On Friday, USC officially hired legendary TCU coach Gary Patterson as its defensive coordinator. Patterson served as the head coach of the Horned Frogs from 2000 through 2021, winning six conference titles in three different conferences during that stretch.
During Patterson’s TCU tenure, he faced off against Lincoln Riley, who was then the head coach at Oklahoma, several times. The most notable of these meetings came in the 2017 Big 12 Championship Game.
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On that day, Patterson’s defense was no match for Riley’s explosive offense. Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield locked up the Heisman Trophy by throwing four touchdown passes as the Sooners rolled to a 41-17 win.
Eight years later, Riley and Patterson are on the same coaching staff in Los Angeles. USC fans are hoping that Riley’s offense will produce on the same level in 2026 as it did in their 2017 meeting, while Patterson’s defense will hopefully allow fewer than 41 points per game.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football’s Lincoln Riley and Gary Patterson were once opponents