With the USC football team's loss to the Oregon Ducks on Saturday night, 41-27, there is no denying that all eyes will be on head coach Lincoln Riley after another disappointment. While some fans are even calling for Riley to be fired from the USC football program, he spoke after the game about the team improving from here on out.
Speaking after the frustrating loss, Riley expressed confidence in turning around the Trojans, even saying he's “very confident” in doing so, according to Shotgun Spratling.
“If we're as good as I think we can be, then we will flip this; we will take this as a positive and grow from it,” Riley said. “I'm very confident that we will do that.”
The program was undefeated heading into the contest and ranked 12th nationally compared to the Ducks, who were placed 20th ahead of the outing, as Riley emphasized how it was a “disappointed locker room” after the defeat.
“Guys fought their hearts out, but obviously we’ve got to take this the right way, and that’s going to be important for our locker room,” Riley said, via Oregon Live. “We have a damn good football team in there. I know we do. Our locker room believes that. And we’ve got to take advantage of some of these opportunities, this opportunity to learn and grow.”
Article Continues BelowUSC football's Lincoln Riley speaks more on the Oregon loss
While the USC football team was just down three points at halftime, 13-10, Oregon would trail away in the second half, scoring 28 points, even with backup quarterback Dylan Raiola as Dante Moore exited the game earlier.
“This is a lot of times how you get measured, especially in modern-day college football with these leagues the way they are, the level of competition every single week,” Riley continued. “We’ve got to be ready to roll. There’s no time to hold our head. We’ve got to learn from it. We’ve got to grow and get ready to attack the next one.”
At any rate, Riley and the Trojans look to bounce back next Saturday against the Washington Huskies.