Striking early could be the difference for No. 12 USC against No. 20 Oregon
The Trojans have overcome slow starts in their past two games against Louisiana and Rutgers, but against the Ducks, that could be big trouble …
USC RB King Miller runs out of the grasp of RUT DB Devonte Anderson during the first half on Saturday in Piscataway, N.J. Playing away is usually a problem for USC. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Haley Sawyer (OC Register) — LOS ANGELES — USC offensive lineman Elijah Paige is locked in for game day before he even gets out of bed.
“It all starts with how we wake up, how we stretch in the hotel, how we do walkthroughs in the hotel,” Paige said. “Everything that we do leading up to the game should be that fast start, and that all leads to the first drive of the game.”
The 12th-ranked Trojans (4-0 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) have struggled to start games with authority in their last two outings, and setting the tone will be a must for them in Saturday’s game against No. 20 Oregon (2-1, 0-0) and a defense that could make them pay for early mistakes.
Quarterback Jayden Maiava went 0-for-3 passing and threw an interception on USC’s opening drive against Louisiana. A week later, against Rutgers, he was 3-for-8 passing and the Trojans were dealt two penalties for a combined 15 yards on the opening drive.
USC reached the 17-yard line, but was forced to settle for a field goal.
USC football did not do a good job convincing anyone the Trojans are a different football team this past week against Rutgers. All the negative traits of Lincoln Riley’s past USC teams showed up Saturday.
“We haven’t played some of our best ball in the last few weeks,” head coach Lincoln Riley said. “That’s always important moving forward, but we’ve been able to get in some pretty nice rhythms as well. I don’t know if there’s anything magic to it. We need to play a little bit cleaner, we need to take care of the ball, and we need to be better in the red zone.”
Oregon’s defense has the fifth-best turnover margin (1.33) of the 18 teams in the Big Ten Conference. The Ducks, who are on a four-game win streak against USC, have hauled in a conference-best five interceptions through three games and four players have recorded an interception this season.
Freshman defensive back Jett Washington leads the defense with two picks.
But it’s not just keeping the ball – it’s about taking it to the end zone, too.
“Finishing in the red zone was definitely one of the big points for us,” Riley said. “Obviously, the previous week, we had a turnover. We want to come out of the gates fast. That’s a big part of it, but you’ve also got to be ready to respond if you don’t. Our guys have done a pretty good job of that.”
Playing at the Coliseum could give USC an edge, since the Trojans are 24-9-1 when these two teams play in Los Angeles. Players don’t have to travel and can go through their game-day routines in a familiar environment.
“It’s just being in the Coliseum, knowing what everything looks like, what everything sounds like,” Paige said, “and, really, the momentum of just having the fans cheer for you rather than the fans cheering for somebody else.”
This game could potentially have long-term effects on the 12-team College Football Playoff, making the stakes even higher. Oregon already has one loss this season to Oklahoma State, and USC can hardly afford to take any early hits to its record with games against No. 13 Penn State, No. 7 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana still to come later this season.
Riley and his players emphasized during Tuesday’s media availability that they’re treating this game with exactly the same urgency as any other.
“We’re just focused on the game plan, the preparation, practice every single day,” quarterback Jayden Maiava said.
The penalties need to be cleaned up
The Trojans not only did not play consistently well on offense or defense, but there were so many penalties. USC had six penalties in the first half, but Rutgers couldn’t really capitalize. Future opponents won’t be so forgiving. Undisciplined USC finished the game with eight penalties (just like against Louisiana), not a recipe for a winning playoff team.
Are the Trojans ready for Oregon?
Oregon may no longer be the title favorites after their slow start, but USC cannot expect to beat the Ducks without improving drastically on defense. The Trojans need to come out as a more polished, focused and sharper team in the Coliseum on Saturday if they expect to end Oregon’s four game win streak. The future is still all there for USC as a possible playoff team. But another loss to Oregon puts USC directly behind the eight ball.
USC’s home game against Washington on Oct. 3 will kick off at 4:30 p.m. and will be shown on NBC (Ch. 4).
It’ll be the second straight 4:30 home kickoff for the Trojans, who play Oregon at the same time this weekend.
Weekly awards
Safety Christian Pierce was named the Jim Thorpe Award National Defensive Back of the Week. He recorded a game-high 11 tackles and added an interception in USC’s 42-35 victory over Rutgers. He led all defensive backs nationally in tackles that weekend.
