Lincoln Riley’s leash at USC is officially gone. Done. Finito. If the constant losing keeps up, his time in Los Angeles should be over, period. We just watched No. 15 Southern California get absolutely embarrassed, pushed around in a brutal 24-7 rout by Wisconsin, an unranked Big Ten team they had absolutely no business losing to on the road. This was supposed to be a win, not a humiliating gut punch, and it might be the most embarrassing defeat for USC yet.
An Offense Stuck in Neutral, a Defense Pushed Around
You want to talk about bad? This was historically ugly. The 17-point defeat is the largest for a ranked Riley team against an unranked opponent. And seven points, people, SEVEN POINTS is the fewest a Riley-coached team has ever scored in his head-coaching career. Jayden Maiava, the gunslinger we’ve seen establish himself among the Big Ten’s best, looked like a shell of himself, throwing two interceptions for the first time all season. USC’s supposedly explosive playmakers were stuck in neutral, unable to make any big plays, and the team finished with a horrifying -17 rushing yards. That’s not a typo, negative seventeen. On special teams, they missed two field goals, one after a delay of game penalty. And the defense? Oh man, the defense. Wisconsin ran straight through the Trojans for 142 yards on 43 carries, despite their quarterback Colton Joseph throwing for a meager 58 yards on just 12 completions. USC knew what was coming, but they simply couldn’t stop it.
The Same Old Problems, The Same Old Results
This wasn’t some isolated incident. USC’s struggles are becoming an annual tradition, especially when they hit the road in the Big Ten. The Trojans are now a dismal 4-9 when playing in the Central or Eastern time zones. This atrocious performance didn’t come out of nowhere, either. USC hasn’t looked good for weeks. After blowing through a cupcake nonconference schedule to get to 6-1, every single game has been a fight. They barely survived Rutgers. They lost to Oregon again. They played so poorly in a win over Washington that their own student section started chanting for Riley to be fired. And then they barely escaped a whiteout against a bad Penn State team. If you’re a USC fan looking at this 6-2 team, what is there to suggest that Riley’s program is finally ready to take that next step everyone’s been waiting for? The question of whether USC football will fire Lincoln Riley no longer feels outrageous, it feels like a real possibility.
No Margin For Error With a Gauntlet Ahead
Somehow, the season isn’t completely lost for USC, but there is absolutely zero margin for error now. And if you think it’s been tough, just take a look at what’s coming next. Ohio State is on deck, followed by defending national champion Indiana, and then the bitter rivalry game against UCLA. Good luck, because another performance like what we just saw against Wisconsin, and this season could completely unravel.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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