The gray screen, large enough to obstruct the opposing sideline’s view of USC coach Lincoln Riley, wasn’t exactly subtle. But against Utah, a team he knew to be adept at intercepting sideline signals, Riley decided to take additional security measures. So last October, on the heels of Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal, out came that gray screen, held in front of Riley like a beacon of passive aggressive football paranoia.
To Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, its presence alone felt like a provocation.
“If your signals are being stolen in-game, that’s your fault,” he later told reporters.