As the USC Trojans host the #4 Penn State Nittany Lions this week in a do-or-die scenario for USC’s 2024 college football playoff hopes, the question top of mind for the Trojan Family is how this offensive line will hold up against one of the five most ferocious pass rushes in the country.
While Lincoln Riley is unquestionably a quarterback guru, it will be fascinating to witness how he strategically maneuvers improvement in the trenches for this must-win contest.
Here’s three approaches he can utilize to find that elusively secret sauce.
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One of the knobs Riley can turn is making a lineup change, particularly at the struggling tackle positions with Mason Murphy and Elijah Paige. However, throughout spring and fall ball, it was evident that the quintet of Jonah Monheim, Emmanuel Pregnon, and Alani Noa along with Murphy and Paige were clearly the five most complete, ready, and refined linemen to set up the Trojans for success.
Furthermore, while the USC Trojans have flirted with Tobias Raymond and Kilian O’Connor playing spot snaps, throwing any rotational piece exclusively into the fire against the likes of All-American caliber edges Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton, seems like too tall an order for those players at this stage in their development, and tactically irresponsible for Riley.
Play Calling From Lincoln Riley

One of the positives lost in last week’s outcome was the success Riley had in calling straight-line runs in between the tackles with Woody Marks to neutralize an explosive Minnesota edge rush. Marks finished with 20 carries for 134 yards – a robust 6.7 yards per carry.
As discussed on the USC LAFB Show this week, the problem wasn’t productivity, but rather, conviction. Riley once again got spooked on the first sign of run-stopping resistance at the end of the Golden Gophers contest and finished the game with nine straight pass calls.
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If Riley can demonstrate intestinal fortitude with repeated downhill running calls, it can at least neutralize the Nittany Lions edge rush.
However, he must be mindful that the USC football running attack was aided by a Minnesota front seven that had rather pedestrian linebacker play.
This week’s Nittany Lions 4-2-5 defensive scheme ranked 4th nationally with a predisposition to stack the box; while only allowing 233 yards/game and 11.4 points/game is another animal altogether.
Riley must demonstrate mystery, variety, and resilience in his playcalling against the most complete defense the Trojans have faced in 2024.
Formations

This is probably the lever with the biggest upside for the Trojans. A way to offset the trench struggle is to play in more 12 personnel.
Perhaps the most underrated storyline of the 2024 Trojan season was the injury to Lake McRee, who was not only instrumental as a primary receiving target over the middle of the field but perhaps even more vital as a blocker.
While it’s unlikely McRee will play on Saturday, some combination of he, Kade Eldridge, and Walker Lyons to offset tackle deficiencies will be paramount to keeping the Trojans offense on schedule.
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Of course, additional blocking comes at the expense of more playmakers. Riley can mitigate that in one of two ways: a.) leverage Marks in the passing game the way he did with Travis Dye in 2022, and b.) have narrower wide receiver splits closer to the offensive line.
The former references utilizing Marks as almost a third wide receiver weapon by having him go beyond the line of scrimmage through the offensive line before making a route break with a linebacker covering him, as opposed to simply fading out horizontally in the flat.
The latter will create inside congestion that can also indirectly slow down the Nittany Lion pass rush while also generating misassignments on the backend for coverage breakdowns and wide-open receivers.
Should be fascinating to see the offensive guru Riley at work in a game that will produce far more questions about his long-term viability as Trojans coach if he can’t deliver. Game On. Fight On.