Kicker Caden Chittenden was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week and running back Riley Wormley (27) was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
Chittenden’s two field goals and four PATs equated to 10 points against Rutgers. The explosive Wormley definitely added some spark to the Trojan running attack, scoring two touchdowns and gaining 53 yards on only four touches, including a two-yard TD reception. Frankly, Wormley seems to deserve more carries.
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I can’t believe it. Most of the college football writers that I’ve looked at are picking SC to win. The only one that picked Oregon so far that I could find was Petros though I haven’t looked at them all. Am I missing something here? I hope they are all right even if I can’t see their logic.
I’ve actually come across a lot of writers, podcasters, TV talking heads, etc who are picking ORE to win. But there are also plenty who are picking USC instead, citing QB Jayden Maiava and the Coliseum home field as USC’s major advantages. One thing everyone seems to agree upon is that if USC doesn’t win, life will be unbearable for Lincoln Riley in Los Angeles. The wolves are at Lincoln’s door. Win it, or else. I agree. I’ve literally never seen another USC football coach ever under as much pressure to win one single game as there is on LR… Read more »
The defense was extremely disappointing last week, but I don’t Patterson as much as I blame Riley. This is his 3rd DC, and if our defense if still bad, the one constant is Riley. If Oregon blows us out, the season is done. I just hope the huge buyout does not preclude USC from kicking him to the curb before the season ends. I have seen enough to believe things won’t change under his watch.
Problem is, Gary got fired from TCU five years ago and so far he hasn’t improved USC’s D. Not sure he can take the controls of anything, but I agree that LR won’t get the hook this season.
If we lose to ORE, I expect the USC fan base to react very negatively.
If Oregon dominates us, I’ll predict right then and there that we won’t make the playoffs. With teams like UCLA, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, NW, Washington, Ohio State, Oregon (and don’t forget Michigan) in this league, I can’t see USC finishing in the top 4. Not with this defense. Whittingham will have Michigan as one of the best teams in this league. In Cristobals last year at Oregon, Whittingham trounced him twice(38-7 and 38-10) with much less talent. I can’t believe all the local USC pundits who are picking SC to win. If they are right then I take back what… Read more »
I blame Patterson. He’s in charge of the defense. He’s the one out there on the field actually coaching them. The only way I would blame Riley is if it was actually Riley who hired him. But I would still blame Patterson. I’m sure Riley would have never hired him if he didn’t convince Riley that he could turn this thing around basing that on his past proven record.. So far he hasn’t done that. Maybe he will.
The internet is hot with info (that appears to be fact) that was confirmed by the head coach of Ok St that Dante Moore was telling with his foot placement pre snap whether a play was pass or run. On a pass the feet were more staggered with the right a bit further back. On a run the feet were even. The Oklahoma St linebackers are admitting they were reading his feet successfully and communicating to the DL and DB’s. Obviously if this were true the poor Oregon O line was in a bad place for blocking which would explain… Read more »
Experts continue to pick the favored Ducks in Los Angeles, citing relentless Trojan defensive ineptitude No. 20 ORE (-3) at No. 12 USC Manny Navarro (The Athletic) — The Ducks have won four straight in the series and eight of the past 10, but their 84-0 demolition of Portland State last week did little to answer the questions created by that 39-31 loss at Oklahoma State a couple of weeks ago. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava leads the country with 1,173 passing yards and 12 touchdowns — more passing yards and touchdowns through four games than Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart… Read more »
It will be up to the offense to keep us in this game. No confidence at all our D will limit the ducks from scoring as well as we will still see penalties happen at crucial times.
