USC just pulled off a wild 30-18 upset over No. 2 Ohio State in a rain-soaked Coliseum on Halloween night, sparking an epic field storm by fans, but don’t expect them to hit cruise control for their second bye week. Last time the Trojans had a break, it ended in a brutal 24-7 loss to Wisconsin, a game where Lincoln Riley’s offense put up its fewest points ever. This time? Everything’s getting a rewrite, top to bottom.
Learning From That Wisconsin Wake-Up Call
Head Coach Lincoln Riley is making it crystal clear: this isn’t a rerun. The vibe is totally different. He says the roster feels “a lot more fresh” than before that first bye week, and their health lets them be “a little bit more aggressive” in practice. This isn’t about hitting pause, it’s about hitting reset and applying all those lessons. Riley pointed out that having two bye weeks actually gives you a chance to see how the team responds, then you get a “second run at it.” And trust me, almost nothing is staying the same. “There’s quite a few things that’ll be different in terms of really everything,” Riley said. “The schedule, how long we give the guys off at the end of the week, what we do during the week, the content of the practices…there’s a lot more differences than there are similarities.” Talk about a complete overhaul!
Upholding The Standard: Players Aren’t Slowing Down
The players are echoing Riley’s urgency, too. Offensive lineman Elijah Paige summed it up perfectly: “We’re not letting our foot off the gas. We’re going. This is just like any other week. This is our standard week.” Receiver Trent Mosley pinpointed the real danger right now, saying it’s less about being tired and more about “drift” and complacency. This is the part of the season where folks can “fall off,” get “complacent or tired,” and “stop doing the little things, the details.” Mosley’s answer? Don’t treat this week like a break at all. He put it straight: “This is not a bye week for us. This is a standard week, and you uphold the standard…go out there and attack every day.” You saw that “standard” against the Buckeyes, right? Mosley snagged a screen pass and took it 69 yards for a touchdown on just the second play. And get this, Ohio State’s D hadn’t given up a play longer than 36 yards all season! Then tight end Mark Bowman took it up another notch, hurdling a defender and breaking multiple tackles for a 70-yard completion. Mosley couldn’t stop praising his freshman teammate, saying, “He’s just the best. He can play all aspects of the game…he dominate.”
So, while the Trojans just pulled off a monumental win, they aren’t letting that previous bye-week blunder define them. It’s clear that 24-7 loss still stings, and they’re using this break to tighten up, not slack off. With that kind of intensity, you gotta wonder what they’ll bring to the field next.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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