USC QB Jayden Maiava, under pressure from ND for much of the game, gets off a pass on Saturday in South Bend. Maiava (22/42/348) threw two interceptions. Justin Casterline / Getty Images)-
USC fell 34-24 to Notre Dame in a rain-soaked game that could mark the end of their 99-year football rivalry.
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A costly fumble on an ill-advised trick play in the fourth quarter killed any chance the Trojans had of coming back.
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The loss leaves USC’s College Football Playoff hopes hanging by a slim thread heading into the season’s final stretch.
Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — SOUTH BEND, Ind. — It was an ominous bit of imagery at what could be the bitter end of a century-long series. Dark clouds descending over Touchdown Jesus, and a heavy downpour soaking every soul in Notre Dame Stadium, as if Mother Nature herself was lashing out at the prospect of one of college football’s defining rivalries dying in vain.
Both USC and Notre Dame have suggested they want the rivalry to continue if they can come to an agreement in the coming months. But if this was indeed the end, 99 years since USC and Notre Dame first met on a football field, it would be a particularly crushing finale for the Trojans, who fell 34-24 and now find their hopes of a College Football Playoff bid severely damaged.
Saturday seemed well on its way to a different sort of conclusion, when the Irish shanked a 31-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Three plays later, USC quarterback Jayden Maiava found wideout Makai Lemon downfield for a 42-yard gain.
All the game’s momentum was suddenly in the hands of USC coach Lincoln Riley and his offense. That’s when Riley dialed up a hare-brained trick play that he’d surely regret later.
Notre Dame’s Jalen Sneed attempts to sack Jayden Maiava during the first quarter Saturday in South Bend, Ind. (Paul Beaty / AP)
Sprinting right on an end-around, Lemon took the handoff from Maiava and immediately found himself trapped by the Notre Dame defense. Lemon panicked and cocked the ball as if he were going to throw, only to have the ball stripped away.
It was a rare misstep from the Trojans’ star, but an especially costly one. It took seven plays for Notre Dame to find the end zone after that, as quarterback CJ Carr punched it in from one yard out to put the game away.
But there were many other mistakes made and opportunities squandered long before the Irish would deal that finishing blow. On the drive before Lemon’s fumble, Maiava threw an interception, his first of two in the final 20 minutes of the game. On the next possession, USC failed to convert on fourth and one at midfield.
Of course, the loss couldn’t be distilled down to just a few spare plays. USC was steamrolled by Notre Dame’s rushing attack, which piled up 306 yards and three touchdowns. Jeremiyah Love alone tallied 228 yards and a touchdown.
ND RB Jeremiyah Love runs for a TD in the first quarter against USC Saturday night at Notre Dame. (Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
The Trojans, meanwhile, faced Notre Dame without their top two running backs and couldn’t get anything going on the ground. King Miller led USC with 70 yards in 18 carries, but usually didn’t have much room to run.
The USC offense seemed to be running in place for the better part of the second and third quarters before Maiava spotted wideout Ja’Kobi Lane charging past the Notre Dame secondary. He threw up a prayer into driving rain and it found Lane in perfect stride as he sprinted into the end zone for a 59-yard score.
But the Irish needed all of 15 seconds to speed past USC once again. On the ensuing kickoff, Jadarian Price weaved past one Trojan, then another before the field opened up in front of him. He didn’t stop until he reached the end zone, 100 yards later, with the Irish reclaiming the lead.
They wouldn’t relinquish it after that, scratching and clawing their way to victory in the 96th — and potentially final — meeting between the rivals.
A heavy downpour soaked the stadium for hours before kickoff, bringing with it lightning that left the start of the game in doubt. But the rain cleared with just enough time for both teams to warm up and the game started on time.
With thunderstorms expected to hit after halftime, neither team wasted any time pushing the pedal to the floor in the first quarter.
USC flew down the field on its opening drive, as Maiava completed four of five passes, the last of which found tight end Lake McRee in the corner of the end zone. The touchdown gave USC its first lead in South Bend since 2019. But Notre Dame provided an immediate answer, as Love broke his first carry for a 63-yard sprint, then punched in a 12-yard touchdown on his second.
Both teams were on the board within five minutes of the opening kickoff. Then suddenly, their offenses grinded to a halt.
Price finally broke through early in the second quarter. The Irish running back busted loose for a 32-yard rush, then sprinted for the edge on a 16-yard touchdown three plays later.
Notre Dame ran the ball at will during the first two quarters. Love crossed the century mark on the ground with nine minutes remaining in the half, while the Irish finished the first half averaging 12 yards per carry.
But just as Notre Dame was on the doorstep of the end zone again, preparing to go up by two scores, Carr threw an interception straight to USC defensive end Braylan Shelby.
Again, USC couldn’t take full advantage of it. Twice in the second quarter, the Trojans managed to drive into the red zone, but they only came away with three total points.
Those missed opportunities haunted USC the rest of the game — and with no game scheduled between them from here, the Trojans will have an eternity now to ruminate on how it all went wrong.
latimes.com
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I just checked the worldwide leader in sports website. The LSU job is now considered the top job open for college football head coaches, jumping over the pedo state job recently held by James Franklin.
The ucla job is still at the bottom–hilarious🤣
I was speculating which coach’s club LR belongs in. Certainly not the Curt Cignetti “Make the Most With Least” Club. He might be in the James Franklin “Get the Least With Most” Club. He also could be in the Marty Schottenheimer “Bigger the Game the Bigger The Knot In Stomach” Club.
I propose a new club for Lincoln Riley–the I Accept Being Overpaid for my Performance Club. This is a sub-branch of the Peter Principle Organization which seeks to promote people to their level of incompetency, leading to failure of the organization that made the hire of the “ceilinged” individual. See: Georgia Southern University, Clay Helton.
There are some who are wondering why Trojan fans are complaining about the two losses. There are s few two loss teams in the top 25. Its not the losses it the way we lose. We’ve see it before. It’s the telltale sorry list of the usual suspects that bother me. 1. Running stupid desperation plays trying to make something happen. 2. Terrible defense including missed tackles, no coverage on pass plays and out of position linemen. 3. Sudden lack of spontaneous running lanes. The running back (under orders ) following non b!ocking linemen to the ground 4.Snapping the ball… Read more »
I’m not sure who “some” are, but anyone with a pulse knows exactly why we are complaining.
