Though it’s not getting a ton of publicity, two 4-1 blue blood teams are about to go at it on Saturday, with the winner having a potential inside track to the College Football Playoff, while the loser would have to be perfect for the rest of the year to make it.
Michigan football is set to travel to USC this week (the Wolverines are leaving for Los Angeles on Thursday night), in hopes that it can get over the hump in terms of traveling out West and winning a game in the regular season. Last year, the maize and blue beat the Trojans, 27-24; thus, USC has revenge on the mind.
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On Tuesday, USC head coach Lincoln Riley met with the media to discuss the matchup. Here’s what he said that’s pertinent to Michigan.
Will LT Elijah Paige play vs. Michigan?
Yeah, I think he’s got a chance. I mean, it’s not a shoo-in. It’s just kind of been a nagging injury that he’s dealt with, one of those things, you just try to manage as best you can. So the bye week was definitely helpful. We’re in a better place than we were, certainly, a couple of weeks ago. But just got to see how the rest of the week plays out.
On Michigan’s defensive line
Yeah, I mean, they’re good. They’re different. They had just the two dominant inside players last year. And they’ve got very good inside players this year, too. But those guys were obviously exceptional players. Their experience at the edges, got guys that have played a while for them, have made a lot of plays. And then you just see their depth. I mean, they have a lot of really good depth. They’re able to rotate guys, able to play multiple guys. If somebody’s out, they can replace them pretty quickly. They can keep guys fresh. So you kind of see a lot of different contributors on the defensive front.
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Yeah, I mean, I think we’re in a much different place on the O-line than we were at this time last year with some of our depth, and I think some of the improvements that we’ve made. So we got a really good group. They got a really good group. It should be a fun battle.
On Sherrone Moore saying the game is a sellout because Michigan’s coming
Yeah, I don’t really care what he says. We’re looking forward to playing.
On the pressure of the game
Yeah, we don’t buy into much of the pressure stuff. It’s just not like that in our walls. I think ours is the excitement to play. I think it’s understanding an opportunity like a game like this provides, where you’re two of the more iconic brands in college football history that get a chance to do battle. You get a chance to do it here in the Coliseum. Like these are special games. I mean, these are games that you remember. These are games that I think provide great opportunities for players, for fans, for everyone. And so, yeah, I think you embrace it.
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I mean, it’s not pressure because this is what we do. Like this is what we wait all frickin’ year for games like this, for opportunities like this. So if not, we’re excited. We’re gonna go prepare our (expletive deleted) off and go play.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Lincoln Riley previews Michigan football matchup, calls it ‘special’
