One of the more interesting new wrinkles in college football this season is the use of in-helmet communication, allowing a coach on the sideline to talk directly to one player on the field.

For the Trojans, that will of course be quarterback Miller Moss on offense hearing directly from head coach Lincoln Riley, while linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold will wear the designated green dot on his helmet on defense and get the calls from coordinator D'Anton Lynn.

One might think that all is pretty straightforward, but Riley was hesitant to reveal too much about how the Trojans will utilize that communication opportunity.

"Well, I think you're always working through what exactly, what purpose is it going to serve, right? And there's a lot of different [considerations]. Are you making calls that way, are you just communicating with the guys that way? Obviously, the play clock is a major factor and timing and how the game plays out. It's going to be different every single week, and so we've tried to just simulate those different situations for us, how you would use it," Riley said. "We've had a chance to talk to people that have used it a lot and have been able to get a little bit of feedback there.

"And some of it is, honestly, to me almost like asking about a play -- I'm trying to give you something, but also there's a competitive piece to it, right, and I think everybody's going to have that in terms of how you use it. It's one of those things, it's not kind of out there. It's not like people can necessarily hear what you're saying or obviously exactly how you're using it, so there will be some cat and mouse with it, which will be fun."

The NFL of course operates with in-helmet communication, so there's plenty of perspective to draw upon.

The change is only for FBS games and stems in part from the allegations that Michigan orchestrated an elaborate sign-stealing scheme.

The communication to the players will be shut off with 15 seconds left on the play clock or the snap of the ball -- whichever comes first -- and the players don't have the ability to communicate back to the coaches.

"It's been good. It's kind of weird because someone's talking to you and you can't talk back to them, which Coach Riley might be happy about it," Moss said with a laugh. "But it's been cool. We started using it in the spring, and I think we've gotten better in terms of how to navigate that. Obviously, it cuts out at a certain amount of seconds. I think it's good. It's a good tool, but I don't think it's a substitute for being prepared. I think it's just a tool, at the end of the day."

Said Mascarenas-Arnold: "It was a little weird at first, but I think now I've grown a little more accustomed to it. Getting the call first, it makes me play a little faster because I get the call and then I can look for adjustments, look for keys from the offense a little bit quicker than I would normally if I had to get the signal."

He added that Lynn keeps his communication pretty concise.

"Not too much information. It's usually just the call and then if Coach Lynn sees something that he sees from the sideline he'll tell me to relay it. Or it might be something quick for me, 'Look out for this, look out for that, tell the D-line this, tell the D-line that.' Nothing too crazy," Mascarenas-Arnold said.

Riley said it was a bit of an adjustment after calling plays for so long without the option to talk directly to a player on the field, but that he's "definitely enjoyed it."

The Trojans started working on the operations of it back in the spring so it's already become familiar by this point to a degree.

"We’re starting, I think, to settle in on what role it’ll have for us on both sides of the ball. Obviously, what players you’re going to use, how much communication – there’s obviously a lot of strategy to it. It’s been fun test driving it," Riley said. "We went in thinking we might use it a couple ways, and we were right about some of the ways, but we’ve certainly made adjustments along the way to try and make it more efficient. But it’s a part of the game now.

"You’ve got to find the way that’s going to help make your team and your program better. That might not necessarily be the same with every team, just like schemes or anything else. That’ll be just another fun thing to watch how it unfolds and another way we’re hoping to find competitive advantages."