Fire us up, coach.
That’s what the USC football X account posted after USC’s 26-21 win over Iowa, accompanied by a (rather cinematic) clip of head coach Lincoln Riley celebrating on the sideline.
Those emotions were also clearly seen on the broadcast, after USC’s victory was officially in hand.
Advertisement
That moment, just like Riley’s celebration earlier in the season against Michigan, was special for USC fans to see. But it’s not just because of what fans of other teams see on the surface — a coach celebrating a ranked win. It’s indicative of something much deeper that is winning over even Riley’s skeptics. Let me break it down.
Big moments, big emotions
Lincoln Riley’s personality
Ever since he arrived at USC, and on the college football scene in general, Lincoln Riley has been a pretty reserved guy.
USC fans have had to work hard and pay close attention to get any glimpses of Riley’s personality. He’s generally an even-keeled person who defaults toward positivity, which is nice in theory but can be frustrating when the Trojans are losing.
Advertisement
Seeing Riley fired up, but also seemingly talking some crap (the expression on his face when he raises his arms and nods toward the Iowa sideline has a bit of swagger to it) is awesome for a Trojan fanbase who is used to flashy guys with big personalities.
Side note — maybe it’s time to rethink our position on Riley’s generally reserved nature, because it definitely makes moments where he does show a lot of emotion even more special. Just food for thought.
Riley’s relationship with players, coaches
Another great element of this moment was seeing Lincoln Riley celebrate so much with his players and fellow coaches and show so much brotherly love.
Advertisement
Riley shared such clearly meaningful hugs with Jayden Maiava, DeCarlos Nicholson, Shaun Nua, Tanook Hines and others, which is just as meaningful as his celebratory screams.
Coupled with the Trojans’ clear reliance on returning players in 2025, it’s clear Riley is building a culture that his players and assistants are buying into.
Riley’s self-awareness
It’s clear that the Michigan and Iowa games meant a lot to Riley because of preexisting narratives about him.
Those narratives are that he’s only an offensive coach, his teams are bad in the trenches, he folds in ranked games, he throws the football too much and doesn’t run it enough, he can’t beat top tier Big Ten opponents.
Advertisement
Riley and his staff did a LOT of work this offseason to address those holes — maybe more than he has in any other offseason at USC. That showed against Iowa and Michigan — two teams that are known maybe more than any other for being great in the trenches, running the football and playing stout defense.
Riley evidently heard all the trash talk and proved it wrong. He absolutely should be fired up about that.
Sticking to his guns
But while he has evolved as a coach, including hiring smart people around him, changing football philosophy and fixing local recruiting, Riley has also stuck to his guns in a few important ways that have largely paid off.
Advertisement
He’s stayed USC’s offensive play caller despite a prominent narrative around the sport that the most successful coaches are CEOs, not play callers. It’s not an exaggeration to say that USC has one of the best offenses if not the best offense in the country because of it.
And he’s continued to rely on slinging the rock. That was evident against Iowa: against one of the proven top-5 pass defenses in the country, in the rain, Riley trusted Jayden Maiava, Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane to tear up Iowa’s defense and they did just that.
So his emotion is twofold: I can evolve but also, the unchanging parts of my identity are helping us win, too.
Winning over even Matt Zemek
Here’s what Trojans Wire editor Matt Zemek wrote about Riley in the aftermath of the Iowa win:
Advertisement
“Lincoln Riley is generally not a very emotive guy,” Zemek wrote. “The fact that he so emotionally reacted to this win is a manifestation of what we can all appreciate: He knew he was in trouble (not the hot seat, but in a position where he needed to prove something). He knew he had not been getting the best out of this program. He knew this comeback was special, and he knows he can use this as a teaching point to really get the program headed in the right direction.
“Hope? Optimism? In this economy? At Lincoln Riley’s USC? No USC football game over the past three years, with the possible exception of 2024 LSU, has inspired this much hope. As critical as I have been of Lincoln Riley — and I should have been — I am more than willing to say this game eroded a significant chunk of my skepticism for 2026. I was dreading next season going into this game. I was dreading next season at halftime. I am now willing to accept and believe in the possibility that USC might be really good next year.”
Out of all of the fair, balanced and well informed USC media members who don’t have a personal vendetta against Lincoln Riley or the university, Matt is among the most skeptical. He will freely admit this. He is the “bad cop.” I love him for it, it makes our Voice of College Football shows wildly entertaining,
I know Matt well from working with him for the past several months, and it comes from a very good place. He has been around for USC’s glory days, and knows what USC can be at the mountaintop. Like I said, it’s not personal. He simply wants every Trojan to prove they can be the best before they earn his trust. He demands the same excellence and standard that USC coaches should.
Advertisement
Matt’s reaction to this comeback and subsequent emotion from Lincoln Riley is significant. If even he believes this is a reason to be optimistic about Lincoln Riley, this moment truly is the most important benchmark of growth in Riley’s entire tenure.
Hopefully Matt’s optimism can reach unprecedented heights after this week against Oregon.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Lincoln Riley celebrates USC football’s Iowa win with big emotions
