Williams leaving USC. “Tennessee won their first championship in the modern era the year after Peyton Manning left. A lot of attention is given to a player who wins awards or achieves great things, like Caleb did for us, but it’s still a team game. The other 21 starters, the special teams, the depth of your roster — all of those elements are what ultimately lead to victories.”
Williams’ likely replacement for the upcoming season is Miller Moss, a redshirt junior who has mostly been a backup during his three years at USC. However, he excelled in the Trojans’ bowl game against Louisville, setting records for the most touchdown passes thrown in the Holiday Bowl (6), in a USC bowl game (6), by a USC quarterback in his first start (6), and tying the Pac-12 Bowl Game passing touchdown record (6).
“It’s great to have those standout players, but we’re focused on building the team,” Riley said. “Whenever we’ve lost top players, there’s always been concern about how we’ll manage, but we’ve tended to do okay, and I believe we will again.” CBS Sports has set the Trojans’ over/under win total at 7.5. Riley is now 19-8 as the Trojans’ head coach over two seasons.
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