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...
Arizona Just Got A Painful Reality Check In The Rankings
Ohio States trip to USC turned into the kind of setback that can shake up the entire rankings picture, even with the Buckeyes out-gaining the Trojans on the night. With true freshman Luke Fahey starting at quarterback because of Julian Sayins injury, Ohio State still had enough talent to control stretches of the game, but missed tackles, penalties and special teams mistakes kept opening the door for USC to make the most of it.
The ripple effects go beyond Columbus, too. Georgia steadied itself with a win over Florida after its earlier loss, though the passing game still looked like a work in progress, while Floridas offensive issues are pushing it toward another drop after its third loss. And for Arizona, Texas Techs important win only adds to the pressure in a crowded rankings race, the sort of result that can quickly turn a promising week into a painful reality check. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Bigger Problem Than One Road Loss
The upset in Los Angeles did more than hand Ohio State a road loss. USCs defense set the tone early and never let the Buckeyes get comfortable, holding them to one touchdown while piling up tackles for loss and sacks against backup quarterback Luke Fahey. The Trojans also got the kind of explosive play they have been hunting, with Mark Bowman turning a short opening into a 70-yard catch-and-run that helped swing the game in USCs favor.
For Lincoln Riley, the 30-18 win carried extra weight because it was his first top-five victory with the Trojans, and it came against a team that arrived with far more national respect. For Ohio State, the bigger issue now is not just the blemish on the schedule but the way the offense looked under pressure, with a backup quarterback trying to survive behind a line that could not settle things down. [Read more 🡒]
USC Just Changed Everything In The Big Ten And CFP Race
USCs win over No. 2 Ohio State at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum did more than add another marquee result to the schedule. It jolted the Big Ten race and the College Football Playoff picture, with the Trojans taking a 30-18 victory in a game that had the feel of a late-season turning point rather than just another November showcase.
The night also delivered one of the more memorable individual plays of USCs season, as freshman tight end Mark Bowman ripped off a 70-yard run that included a hurdle over a defender. Ohio State, meanwhile, went with true freshman Luke Fahey at quarterback in place of Julian Sayin, but even with effective rushing the Buckeyes had trouble turning drives into touchdowns, leaving them with more questions than answers after a costly loss in Los Angeles. [Read more 🡒]