For the past few games, Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans have hit a trend. One win, one loss, one win, one loss. As they recover from a 34-24 heartbreak against Notre Dame, a question looms among the fans. Which was worse on Saturday, Riley’s play calling, or USC’s lack of toughness? The Trojans’ head coach had caught the heat for the play call on USC’s disastrous fourth-quarter fumble. Finally, he cleared the air.

On October 21, USC beat writer Ryan Kartje posted a clip of Riley’s interview. The analyst had asked him about the most important lesson he’s learned as a play-caller. Riley replied, “You can’t be scared. You can’t. You’ve gotta call what you believe is best in the moment. Not what fans think or announcers think or anybody else.” Maybe that was a blunt reply to the ones who ar

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