Good Morning, Trojan Family! Head coach Lincoln Riley shares the ways that his defensive coordinator has impacted the team on the latest edition of Quick Hits with Keely Eure.

🗣️ “I think the culture defensively within our program has really shifted in a lot of ways. I’m proud of how we’ve progressed schematically.” - Lincoln Riley

What else do we have for you in today's edition of The Three Torches? Check it out below!

🏈 The Battle of LA preview
⚽️ Women of Troy ready for NCAA Second Round action
⚔️ And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 The Victory Bell Is Calling. The nation will be watching, but this is a local feud. USC and UCLA meet this Saturday at the Rose Bowl for the 94th version of the nation's most famous crosstown rivalry, live on NBC. USC has won 18 of the last 25 meetings of the long-standing rivalry but will look to bounce back from last season’s 38-20 loss at home. Quarterback Jordan Maiava is coming off a debut that saw him find the endzone four times while the defense will look to hold down the fort after allowing just 22 points per game.

📚️ Read more about this weekend’s crosstown rivalry
📝 Game notes for Saturday’s matchup

🔼 Bounced Back. Trojan men’s basketball improved to 4-1 on the season after taking down San Jose State, 82-68 on Wednesday night. Chibuzo Agbo and Terrance Williams II each dropped 20 points and combined to go 7-13 from behind the arc. Matt Knowling had a complete night, adding another 12 points along with eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal. Looking to build momentum heading into the holiday week, the Trojans will face off against Grambling on Sunday inside the Galen Center at 4 p.m.

🔼 Ready To Roll. The No. 1 seeded USC women's soccer team continues NCAA Tournament play with a second-round matchup against No. 8 seed Saint Louis on Friday at 5 p.m. With a win, the Trojans would play in the round of 16 on Sunday against the winner of Friday afternoon's match between Wisconsin and Virginia. The Trojans and Billikens have never met on the pitch before. Both programs played Penn State this year, with USC winning 2-1, and SLU losing 0-1.

🔼 Doubles Dub. During day two of the NCAA Individual Championships, USC women’s tennis pairing Grace Piper and Lily Fairclough advanced to the Round of 16 after a straight-set victory in round one of action. The duo defeated a pair from Baylor, 6-2, 6-4, to move one step closer to bringing home some hardware to Los Angeles.

🔼 Put To The Test. The No. 16/20 USC women's and men's swimming teams conclude fall competition this weekend with a trip to Austin, Texas, for the three-day Texas Hall of Fame Invitational. So far this season, USC has been undefeated in dual meets with wins over Hawaii and Arizona.

🔼 Classroom Success. At 94 percent, USC's Graduation Success Rate of student-athletes is the highest in school history. The Trojans have been hitting GSR records every year for the past decade, with this latest score setting a new all-time high and featuring 13 USC teams with perfect 100-percent scores.

📚️ Read more about the academic success USC Athletics has had

Need tickets to Notre Dame vs USC in football? Go to Chick-fil-A on 7th and Figueroa for your chance to enter to win. ONLY at this location. 4 tickets and a $250 Chick-fil-A card gives you every reason to Fight On! Find them on IG @cfa7thandfig

This season, Abbott and the Big Ten are pitting school against school in the largest blood donation competition of our lifetime to fight the largest blood shortage in a generation.

Want USC to win? Then don't give up. Give blood. Every donation scores one point for your school on the leaderboard.

The winning school will receive $1 million to advance student or community health. Individual donors will be offered a free one-month subscription to B1G+ and will be entered to win a trip to the 2024 Discover® Big Ten Football Championship Game on December 7, 2024. Learn More and Give Blood Today.

🗣️ SPREAD THE WORD

Do you know a friend or family member who is a USC fan? Simply forward them this email and they can sign up to receive The Three Torches by clicking the link below to subscribe. The Three Torches is sent every day and is completely free!

📅 THE WEEK AHEAD

*All times Pacific

Thursday, November 21
🎾 Women’s Tennis @ NCAA Individual Championships in Waco, TX
🏊️ Men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving @ Texas Hall of Fame Swimming Invitational in Austin, TX
🏐 Volleyball vs. Northwestern @ 5 p.m. in Evanston, IL | B1G+

Friday, November 22
🎾 Women’s Tennis @ NCAA Individual Championships in Waco, TX
🏊️ Men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving @ Texas Hall of Fame Swimming Invitational in Austin, TX
🏊️ Men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving @ Trojan Diving Invitational in Los Angeles, CA
🏐 Men’s Volleyball @ UCLA Fall Tournament in Los Angeles, CA
🤽‍♂️ Men’s Water Polo vs. Austin College @ Noon in Westwood, CA | Watch
⚽️ Soccer vs. Saint Louis @ 5 p.m. in Irvine, CA | Tickets | ESPN+

Saturday, November 23
👟 Cross Country @ NCAA Championships in Madison, WI
🏊️ Men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving @ Trojan Diving Invitational in Los Angeles, CA
🏐 Men’s Volleyball @ UCLA Fall Tournament in Los Angeles, CA
🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. Notre Dame @ 1 p.m. in Los Angeles, CA | Tickets | NBC | Listen
🤽‍♂️ Men’s Water Polo vs. TBD @ TBD in Westwood, CA
🏐 Women’s Volleyball vs. Purdue @ 4 p.m. in West Lafayette, IN | Tickets | B1G+
🏈 Football vs. UCLA @ 7:30 p.m. in Pasadena, CA | NBC | Listen

Sunday, November 24
🏊️ Men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving @ Trojan Diving Invitational in Los Angeles, CA
🤽‍♂️ Men’s Water Polo vs. TBD @ TBD in Westwood, CA
🏀 Men’s Basketball vs. Grambling @ 4 p.m. in Los Angeles, CA | Tickets | B1G+ | Listen

⚔️ Click here to view the full USC Trojan Athletics Calendar

⚔️ Have a great Thursday, everyone!