“Some” = people in print, social media and mental institutions where five and two is a good record.
I rarely argue with these people because their logic is illogical.
😂
I am of the mind that LR will never get help calling plays. So, without that, I think it would help him to tie a guy to him with no more than three feet of leash whose job it is to manage all aspects of the clock – timeouts, the use of pace and tempo, and throw in the decision to take the ball or defer if you win the coin toss. If LR is going to do the work of an OC, then he needs help on the other stuff. Starting with the latter issue, I know it seems… Read more »
I think your game/clock manager-to-help-Lincoln Riley-from-himself idea is fantastic Rock. Too bad it won’t happen. And as you understand, that doesn’t stop USC from getting completely bludgeoned to death on the ground — like what happened against Notre Dame when USC turned “soft” yet again. Erik McKinney (WeAreSC) — USC came into the Notre Dame game ranked No. 29 in run defense this season. After the 300+ yards piled up by the Irish, the Trojans now rank No. 56. The performance also slid USC down from No. 61 to No. 70 in overall defense, one spot below the UCLA Bruins. The… Read more »
I think your game/clock manager-to-help-Lincoln Riley-from-himself idea is fantastic Rock. Too bad it won’t happen.
Allen, for this to happen, LR would need to admit he is wrong, which we all know by now is a “pigs flying through a snowstorm in Hell” scenario.
So you want to take away coin toss decisions, calling time outs, and tempo of the offense. Already he doesn’t have to recruit, speak to students or boosters. What exactly is he getting paid to do that he does well? Lincoln Riley is a great coach. When he has home cooking, superior talent, both the run game and the pass game are working, the defense is making stops and a 2 score lead late, he is a great game manager and play caller.
Unfortunately the word gets around and we start to look ridiculous. Playing somebody 20 million per year to cash checks.
I think my thought was prompted by the fact that Riley is really functioning only as a glorified OC at the moment, at least on gameday. We are an experiment in what it looks like for a team to have no head coach on game day. That, to me, is the root of why we generally don’t get blown out but we lose so many close games under Riley. We’re at a disadvantage in the fourth quarter when everything becomes critical — not just playcalling. The only successful strategy that involves keeping LR is to recognize that and, as much… Read more »
Really sad that 4 years in and we have to find less and less for Riley to do to make him functioning. I would say he’s more of a glorified QB coach at this point
Yeah. I once bought a top of the line guitar signal effects processor. As I used it, I kept becoming unhappy with how it did this, and how it did that. I kept buying little pieces of equipment to take over functions I thought the top signal processor would handle when I bought it. After years, the device became nothing more than a “control hub” for all that other gear. Finally, I had to face the fact that the device had no purpose and moved on to something else that did it all well on its own. And it IS… Read more »
Good analogies and observations, Rock. But it doesn’t make me any less pissed off🤣
Is Ed O ready to swoop back in and lead another CFB program? Ross Dellenger (Yahoo Sports) — Those within the CFB industry are preparing for a record amount of turnover within the FBS, including as many as a half-dozen blue-blood gigs to join those already open at Penn State and Florida. With so few jobs opening last year (just five power conference openings), the predicted busy coaching carousel of 2025 is meeting expectations. In fact, the pool of qualified candidates doesn’t match the expected quality openings, industry experts contend. After all, there are only three active head coaches who… Read more »
Twin Towers Adonis (6-11, 215) and Darius Ratliff (6-11, 210) commit to USC, embrace NBA play style The high-upside pair picked USC over ALA, ARK and TEXAS. They are the Trojans’ first commitments in the 2026 class. Dushawn London (Scouthoops.com) — The Ratliffs’ decisions mark a statement moment for head coach Eric Musselman and his staff, who have now added a pair of frontcourt standouts with major upside. 247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein provided the following scouting report on both Adonis and Darius Ratliff. Darius Ratliff: “Ratliff is a budding modern-day big man with a very rare overlap of tools with his size,… Read more »
As we struggle through another bad football season, at least we can take heart in knowing our Men’s basketball program is on solid footing. I really like what Muss is doing. I wish I could say the same about Riley
I’m a big Muss fan too and have high hopes for our team.
Maybe we can duplicate the success of the two brothers who were stars for Men’s BKB of a few years ago….
Lincoln Riley, Fortune’s Fool. It is truly a privilege to be coached by a skinny man with an estrogen imbalance who is never, ever wrong. He walked off the field like a poor loser who just realized he can’t play with the big dawgs, so he’s planning to stay under the porch. He had just been trampled like a door mat at a whore house on nickel night. Fourth quarter gimmick plays inspired by a Jamaican voodoo ceremony throwing chicken bones. Does USC need a Coaching Depth Chart? They resembled musicians stumbling off the Willie Nelson tour bus. LR is… Read more »
🤣 You’re killing me with these similes, 72! Estrogen imbalance, nickel night, chicken bones….thanks for the laughs, I need all I can get when thinking about this year’s team.
“Fourth quarter gimmick plays inspired by a Jamaican voodoo ceremony throwing chicken bones.”
That explains everything 72!
OMG!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Well done, sir. Well done.
You have a way with words that is just so colorful…..and accurate.
I’m betting that Chad Bowden is already thinking in his head about what can be done to get rid of LR. This guy has worked under Marcus Freeman now for about 8 years. If anyone would know how to build a great Marcus Freeman type football team, it would be Chad Bowden.Therefore, he should be able to see clearly what makes an LR team inferior to a Marcus Freeman team. I’m sure he is licking his chops to bring in more Marcus Freeman type coach(maybe MF himself if that’s possible). LR’s hot seat gets hotter every year.
Might be stuck with Riley for a couple more years due to his huge buyout. A good AD would have given Riley only a 4 to 5 year contract not 10. Cohen is a good AD and would not have done that. Riley is actually a good OC and learning to be HC. And it is very hard to find a good coach in this market. Things could be worse like Helton. Riley and Lynn actually make a good team and give them a couple more years with good players coming in.
I do think he’ll be back next year
He’ll be back next year but I wouldn’t give him too long a leach. True, he is a great OC but he is now on his 4th year and still losing on the road to any school that is halfway good.
