Quotes from Lincoln Riley, Alex Grinch, and USC players after close shave vs Cal
Arizona has some fantastic wide receivers. Tetaroia McMillan, Dorian Singer, and Jacob Cowing are three of the best receivers in the Pac-12 Conference this year. The fact that USC got lit up by those three players is not a badge of shame or dishonor.
However: Getting lit up by the Cal Golden Bears’ receivers and quarterback Jack Plummer is simply unacceptable.
We had a Cal insider on our weekly show at The Voice of College Football this past week. He noted how awful the Golden Bears’ offensive line was. He pointed out that Cal offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave is not likely to be retained by head coach Justin Wilcox.
This offense shouldn’t score 35 points against USC — that’s accounting for the injuries on the Trojans. Even a banged-up unit should not be getting torched by the Bears’ personnel.
What did USC players have to say about that? How did Lincoln Riley react? We have quotes on that, plus the offense’s game-saving performance:
NOT RESPONDING
Lincoln Riley says he didn’t observe complacency from his team against Cal, but did note that he sensed frustration. He explained that it seemed like the team was frustrated they couldn’t put the game away.
“We’ve got to get past that,” Riley stressed.
— Keely Eure (@keelyismyname) November 6, 2022
TO BE SURE
Lincoln Riley: “Very proud to get to the eight win…Not our best on any side of the ball.”
— Keely Eure (@keelyismyname) November 6, 2022
BOOM
Alex Grinch after a rough second half where #USC gave up 28 points: “It’s coaching. We’ve obviously got to do a better job. We’ve done a good job in the second half in the past. We didn’t even come close tonight.”
— Antonio Morales (@AntonioCMorales) November 6, 2022
AT LEAST THERE'S THAT
#USC DC Alex Grinch said the defenders are frustrated, but "thank God" it's frustrating after a win.
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) November 6, 2022
POINT BLANK
“We’ve just got to be more consistent.” –#USC CB Mekhi Blackmon when asked by @ShotgunSpr where he feels like the defense is at right now
— Austin Green (@AustinGreen44) November 6, 2022
ELEVATING
#USC HC Lincoln Riley on Tahj Washington and Michael Jackson III stepping up: "They're two competitive guys. They've continued to work, continued to improve."
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) November 6, 2022
SALVAGED
#USC HC Lincoln Riley says the Trojans have a lot to improve on, but he's happy to improve while winning.
"You either find a way to win them or you don't."
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) November 6, 2022
ACCURATE
When asked about the struggles on third down stops, Grinch: “I feel like we were unsuccessful on first and second downs, too.”
— Austin Green (@AustinGreen44) November 6, 2022
HE SHOULD BE
#USC DC Alex Grinch now answering questions after an abysmal night for the Trojans defense.
“I’m really disappointed.”
Puts a lot of blame on himself and the Trojans coaching staff pic.twitter.com/Tn88W3Um0L
— Austin Green (@AustinGreen44) November 6, 2022
NO LIES
“We had some opportunities offensively early with those stops, and we didn’t. We had chances to put the game away on defense and we couldn’t. If you’re winning, you’re doing more good than bad, but we need to do even more good.” -Lincoln Riley
— Austin Green (@AustinGreen44) November 6, 2022
IMPLOSION
Lincoln Riley on the defense: “We felt like we kind of had some momentum kind of kept bailing them out with penalties… we didn’t finish anywhere close to what we expect.”
— Austin Green (@AustinGreen44) November 6, 2022
ALEX GRINCH ON FINISHING DEFENSIVE PLAYS
Grinch said this to 247Sports:
“You gotta watch (the film) and just assume we didn’t coach very well, but making plays, just to circle one.”
MORE GRINCH
“Whether we’re in zone or man, we’ve got to make sure when the ball’s in the air, the options can’t be they make a play or they make a play. There’s got to be some semblance of play making going on on the defensive side of the ball,” Grinch said.
10 WEEKS
“But you’re 10 weeks in the season, which as soon as I say that you want to vomit with some of the issues we have 10 weeks in the season,” Grinch said.
CLOCK IS TICKING
“I don’t know if some of these things can get fixed in 48 hours and 72 hours. We had 11 months to do a lot of things around here and we’ve got five days to get it right for next weekend,” Grinch said.
THAT'S THE RIGHT WORD
“We’ve all got to feel a sense of urgency behind everything we do,” Grinch said.
LINCOLN RILEY ON HIS TEAM'S JOURNEY
Riley said this to 247Sports:
“Reminded the guys in the locker room, 11 months ago we came out to a practice and watched a game with our future team and a lot’s changed since then.”
VALUE WHAT MATTERS
More Riley:
“I think first and foremost for our team, whether this is years down the road, and we had a great season and won the national championship before, or you’re in year one coming off 4-8 the previous year; first thing we’re going to do is we’re going to appreciate winning. Winning is hard.”
RILEY ON SPECIAL TEAMS
“Made some big special teams plays, but also gave up a few, especially the onside kick. Obviously, a lot to improve on. We know we’re going to have to improve,” Riley said.
TRUE
“The reality is this team is 8-1 with everything in front of us,” Riley said.
SHORT WEEK
“We got a big week coming up in terms of a short week and being able to operate that way. We have our first challenge of play,” Riley said.
RILEY ON JORDAN ADDISON
Lincoln Riley said wideout Jordan Addison was “very close” to returning Saturday, but the team knew earlier and that there was some hope of him playing w/ a pitch count. But he wasn’t ready.
— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) November 6, 2022
VIDEO
.@LincolnRiley reflected on the win and what it means for the @uscfb season ⤵️#FightOn | @SmartFinal
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) November 6, 2022
