USC football coach Lincoln Riley is finally opening up about his brisket debacle from five years ago.
Back in April 2021, Riley shared a photo of brisket for Easter dinner. It didn't take long for fans to critique his skills on the grill. Most of them thought he "annihilated" the meat, especially since the center of the meat looked dark.
"Glad that Lincoln has finally found something he can burn more than West Virginia's defense," one fan said.
"An Easter reminder that burnt offerings are no longer necessary," a second fan wrote.
"If this Brisket was a Big 12 football program it would be Kansas. But even Kansas football isn’t as bad as this," another fan commented.
While on "Pardon My Take" this week, Riley explained why the photo of his brisket didn't look very appetizing.
"It's actually one of my favorite stories. I'm not a great cook, but I think I'm a decent cook. We had a couple of our coaches over and my buddy has been telling me about doing this brisket in a Worcestershire bath. I love Worcestershire on anything," Riley said. "So the brisket is phenomenal, but it rips all the pink out of it because it soaks in this bath. I wasn't thinking of anything of it because the brisket was really, really good. I'm not a brisket aficionado, so I don't have the pink on it because of the Worcestershire bath. That's how the whole thing came about."
Getting ready for the 2026 season.
Riley, who has been coaching at USC since 2022, believes the Trojans have the firepower to contend for a spot in the College Football Playoff this upcoming season.
"You got to go win the games. We have the people to do it," Riley said. "We have more reasons why we should and could do it versus why maybe we can't."
USC will begin its 2026 campaign on Aug. 29 against San Jose State. Let's hope Riley's offense is more beloved than his brisket photo.