Sure wish I knew the details of his contract……but I suspect that next year might include tarmac night. He’ll find a way to screw up somehow and Jen will finally have had her fill.
I don’t know. After this year he will still have 6 years on his contract. That’s probably $70 million they have to pay. Will they go for it? Personally I don’t think so but time will tell.
Bowden’s stock value is high right now. I’m more worried about losing him,Jen Cohen or both. Seeing LR and his undeniable lack of HC acumen and drive must leave them in a place of desperation. Hell the other day I remembered he wouldn’t even physically recruit the couple of years in CA with literally the top high school football programs in the country less than an hour from his doorstep. Oregon coming in with a Cheshire Cat smile grabbing 4* & 5* kids.
That has to stop. We have to control our back yard.
That’s why Pete Carroll recruited so well–he put a wall around California as his first step in recruiting, Only then would he gaze our to other states.
LOL……control CA……they had to practically shoot him to get him to visit Mater Dei. He is a mix of stupid, narcissist, greedy, lazy, girly, arrogant, narrow minded and ambitious. Did I forget anything?
Whatever we might have thought of LR when he was at Oklahoma, I think that it is pretty obvious that he is not as good as we thought he was. He’s still very young. Maybe he will evolve. I think that we will have time to find out. I just don’t think SC is ready yet to face that big buyout unless things really get bad in the second half of this year.
I would say forget about the Oklahoma comparisons. USC got sold a giant bill of goods about an over-rated coach, and Sooner fans are all glad LR’s gone. It happens. There are already 11 CFB programs that have attached an interim tag to their HCs since the season started, with more soon to come. People often want coaches fired but the big problem is what is the likelihood anyone will be available who can actually improve the program? As far as comparisons go involving Lincoln Riley, the real question is if he is even regarded as belonging in the top… Read more »
Yeah….I agree that you are taking a chance when you get rid of your coach because you might not get one that is any better. But SC should be different.I would think a lot of coaches would want to go to SC. It just has so many advantages that a really outstanding coach could take advantage of to build a powerful program. I originally knocked Finebaum when he said that LR was a fraud. But I’m rapidly losing confidence in LR. This is his 4th year. He’s had time to produce bigtime and he hasn’t. These last 5 games would… Read more »
We’re all just gonna have to continue to “hang in there” with USC football under Lincoln Riley. This figures to go on a lot longer IMO. What’s gonna start happening I think is future coaching contracts will be written with a huge de-emphasis on the buy-out amounts, which will be severely reduced. Coaches deserve whatever the market will pay, but I doubt that market will continue to support massive coach firing buy-offs. A huge salary and all the bonuses and perks are enough. Being forced to pay the double whammy of a ridiculous buy-out to a failed coach is absurd,… Read more »
My, how times have changed in college football Chris Vannini (The Athletic) — Anything is possible in college football’s new era, and that makes for a lot of fun. The arrival of coaching carousel season really makes you wonder how good any job is or isn’t. Curt Cignetti signed another big contract to stay at Indiana, a signal to the world he’s going to retire in Bloomington. He has the No. 1 team in the country (in this ranking) and Indiana is committed to spending, so why can’t he keep winning there? Vanderbilt is 6-1 for the first time since… Read more »
I thought this new world of NIL could usher in opportunities for teams that haven’t had success and spread talent around. It looks like it is a 3 legged stool to get in the top 10. 1. Financial backing to get facilities, talented coaches and players, 2. an administration that runs like a pro sports front office, and of course 3. a great head coach. In the past a great head coach and money under table would do it. USC seems to have 2 legs.
Lane Kiffin Reportedly the Gators’ Top Choice as Next HC to Replace Billy Napier Joseph Zucker (B/R) — OLE MISS HC Lane Kiffin sits atop UF’s wish list as the school weighs up the candidates to replace Billy Napier, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. Nakos reported Tuesday that “it is clear that Lane Kiffin is at the top of the board for the Gators.” He added that MO coach Eli Drinkwitz and LOUIS coach Jeff Brohm “continue to come up in conversations with industry sources.” Among the coaches the Gators could realistically land, Kiffin is perhaps the most obvious replacement for Napier. OLE… Read more »
I’m a bit fearful of that. I think Kiffin would crush it at Florida.
You know I’m a big fan of Kiffin. He did an amazing job trying to keep USC afloat minus 30 scholarships and locked in NCAA jail with no bowls for two years. Imagine trying to recruit to that nightmare.
Yep, me too. Wish he’d have never gotten tarmac’d.
He surely deserved better. I’d take him back now in a heartbeat, but TEXAS can have Sark for as long as it wants.
And GA Southern can have Hugs.
Gentleman Clay’s in a category all his own. His Eagles are now 3-4. Sounds about right.
😂
Well said Allen. I agree 100%
If SC ever decides to get rid of LR, I would seriously consider contacting Chris Petersen. He’s only 51 years old and Jen Cohen has a close relationship with him.
I don’t think Petersen wants to coach CFB any longer. He’s seems like he’s totally moved on, and it’s even a more difficult job now with many more aggravations than when he left it back in 2019.
I would still give it a try. What can you lose?
He already flat out turned down USC after an extensive negotiation before he immediately decided he was a much better fit to coach the Huskies instead, where he only lasted five years before walking away.
His father, Ron Petersen, is from Seattle and they grew up watching UW games together.
I just don’t see any positive value in getting turned down by candidates. Were I USC and searching for a coach, I’d look at an active coach, especially as the game has changed so much lately.
There are active coaches out there That I would go for if we had a serious chance of getting them. But there are also a whole lot of active coaches out there that I would first make my pitch to Petersen before I would go after them. As far as great DC’s and OC’s…..you want to look at them closely but you’re always taking a chance with a great co-ordinator. Because he’s a great OC or DC doesn’t necessarily mean that he will be a great HC(Norm Chow).
Whatever you do, don’t call USC the “road warriors” — USC has lost 11 straight on the road to top 25 teams, six of which came under Lincoln Riley Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — The last win USC had against a ranked opponent on the road came about nine years ago, in November … of 2016! And USC’s last chance this season to rectify this terrible streak will likely be in Eugene on Nov. 22 — a game the Trojans are, as of now, unlikely to win. That means we’re staring down the barrel of an entire decade without a… Read more »
Pat McCafee on Game Day last week had some amazing stat about Riley at USC. When he has to travel more than 1000 miles USC is 1-6, 0-7 against the spread. Only the Rose Bowl and Autzen Stadium are less than a thousand. Pathetic!
