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No. 14 USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley spoke to the media before his team faces the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns on Saturday at 8 p.m. PT. While also preparing for a later kickoff, Riley and the Trojans have been dealing with the heat wave passing over Southern California, and the USC coach explained some of the adjustments that he’s made in order to keep his team fresh at such an early point in the season.
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“Yeah, we were aware of it. We were like five to seven minutes less on the field yesterday. We kept some of our walkthroughs pre-practice wise inside just to try not to like just unnecessarily expose them. And I’m trying to take advantage of a little bit too, it ended up fitting where we have an eight o’clock kick. And so the ability to do a little bit less yesterday, and again it’s small, and then add a little bit for us on on Thursday and Friday with having the eight o’clock kick ended up working out well.” said Riley.
“You know, fortunately, we’ve been in it some, right, here over the last few weeks. So I thought the guys handled it well. But, you know, it’s good for us to get exposed to it. And I thought schedule-wise was good. We practiced well. And like I said, we’ll do a little bit more today and a little bit more on
Friday to make up for that and be ready for the 8 o’clock kick on Saturday night,” Riley continued.
Riley also touched upon a few injury updates as well as what separates true freshmen on the Trojans roster like wide receiver Trent Mosley and tight end Mark Bowman. Here’s everything Riley said on Thursday:
Injury Updates
“Yeah, I think, the guys I would say that are definitely trending well and have a shot to play Saturday. You know, (Tucker) Ashcraft is going to have a shot to play some Saturday. Jahkeem (Stewart)’s going to have a shot to play some Saturday. Peyton Dyer’s going to have a chance to play some on Saturday. He hasn’t been quite ready, but he’s getting close. Marquis Gallegos is going to have a chance to play some on Saturday. “
“We’ve definitely gotten some guys back. Terrell Anderson’s getting pretty close as well, and they have a shot to play some too. So, yeah, this was a week where it felt like we’ve, with some of these guys that had a few lingering things out of camp, have turned the corner a little bit. And I don’t know that they all will, but all have a chance to. We’ll see how they progress the rest of the week, but they’re all trending well.”
Developing Depth on the USC Trojans Roster
“Yeah, it’s honestly not too hard for me. I mean, I think, you know, once. . . if we get in a situation like we have the last few weeks where we feel like the game’s in hand, then our priority right now is developing our roster. And so we go into each game with an idea that if it, you know, does play out like that, you know, what we’re going to do. And we’ve obviously been aggressive about it, and we’re going to continue to be. So hopefully we can keep putting ourselves in those situations.”
“In terms of getting ready to play, you know, games where maybe our starters play more reps. I mean, our practices are always harder than the games. These guys are in good shape. And, you know, well, obviously we’re going to have some different challenges as the year goes on, but I’m confident we’ll be ready to do that.”
“But also, you know, part of those four-quarter games is having, you know, more guys available, whether it’s because somebody gets hurt or you just want to sub to keep guys fresh throughout the game, even if it’s not a, like, wholesale put in all of the second and third team guys. That also helps you in those four quarter games too, so us developing depth is is definitely a high priority right now.”
Offensive Line’s Consistency
“Yeah, they’ve done a good job. I think, you know, going back to Tobias (Raymond) obviously he’d been able to do it in the spring and his experience in all these different positions has helped. You know, I think (Hayden) Treter was one of those guys that like being able to play in the bowl game last year was huge for him. you know, where he got some of that game experience. And he’s gotten healthy. He wasn’t healthy early on in his career here. And he’s gotten healthy, he’s been able to stay on the field, and I think with that, his experience level and confidence has just grown.”
“And so, yeah, I mean, we walk out guys right now that, you know. either played some ball or are pretty smart players, and it’s a pretty experienced group, even around a newer guy like Treter. And then, you know, we’re getting a couple of guys back to closer to full speed there that have been limited.”
“They’ve been able to play some, but they’re starting to come on, you know, Kaylon Miller and Breck (Kolojay). You know, we’ve been real impressed with Willi Wascher. He’s played well in his snaps. And, you know, Vlad (Dyakonov) has come in and done a nice job. So, yeah, we like some of the depth that we have there. And hopefully we continue to get a chance to play them.”
“But, you know, Treter, I think, has done a nice job. Again, he’s benefited from the older guys. And then from he’s had a pretty good stretch of time right now where he’s been healthy and been on the practice field. And that just wasn’t the case. Like the first half of his career, I mean, he rarely was able to practice.”
“I mean, there was just so much in terms of getting back from some of the knee issues that he had when he got here. And then that’s, that’s, it’s been like a complete 180, you know, and, and now the confidence, the awareness of the scheme, like just all the overall development of him, like you feel it. And he’s just going to get better and better from that.”
Trent Mosley’s Preparation
“Yeah, he’s unique. I mean, I think, one, he’s a smart kid. I think he naturally understands a lot of the game. I think he clearly puts in a good amount of time into it when he’s not in the facility because he’s,
I would say, uniquely prepared for somebody of his age and experience level. And then I think he’s got a pretty strong ability from what I’ve seen at this point to be very focused and in the present, whether it’s a meeting, a walkthrough, a practice. He does not make very many mental mistakes.”