I don’t see us beating Oregon, flat out. I think it gets away from us in the second quarter, and we’re turning our sets off in frustration early in the fourth, right as they are stowing the juice boxes away in the injury tent to hide them. There’s nothing about this year’s edition of the Riley show that looks any better than past years. You’ve still got a conglomerate of individual great performers that will shine in one moment, only for the joy to be undone by a head scratching failure of the team as a whole in the next… Read more »
Totally with you on that. Where is John McKay when you need him! Would that work with our type of recruit…..who knows. Cignetti is perfect for Indiana….would he be able to do that at USC……I’am not sure…..can just see some admin type saying to him….don’t be so mean….smile a little. Don’t you think you’re being a bit over the top? Somewhere out there is a guy who understands modern kids but…..holds them to an accountable standard and expects only the best you have……while providing solid development and support with a leadership personality. Let’s hope for lightening to strike because no… Read more »
This is a zero sum game. A loss to the Ducks by any amount and for any reason is a complete failure on the part of Riley and his staff. LR has never been under pressure at USC like this before. Can’t wait to see how USC performs on Saturday. Lanning is also totally under the gun. If the Ducks lose, they’re basically condemned to a massively disappointing season. They have to play OHIO ST in Columbus on Nov. 7. Who would you rather be in this instance, as the big game approaches? Lanning (suddenly on the ropes) or Riley… Read more »
My thinking is the sideliners should be in total concentration of watching each play at their position and not be distracted jumping up & down yelling in one big group. If the players on the field need some kind of inspiration before each play rather than themselves concentrating on the game & playcall, then it’s” we have a problem Mission Control” and a reason for too many penalties?
A final note from me regarding juice boxes and towel waiving. This from Google AI to the question “what does the Indiana sideline look like during a game” The Indiana Hoosiers sideline during a football game is defined by an intense, all-business atmosphere led by head coach Curt Cignetti’s viral, stone-faced demeanor. The Head Coach: Curt Cignetti keeps a famously stoic, stern expression with furrowed brows and a blank, intense stare regardless of the score or whether Indiana is dominating or trailing. He intentionally avoids celebrating or high-fiving on camera to model steady, unchanging focus for his players from the… Read more »
Joel Klatt predicts ORE will beat USC in a high scoring game (both teams in the 40s) even though the game’s in the Coliseum.
Klatt believes Lincoln Riley’s clever, misdirection, finesse-oriented offense hurts USC’s weak rep D because USC doesn’t get to practice against a more power-oriented, tougher offense, like USC often sees on game day. So you see teams like lowly regarded RUT still punishing the Trojans.
Neither ORE or USC is in Klatt’s top 10:
1 TEXAS
2 OLE MISS
3 OHIO ST
4 GA
5 MIA
6 IU
7 ND
8 LSU
9 ALA
10 UTAH
Interesting point about the offense hurting the defense. Could be, who knows how much of an impact it really makes, but there’s some logic there. I remember in the PC era hearing both the offense and defense attribute their level of play to having to go against their own team’s opposing unit everyday in practice.
The point Klatt is making about our soft defense has much truth in it. A few years ago when Paul Johnson was coaching Georgia Tech, he ran the triple option offense with little passing and lots of low blocking between the tackles. My wife ran into the wife of GT’s defensive coordinator, who was regarded as a good coach. Apparently there was friction between Coach Johnson and his DC because his defense wasn’t getting enough reps against good players during practice playing the type of offenses they would be playing on Saturdays. If GT played all the service academies, it… Read more »
Klatt may have something as we are seeing the 1st half of competitive energy on defense while the 2nd half seems sloppy and being runned on. The passing defense is up & down all game.
Forget the game. Concentrate on the juice box boys.The juice box is Riley’s double secret recruiting tool: “If you come to USC and play your cards right, you too could have a viral TV/youtube moment hoisting that giant juice box!” Football recruit: “Gee, where do I sign?”
If we don’t, at least, play well against Oregon, this could be a rough season…..like 3-5 losses. The rest of this schedule is rough. If that happens and they don’t want to get rid of LR, we could lose a lot of our recruits and have many transfer out and come back next year with underwhelming talent and LR to lead them.
It’s gotten to be after 4-years of wrong moves & constant excusses, it is no longer acceptable to the fanbase hearing “ this was a constructive positive loss today” at the post game presser. No excuses Riley, it’s win or else…..
The juice boxes are a sign you are not serious about football. Everybody is getting paid at least $20K, others will have a nest egg that took me 30 years to build. Let’s just have fun, the score doesn’t matter. Look at the football team like a college class, practice and meetings are lectures and homework, game day is a midterm exam. Everyone on the sideline should be laser focused on the game, down, distance, clock, score. What should we do, what would I do if in the game? Not jumping around like 5th grade girls.
