Ryan Kartje (LA Times)  —  MADISON, Wis. — Just two short weeks ago, as the Trojans’ marching band roared joyously from the bowels of Beaver Stadium and a cold Pennsylvania rain poured down on a jubilant Lincoln Riley, it seemed like USC and its embattled coach might’ve finally found a foothold, just as they were about to begin a brutal back half of the schedule. They even had a bye to be sure it stuck.

But by Saturday night, any renewed sense of hope in USC’s season had all but slipped away. Maybe for good.

Instead, the Trojans played as poorly as they have all season in a 24-7 loss to Wisconsin. Quarterback Jayden Maiava literally looked lost, and had his first multi-pick game of the season. The offensive line, a strong suit prior to Saturday, was totally overwhelmed. The rushing attack was worse than nonexistent, with minus-17 yards. And the special teams were an all-too-familiar disaster, with two critical missed kicks.

“I’m disappointed,” Riley said. “None of the three sides, I felt, really held up their end of the bargain.”

Riley certainly wasn’t blameless, especially considering how much time his team had to prepare for Wisconsin. The coach acknowledged that he was responsible for several bad calls and ill-fated decisions Saturday that led to the loss. And indeed, on paper, it was one of the worst performances of his coaching career. USC’s seven points were the fewest scored by a Riley-led team in his 10 seasons as a head coach.

That it came after a bye week meant to get USC back on track made it particularly inexcusable.

Riley urged his team Saturday to hang in there, assuring that its best days were still ahead. Though, at this point, it’s not clear if anyone outside of the USC locker room believes that message.

“There’s a lot of teams getting beat, a lot of teams getting beat on the road and the toughest teams and the teams that can battle back from losses or tough moments like this are the ones who are going to be the ones standing at the end,” Riley said. “I have a lot of confidence in our team and in our guys that when we’re at our best, we can beat anybody.”

Lincoln Riley futilely pleas with ref during the first half Saturday against WIS. (Matthew Holst / Getty Images)

It looked, for a brief while Saturday, that USC’s defense would handle that on its own. Through one half, USC had allowed just 78 yards — a paltry three yards per play — from Wisconsin.

But as the other two phases descended into disaster for USC (6-2, 3-2), its defense could only hold for so long. Wisconsin only managed to rack up 200 total yards, while its quarterback, Colton Joseph, contributed 58 through the air.

All the Badgers needed in the second half to outlast the Trojans was two successful scoring drives. That was too much for one of the nation’s most high-powered offenses to overcome.

USC certainly didn’t live up to that reputation. On four different occasions, the Trojans drove into Badger territory … and ended up with zero points.

“I think it was a lot of self-inflicted wounds, stuff we’ve gotta get better at,” said Maiava, who was 31 of 50 for 258 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. “Flat-out didn’t play great.”

The Trojans’ leading rusher, freshman Shahn Alston, had 28 yards rushing, while their usual starter, King Miller, never found any room against Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1). He had just eight yards in 11 carries. And that was after USC spent the bye week talking about its renewed focus on the run game.

It was USC’s defense that set the tone early, while its usually high-powered offense struggled to move the ball at all. Wisconsin tallied just eight total yards in the first quarter, as the Trojans swarmed the line of scrimmage and terrorized Joseph in the pocket.

 Harried QB Jayden Maiava had a difficult game vs WIS. (Ross Harried / AP)

USC couldn’t do much better on that side of the ball. After an opening three and out, the Trojans were facing the prospect of another empty possession when Maiava threw it downfield on third and 10. But the pass into double coverage was tipped … directly into the arms of Wisconsin cornerback Bryce West.

West returned the interception to the red zone. But USC’s defense clamped down, and the Badgers only managed a field goal.

Maiava gave it back on the ensuing drive. Under pressure on third down, the senior quarterback scrambled and then threw a late pass over the middle. It was picked off.

USC’s rushing attack wasn’t helping, either. The Trojans didn’t have a single yard on the ground through the first quarter and only managed 10 by halftime.

Even with its offense flailing, the Trojans somehow cobbled together a touchdown drive in the second quarter, thanks to three Wisconsin penalties, all of which handed them first downs. The last of the three — a face mask on what would’ve been an incomplete pass to the end zone — gave USC new life at the one-yard line, and even still, it took the Trojans three plays to punch it in. Maiava eventually found tight end Taniela Tupou for the score.

That’s when the Trojans started to sputter on defense. After being unable to move the ball at all for most of the first half, Wisconsin drove the entire field for a score just before halftime. Then the Badgers marched down the field again and scored to open the third quarter.

Down 17-7, USC drove to Wisconsin’s 12-yard line. But under pressure on third down, Maiava threw it away and was called for intentional grounding. The Trojans tried a field goal, but it was blocked.

Still, early in the fourth quarter, Riley sent out his kicker, Caden Chittenden, for a 58-yard field-goal attempt. A rain had started to fall over Camp Randall Stadium, eerily similar to State College two weeks earlier.

But it didn’t deter Riley, who said he saw his kicker hit from that distance in pregame.

This time, though, Chittenden’s career-long attempt came up well short. And soon enough, so would USC.

It was the Trojans’ first loss to an unranked opponent since losing 30-27 in OT to TCU in the Alamo Bowl at the end of the 2025 season.

“This is the same team that played a way different brand of football at Penn State two weeks ago,” Riley told reporters. “And we’re very capable of doing that again here in the coming weeks, but we got to do it, and it’s going to take all of us together. Coaches and players, and that’s what we’ll do.”

latimes.com

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