“And he’s typically one of those guys, from what I’ve seen up this point, that when we coach him to do something, he typically takes that and you rarely have to tell him again. And so because of that, you just feel like kind of mentally you’re always making progress and he’s always making progress. And so those are not easy skills, you know, and especially for somebody as young as he is. A lot of times guys maybe start to figure that out more towards the back half. you know their careers and he’s you know doing it right here at a young age.”
“But that’s what’s given him an opportunity to play and to make some of the plays that he’s made for us up to this point. You know, it’s a combination of a talented guy, smart guy but also a guy that is very very focused, very prepared, very in the moment and and very consistent day in and day out.”
“And when you do that you know the confidence that you know the staff the the his teammates you know the quarterbacks everybody has him just grows and grows and grows, and he rarely gives you anything to like doubt you know his ability to play or how ready he is to play. And that’s a simple concept. It’s a really hard thing to do.”
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Adding a Long Snapper to the Roster
“Yeah, (Dylan) Black’s status is, he’s had a little bit of a setback from a medical standpoint. Won’t be available here for a little while. Hoping to have him back. probably more towards the back half of the year. You know, fortunately for us, Luke (Brown) has come in and done a phenomenal job.”
“And, I mean, we really haven’t missed a beat there. So we’re very fortunate to have had two really good ones already on the roster. We do have one other player on the roster that is able to work at it, but we always want to be able to have three guys at least that could snap. So, yes, we made a roster addition. Won’t be eligible for this week, but should be eligible after that. Wasn’t something that we absolutely had to have. “
“Again, we still have two very quality snappers on the roster, but having three was something that
was important to us. Fortunatey, we were able to make a move there and add one. Just a little
bit of insurance for us.”
Impressions of Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
“Yeah, a good team. They played well. Lamar’s certainly not a pushover. Yeah, I mean, offensively, it revolves around the quarterback. He’s a dynamic player, really good with his legs in both like designed runs, which they run him quite a bit, and also in just scramble situations. But he’s far and away the most athletic quarterback that we’ve seen up to this point, and he’s a good one. I mean, he’s one you’ve got to account for all the time, no matter what they do.”
“And they’re very creative with the ways they use him, gain extra hats in the run game. They’ve got a couple receivers that can go up and make plays down the field, and they’re certainly not scared to push the ball down the field vertically. Yeah, defensively, like you said, they, you know, pitched the shutout through the majority of the game, you know, cause some turnovers. They do a really nice job of changing things up schematically, whether they’re bringing passers or sitting back.”
“They’ve got some skilled cover guys and a really kind of a, I wouldn’t say overly unique, but they do some things schematically that really, really challenge you. And as you start to study, you see why they do it and it makes sense. And they do a nice job, man. This group’s well-coached. And that combination of a… obviously, defense that can do that and offense that can throw the ball and run it and have the quarterback run game with it makes them obviously a formidable opponent and looks like a team that is primed to have a pretty good season.”
Freshmen Receivers Blocking
“Big separator. Big. It’s always important to us. It’s really important now and going forward.
It doesn’t really matter if it’s in the throw game or the run game. If you’re an offensive skill
player, you’re always going to block more than you’re going to carry the football. That’s just how
the game works.
“And so our ability, you know, to create bigger plays and get paid off when we do things right is very,
very important. And we’ve got a lot of guys that are pretty good after the catch, and so we need to
be able to maximize that. So, no, it’s – I mean, it’s certainly one of the top, if not the top thing we’ll be evaluating as we continue to figure out who’s going to play.”
Mark Bowman’s Adjustment to College Football
“Yeah, so far he’s handled it well. I mean, he’s a smart, very conscientious kid as well, prepares. You know, prepares hard. I think another one of the young guys, I think, takes the meetings and walkthroughs and all that very serious. And you see that. And he’s had to, because like you said, that’s one of the toughest positions to learn in this offense, because I know we’ve talked about it before. I mean, they do a little bit of everything.”
“And so, you know, for him, it’s been, I think, and I’ve talked about this a little bit before. I mean, he. He had a stronger background blocking coming in than he did as a receiver. And so I think some of the fundamental things blocking-wise have been good. I think it’s been more about just getting him in sync with what we’re doing schematically in the run game. And then there’s been a ton of development in the throw game for him.”
“But he’s come a long ways there. And he’s definitely got potential to be really, really good at both. And his ability to process and us trusting him. with this much this early is pretty impressive given obviously his age and experience level.”
Handling Outside Noise
“When you get into coaching, there’s always going to be outside opinions. And I think your ability to discern on something that can help you or help your team or help you grow and develop, you never want to close that out because I think that’s part of you growing and learning. And there’s obviously a lot of great resources and great information out there, great people that can help mold or kind of bring you along. So definitely don’t close that out.”
“And then the flip side in this business, certainly, as we kind of all see, is there’s always going to be
highs and lows with the outside opinions. And I think as a coach, one of your biggest jobs is to
stay steady, to have a vision, kind of like you said, to be committed to it and to make sure your
players see that. And so, yeah, grab some outside opinions or thoughts when you know it can help
you. And other than that, you know, button down the hatches with your team, commit to your vision
and go get it.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/usc as Lincoln Riley Explains USC Trojans’ Practice Adjustments Amid Heat Wave.
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This story was originally published September 10, 2026 at 4:00 PM.