Arledge’s Ten Questions – USC vs LSU Edition

One of the biggest problems plaguing us Lincoln Rileys coaching career has a solid defense. In the first half on Sunday with the USC Trojans opposite the LSU Tigershis defense has made huge improvements. In the offseason, Riley brought in new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, and that move appears to be paying off early against the Tigers.

At halftime, with the Trojans tied 10-10 with LSU, Riley spoke with ESPN’s Holly Rowe and complimented his much-improved defensive unit.

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“We played gap sound. We played very physical. We tackled well in the open field. We were pretty resilient a couple of times when they started drives. We had to make some big stops,” Riley explained.

USC’s defense was impressive on a number of fronts, limiting the Tigers to just 45 rushing yards in the first half. And LSU entered the game with one of the best offensive lines in the country.

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USC quarterback Miller Moss had impressive accuracy in the first half. What did Riley think of how Moss led the offense in the first half?

“He’s doing a good job,” Riley began. “He’s made some really good plays. He’s playing his game and that’s what he’s got to do. Just be himself. Don’t try to play like anybody else. Just be Miller and keep going with our offense.”

Does he regret not opting for a touchdown instead of a field goal at the end of the first half?

“If you miss it, that’s always the case. But we’ll come out of it in the second half,” Riley noted.

USC wide receiver Kyron Hudson had one of the plays of the year on Sunday night, with an absolutely spectacular one-handed grab. He was able to reel in the catch in mid-air while twisting his body. There’s no question that the play will go down as one of the best plays of the 2024 college football season.

It will be exciting to see how the second half plays out. So far it has been a well played but surprisingly low score on Sunday night.