I guess defense really is more important than offense. I would have never said that before because the fans love offense and the NCAA has seen the writing on the wall and changed a lot of the rules to protect offensive players and hinder the defense(targeting, roughing the passer, ect…..).But SC is #1 in the nation right now in total offense and yet they are only ranked 26th and 28th in the 2 polls. Ohio State is #1 in the nation in the polls and ranked #2 in the nation in total defense. Right now SC’s defense is not championship… Read more »
Makai Lemon is #13 and Jaden Maiva is tied for #14 on the ON3 Heisman Poll. Maiva has slipped. Last week he was #8
I wonder how much our opponents will be able to duplicate ND’s defensive game plan for the rest of the season? I heard and read some discussions online before the game that said The Irish pose a matchup problem for us—ultimately the were certainly correct.
Our upcoming game in Lincoln vs the equally disappointing Huskers figures to set USC up for more massive criticism, or a reason to be hopeful. 5-2 NEB tunes up for us vs 5-2 NW in Lincoln.
I’m thinking the same thing. Nebraska knows this USC team is not anywhere close to the Pete Carroll teams that embarrassed them twice, that they can beat this Trojan team. HC Ruel will have the team prepped and ready. And he will out game-manage Riley to where at the very least, the score will be close by the end of the 4th quarter and then you’re thinking, oh no not again!
USC struggled big-time to protect Jayden Maiava against the Irish, and we paid the price.
The Trojan OL allowed a season-high 17 pressures to ND and Maiava completed a meager 31% of his passes and threw both of his picks when under pressure Saturday.
Jayden is building a reputation of not handling pressure. The worst part about this is he refuses to either eat the ball or throw it away when he can’t find an “open receiver”. He has this insistence in his mind he must get a pass to a receiver whether covered or not and it’s too much “covered” that has shown to be at the worst times in a game. Then he puts on this facial reaction, oh what have I done, when it’s a pick. This is happening too much Jayden and you are inching towards another Miller Moss decision… Read more »
Ya, Jayden Maiva has definitely slipped back into his 2024 recklessness and persona. Where’s LR’s QB Whisperer reputation when you need it?
In the meantime, Miller Moss just QBd LOUIS to a victory over MIA, ranked #2 at the time.
5-1 LOUIS is now ranked #19 by the AP while 5-2 USC is unranked.
And Moss did it on the road.
NFL rookie/former USC QB Jaxson Dart already looks better in the NFL than Caleb Williams does in year two.
Under Kiffin’s watch, Dart entered the NFL ready to go.
Williams couldn’t begin to get “Hero Ball” out of his system until new Bears coach Ben Johnson arrived this season
I kind of disagree Allen. ND game was a performance flop without question, but the weeks before we were very happy with his performance and wondering why he wasn’t higher in the heisman rankings. I think we need to see how he comes back against Nebraska next week and hopefully we can all be enterained by his excellent play. If he flops again next week, ya, then I’m with you. It will be time for Husan then.
I was never wondering why Maiava wasn’t ranked higher.
I never actually thought he should be ranked higher and I never thought for a second he had a realistic shot at the Heisman.
I’m also not advocating a switch to Longstreet. I have no idea if Longstreet is ready to actually start for another mediocre Trojan team that needs an experienced QB more than ever at this stage.
Sorry Allen I didn’t mean to sound like I was putting words in your mouth.
Hopefully, Maiava will get back on track.
He was doing well against USC’s unimpressive cupcake portion of the schedule. Playing in South Bend is like being in another universe compared to that. JMHO.
USC still hasn’t figured out how to play on the road under LR. Hopefully, playing in Nebraska doesn’t reinforce that problem.
Well, they looked really good after a bye week against Mich…. Even though we are 5-2, I think we are all just waiting for the floor to drop out from under our feet during the rest of the season. Looking back, the only reason Riley’s USC season one was different than Seasons two & three, was that Caleb Williams was playing a more disciplined QB during his Heisman year and that I think there was good Senior Player leadership in Season one that willed the team to win games that in the next two seasons and also this year we… Read more »
Good thing USC has another bye week. I would love to have them at close to full strength for the Oregon game.
USC at NEB kickoff time set
The B1G announced on Monday that USC’s Nov. 1 road game against NEB will kick off at 4:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. CT (NBC).
I still haven’t given upon LR but there are certainly better coaches out there. Indiana is rated #2 in the nation and they have just seven 4 stars and no 5 stars on their 2025 roster. Georgia Tech is rated #7 and they have 11 four stars and no five stars. Vanderbuilt is #10 and they have 11 four stars and no five stars. BYU is #10 in one poll and they have only 6 four stars and no five stars. All these teams are rated in the top 10. USC has 38 four stars and 3 five stars and… Read more »
And there you have it.
yeap. Indiana recruiting ranked #49 in 2025; #69 in 2024; What does Curt Cignetti know that Lincoln Riley doesn’t? Curt can get it done with just average players. It appeared that SC’s lack of defense against the run was solved versus Michigan. Additionally, D’Anton Lynn’s great coaching defense was supposed to be the cure, so what happened? Maybe Lynn is not so great? Clearly, if the SC run defense was even just up to par, they would have won the game. me= Dazed and confused.
Riley is banned from the Curt Cignetti “make the most with less” Coaches Room. He’s knocking on the door of the James Franklin “doing the least with most” Coaches Room.
I don’t know whether he is in James Franklins room but he is certainly a universe away from Curt Cignetti’s room.
He’s in the room all right, sitting on the front row absorbing everything Franklin, the Teacher, has to say.
Only reason Riley’s record is not as bad as Franklin’s is that he hasn’t been at USC as long as Franklin was at PSU. Riley is rapidly catching Franklin in the “can’t win the big one, can’t beat the tough rivals” category.
In the words of Jim Mora Sr., “op … wah … PLAYOFFS?!! Are you kidding me, … PLAYOFFS?!” I don’t even want to hear that word uttered in connection with USC. At this point, I just want to see something different than I have been watching for years and years now. I’m tired of knowing what we’re going to do late in close winnable games, and being right. I keep waiting for that glorious time when we surprise to the upside. Do something extraordinary. Perform above our station. Reach, believe, and then succeed. God forbid that we — the USC… Read more »
Rock……….we’ve missed your take on things. Hopefully you’ll be posting a bit more.
