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Lincoln Riley teases his recipe for a road win against Luke Fickell's Wisconsin

Lincoln Riley reveals some points of emphasis on his scouting report ahead of road test against Wisconsin
ByOwen Jury
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Oct 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley looks on against the Washington Huskies during the third quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Griffin Hooper-Imagn Images
Oct 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley looks on against the Washington Huskies during the third quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Griffin Hooper-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Wisconsin Badgers are fresh off a rough week on multiple fronts, falling to UCLA on the road, 17-7, at the Rose Bowl. Unfortunately for Wisconsin, things don’t get any easier moving forward, as the No. 16-ranked USC Trojans are set to come to Madison, hungry for another high-profile win.

Much like Wisconsin, USC also knows the magnitude of this game, as a road win like this could be a huge factor in whether the Trojans make the College Football Playoff. Trojan head coach Lincoln Riley spoke about that in a recent interview, highlighting a few of his areas of emphasis when discussing the scouting report.

What he revealed

He first spoke about Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph, who, despite having a bit of an up-and-down season, still clearly commands the respect of opposing teams. Riley was particularly impressed with Joseph’s rushing ability, elaborating on why it could be such an issue.

“Offensively, a lot of what they do runs through their quarterback. Guy’s a really good player, experienced player,” Riley said. “Another guy that can really beat you with his legs, he’s definitely one of the best runners that we’ve played against. Very capable thrower, and they’ve added some nice weapons around him.”

Riley, of course, didn’t go into any details about how he plans to go about stopping him. But knowing that Joseph sits firmly at the top of the scouting report should be telling. Badger fans are well aware of what the highs can look like for Joseph, particularly when he’s got things rolling as a passer. But finding consistency with him has been an issue this year.

What hasn’t been inconsistent, however, is the defense. The linebacker group, in particular, has anchored a well-rounded unit, something that obviously didn’t go over Riley’s head.

“I think it’s one of the best linebacking corps that we’ve seen all year,” Riley said. “They’ve got some guys that can really rush the passer, complimentary defense, you know, that’s done a nice job holding a lot of the opponents down.”

It’s not as easy to game-plan around linebackers, either, as, unlike a quarterback, there isn’t much you can do to neutralize their abilities. In order for Wisconsin to rebound and put itself back into conversations at the top of the Big Ten, games like this are important. Knowing a bit about Riley’s scouting report could be one of the minor factors that allows Luke Fickell to put together a proper game plan to push his guys over the edge.

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