Lincoln Riley’s night after USC’s 30-18 win over No. 2 Ohio State took a sharp turn before he ever made it back to the locker room.
The Trojans’ coach had already delivered one of the biggest results of the season on Saturday, Oct. 31, in Los Angeles, then followed it up in his postgame press conference with a statement that stood out on its own: “this program is built on internal joy, not external applause.”
But the walk to the tunnel at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum brought a very different scene. A bottleneck developed as Riley and his family tried to get through, and they had to wait while Ohio State personnel filed out ahead of them.
That’s when the moment turned tense. According to Columbus TV reporter Nicole Shearin on X, Riley appeared to fire off an F-bomb or two in the direction of Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork and other Buckeyes staffers.
The Columbus Dispatch later posted another look at the exchange, which showed a different angle from the middle of the confrontation. Without hearing Riley speak, the scene looks less explosive on video, though there still appeared to be enough friction to make the moment stand out.
In that version, former Buckeyes star Maurice Clarett seemed to step in and try to calm Riley as the group moved toward the tunnel. Riley then caught up with a man identified as Ohio State senior associate athletics director for football administration Quinn Tempel.
Riley had his family with him throughout the sequence, and most of them were dressed in costume for Halloween. It made for an unusual end to an already strange night.
In Other News...
Ohio States Bigger Problem In Los Angeles Was Never The Freshman QB
Ohio States trip to Los Angeles quickly became less about a true freshman quarterback making his first real imprint and more about a team that kept tripping over its own mistakes. Luke Fahey did enough to keep the offense moving in the first half, completing 8 of 15 passes for 86 yards, and the coaching staff clearly trusted him to handle the job despite his inexperience. But by halftime, USC had built a 20-6 lead, and the bigger issues were showing up everywhere else.
Missed tackles, penalties, special teams problems and defensive miscommunications all helped put Ohio State in a hole before the game could settle in. Fahey was not the reason the Buckeyes were chasing the scoreboard, and the way the first half unfolded made that plain. The more pressing concern for Ohio State was how many different areas were breaking down at once, leaving the freshman quarterback to absorb blame he never really owned. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Bigger Problem Than One Road Loss
A road loss in Los Angeles already had Ohio State dealing with the usual fallout from a stumble away from home, but the bigger issue was how USC controlled the game from start to finish. The Trojans held the No. 2 Buckeyes to one touchdown, and Ohio State never found much rhythm with backup quarterback Luke Fahey under constant pressure from a USC defense that stacked up tackles for loss and sacks.
The Buckeyes also had no answer for the explosive play that tilted the night, with Mark Bowman ripping off a 70-yard catch-and-run that helped put USC in position to finish the job. It was a statement win for Lincoln Riley, his first top-five victory with the Trojans, and for Ohio State it leaves a lot more to sort through than just the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Day Put Ohio State's Young Quarterback In A Tough Spot
Luke Faheys first career start gave Ohio State a real glimpse of what the true freshman can handle, and it came in a difficult setting against USC. He finished 21 of 38 for 260 yards and a touchdown, a line that was solid enough for a player making his debut, especially with an offensive line that had its own problems throughout the game.
Still, the bigger issue was not Fahey so much as the environment around him. Ohio States red zone offense never looked sharp, the clock management drew questions, and the staff decisions around the quarterback room are going to get picked apart after a night like this, with Billy Fessler among the coaches under scrutiny. For a young quarterback trying to settle in, it was a tough spot to be in, and the Buckeyes did little to make it easier. [Read more 🡒]