USC’s 30-18 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes should have been the headline coming out of Saturday night. But Lincoln Riley found himself making headlines for an entirely different reason. His postgame altercation with Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork quickly caught fire on social media, turning a night of celebration into an unwanted talking point. Days later, Riley has finally weighed in.
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“Non-issue. Just typical emotions after the game,” Riley said during his weekly news conference. “We squashed it on the way up the tunnel. Ross (is) a good guy. Really good AD. It’s really a non-issue.”
When asked what led to that, Riley said: “That’s all I’m gonna say on it.”
After the Trojans pulled off the upset of the season against the No. 2 Buckeyes, there was plenty of commotion throughout the stadium, with the Coliseum tunnel becoming the center of a heated exchange.
The situation was already difficult to manage, as the tunnel serves as the only access point to the field and locker rooms for both USC and its visiting opponents, leaving very little room to control the postgame chaos.
The Trojans’ fans stormed the field after Lincoln Riley orchestrated a 30-18 victory over the Buckeyes, improving USC’s record to 7-2. Given the circumstances, security was tighter than usual, with officials having to carefully manage access to the tunnel and distinguish between players, coaches, staff, game officials, media personnel, and fans attempting to sneak inside after rushing the field.
The sheer volume of people created significant delays, as everyone struggled to navigate through the congestion. The situation was certainly getting out of control, frustrating Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork, who appeared to shout something in Riley’s direction.
The USC head coach responded with the same energy, firing back a series of expletives and turning the postgame congestion into a heated verbal confrontation.
“Are you kidding me? F–k you!” Riley shouted at Bjork as the AD and a pack of Ohio State staffers walked past. “That’s bulls–t.”
The Ohio State Buckeyes declined to comment on the matter; however, Riley downplayed the confrontation as a sudden outburst of emotions. Following the exchange, Riley made his way straight to the locker room, where he later made a statement that caught many off guard.
“I’ve got one other thing I want to say,” Riley said as he took out a piece of paper. “I just took a second and wanted to make sure to articulate my thoughts. This program is built on internal joy, not external applause. This win is for all the staff members, the players, the leaders, the admin, the people within the walls. I said before this game that I’m the right person for this job”
His statement, backing him as the right person to lead the team, especially at a time when conversations about his potential sacking were growing following the 24-7 loss to Wisconsin, was certainly a bold one. However, that was not enough to satisfy the media, as reporters pressed the head coach on why he made the remark.
“There were just a few things that I wanted to say, and after the emotions of the game and all that, I wanted to be able to articulate a few of those things, and that’s why I wrote it down, and that’s why I chose to say it,” said Riley.
The Trojans dream of securing a place in the College Football Playoff, but their path has become increasingly challenging after USC landed at No. 20 in the opening CFP rankings. With just three regular-season games remaining, Lincoln Riley’s team will likely need to win all three to secure a spot in the 12-team playoff field.
Following a bye week, USC will travel to face No. 4 Indiana on November 14 before returning home to host Maryland. The Trojans will then close out their regular season against crosstown rival UCLA at the Rose Bowl, with the Bruins currently sitting at 8-0 and No. 8 in the CFP rankings.