USC beat No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 on Saturday night, and when the reporters ran out of questions, Lincoln Riley pulled out a prepared statement and read it. I’ll allow it.

According to Yahoo Sports, Riley said the program “is built on internal joy, not external applause,” dedicated the win to his staff, players and administration, and said he is the right person for this job.

Here’s my take

When a coach reads from a piece of paper, it’s usually bad news: a resignation, an apology, a “we’re reviewing the situation.” This was a victory lap with a chip on its shoulder. And honestly? You beat the No. 2 team in the country by 12, you’ve earned the mic for five minutes.

It wasn’t a fluke, either. USC scored 39 seconds into the game on a 69-yard Jayden Maiava strike to Trent Mosley, led 27-9 after King Miller’s 1-yard run in the third quarter, and never let Ohio State inside one score. Maiava went 15 of 22 for 222 yards. Ohio State’s last touchdown came with 2:12 left, the two-point try failed, and Caden Chittenden’s 32-yard field goal with 1:46 to go ended it.

Now the uncomfortable part. “Internal joy, not external applause” is a great line right up until the applause stops. USC is 7-2 and 4-2 in the Big Ten. After the off week comes a trip to Indiana on Nov. 14, then Maryland, then UCLA on the road. Win in Bloomington and that statement becomes the start of a playoff run. Lose there and it becomes the clip everybody replays.

Full disclosure: we had Ohio State -7. So nobody is reading a prepared statement at my house this weekend.

Faders, your call: a prepared statement after a win. Confident, or thin-skinned? Tell us at @fiveandafade on X or on Instagram.

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Jeremy Durham is a sports columnist for TriStar Daily and the founder of Five and a Fade.