There were lessons learned for the No. 20 USC Trojans during their Nov. 7 bye week, the second of the season.

As coach Lincoln Riley explained via the Nov. 9 edition of Trojans Live, USC cranked up the intensity dial. And for a good reason too: The defending national champion No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers are on deck next in Bloomington for a huge Big Ten Conference showdown featuring College Football Playoff implications.

Riley addressed everything from bye week approach, to preparing for possibly two quarterbacks and facing off against coach Curt Cignetti for the first time ever.

Lincoln Riley Turns up Heat With USC During Second Bye Week

"It was different. We were pretty aggressive with the guys throughout the week."

"Having the bye week a few weeks previously, we were going to be able to attack just in a little bit of a different way than we did the first time around."

"So we got a lot done this week and thought the guys handled it well. We also got a chance to get out on the road and recruit a little through the weekend."

"And then here we are in game week. We're ready to go."

What Made This USC Bye Week Different Structure Wise

"I think just the way we structured practices and kind of the quality of work that we got. We got quite a bit of one-on-ones. We got a little bit of scout team work in as well. But we just had three quality days and we were on the field one more day then we were the previous one [bye]."

"Even just the content of the practices -- the length, the style, the physicality -- was up there. And there's a lot of excitement in how we played a couple of weeks ago and especially just looking ahead to the opportunities we have in the final stretch of the regular season."

"So I thought the team was kind of fresh and physically ready for it. We had several outlines where we needed to attack and get better at. And I thought we made up a lot of ground and set ourselves up for a great game week."

Recruiting Also Big Emphasis for USC During Bye

"[Recruiting] week was good. We had a few of us who were able to get out and see some guys across the country. And see a couple of different games."

"Obviously, we've been able to handle a lot of what we need locally just throughout the season. Just the convenience of being right here, the local recruiting doesn't stop. But every now and then, you've got to get across the country and see a guy here or there. So we were able to get that done."

"And just about everyone in the country was watching the Ohio State game. So there was a lot of great response from the coaches and players and just everybody as we were able to get out. It's kind of fun to put everything on pause for a few minutes and go to work on the future of this place. With the guys we saw, it's very bright."

Where USC 2026 Identity Now stands

"I think we know exactly what we are. I think we're a team that's very capable on all three sides of the ball."

"And we've had some bright moments. We were a team that was going to do a phenomenal job of merging some of the older players with the young stash of new players that are having a big role on the team. We knew that this was going to be one of our biggest challenges. And I think you've really started to see this team come together."

"This team wins games in different ways and you've seen kind of all sides of their own just continue to improve and do bigger and better things as the season's went on. And you've seen some flashes of what this team can do when all three sides are playing well together. Especially with playing with an edge and physicality. That's one of the things that we've had an uptick in."

"I think anytime you're playing with as many young guys as we're playing, the team sometimes beats themselves with mental mistakes and all that. But I think we've felt like the whole time that our threshold to get better was really strong. Maybe they didn't understand it at the beginning and that's why we're so optimistic and excited for this last run."

Mark Bowman, Trent Mosley and How Freshmen Have Stepped up

"We'll obviously see what transpires later on as times goes on. We've had so many guys play prominent roles in some of these big games.

"I mean, these are big time matchups in big time environments we've played in. We have another group that's playing meaningful snaps and we have a few guys who aren't ready but will be soon."

"Like, they're all able to take this in and soon we're going to have a pretty experienced roster across the board. So its fun to break away from the current and think about that for a second."

Staying Humble Through a Headset

"I think every play caller, at times, fights that. It's what you want versus what's going to help you be the most successful in that moment. And there is a balance with that.

"Now the better you get, then you just got to be what you want to be, right? And that's the goal, to continue to build all sides up to where you've got your identity and you're very confident in what that's going to become. You certainly have to be able to adjust."

"And when you're playing this type of schedule, you have to understand people are going to occasionally do things or overdo things to take things away."

"You better have your counters and you better have your ability to try to keep them off base. But if you don't have a true foundation, you're going to get exposed at some point."

Elijah Newby Energizing USC

"He's got some juice. It's important to always have guys who are high energy who becomes a spark plug for your football team. And I think Newby has become one of those guys who's really earned respect within the walls."

"He's always had a great attitude no matter what his role was. Even earlier in the year when he was hurt he was team first always."

"He's always positive and a ton of energy and our guys feed off of it. It's kind of cool to see our team taken to him."

Preparing for Indiana and Possibly 2 Quarterbacks Including Josh Hoover

"Really good football team. Definitely one of the more explosive offenses in the country. They return a lot of good players. They have multiple great wide receivers and an experienced quarterback. They're good at the running back position and offensive line."

"It's just a really good group, and there's a lot of continuity in that group and I would say a lot of the same things about them defensively. They have a really strong defense that returns a lot of guys from a year ago. It's a very deep talented front It's probably one of the deepest groups that we've played all year.

"They've created a lot of havoc and they do a nice job in their coverages. And you look at their group it's literally junior, senior, junior, senior. Just literally acorss the board and it shows up on tape."

"We've had a chance to see both of these guys but we've got to be ready for both. They have their strenghts and weaknesses and certainly some things that favor the other. We've got to be ready for them and potentially see both guys. They're both very capable of running their offense. "

Praise for Indiana Coach Curt Cignetti

"They got off to a great start there. I think the guy before Tom Allen did a great job and compiled some nice defensive talent. Coach Cignetti went with the blueprint of essentially, bringing in a big chunk of his team they had at James Madison."

"Give them credit, they've done a nice job coaching and with that roster. They've invested in that roster from day one."

Next Step for USC Defense That Lincoln Riley Wants to See

"Next step is being dominant. We've been proud of how we've closed these games. We've won some of these games off the backs of our defense. And we've had some real tangible growth looking at statistics."

"But when you watch the games, you see the improvement across the board. Now we're at a point where we need to accelerate and be at our very best. And it starts with being very dominant and we've shown flashes of that."

"Like the opportunities to close windows in the run and pass game to create more explosive plays defensively, we've had some opportunities to do that and we have the guys to do it. So this will be a great opportunity to stretch that growth."