The No. 17 USC Trojans will take on the UCLA Bruins on Saturday, Nov. 29. On Friday before the game, USC coach Lincoln Riley spoke to reporters, giving some key injury updates to the offensive line.
Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley speaks with the official during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Elijah Paige, Kilian O’Connor Injury Updates
“Elijah Paige won’t (play). We went ahead and got a procedure done this week on him to get him shut down for the year and then with an eye towards getting him ready for the off season. And then you know Kilian certainly won’t be ready. He hasn’t had a procedure yet, but he’ll end up doing virtually the same thing here pretty quickly. I don’t think I’m missing anybody else that’s obvious. All the other guys are progressing, kind of working towards hopefully having as many guys available in this game as we possibly can.”
On Leaping Penalty vs. Oregon
Oregon’s Malik Benson, right, break the Southern California coverage on a punt return on his way to a first-half touchdown Nov. 22, 2025. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“Yeah, we had pretty extensive conversations with not only the conference but the kind of national rules people on that. Good conversations. Honestly the feedback was to be honest, a little bit inconclusive. There’s definitely some gray area there. I think it kind of centers around…did he get through a gap? You can look at it, see the two, the lineman and the snap are kind of separated and there’s clearly a gap in there.”
“And then the question is what is a gap in that moment when two guys are kind of joined together, but they’re kind of leaning a different way because he clearly gets through without going over people, which is kind of the intent of the rule. . . . I understand like that could have went both ways and I think had it not been called they could have justified it either way.”
“And so we’ve had more egregious ones that have been missed that were just clearly missed. This one was a one of those ones that just comes up every once in a blue moon and then all of a sudden it sparks some, it’s such a important play. I mean, you could argue we maybe haven’t had as that important of a play all year. So yeah, it’s going to it’s going to spark some discussion. And I would be actually surprised if that doesn’t spark a rule change or amendment to how that rule is written.”
Tradition in College Football Now
“It’s important. College football’s gone through a huge transition. And in some ways still kind of going through it. Some of those have been preserved across the country. Some of those have not. We’re fortunate that this rivalry, with us both being here in town, with us both being in the Big Ten Conference, being conference opponents and not just rivals, I mean, has a chance to continue. And so I think as these conferences are put together, I think that’s still a huge part of it.”
“And, yeah, I mean, it’s a way to highlight it. There’s still so many great rivalry games across the country, most of them here happening this week. And ours with UCLA continues to be one of the most unique ones out there. Very thankful that we’re still able to play this game and I know it means a lot to a lot of people in this area and and certainly does to both schools as well. So excited to be back in one.”
Making Team Understand History of USC-UCLA Rivalry
Nov 23, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver Kyle Ford (81) and UCLA Bruins defensive back Jaylin Davies (6) battle for an incomplete pass in the end zone during the second quarter at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
“I always do. Always do with rivalry games. I never take that for granted. The different ones that I’ve been in, I want to make sure that our guys understand the history behind it, the importance behind it, the fact that how long this game has been played, all the significant matchups through the years, and that they get a chance to be a part of it.”
“I never want a guy to down the line in his career, maybe he didn’t quite understand what it was or what it meant in the moment. And I want our team to understand and appreciate that. So yes, we do quite a bit to educate our guys, not just the week of, that’s something that is I think when you come to SC, you need to understand all of our traditions and why we do what we do and what the history is here and certainly this game is a big part of that.”
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Philosophy on Coaching Discipline
Oct 28, 2023; Berkeley, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley (center) walks on the field before the game against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
“It depends on the scenario. We’ve been pretty aggressive with guys in terms of guys that are repeat offenders in terms of an undisciplined play, taking their playing time away. I mean, that’s still the number one thing that always speaks to players more than anything. There is certainly a fine line. I know you guys have heard me comment many times that typically the least penalized teams in the country typically aren’t very good, if you historically look at that.”
“I think your ability to do that to not have what we call intolerable penalties in those big moments is a huge part of playing great football. It’s something that we largely have done pretty well this year. We obviously last week did not do a good job of that and that definitely hurt us. That’s a battle that we had been winning in the previous weeks. It’s something that we chart, we talk to our teams about competitively versus the team we face of who has more intolerable penalties.”
“That’s a huge, huge battle for us. And we’ve been largely successful on it…But we didn’t have the type of game the other day that we wanted from that. And so including a few guys that really haven’t been repeat offenders or haven’t been guys that it’s shown up with to this point. We’re aggressive about it.”
“We’ve got a standard. Just like if it’s executing a play. Just like if it’s showing up to team walkthrough on time, going to class. It’s like it’s all the same to us. And so we’re very consistent in our approach about that and what we demand and we’re aggressive with these guys when they don’t meet our standard. It’s not meant to be comfortable.”
How New Facilities Will Help Program Moving Forward
Nov 22, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Tanook Hines (16) runs with the ball during the first half against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
“It’ll change or enhance every single thing that we do in this program. We can’t wait to get in. Will be probably sometime right after spring ball, but certainly before the season. Maybe kind of early summer is kind of what it’s looking like right now. And so preparations are certainly already ongoing for that transition. I think the physical development of our players, the recovery, all the different modes now that you can really recover these guys. All the sports science, the the game prep, the nutrition.”
“And I mean just literally every single part of their experience from the day that they walk in the door, both for them and for the staff is going to be wildly different. And that’s what this facility has been designed to do. I mean it’s it’s two things. It’s honor the history of our great football program and then it is optimizing everything that we do on a daily basis to make it as good as anywhere in the country. I believe with what we’re building like we are accomplishing that.”
“It’s exciting. We had a chance to walk through the previous bye week. We had a chance to take some of us through for some of the staff. It was the first time they had ever been in there. For myself, it was just the second time I had actually ever got a chance to actually go in because obviously it’s an active construction zone. But it is mind-blowing what we’re going to be able to do in that place. The advantages it’s going to bring, just a total game changer in every way.”
