USC was hit with D’Anton Lynn’s move to Penn State before their bowl game. The DC who fixed a hapless Trojan defense in the last two years, has left to join his alma mater. Riley also reacted to the development and made defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator Eric Henderson call the defense in the Alama bowl. After the game, the head coach further addressed his DC’s departure.

“I feel fantastic,” Riley told the press on December 30. “Those that really study the game and watch the way that we’ve played and the way that we’ve been able to improve… the arrow’s just pointing straight up.”

Lynn significantly improved USC’s run defense and tackling while cutting over 10 points a game from the scoreboard, helping to stabilize a defense that had entirely collapsed under Alex Grinch. Riley sees a foundation even though Lynn’s improvements slowed in his second season, particularly in road defeats to Illinois, Notre Dame, and Oregon.

“The opportunity… to go from being a very good defense to being a great defense is the goal,” he said. “And I mean, we have the personnel to do it. We’re on an upward trend.”

Still, the timing of Lynn’s move only adds to the intrigue. He rejected the Nittany Lions last January and renewed his commitment to USC in May, stating that he “couldn’t imagine [himself] coaching anybody else.” This is the second year in a row that Penn State has pursued him. In September, he was making headlines once more, this time as a potential contender for the head coaching position at UCLA, a school he had led defensively in 2022; however, he shut down those rumors as well.

Back at USC, Riley’s confidence spills directly into the search itself. He sees leverage as USC searches for its third defensive coordinator in four years following Lynn’s departure.

“There’s going to be a lot of interest in this job,” he said. “This will be an extremely, extremely coveted job,” Riley admitted. “I can already tell by the nature of what my phone’s been like the last couple of days.”

While Riley didn’t confirm whether Henderson will be USC’s DC going forward, the ‘personnel’ comment hints at it. Henderson was already the co-defensive coordinator and has experience at both the collegiate and professional levels.

The head coach also discussed the progress the program has made under his leadership.

“There was a few of us who believed in it,” Riley said, acknowledging skepticism about whether USC was truly “all-in” again. In Riley’s view, all doubts are now gone. “Each year… it’s gotten easier,” he said. “The pools have gotten bigger, our ability to go get great people… has just gotten higher and higher. And I can already tell that with this.”

Most importantly, Riley made it clear USC isn’t resetting in any way, not schematically or culturally. “I definitely don’t want to press reset,” he said, praising a defensive staff that had to rally on short notice after Lynn informed USC he would not coach the bowl game. “We’ve made a lot of improvement and we’ve got a hell of a defensive staff in there.” That unity showed, Riley noted, adding, “Their ability to rally on short notice tonight, I think, was evident.”

But those words came only after a night that had already slipped away. USC took the field in San Antonio, and it seemed like control slowly turned into disbelief.

Alamo Bowl heartbreak

Late on Monday night, USC left the Alamodome with that gut-punch, feeling every fan knows well. Despite having momentum, a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, and double-digit wins within reach, the Trojans saw the Alamo Bowl slip away from them. The game finished in overtime when TCU tied it on the last play of regulation time, and USC was only able to score a field goal despite being first-and-goal.

After Jeremy Payne’s 35-yard catch-and-run that included multiple broken tackles, the game was over. Lincoln Riley’s second 10-win season at USC was blocked by this 30-27 setback, which seemed more devastating than most bowl losses.

“Obviously, we did a lot of good things to put ourselves in position to win, but at the end of the day, we had to kick too many field goals, and they scored touchdowns in the red zone when we didn’t, and that was really the tale of the game,” Riley said. “Disappointed for our one-game season here not to win this one, but obviously we’re excited about what’s ahead and appreciative to all the guys that have been a part of this season.”

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The frustration was everywhere. “We did everything right defensively to put them in that position, and we just didn’t finish the play,” he said, pointing to the same issue that haunted the offense, too.  The Trojans wrapped up four drives with field goals, while TCU finished with touchdowns, and Jayden Maiava threw two interceptions, one in the end zone.

Yet, there were flashes. Jaden Richardson’s one-handed touchdown grab lit up the sideline. True freshman Tanook Hines exploded for a career night. Those moments kept USC alive and made the ending sting even more.

On the one hand, there is a lot of hope for USC in 2026 with a strong roster, key players returning, and new talent getting significant playtime. But Monday night’s reality lingers. The offense was never consistent. The defense missed tackles at the worst possible moments. For Trojan fans, the game was unsettling. You can dream big about the future and still walk away wondering why this one slipped through their fingers.