LOS ANGELES — On Saturday night, as a crowd of reporters waited for USC head coach Lincoln Riley to address yet another painful loss, cries of joy could be heard from the adjacent Penn State locker room at the Los Angeles Coliseum. It echoed through the thin walls of the building.
“We own LA!” one of the victorious Nittany Lions shouted.
“LA is our city!” his Penn State teammates howled in response.
When Riley took to the podium minutes later, he made little effort to hide his frustration at what he described as a “really tough loss.” Despite building a two-touchdown lead at halftime, USC lost 33-30 in overtime to the nation’s No. 4 team, building a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter and closing in on a chance to win. He entered Penn State territory with a . Regulation.
The most recent second-half collapse was even more painful for USC, as it was the Trojans’ third one-point loss of the season. They have suffered two excruciating setbacks on the Big Ten road, allowing a last-minute game-winning touchdown against Michigan on September 21st, and then trailing by seven points late in a game against Minnesota two weeks later. It was stolen.
“The reality is we’ve played the toughest schedule in the country for the first six games, but we had a chance to win every game,” Riley said. “That’s tough. It’s very difficult to put yourself in a position to win these games.
“I understand that the outside world is going to focus on our record and the fact that we lost three games the last time we played, so the good news isn’t going to get out to the public right now. I get it. Part of it is: We all knew this when we signed up for Big Boy Football: We’ve got to do a better job at the end of the game. Coaches, players, I’ve got to do a better job. No, because I’m doing too much good to be in a position where I can lead and win.”
Lincoln Riley is currently 22-11 as USC’s head coach. (David Berding/Getty Images)
There’s no denying that USC is behind its destination with a few clutch plays and timely stops, but that doesn’t change the harsh reality facing the Trojans. At 3-3 overall, they are no longer a realistic contender to make the College Football Playoff. They could advance and very likely not even sniff a 12-team field.
To make matters worse, there’s little reason to believe USC can capitalize on such a late run. This is a program that has lost all of the momentum it had when Riley joined. USC has lost eight of its last 13 games over the past calendar year. That matches Clay Helton’s worst 13-game streak ever.
Those struggles have wiped out much of the enthusiasm with which Riley arrived three years ago. Saturday’s crowd of 75,250 gave a lukewarm response every time the Coliseum’s in-house DJ demanded, “Come on, you gotta make more noise!” There were so many pockets of Penn State blue and white in the crowd that there were many times when the Nittany Lions bench gestured for more noise.
When asked how much responsibility he bears for the state of the program, Riley bristled at the question.
“That’s always been the case for me,” Riley said. “When was the last time I shied away from responsibility? I always take responsibility. I’m the head coach. It’s all my job. Believe me, there’s no one more responsible than me. , comes from “I don’t know where that line of questioning is.” ”
USC has searched in vain for a capable replacement since Pete Carroll left for the NFL in 2010 during an NCAA investigation. Lane Kiffin was famously fired on the tarmac at LAX after a poor start to his fourth season. Steve Sarkisian lasted less than two years due to personal issues. Interim coach Ed Orgeron attracted players and alumni from USC, but did not receive a vote of confidence from the administration. Then, with USC running out of money and desperate for stability, Clay Helton held the job for seven largely forgettable years.
When Helton was fired two games into the humiliating eight-loss 2021 season, then-USC Athletic Director Mike Vaughn said he had no confidence in his ability to “win a national championship and restore glory to USC football.” He vowed to find a successor. Riley’s arrival appears to be an antidote to USC’s long and incestuous history of hiring head coaches solely based on their ties to the Trojans.
Riley grew up in the small town of Muleshoe, Texas, just 35 miles from the New Mexico border. He replaced Bob Stoops at the University of Oklahoma in 2017 and has amassed a 55-10 record over the next five seasons, winning four Big 12 championships, three College Football Playoff appearances and two Heisman Trophy championships.
On a tumultuous late November night in 2022, Riley appeared to be leading USC back to its glorious past. The Trojans outperformed Notre Dame and went 11-1 in Riley’s debut season. Caleb Williams captivated a star-studded Coliseum crowd with every dart downfield and every sack he escaped. USC needed one more win to earn its first berth to the College Football Playoff.
Utah State followed with 47 and USC with 24.
and Tulane 46, USC 45.
and months of scrutiny surrounding Riley’s reluctance to move on from troubled defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.
It’s never easy to fire a best friend, but Riley’s stubborn loyalty to the Grinch caused him to lose the trust of many USC fans. It wasn’t until last November that USC parted ways with the Grinch after falling to 119th in yards allowed and 121st in points allowed out of 130 teams in the Football Bowl Division.
While this year’s defense has been admirable under new defensive coordinator Danton Lynn, Riley’s offense has faltered without former Heisman Trophy winner Williams. Heir apparent Miller Moss has thrown five interceptions in the last four games, but his performance has been hampered by USC’s inability to block edge rushers.
In Saturday’s game against Penn State, Riley didn’t expose any pass protection issues and used the speed of USC’s superior skill positions to put together play after play, showing why he was the mastermind of the offense. It proved what is known as. Most memorable was a clever fake reverse in the first quarter that fooled half of Penn State’s defense and allowed freshman Quinten Joyner to go 75 yards nearly unscathed.
Penn State rallied in the second half as tight end Tyler Warren had a school-record 17 catches for 224 yards. Penn State moved Warren around numerous times, lining him up in the backfield, tight end or wide. Many times, USC’s secondary lost track of him. Early in the third quarter, Warren snapped the ball, ran downfield almost unnoticed, and caught a 32-yard touchdown pass.
“We knew he was going to be a tough player coming in,” Riley said. “We missed coverage a few times, but I think that’s something we’ll look back on. When you play a really good player like that, you just want him to earn his money. Dew.”
Riley looked back at Penn State’s two fourth-and-longs in the fourth quarter. What Riley called a “crazy play” set up a 14-yard game-winning touchdown pass from Drew Aller to running back Nicholas Singleton.
USC advanced into Penn State territory on its final drive in regulation, and Riley bided his time for a third-and-6 from the 45-yard line with 14 seconds left. Riley said if USC had converted, it would have felt good in the kicker’s foot. Instead, Moss fell with an ill-timed interception.
Overtime roulette ensued, but once again luck was not on USC’s side. Penn State fans in the back of the end zone rejoiced when Michael Lantz made a 45-yard field goal wide left. And after PSU kicker Ryan Barker scored the game-winning goal from 36 yards out, it was the Nittany Lions bench who spilled their joy onto the field.
Moss called the loss “excruciating,” but struck a hopeful tone, noting that they were close.
“That’s the No. 4 team in the country,” Moss said. “What does that do for us?”
After the game, Riley was asked if there was ever a moment when he envisioned a return to Penn State, providing an opportunity to see just how hard he has worked through Southern California’s recent struggles. He said he didn’t see his kids four nights this week because he was working long hours preparing for the Penn State game.
“I think about this every second,” Riley said. “I dream when I go to sleep, and then I wake up and think about it, and then I think about it all.
“It’s a really tough loss. There’s really no way to make it perfect.”