No. 20 Oregon (2-1) at No. 12 USC (4-0), 7:30 p.m. ET David Kenyon (b/r.com) — This is easily the Narrative Game of the Week. Entering the season, most expected Oregon to contend for a national title with USC as a borderline CFP team. However, if USC wins, it’ll suddenly be the championship threat with a hyped Oregon roster already fighting for its postseason life. I’m hesitant to take USC because of its secondary, but be ready for some hot takeaways if Oregon drops a second game in September. Prediction: Oregon 37, USC 31 No. 1 Texas (3-0) at No.… Read more »
My goodness….what a bunch of really tight games…..Number one wins by 3, Number 4 by 4, number 10 wins by one score over 23. This should be a lot of fun.
Trying to be more positive about the game results so far, but these sports articles reinforce the attitude what we are thinking. This sloppy play pinpoints to one cause: coaching! Coaching either puts up with it as just acceptable in games or coaching puts a stop to it by disciplining. So far Riley seems to accept it when penalties happen in his sideline demeanor. So as this website has been saying in unison, no excuses anymore! Penalties stop our offensive drives from scoring and they help the opponent keep possession to score on our defense. If a penalty is called,… Read more »
It’s a small thing going back several decades…..not seen much with other well coached teams. One of our players ends up charging the other sideline….usually alone….and gets into it with multiple players. This has happened several times with Sark, Helton and Riley…..what does it mean. Stupid. 2. No fear of the coaching staff 3. Disrespect for the game, university and watching public 4. Stupid 2x 5. It is all about me….the heck with the team. 6. Team leadership is weak. Quite a few times over the years it happened when the game is close and we need to finish a… Read more »
Illinois I like your points given. I get the feeling Riley is afraid the players will turn against him if he comes down on anyone. He’s making a boatload of money, the players are well paid, why rock the boat when the excuses & coaches speak we are given keeps this travesty afloat. As you say, there is no fear of the coaches if a player screws up even on the dumbest move. This isn’t Oklahoma where you are the only game in town and can get away with just about anything. Rile’s too damn comfortable in my opinion getting… Read more »
All very true. I sometimes wonder what JC really thinks of LR, who’s always holding this huge bag of hostage money over USC. If USC even lost five game this season, would LR even be fired? I have my doubts. It would cost a lot more than just Lincoln’s enormous buy-out to pay off and replace the entire staff with a new big money coach, plus some important admin, etc. Our GM might even skip town, who knows? Some are already giving LR until 2027 to prove he’s not just a mediocre coach who got a little lucky at OU,… Read more »
Some really great entertainment this weekend. Looking forward to Northwestern at Indiana (recorded)…..what!…..four years ago I would have not even have spent a minute considering it.
Look at what NIL and the portal has done. I would say it has definitely improved the college game, though at a significant cost to our ability to appreciate what we thought CFB represented for many decades as compared to how it has evolved so clumsily and suddenly into 2026.
That game will tell me a lot about both teams. If Indiana runs roughshot over NW then Indiana will be in the run for another NC because I’m convinced that NW will be the surprise team of the Big 10. I could be wrong.
Lots of talk about what USC “needs” to do. I really wonder what LR is doing in practice to ensure that need is met. Does he think it will just happen by talking about it? He says there’s no magic to it. Maybe not, but there are certainly actions he can take to lower the penalties, take care of the ball and improve in the red zone. Step up coach, you’re failing to solve the problems you’ve identified.
“I really wonder what LR is doing in practice to ensure that need is met.” Well just keep wondering because with this secretive coaching staff, you won’t find out anything until you watch the game yourself.
True, and I’m ok with that. If I see improvement on the field, then I’ll know at least something is being done. If I see no improvement, then either nothing is being done, or what is being done is ineffective…both of which are indictments against LR.
I can’t believe it. Most of the college football writers that I’ve looked at are picking SC to win. The only one that picked Oregon so far that I could find was Petros though I haven’t looked at them all. Am I missing something here? I hope they are all right even if I can’t see their logic.
I’ve actually come across a lot of writers, podcasters, TV talking heads, etc who are picking ORE to win. But there are also plenty who are picking USC instead, citing QB Jayden Maiava and the Coliseum home field as USC’s major advantages. One thing everyone seems to agree upon is that if USC doesn’t win, life will be unbearable for Lincoln Riley in Los Angeles. The wolves are at Lincoln’s door. Win it, or else. I agree. I’ve literally never seen another USC football coach ever under as much pressure to win one single game as there is on LR… Read more »
The defense was extremely disappointing last week, but I don’t Patterson as much as I blame Riley. This is his 3rd DC, and if our defense if still bad, the one constant is Riley. If Oregon blows us out, the season is done. I just hope the huge buyout does not preclude USC from kicking him to the curb before the season ends. I have seen enough to believe things won’t change under his watch.
