Both schools have had Heisman winners and porous defenses. But the wins haven't matched the hype, and both coaches know that.
Marty Smith details the new college football landscape and what to look forward to this season, including a 12-team playoff. 37 hours apart in November 2021, two coaching hires -- and abrupt departures -- that rocked college football and would forever bind, respectively, for the chance to pursue national championships with the Trojans and Tigers. They haven't had much of a chance to reflect on their moves, at least with one another, although the time will eventually come.
"There's a lot of parallels between the two groups," Riley told ESPN at Big Ten media days."There is a lot to it."-- who went against the transfer trend, remained at their schools, delivered big bowl performances and will finally get their opportunities to start. Last fall, LSU experienced what Kelly saw as"a lack of connection" to what was being taught. Kelly didn't have a problem with the defensive scheme but saw players lacking energy and resolve at times. The Tigers finished 115th nationally against the pass and 106th in efficiency. They allowed an average of 47.3 points in their three losses.
"You talk to a lot of people, and before I even turned on the tape, a lot of people said those are two of the best tackles in the country," Lynn told ESPN."It's really exciting to have a challenge like that Week 1." "Clearly, patience is not a virtue any more. It's something that we don't see," Kelly said."And clearly, both of these young men have been patient, have waited for their opportunity, and are going to get rewarded.Moss and Nussmeier both earned their first career starts in last year's bowl games, as Williams and Daniels opted out to prepare for the draft.
But the coaches' most notable connection might always be those frenetic hours after the 2021 regular season, when they left two of the top six winningest programs in the sport."I saw him at the draft; we caught up for just a second," Riley said."At some point, though, we will have a good laugh about it.""It was pretty tense and difficult, timing-wise, for both of us," he said.
At Big Ten media day, Riley detailed the key areas where USC had fallen behind. Twenty years removed from a national championship, USC is still working to match its peer programs. Even the transfer portal, where USC has had some notable successes including Williams, is an area Riley would like to de-emphasize in the coming years.
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