Saturday night in Los Angeles gave USC a clear snapshot of where things stand after a 41-27 loss to Oregon: some players helped their stock, others took painful hits, and Lincoln Riley’s margin for error got a lot thinner.
The Trojans came into the game at No. 12, hoping to grab a crucial win before the schedule tightened. Instead, Oregon left the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with the result USC needed and the Trojans dropped to 4-1.
That record still looks good on paper, but the road ahead is far steeper now, with No. 5 Ohio State, No.
6 Indiana and No. 23 UCLA still waiting.
If USC wants to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive, there is very little room left to stumble.
Even in defeat, though, the Oregon game offered a sharp look at which Trojans are trending up and which ones left with bigger questions attached.
Kayden Dixon-Wyatt kept building his case as one of USC’s most dependable targets. The true freshman led the Trojans in receiving with seven catches for 114 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets, and every one of those receptions moved the chains. His 31-yard score in the second quarter put USC ahead briefly and showed again how often he can win against a secondary that came in with plenty of speed and experience.
Through four games, Dixon-Wyatt now has 25 receptions for 372 yards, and his role in Lincoln Riley’s passing game keeps growing.
King Miller also gave USC something to lean on. He ran 13 times for 74 yards, averaged 5.7 yards per carry and ripped off the Trojans’ longest run of the night with a 27-yard burst.
He added 10 receiving yards as well. More than the raw numbers, Miller kept finding ways to create momentum when USC needed it most on the ground, and his physical running stood out against Oregon’s front.
Jahkeem Stewart’s return was another bright spot for USC’s defense. He logged two tackles, both for losses, and gave the Trojans a disruptive presence inside that they badly need as the season moves on. The defense gave up too much late, but getting Stewart back into the mix gives Gary Patterson another option up front.
The night was much tougher for Desman Stephens II. He was ejected in the second quarter for targeting on a hit to Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, who was injured on the play and later transported to the hospital.
Afterward, Oregon’s Dan Lanning called the hit “disgusting,” and Stephens’ sideline celebration while Moore was getting medical attention drew more criticism. USC then suspended Stephens for one game, so he will not be available against Washington.
Jide Abasiri also had one moment that overshadowed the rest of his line. He finished with four tackles, including three solo stops, but his roughing-the-passer penalty on Dylan Raiola late in the fourth quarter changed the game.
USC had just forced an incompletion on third-and-15 with the score tied at 27, but the penalty kept Oregon’s drive alive. The Ducks made the most of it, eventually scoring on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Raiola to Dakorien Moore to retake the lead.
That kind of penalty is the sort that stings twice: once in the moment, and again when the film gets reviewed.
Riley sits at the center of all of it. USC is still alive, but the path is tighter now, and the schedule is unforgiving.
The Trojans still have Washington, Penn State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Indiana, Maryland and UCLA ahead, with three ranked opponents left and another chance to prove they can handle a big-stage matchup. Another loss to Oregon only adds to the pressure around a program still trying to change its reputation in those games.
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Theres also a smaller but telling issue hanging over the program in the aftermath of the Oregon game, with linebacker Desman Stephens IIs suspension drawing scrutiny because of its timing after his targeting ejection. USC has not reached the College Football Playoff under Riley, and with the noise already building around the program, every setback now gets read as part of a much larger question about where this tenure is headed. [Read more 🡒]