I doubt LR gets booted this year. But say he did midway through. Quick solution, you have GP right there ready to take the controls.
Problem is, Gary got fired from TCU five years ago and so far he hasn’t improved USC’s D. Not sure he can take the controls of anything, but I agree that LR won’t get the hook this season.
If we lose to ORE, I expect the USC fan base to react very negatively.
Yes, Gary Patterson would never fit here running this program.
As in airplanes with trailing banners? 😅
If Oregon dominates us, I’ll predict right then and there that we won’t make the playoffs. With teams like UCLA, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, NW, Washington, Ohio State, Oregon (and don’t forget Michigan) in this league, I can’t see USC finishing in the top 4. Not with this defense. Whittingham will have Michigan as one of the best teams in this league. In Cristobals last year at Oregon, Whittingham trounced him twice(38-7 and 38-10) with much less talent. I can’t believe all the local USC pundits who are picking SC to win. If they are right then I take back what… Read more »
Maybe as Interim but not permanent
I blame Patterson. He’s in charge of the defense. He’s the one out there on the field actually coaching them. The only way I would blame Riley is if it was actually Riley who hired him. But I would still blame Patterson. I’m sure Riley would have never hired him if he didn’t convince Riley that he could turn this thing around basing that on his past proven record.. So far he hasn’t done that. Maybe he will.
The internet is hot with info (that appears to be fact) that was confirmed by the head coach of Ok St that Dante Moore was telling with his foot placement pre snap whether a play was pass or run. On a pass the feet were more staggered with the right a bit further back. On a run the feet were even. The Oklahoma St linebackers are admitting they were reading his feet successfully and communicating to the DL and DB’s. Obviously if this were true the poor Oregon O line was in a bad place for blocking which would explain… Read more »
Just shows you Oregon’s coaching staff isn’t infallible. The Ducks miss their former OV & DC but won’t admit it.
Experts continue to pick the favored Ducks in Los Angeles, citing relentless Trojan defensive ineptitude No. 20 ORE (-3) at No. 12 USC Manny Navarro (The Athletic) — The Ducks have won four straight in the series and eight of the past 10, but their 84-0 demolition of Portland State last week did little to answer the questions created by that 39-31 loss at Oklahoma State a couple of weeks ago. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava leads the country with 1,173 passing yards and 12 touchdowns — more passing yards and touchdowns through four games than Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart… Read more »
It will be up to the offense to keep us in this game. No confidence at all our D will limit the ducks from scoring as well as we will still see penalties happen at crucial times.
I don’t see us beating Oregon, flat out. I think it gets away from us in the second quarter, and we’re turning our sets off in frustration early in the fourth, right as they are stowing the juice boxes away in the injury tent to hide them. There’s nothing about this year’s edition of the Riley show that looks any better than past years. You’ve still got a conglomerate of individual great performers that will shine in one moment, only for the joy to be undone by a head scratching failure of the team as a whole in the next… Read more »
SC better pick stern “tough father” type as its next head coach as opposed to a friendly aloof older brother like we have with LR.
Totally with you on that. Where is John McKay when you need him! Would that work with our type of recruit…..who knows. Cignetti is perfect for Indiana….would he be able to do that at USC……I’am not sure…..can just see some admin type saying to him….don’t be so mean….smile a little. Don’t you think you’re being a bit over the top? Somewhere out there is a guy who understands modern kids but…..holds them to an accountable standard and expects only the best you have……while providing solid development and support with a leadership personality. Let’s hope for lightening to strike because no… Read more »
“Somewhere out there is a guy who understands modern kids but…..holds them to an accountable standard and expects only the best you have.”
Sounds like new UCLA coach Bob Chesney — at least so far.
Thats my 1st pick
This aged well!
