LOS ANGELES — When the coin came down in USC’s favor on Saturday, Lincoln Riley could have gone with conventional football wisdom. Let Rice receive the ball, and take the second-half kickoff.
Instead, Riley opted to put his offense, the unit that he has made his name and reputation off of, on the field first, and make a thesis statement of sorts of what his tenure as head coach of the Trojans would look like.
Three minutes and 19 seconds, seven plays and 75 yards later, USC had the first touchdown of the Riley era, and the first touches on a 66-14 win over the Owls to open the 2022 season.
That opening drive was exactly what was promised to USC fans during an off-season of transformation. Transfer quarterback Caleb Williams opened the game with a 12-yard pass to Jordan Addison, last year’s Biletnikoff winner at Pitt.
By the time the drive was over, Williams found Addison on the goal line after a shifty route created enough space to complete the five-yard touchdown pass.
The offense largely lived up to all expectations of the hype brought about Riley’s hiring. Touchdowns on the first three drives, 538 total yards, 7.4 per carry, a 5-7 mark on third down.
And 66 points, the most since 2008, when Pete Carroll and Mark Sanchez were roaming the Coliseum sidelines.
As promised, Riley got several playmakers involved. Returner Tahj Washington was the surprise leading-receiver in the first half with four catches for 65 yards. Austin Jones scored a pair of touchdowns. Star freshman Raleek Brown took a read handoff from Williams 14 yards around the edge for a touchdown, striking a Heisman pose in the end zone.
But while the offense lived up to expectations, the defense took a little time to earn its keep.
USC gave up three straight third-down conversions through the air on the opening drive by the Owls, a team better known for its run game than passing. When the Trojans finally got a stop on the goal line, Rice promptly rushed into the end zone on fourth down.
Rice averaged 6.7 yards per carry in the first half while gaining 218 total yards.
USC made up for these early miscues, however, with three pick-sixes, tying the program and Pac-12 records.
Sophomore safety Calen Bullock took a tipped pass 93 yards after a chase-down, touchdown-saving tackle four plays earlier. Shane Lee and Ralen Goforth returned interceptions for 40 and 31 yards, respectively, on back-to-back drives to open the second half.
Xamarion Gordon made it interceptions on three straight drives, setting up a second Williams-to-Addison touchdown as the receiver went in motion to gain some room to operate.
All told, Williams completed 19 of 22 passes for 249 yards, rushing for an additional 68, while Addison hauled in five passes for 54 yards in their USC debuts.
