SALT LAKE CITY -- Lincoln Riley has been through this all before, he told his USC Trojans after the game Saturday night.
The sting of a mid-season setback. The first loss for a team that believed it was good enough to win them all. A team, for that matter, with lofty goals well beyond the regular season.
Riley had an energy pulsing through him after USC's gut-punching 43-42 loss in the final minute at Utah. The sound of a jubilant Utes locker room nearby invaded the Trojans' post-game press conference as soon as Riley began his opening comments, but he didn't flinch.
Nor did he waver at all in his confidence of what this team is and can still accomplish the rest of the season.
"You can't question the fight or the resolve of this football team. We had to overcome a lot tonight, and we got damn close to doing it. So, we'll rally," Riley said. "I've been in this position a couple of times. I told those guys I kind of have an idea what it looks like when you can really make a run off of one of these. This team has the inner fortitude, the culture, the desire to win, the desire to overcome anything that goes your way, even things that are out of your control. We got enough of that right now to get it done."
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"It" could refer to the Pac-12 championship. USC is now one of two teams with one conference loss, along with Utah, which would own the tiebreaker if needed. UCLA and Oregon are both unbeaten in Pac-12 play still and clash this coming Saturday in Eugene, Ore. But with a lot of football left, the Trojans' path to the conference title game indeed seems very possible if they win out, including a victory over the Bruins.
"It" more likely refers to the College Football Playoff, though. Riley got there three times in his five seasons as a head coach at Oklahoma.
His 2017 Sooners were 4-0 and ranked No. 3 nationally when they lost to unranked Iowa State (38-31). They fell to 12th in the rankings, won out the rest of the schedule, won the Big 12 championship game and were selected for the CFP semifinals.
His 2018 Sooners were 5-0 and ranked No. 7 when they lost to No. 19 Texas (48-45). They fell to 9th in the rankings, won out the rest of the schedule, won the Big 12 championship game (over Texas) and were selected for the CFP semifinals.
His 2019 Sooners were 7-0 and ranked No. 5 when they lost on the road at unranked Kansas State (48-41). They fell to 9th in the rankings, won out the rest of the schedule, won the Big 12 championship game and were selected for the CFP semifinals.
His 2022 Trojans were 6-0 and ranked No. 7 when they lost on the road Saturday night at then-No. 20 Utah. They fell to 12th in the rankings and ...
That one is still unfinished, but Riley can certainly put some weight behind his words when he says he knows what it takes from this point.
"Like I said before, these guys all haven't yet, but a lot of our staff, like, we've been there. We know what it looks like to make a run," Riley reiterated. "And this team has got a real shot. We've got to go do it -- it ain't going to just happen -- but if we handle this like I think we will, we got a real shot.
"I'm pissed right now because we lost and disappointed for the guys that fought their guts out, but it's balanced like that between, like I'm so excited for the back half of this year and so excited to keep coaching these guys. Shit, I'm ready to go practice right now."