This is a zero sum game. A loss to the Ducks by any amount and for any reason is a complete failure on the part of Riley and his staff. LR has never been under pressure at USC like this before. Can’t wait to see how USC performs on Saturday. Lanning is also totally under the gun. If the Ducks lose, they’re basically condemned to a massively disappointing season. They have to play OHIO ST in Columbus on Nov. 7. Who would you rather be in this instance, as the big game approaches? Lanning (suddenly on the ropes) or Riley… Read more »
Planning has earned more rope. Riley and the leash that holds him is getting shorter with every disappointing performance.
The juice box thing I recognized as a softy outlook from the first time I saw it. What are you doing, Lincoln? Playing flag football?
Yes, it’s not about the players as much as the poor coaching & discipline.
My thinking is the sideliners should be in total concentration of watching each play at their position and not be distracted jumping up & down yelling in one big group. If the players on the field need some kind of inspiration before each play rather than themselves concentrating on the game & playcall, then it’s” we have a problem Mission Control” and a reason for too many penalties?
A final note from me regarding juice boxes and towel waiving. This from Google AI to the question “what does the Indiana sideline look like during a game” The Indiana Hoosiers sideline during a football game is defined by an intense, all-business atmosphere led by head coach Curt Cignetti’s viral, stone-faced demeanor. The Head Coach: Curt Cignetti keeps a famously stoic, stern expression with furrowed brows and a blank, intense stare regardless of the score or whether Indiana is dominating or trailing. He intentionally avoids celebrating or high-fiving on camera to model steady, unchanging focus for his players from the… Read more »
Joel Klatt predicts ORE will beat USC in a high scoring game (both teams in the 40s) even though the game’s in the Coliseum.
Klatt believes Lincoln Riley’s clever, misdirection, finesse-oriented offense hurts USC’s weak rep D because USC doesn’t get to practice against a more power-oriented, tougher offense, like USC often sees on game day. So you see teams like lowly regarded RUT still punishing the Trojans.
Neither ORE or USC is in Klatt’s top 10:
1 TEXAS
2 OLE MISS
3 OHIO ST
4 GA
5 MIA
6 IU
7 ND
8 LSU
9 ALA
10 UTAH
Interesting point about the offense hurting the defense. Could be, who knows how much of an impact it really makes, but there’s some logic there. I remember in the PC era hearing both the offense and defense attribute their level of play to having to go against their own team’s opposing unit everyday in practice.
The point Klatt is making about our soft defense has much truth in it. A few years ago when Paul Johnson was coaching Georgia Tech, he ran the triple option offense with little passing and lots of low blocking between the tackles. My wife ran into the wife of GT’s defensive coordinator, who was regarded as a good coach. Apparently there was friction between Coach Johnson and his DC because his defense wasn’t getting enough reps against good players during practice playing the type of offenses they would be playing on Saturdays. If GT played all the service academies, it… Read more »
Klatt may have something as we are seeing the 1st half of competitive energy on defense while the 2nd half seems sloppy and being runned on. The passing defense is up & down all game.
Forget the game. Concentrate on the juice box boys.The juice box is Riley’s double secret recruiting tool: “If you come to USC and play your cards right, you too could have a viral TV/youtube moment hoisting that giant juice box!” Football recruit: “Gee, where do I sign?”
Juice Box. What does that mean? I see these guys on the sidelines but what are those boxes supposed to represent?
It depends on who you ask. Love and Happiness, Bring the Juice, Fight On!, Let’s Dance, Yippeee!
Take your pick, or make up your own meaning. They don’t seem to be going over very well with Trojan fans.
If we don’t beat ORE, it’ll be interesting to see if they stick IMO.
But we will beat Oregon….you know why?….because we have the Juice Boxes….how can we lose?
Did Coach Saban have juice boxes? I think not.
ATL D.D.S. Please don’t put Saban’s name on the same line as “the head juicer”. We can imagine what he thinks of this off the air.
😀
If we don’t, at least, play well against Oregon, this could be a rough season…..like 3-5 losses. The rest of this schedule is rough. If that happens and they don’t want to get rid of LR, we could lose a lot of our recruits and have many transfer out and come back next year with underwhelming talent and LR to lead them.
It’s gotten to be after 4-years of wrong moves & constant excusses, it is no longer acceptable to the fanbase hearing “ this was a constructive positive loss today” at the post game presser. No excuses Riley, it’s win or else…..
Amen. This is one game where there are no moral victories if we lose.
Exactly, Rush. I think the juice boxes are brilliant and not ghey at all.
