Since Pete Carroll’s departure, I always thought, and still do, that USC is one home run hire away from being elite again. It’s painfully obvious Riley isn’t that guy. Carroll was great at building a culture at SC as well as managing to get a bunch of prima donnas to play for each other, not just themselves. I see the same with Freeman. SC has a lot to offer these kids, especially in terms of environment – that won’t change.
But back to Riley – that defensive game plan was coaching malpractice. Other ND opponents have focused and been successful on stopping the run, especially because the offensive play calling frequently lacks imagination. But USC stuck with the two deep safeties throughout the game and never adjusted. Why didn’t Riley adjust, especially since his team was getting gashed over and over again, and Carr was obviously having an off night? Just dumb!
I don’t want the ND/USC series to end but “college” football is barely recognizable anymore so I’d expect the worst as far as that goes.
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