I’m sure you’ve heard Rock. All that matters now is the coveted Playoffs, the top 12 teams standing at the end. It’s an unfortunate outcome of all these recent changes in CFB. There’s been a lot of positives for sure, but the truth is that now you’re not much in the college game if you don’t make a Playoff spot. USC v ND might be over because of that. We’re still trying to make that elite group under LR. Do you believe that Riley will ever get us there? Or is USC doomed to waiting until he is gone, which… Read more »
I put our odds of reaching the playoffs next year at 15 to one.
Allen, with 2 consecutive years of Top 5 recruiting classes, I believe we could make the playoffs, but we wouldn’t make any noise there under LR. We’d waste those classes. Count me as a vote of no confidence for him as our No.1. As I said, I think his highest and best use is as an OC. In a booth. Let someone else manage the game.
That’s what always happened to LR at OU: a Playoff flop.
Jen Cohen’s in such an interesting, some would say difficult, spot. I don’t think anything will stop LR from coaching at USC through 2026.
Will USC’s 2026 team be better than this one? I haven’t a clue.
This 2026 class we’re sitting on can help make a difference, but not immediately. Basically, for our much improved recruiting to pay off under LR, the players have to knock LR out of the way, will it for themselves, and make it happen for themselves. They need strong player leaders, that put pressure on their teammates to focus and perform. Take games to a place where LR can’t screw them up with bad clock management and suspect play calling in real pressure situations. Build toughness underneath LR. That’s the hope. Player meetings, senior leadership. An organic culture of toughness. That’s… Read more »
Can’t help but wonder how the 2026 season will pan out. Right now there has to be concern if more losses keep adding up, will we see some defections from the #1 class? The poachers will be circling around like vultures picking away with what Chad Bowden can’t protect. And then during off-season/spring training, if it is determined a good portion of the players on this season’s team are not going to improve in the coaching staff’s opinion or what about this…. With so many freshmen coming in expecting a chance to start while returnees are being asked to share… Read more »
Percent change of the playoffs next year…..IMO…..if we keep some of the key folks……50/50 depending on the schedule. If we get stuck with a schedule that has ND, Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Mich St, Washington, Wisconsin and Minnesota and two cream puffs….not going to happen.
In summary……to improve you have to know the problem…..I truly believe that if Riley was asked what he would do to improve his coaching he would say…..why mess with greatness.
Thanks Illinois! I had login problems for a while, and was just caught up in a million things that were not USC Football! But I seem to be logging in easily now, so you might be hearing more from me!
Good! Looking forward to it……we may not always agree but that is half the fun.
Disagreement is the backbone of healthy discussion.
Rock, I feel your pain. Kiffen, hamstrung by the ncaa nazis. He’s looking pretty good right now. Sark, offensive oriented, soft and drunk. Helton, offensive oriented, a soft goody two-shoes. Riley, offensive oriented, thinks he knows more than anyone else in the room and believes that in a series of three plays, 2 and a half must be pass plays. Softie at the rate of 11 million a year. Orgeron, had his issues, but at least we would have a tough team. We also would not have a receiver room of 35 players. We would have have tough men in… Read more »
Curt Cignetti was an offense position coach till he became a HC. He worked his way up for 13 years before Indiana. Indiana overall (recruits+transfers) rank the last 3 years, 44,46,39. Indiana is 7-0 with #7 in total offense and #7 in total defense. Could be the best HC in CFB right now.
Exception to the rule.
— Stop asking if Lincoln Riley is going to give up play-calling. It ain’t happening. Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — “It wasn’t that long ago that Riley’s playcalling was the main reason for his historic rise through the coaching ranks. That felt like ancient history on Saturday night, as Riley dialed up a failed trick play to star wideout Makai Lemon that ended in a game-altering fumble. “Riley admitted after the game that it was “a stupid call,” which is the closest he’s come to accountability in that department. He added later that his two failed fourth-and-short calls weren’t very… Read more »
Good post Allen and good call by Kartje. You win on our banter yesterday about Riley. The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. A good coach calls plays his players can execute. Riley is banned from the Curt Cignetti “make the most with less” Coaches Room. He’s knocking on the door of the James Franklin “doing the least with most” Coaches Room.
If he does not call plays tell me again what he does for the nearly 20 million per year he accrues from USC?
Highest paid QB coach in all of football, NFL, CFB.
At least when Franklin was still at PSU doing his annual choke-o-rama, it distracted some of the national spotlight from Stinkin’ Linkin. But not anymore.
But Lincoln still gets his dough, right? Lets be reasonable. Just because he made three crappy play calls in one game and it is not the first time this has happened, is no reason for us lowly, unknowledgeable Trojan fans to expect something special for $11 million/year.
No reason at all….we’re just victims of believing what our untrained eyes tell us.
Stewart Mandel’s (The Athletic) “untrained eyes” — “This was the exact type of game that must leave USC fans throwing up their hands over Lincoln Riley,” Mandel wrote. “From a weird trick play that ended with receiver Makai Lemon fumbling while attempting a pass to a Jayden Maiava ill-fated play-action pass on fourth-and-inches, Riley outsmarted himself in a third consecutive loss to Notre Dame.”
trojanswire.com
The frustrating part of yesterday’s game was that as bad as the defense played we still had a chance to win the game. Two plays killed us – The kickoff returned for a TD and then Makai’s fumble.
This tean and this coaching staff need to prove they can win a game on the road and will get that chance in 2 weeks at Nebraska.
I still think 9-3 is possible and hope they can finish there,
Play better on both sides of the ball and stop making dumb mistakes and it is possible.
Ditto.
Now the question becomes, “How much of a chance do we really have against ORE in Eugene?”
I would say less than 1%
We are awful on the road, but at least we stay in the Pacific time zone for that game at Autzen. That may bring our chances of success to 1.01%, Allen. Think positive🤣!