Careful DDS, not everyone appreciates sarcasm when they see it! 😉
I will start using a sarc warning.
The juice boxes are a sign you are not serious about football. Everybody is getting paid at least $20K, others will have a nest egg that took me 30 years to build. Let’s just have fun, the score doesn’t matter. Look at the football team like a college class, practice and meetings are lectures and homework, game day is a midterm exam. Everyone on the sideline should be laser focused on the game, down, distance, clock, score. What should we do, what would I do if in the game? Not jumping around like 5th grade girls.
No. 20 Oregon (2-1) at No. 12 USC (4-0), 7:30 p.m. ET David Kenyon (b/r.com) — This is easily the Narrative Game of the Week. Entering the season, most expected Oregon to contend for a national title with USC as a borderline CFP team. However, if USC wins, it’ll suddenly be the championship threat with a hyped Oregon roster already fighting for its postseason life. I’m hesitant to take USC because of its secondary, but be ready for some hot takeaways if Oregon drops a second game in September. Prediction: Oregon 37, USC 31 No. 1 Texas (3-0) at No.… Read more »
My goodness….what a bunch of really tight games…..Number one wins by 3, Number 4 by 4, number 10 wins by one score over 23. This should be a lot of fun.
Trying to be more positive about the game results so far, but these sports articles reinforce the attitude what we are thinking. This sloppy play pinpoints to one cause: coaching! Coaching either puts up with it as just acceptable in games or coaching puts a stop to it by disciplining. So far Riley seems to accept it when penalties happen in his sideline demeanor. So as this website has been saying in unison, no excuses anymore! Penalties stop our offensive drives from scoring and they help the opponent keep possession to score on our defense. If a penalty is called,… Read more »
It’s a small thing going back several decades…..not seen much with other well coached teams. One of our players ends up charging the other sideline….usually alone….and gets into it with multiple players. This has happened several times with Sark, Helton and Riley…..what does it mean. Stupid. 2. No fear of the coaching staff 3. Disrespect for the game, university and watching public 4. Stupid 2x 5. It is all about me….the heck with the team. 6. Team leadership is weak. Quite a few times over the years it happened when the game is close and we need to finish a… Read more »
Illinois I like your points given. I get the feeling Riley is afraid the players will turn against him if he comes down on anyone. He’s making a boatload of money, the players are well paid, why rock the boat when the excuses & coaches speak we are given keeps this travesty afloat. As you say, there is no fear of the coaches if a player screws up even on the dumbest move. This isn’t Oklahoma where you are the only game in town and can get away with just about anything. Rile’s too damn comfortable in my opinion getting… Read more »
All very true. I sometimes wonder what JC really thinks of LR, who’s always holding this huge bag of hostage money over USC. If USC even lost five game this season, would LR even be fired? I have my doubts. It would cost a lot more than just Lincoln’s enormous buy-out to pay off and replace the entire staff with a new big money coach, plus some important admin, etc. Our GM might even skip town, who knows? Some are already giving LR until 2027 to prove he’s not just a mediocre coach who got a little lucky at OU,… Read more »
Some really great entertainment this weekend. Looking forward to Northwestern at Indiana (recorded)…..what!…..four years ago I would have not even have spent a minute considering it.
Look at what NIL and the portal has done. I would say it has definitely improved the college game, though at a significant cost to our ability to appreciate what we thought CFB represented for many decades as compared to how it has evolved so clumsily and suddenly into 2026.
That game will tell me a lot about both teams. If Indiana runs roughshot over NW then Indiana will be in the run for another NC because I’m convinced that NW will be the surprise team of the Big 10. I could be wrong.
and you have a good chance of being right. 😀 Either way….top notch entertainment!
Lots of talk about what USC “needs” to do. I really wonder what LR is doing in practice to ensure that need is met. Does he think it will just happen by talking about it? He says there’s no magic to it. Maybe not, but there are certainly actions he can take to lower the penalties, take care of the ball and improve in the red zone. Step up coach, you’re failing to solve the problems you’ve identified.
“I really wonder what LR is doing in practice to ensure that need is met.”
Well just keep wondering because with this secretive coaching staff, you won’t find out anything until you watch the game yourself.
True, and I’m ok with that. If I see improvement on the field, then I’ll know at least something is being done. If I see no improvement, then either nothing is being done, or what is being done is ineffective…both of which are indictments against LR.