USC head coach Lincoln Riley is emphasizing the positives after the Trojans suffered their first loss of the season, falling 41-27 to Oregon last weekend.
"Look, we didn't get run out of the stadium," Riley said Tuesday, according to USA Today's Jordan Mendoza. "There's a lot of good things on that tape. There's a lot of young guys making a lot of plays."
He added: "You don't have a chance to win a game like that if you don't do some things pretty well."
Although USC generated 446 yards on offense against Oregon, its defense allowed 504 yards. The Trojans have also given up at least 30 points in each of their last three games.
Questions about Riley's fit and the program's future have intensified following the loss, as USC owns a 6-14 record against ranked opponents since hiring Riley as head coach in November 2021.
Despite Riley's optimism, he acknowledged that winning is the only way to silence skeptics.
He added that he'll focus on addressing the Trojans' weaknesses by attacking "the areas we got to be better at," though he didn't specify which ones.
Last weekend's matchup gave USC a chance to prove itself as a legitimate playoff contender under Riley. Instead, Oregon coach Dan Lanning not only secured the win, but he seemed to get the last laugh.
"Three wins against these guys," Lanning said in his postgame press conference, per CFB on Fox. "I guess if you're interested in winning football games and you're from this area, you should go to Oregon. If you want to go to a Chris Brown concert, you should go here."
USC now faces a daunting slate, hosting Washington on Saturday before road games against Penn State and Wisconsin. The Trojans close out October with No. 5 Ohio State visiting the L.A. Coliseum on Halloween.
