Lincoln Riley’s USC tenure keeps landing in the same frustrating place: the Trojans get a big-stage chance, and then they let it slip away.
Saturday night was another one. USC had a real opening to show this season was different, that it wasn’t headed toward the usual seven-to-nine win lane for a program with this kind of money and this kind of pull. Instead, the Trojans dropped yet another major game to one of the Big Ten’s headliners, and the loss came with an extra sting because Oregon was operating without star quarterback Dante Moore for most of the night.
Moore was stretchered off in the second quarter after taking a late hit to the head, and Dylan Raiola stepped in for the final two-plus quarters. Even with that break in the Ducks’ favor, USC still couldn’t finish the job.
The game was tied in the fourth quarter. A win was there.
The Trojans just didn’t take it.
That’s what makes this one so familiar, and so damaging. USC had an upcoming stretch that includes Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana, and this matchup could have served as a launch point. Instead, the Trojans walked away with the same old questions hanging over them.
The offseason move that was supposed to change the tone was bringing in Gary Patterson as defensive coordinator. Riley made the hire with the hope that Patterson could help USC become more balanced and finally give the Trojans a defense capable of surviving games like this.
But the warning signs showed up early. USC gave up 35 points and 460 yards to Rutgers in Week 3, a result that could have been brushed off as a look-ahead spot from the other side. Saturday suggested otherwise.
Even after Moore left the game, the Trojans still couldn’t slow Oregon down. Raiola threw for 366 yards, and the Ducks converted 50 percent of their third downs and all of their fourth downs. USC couldn’t force the kind of stops that swing a game like this.
The clearest example came late. With a little more than seven minutes left, all three timeouts still available, Riley chose to go for it on fourth-and-7 from his own 49-yard line. Maiava’s pass fell incomplete, and Oregon answered with an eight-play drive that burned 5:12 off the clock before Jordon Davison finished it in the end zone.
That sequence summed up the night: when USC needed a stop, it couldn’t get one.
And that’s the deeper issue with Riley’s time at USC. This isn’t just one bad night or one bad matchup.
It’s a pattern. The Trojans are now 5-15 (.250) against top-25 teams under Riley, and they’ve gone 2-6 against ranked Big Ten opponents over the last two seasons.
Saturday also looked a lot like last year’s 42-27 loss to Oregon, when USC had chances but let the Ducks separate late.
Sure, every program’s record against elite teams is going to look rougher than its overall mark. That’s the nature of playing the best.
But USC isn’t supposed to feel this stuck. This is one of college football’s biggest brands, with resources most schools can only dream about.
The roster is among the most expensive in the sport, and Riley just signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the 2026 cycle.
That gives Riley something to sell for the future. There’s young talent on the way, and plenty of investment behind it. But in Year 5, that argument gets harder to make when the expectation is that those big-money players are supposed to help now.
At this point, seeing will be believing.
In Other News...
USC Is Hiding A Coliseum Twist Before Oregon Arrives
With Oregon coming to the Coliseum, one small pregame detail has become a talking point around USC: the tunnel captain has not been announced yet. The Trojans usually reveal that honor a few days before kickoff, so the silence has only added to the buzz around who will lead the team out for one of the seasons biggest home dates.
Reggie Bush and Pete Carroll are among the names drawing attention because of what they mean to the program, but USC has not made anything public. For a matchup with so much weight attached to it, even the walkout has taken on extra meaning, and the final choice should say plenty about how the school wants this night framed before the game even starts. [Read more 🡒]
USC Stars In The NFL Are Breaking Out And Breaking Down
Drake London gave USC fans a reminder of what elite receiver play can look like on a big stage Thursday night, hauling in nine passes for 194 yards against Green Bay. The former Trojans standout has continued to grow into a featured role with the Atlanta Falcons, and nights like this only deepen the sense that USCs receiver pipeline is producing players who can make an immediate impact in the NFL.
Elsewhere, the picture around USC alums is a little less celebratory. Baltimore Ravens rookie JaKobi Lane is on injured reserve after breaking his wrist in his NFL debut, while Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is working through a minor hamstring injury that could sideline him on a week-to-week basis. For a program that prides itself on sending stars to Sundays, the early-season snapshot is a mix of breakout production and the kind of health issues that can interrupt even the most promising start. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Rutgers Rotation Revealed A Troubling Depth Issue
USCs trip to Rutgers offered a clear look at how thin the roster has become in spots. The Trojans leaned on a season-low 60 players, with a wide spread in usage that reflected how much the staff had to press the available group into service. Desman Stephens II and Prophet Brown each logged 74 snaps, while Josiah Jefferson and Marquis Gallegos saw just one apiece in a game where the rotation was anything but normal.
The numbers also underscored how many bodies USC was already missing. Fourteen players were out because of injuries or were not dressed, and three more were injured and did not finish the game, leaving no one to return from injury or make a season debut. On the flip side, 13 players hit or matched career highs in total snap counts, a reminder that the Trojans are asking a lot from the same core as the season wears on. [Read more 🡒]