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    • Lincoln Riley’s USC Football Is Real, While LSU’s Brian Kelly Is Furious
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    Lincoln Riley’s USC Football Is Real, While LSU’s Brian Kelly Is Furious

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    • USC Trojans show ‘Big Ten football’ at its best as LSU suffers ‘ridiculous’ loss
    • Imagine Lincoln Riley on defense? We didn’t have to imagine USC beating LSU.
    • Brian Kelly lost another important match. Imagine that.

    The USC Trojans were seconds away from the biggest win of Lincoln Riley’s tenure when the third-year coach pointed to his eyes and delivered a final message.

    Join us and make one last stop.

    Riley’s Trojans showed strong backbone, while Brian Kelly’s LSU Tigers again fell far short in the season opener.

    If No. 23 USC plays with the same defense and discipline it showed in its 27-20 win over No. 12 LSU on Sunday in Las Vegas, Riley’s best days are not yet behind him.

    Riley has another rising star quarterback — of course he does. Finding someone to throw to is never Riley’s problem. Cue Miller Moss, who made big throws in pressure situations to tear open an LSU secondary that has given up its DBU reputation.

    But the courage that USC showed? We are not used to that.

    The Vegas act looked good for Riley’s Trojans.

    Many have wondered what Riley could accomplish if he ever fielded a defense with a pulsating heartbeat. Or a team that displayed half the physicality and tackling prowess of the glitz and glamour.

    On Sunday we didn’t wonder. We saw.

    USC Trojans to Play Big Ten Ball Against LSU

    Riley won a game in which his team scored just 13 points in three quarters. The Trojans earned that Big Ten patch on their uniforms. They made key third- and fourth-down stops. They took advantage of LSU’s stupid penalties and limited their own mistakes.

    At times, every team seemed like a contender for the play-offs. The team with the most principles won.

    In Riley’s first two seasons at USC, the former Oklahoma coach cemented his reputation as a quarterback savant who cared little about defense or the fine details required to win national championships. His previous Trojan teams were penalty machines. They needed every ounce of Caleb Williams’ star power to overcome shortcomings elsewhere.

    For one night, USC delivered a great performance, while Kelly was furious about the Tigers’ self-destructive attitude.

    Kelly’s decision to go for fourth-and-3 on LSU’s opening drive backfired when USC’s blitz pressured Garrett Nussmeier into a rare incomplete pass. A wasted opportunity for LSU. Consider it a theme.

    LSU could have used three points on that drive. Could have used more discipline too.

    Brian Kelly on LSU loss: ‘Ridiculous’

    One LSU unsportsmanlike conduct penalty helped USC to a field goal. Another LSU unsportsmanlike conduct penalty ruined what could have been good field position on a key drive, when LSU had a chance to extend its lead. The Tigers went three-and-out on that penalty, one of 10 flags LSU was assessed.

    In a telling moment after the break, Kelly placed his hand on his forehead as a flag lay on the grass.

    The penalty was against USC, but Kelly was already expecting another blunder from his team.

    Kelly was furious on the sidelines and hit the table in frustration after the game.

    “Here we are again talking about the same thing,” Kelly said, “about not finishing when you have an opponent in a position to finish them off. … I’m so angry about it. I’ve got to do something about it. I’m not doing a good enough job as a coach.”

    “It’s unacceptable that we haven’t found a way to win this football game,” Kelly added. “It’s ridiculous and it’s crazy.”

    How ridiculous is this? LSU hasn’t won a season opener since 2019.

    Don’t blame the quarterback. LSU lacked Jayden Daniels’ big-play ability. The reigning Heisman winner’s dual-threat skills would have helped in short-yardage situations. Still, Nussmeier threw for 304 yards.

    LSU’s defense has shaken off last season’s disaster, but these are still not the fierce Tigers of old. Moss won’t be the last quarterback to feed off LSU’s soft secondary.

    Moss found open receivers when LSU didn’t blitz, and he stayed calm when the Tigers applied pressure. His receivers helped him rack up 378 passing yards. Kyron Hudson recorded the catch of the year with an incredible one-handed snag that Odell Beckham Jr. would admire.

    We expect such attacking highlights from Riley’s teams.

    The timely defensive stops under first-year coordinator D’Anton Lynn? Those were new.

    “Today was pretty good Big Ten football,” Riley told reporters afterward.

    Yes, and a B1G time saver.

    Blake Toppmeyer is the SEC columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

    Subscribe to read all his columns. Also check out his podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, and newsletter, SEC Unfiltered.

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