Lincoln Riley still believes USC ‘can beat anybody’ despite ugly loss to Wisconsin appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Coming off a victory over Penn State, USC football entered Saturday’s game against Wisconsin hoping to extend their winning streak but Lincoln Riley’s team left the field with an embarrassing 24-7 road loss. Stunningly, the result did little to shake Riley’s confidence in his Trojans squad and their ability to compete against top teams.
While addressing the defeat, Riley reaffirmed his belief that USC remains capable of beating any opponent when the team performs at its best.
“You see across college football right now. It’s a game of just you gotta hang in there,” Riley said. “A lot of teams getting beat on the road. There’s a lot of parity right now.
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“And the toughest teams that can battle back from losses and tough moments like this will be the ones standing in at the end. I have a lot of confidence in our team. When we’re at our best, we can beat anybody.”
The criticism directed at Lincoln Riley’s team appears justified, as USC’s three Big Ten victories this season have come against opponents with a combined conference record of just 3-10.
Despite having a $70 million buyout, the head coach is already facing increasing pressure over the team’s performance, and the latest defeat has only intensified concerns surrounding the program.
USC entered Saturday’s matchup with the seventh-best rushing offense in the conference. However, the Trojans’ ground game completely collapsed against Wisconsin, finishing with minus-17 rushing yards on 25 rushing attempts.
Furthermore, USC managed just seven points throughout the game, marking the lowest-scoring performance of Riley’s head coaching career.
Quarterback Jayden Maiava also endured a challenging outing, completing 31 of 50 pass attempts for 258 yards and one touchdown. However, he threw two interceptions.
USC will now shift its focus to No. 3 Ohio State, which is scheduled to visit the Trojans next Saturday. With their Big Ten record dropping to 3-2, Riley and his team face mounting pressure to deliver a significantly stronger offensive performance.
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