ORE just laid an egg bigger than a football vs IU at home where they never lose. So they’re beatable. And they got beat up too. With USC, we’re always talking about the “puncher’s chance” team. So ya, USC can beat ORE. Now we have to actually do that. Realistically, I give USC a 20% chance of beating ORE. But I give us an 80% of bouncing back to beat NEB. I bet this USC team is upset about how they looked in South Bend. At least I hope they are. Gotta start over and play hard-core tough football through… Read more »
I bet this USC team is upset about how they looked in South Bend.
Maybe, but i bet Riley isn’t. He can look forward to another $50 million or so from the USC coffers regardless of what happens or how the team he coaches plays.
Good money if you can get it.
If I recall a certain team lost to a rival last year at home and wound up winning a nattie? I wonder……
Thank goodness USC doesn’t have to play OHIO ST. And no, I wouldn’t give the Trojans even a puncher’s chance against the Bucs — not from what I’ve seen.
Sorry PN4SC responded to the wrong Dude. Gotta give you credit, brother.
Now being honestly realistic, what would you say the true percentage chance of USC beating ORE is?
I don’t think anymore than 20 percent, probably less. There will be two teams ahead of then in the B1G championship, so they need to win out to make the playoffs. Unlikely, that the PhilKnights will let their guard down when we play them.
It’s possible but Lincoln Riley isn’t Lane Kiffin and Jayden Maiave isn’t Matt Barkley. You have to learn from lessons in the past and some can’t do it.
JM took a step back into the 2024 season from what I saw against ND. Hopefully, that was just a temporary relapse for him, because there was just too much pressure on him, all game long. He never looked comfortable to me.
I’m beginning to think we have too many ex-pro coaches on our staff, at least on defense. I notice the Offensive coaches are mostly college coaches. The pros have a much more complex play book because they don’t have to go to classes and study for those classes and they have all day to study the playbook. Many times they come in trying to give a more complex playbook to the players and the players end up confused and thinking rather than reacting and they play slower. The LB’s seem to be out of place on every play. Rob Ryan… Read more »
I wonder what Alex Grinch is thinking about USC fielding yet another disappointing defense after his putrid watch. Some of the spaces Irish RBs were running through all night long were truly world-class holes. Where were the Trojans?
SC’s defense is now rated 70th in total defense, 80th in pass defense, 56th in rush defense and 58th in scoring defense. So we’ve improved a little over the Grinch years but not much. You don’t win championships with those kind of numbers. Like I have said before, 11 out of the last 25 NC’s have finished 1st in defense and 22 out of the last 25 have finished in the top 10 in defense.
I’d prefer a great defensive coach to be USC’s head coach over an offensive mind. You can go round and round on the issue, but if teams can’t score on you, it seems like that gives your entire team a confidence that’s sometimes lacking in programs known for their offenses. Defense is so much about toughness. Relentlessness. Aggression. Fierceness. Since USC is no longer known for those traits, I find I miss that aspect of Trojan football that used to dominate the headlines and record books. I remember talking with Ed O about this once. You can guess where he… Read more »
I just did some research on my own just now. I would have disagreed with you about defense being the most important thing but after doing this research….Your right. I’ve said before that 11 out of the top 25 NC’s since 2001 have finished #1 in defense and 22 out of the top 25 NC’s in the last 25 years have been in the top 10 defensively….When you come to offense it is a much different story. In the last 25 years only 9 NC’s have finished in the top10 offensively and only 2 have finished #1.And 11 out of… Read more »
The Monte Kiffin experiment was a total failure, so you may be on to something.
Monte Kiffins defenses couldn’t stop a mobile QB because his defenses were pro style defenses and at that time there really weren’t any mobile QB’s in the pros or, at least, I don’t remember any.
At least we should get Maiva back next year. He missed a great opportunity to get way up in the race for the Heisman.
Ya, Maiva definitely had a bad game vs the Irish. Drops by Ja’Kobi Lane and being constantly harassed by the Notre Dame defense, with zero rushing attack, didn’t help.
They did call it a few times but the ND D-Backs were holding on every play throughout the game
They do that every time we play them. They would rather get the 10 yard penalty than give up a TD. They got away with quite a bit on their home field.
I rewatched the game. It was a good game, back and forth till the interception at the end of the 3rd. USC struggled running the ball, ND struggled with the pass. The turnovers by the 2 best players on the team and the kick off return TD killed it in the 4th. If Lemon makes the throw or just covers up. Different game. Good player has a brain fart. ND’s D is getting better as the season goes on. They had him. I got my rose colored glasses on and came away thinking the coach’s cliche, this team is close.… Read more »
You actually rewatched the game and still aren’t sure LR made a horrible call which was easily diagnosed by Notre Dame giving Lemon absolutely no chance but to take a big loss? It was a stupendously bad, desperate call against a better Notre Dame defense and team.
GT, you should start up a new Lincoln Riley fan club. He needs the support.
Really? I hammered the guy relentlessly for a year. Remember Stinkin Think’n Lincoln? He seemed to have reformed himself this season. That was a go for broke play, you’re a hero if it works and a bum if it doesn’t. Lemon (a future NFL guy) made a bad decision on first down at the ND 37. I am officially on the fence, wait and see with Riley. The general opinion of him is probably right. I’m sure a guy like Cignetti would whip this team into shape but we don’t have him.
Ya, really. You’re leaving out the big part where you omit that it was an “incredibly unnecessary, stupid go for broke play.” Then you use the old “hero if it works” line, which you can use about most every play called that works big. Like Maiava could have been a “hero” if he didn’t toss some very bad picks. Woulda, shoulda, coulda doesn’t win a lot of games, especially when you’re running hair-brained risky plays that your opponent has already anticipated. Lemon truly never had a chance on the play as anyone who watched the game could see. It was… Read more »
Lemon’s bewildering brain span reminded me instantly of Reggie’s attempted lateral in the Rose Bowl against Texas. No rationale, no explanation, just trying to get greedy and go backyard football.
This UCLA turnaround story is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in CFB. I watched each UCLA game before helpless DaBong was fired after four losses and they were truly worthless at home or away. So bad. I can’t say I have ever seen a worse UCLA team than during the first four games of this season. Brought to their knees by his total ineptitude, UCLA smartly and quickly ditches DaBong, and after three straight impressive victories over PSU, MICH ST and MARYD with the exact same players and an interim coach, UCLA is once again a… Read more »
Something in the water in Indiana…..Boilermakers either 1 or 2 in preseason basketball, Indiana number 2 in football, Irish played in the NC game, Pacers went to the finals and the Colts at 6-1. What a year…..but no championships……just fun to watch.
