LOS ANGELES – It was Lincoln Riley at his brazen best.
Riley, Southern California’s first-year football coach, strode onto the field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Saturday as the stands filled up before his team’s game against Notre Dame. About 30 minutes before kickoff, he stopped for his customary interview, one that airs over the stadium PA system.
“It’s not a vision anymore,’’ Riley said, speaking to the crowd. “Tonight it’s real. Enjoy it.’’
So, what would Riley have done if the fifth-ranked Trojans stunk up the Coliseum and lost to the 13th-rannked Fighting Irish? What if they had embarrassed themselves in that storied coliseum?