I wonder if the pressure of not winning has gotten to Riley? Did he think a trick play was needed? Will he get conservative? I used to say about Helton that he was like Sylvester the cat trying to load a blunderbus -everything he tries blows up in his face. Now I’m seeing the same thing with Riley. We had the momentum yanked away by one halffast tackle on a kick off. Then Riley blew things up with an ill timed trick play call. The replay showed that had it worked it would have been golden. But there was time… Read more »
Some Trojan sentiment after last night’s loss:
“LR is a UCLA loss away from getting tar mac’d.”
I hate to think it, but by the time the crosstown is played he may be so overwhelmed and tired of the pressuring criticism he may not care any further. Just give me my millions and I’m outta here?
Nah. LR’s got a golden goose and he ain’t letting go. Where else would he even go now? Would you hire him?
It’s called the Helton effect. No need to leave (easy money) and nobody wants him.
I got to watch the 2023 game at the Coliseum against the bruins. It was pathetic at how flat the team was for that game–another pathetic Riley game prep…
Napier is gone!
Good move. Under Napier, the Gators were always waiting for the next shoe to drop.
Colorado State fires HC Jay Norvell Adam Rittenburg (ESPN) — Colorado State is firing coach Jay Norvell midway through his fourth season at the school, sources confirmed to ESPN amid multiple reports Sunday. CSU held a staff meeting Sunday afternoon, where Norvell’s dismissal was revealed, according to a source. The Rams fell to 2-5 following Saturday’s loss to Hawai’i, and Norvell finished with an overall record of 18-26. He came to Colorado State from Nevada, where he went 33-26 and guided teams to four consecutive bowl appearances. Norvell, 62, was a longtime assistant at Power 4 programs, making stops at Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska and Arizona State, among others. Colorado… Read more »
The good news…..we are 5-2. After watching Nebraska and UCLA this week, unless Riley is absolutely an idiot, we should go 9-3. Iowa is at home. Northwestern is still northwestern.
A lot of teams would attend church to go 9-3.
Only the unreasonable Trojan faithful that think the playoffs are the goal with an occasional NC thrown in are unhappy……count me in. Who wants to be Miss St?
The way the team plays in away games, 9 & 3 may be an afterthought?
I see 9-3 as the ceiling. Probably 8-4, or perhaps worse. We are better than Nebraska, but who really thinks that on the road in the Central time zone, we bring our A, or even B- game. I don’t. I am bewildered that we can play so complete and physical vs Michigan, and then completely lay an egg one week later
My posts always reflect Riley’s inability to follow Natty fundamentals ( trench positions, solid defense, importance of special teams,etc), lack of passion great coaches have, and his inability or reluctance to self evaluate. The truth is he did what we would all do regardless of our abilities. We’d take the $100M, especially when the turnkey, big recruits, blue blood program we inherited from a legendary coach is slowing evaporating. Honestly it really started with making Helton the HC of this historic football program ( yes the sanctions were disgusting ) but our administration ( the thinkers) was at the core. After Helton, the program needed really strong character, discipline,… Read more »
The real problem is that Riley’s not even a top 20 CFB coach. Some would say he’s not even top 30. At USC, LR’s basically been a mirage that never led us to water. USC was driving a broken down car, staggered into a giant new car lot and immediately plucked out the flashiest, most expensive vehicle in the raised center of the showroom — and paid ridiculous full sticker for it with only a quick walk-around and not even a test drive to see how the seats felt. It turns out, the driver (USC) was way too big for… Read more »
Here’s how Lincoln Riley explained USC’s horrible (some would say non-existent) running game defense in South Bend. I wish we could ban the dreaded word “execution” from the football dictionary and all of “coach speak.” “I thought we just overcompensated and at times panicked a little bit. In the Illinois game where we didn’t defend the run either, we got moved too much. In this game, we had a lot of guys not stunting in the correct gaps or not fitting into the correct gaps. Against really good backs like that, they’re going to make you pay. We didn’t do… Read more »
and the reason the US has a huge national debt……..We spend too much…..but only on Tuesday’s.
LR wants to say the players panicked a little? Wonder where they learned to do that? I would say multiple play calls were made because LR was panicking.
Absolutely UT! You must have some advanced psychology in your background, because you quickly and completely nailed LR’s behavioral deficit in one second flat.
Riley panicked. So did his team. Predictable result. Poor Makai Lemon, our best player, even became a victim.
So Allen, is D’Anton Lynn not communicating clearly enough? He has constantly remarked about teaching his defensive terminology at a snail’s pace so there would be no misunderstanding in his playcalling, which seems to be a continuous problem these past games according to Riley’s pressers. Or is it the players are not able to execute the DC’s signals? It’s got to be one or the other. Are our players that bad?
Figuring out the reasons for all of USC’s failings under LR is like playing with Rubik’s Cube. One thing leads to another, which leads to another, et al. I really have no idea why D’Anton Lynn is now failing at USC. I’m the most surprised guy in the room over that. He was my #1 pick to replace Alex Grinch. Riley’s latest excuses for not being able to stop Notre Dame (something about no gap control) had me laughing. Who really knows what’s going on? It’s a secret within a secret at USC. Players play for their head coach, themselves,… Read more »
Latest AP Poll
1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Texas A&M
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Oregon
7. Georgia Tech
8. Mississippi
9. Miami
10. Vanderbilt
11. BYU
12. Notre Dame
13. Oklahoma
14. Texas Tech
15. Missouri
16. Virginia
17. Tennessee
18. South Florida
19. Louisville
20. LSU
21. Cincinnati
22. Texas
23. Illinois
24. Arizona State
25. Michigan
Others receiving votes: Southern Cal 97, Utah 40, Tulane 37, Houston 34, Navy 28, San Diego State 7, James Madison 6, Boise State 4, TCU 2, Minnesota 1.
Don’t think we belong in the polls. But Michigan being above us? What the hell are they smoking?
That’s the way polls work. It’s always what have you done for me lately.
MICH pummeled UW, which is mediocre much like USC.
Would USC have beaten MICH in Ann Arbor? I’m seriously doubtful. We’re a bad road team as the entire world of CFB knows.
How could Michigan be 25 and SC 26?
USC has dropped out of the Coaches Poll and is now unranked and sitting behind NAVY among others receiving votes. MEM and UTAH were the other schools that got booted from the top 25.
Take heart gang. The ’26 class will have 7 OL, including one 5* and two 4*, 7 DL, including five 4*. Theses guys will look at this team and see they are needed and will play. Bowden will make sure they are paid well. They will come. Unfortunately for us old guys we will have to wait for them too mature. You can blame Riley and the USC admin for not recruiting well in a fast changing NIL world till now. If you don’t have the horses you can’t do what you want. Riley has shown this year when he… Read more »
What difference does it make if you only have a “run game” when you’re playing mediocre, bad bowl teams? Gee, what a brilliant plan. Hammer the also-rans, get hammered by the big dogs. Riley’s problems go much deeper than talent, or lack thereof. Someone needs to teach him how to call plays that don’t ruin drives. Can the still unsigned class of 2026 do that? Are there some play callers in there? Where’s the ghost of Mike Leach when Riley needs him for Air Raid advice? Nowhere to be found. Take heart GT. Nothing like counting on a high school… Read more »
Well it’s the best recruiting class SC has had in a long time. Last night ND only had a run game, it was very good with an NFL ready RB. ND may end up the first out of the playoffs with no big wins. This season when SC has ability to run and pass Riley has gone to the run. He has not shown he can beat a top 20 team especially on the road. IMO better talent and depth on the lines will make a big difference. Riley is not a Cignetti who can do more with less. Will… Read more »
Unfortunately they will be coached by LR. What that means is reality is they will be soft and not have a winning attitude.
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My bets seemed like good stuff until… I was thinking, “Vandy beat LSU? No way, no way!” Then the O’Riley shuffle trick play killed my hopes. What a night.
Brother…….I was under the impression that when I bet on LSU I had not put enough on the game……easy money……boy did they screw up the points on this one……another kick in the head…..I should have known better than to trust Brian Kelly……him and Franklin are brothers from another mother……Riley is probably a cousin. Over paid millionaires that can’t coach.
I will not bet on USC again.
They play 5 good teams with a cummulative record of 24-11 so far this year. They are 21-7 if you pull out UCLA and the Bruins are on the rise. Any one of those 5 teams could beat them and Oregon(at Oregon) probably will. If they win 4 of those 5 games they will be 9-3. I think that they will probably win 3 out of the 5 games. Winning 2 out of the 5 is not beyond imagination.
At least in away games. Too much baggage to overcome.
I though Friday morning with the weather should have switched to the under. I thought SC would lose by 10 but hate to bet against them.
I don’t understand why a walk-on running back who was encouraged to “just run” a week ago would suddenly opt to run into the bottleneck of the line?….Oh yeah after a week of coaching he was just following orders.
I don’t understand why the defense suddenly forgot how to tackle? ….Oh yeah after a tough game at home the coaches were less focused on sharpening skills, than on getting healthy.
I don’t understand why programs with better coaches have fired their coaches for fewer stupid mistakes and we don’t? …. Oh yeah because Lincoln O’Riley is an offensive genius.
At one time I was thinking Riley must be either related to or married into one of the wealthiest USC families….
USC used only 6 OL last night. No depth. Against a good DL couldn’t run. Now they did use 9 DL but as a group they were weaker than ND. Against a good OL couldn’t stop the run. ND’s one dimensional offense was better than USC’s one dimensional offense, especially in the rain.
Lincoln, just look at yourself in the mirror to ask yourself, do I deserve this HC’ing position after 3-4 years of misdirection? Have I honestly done the job I was supposed to do if not what was expected of me? With all and I mean all the supporting staff that has been hired to handle most of my duties and still be paid what I am, have I earned it? Ask yourself in the mirror, the HC of a blue blood program that under your direction has become a middle of a conference standing competitor? Jen Cohend, how can you… Read more »
So USC should fire Riley, and I guess Miami, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, LSU, Tennessee, Memphis and Utah should all fire their coaches for failing to win this weekend?
GT has these other programs, you bring up, suffered through the misdirected failures Riley has orchestrated these past years and have they continued to drop off the top 25 ranking USC just journeyed again, is all I’m pointing to. But most important, has these other programs supplemented their football programs into the hundreds of millions range like the AD/administration has spent?
I noticed that Jen was standing right behind Riley at kickoff. The AD is usually at these games but not in the immediate proximity. Wonder if she was observing whether there was a good management process occurring.
This weekend in ranked versus ranked games, the home team won all 5, with 2 upsets. I figured ND was 10 points better than USC. ND is still stronger than USC in the trenches on both sides. ND could run at will. USC could not. Riley had to pass to move the ball. Tough to do in the rain. Still a 3 point game going into the 4th. USC would be a really good Pac12 team this year. But on the road in the Big10 and at ND they are not there yet. Maybe in a year or two they… Read more »
Sadly, with as bad as ND played this was still a winnable game. But LR jumped in just in Time to save the loss.
Lincoln went wrong is the answer to the end of the article. He always wants to prove how smart he is. But only seems to prove he is a fool.
I just read Riley’s post game comments in the Daily Breeze. He is just too cool for school. His lack of passion reflects on the lack of intensity seen frequently from his players, especially during road games.
Riley won’t get better. He still makes head scratching play calls and still can’t manage the clock.
we have painted ourselves into a corner with this guy. We all thought after three and a half seasons we would be in the mix nationally, especially with the support system from our AD and GM. This is our Linkin’ Ceiling.
Bottom line….just as in the Illinois game…..the score did not reflect how bad USC got beat up. Our D line was non existent. The only thing keeping us in the game was the horrible play of CJ Carr.
Time to recognize what Penn St figured out…..this guy is not taking us anywhere.
Use the BIG cash and move on. Alamo Bowl here we come……again and again and again.
Yes, IL Trojan,I agree. Our head coach intern is not going to work out.
Sadly, his guy is making Helton look good.
Who’d a thunk that?
I personally doubt Cohen will fire Riley, for two reasons, the money and the recruiting class for 2026.
Sadly this is true. But once that class is here and another year of LR dumbass decision might be enough.