Another big game, another big stink.
Another busy season, another lost season.
Four years later Lincoln Riley arrived in USC amid glowing promises of returning the football program to national prominence, well, two words.
Still waiting.
Needing a win Saturday at Oregon's Autzen Stadium to have a chance of clinching their first College Football Playoff berth, the Trojans fell short again, fell deep and nearly fell on their faces.
Still waiting.
In front of their cheering fans, roaring like USC fans once roared, Oregon used an 85-yard kickoff return, a terrible Trojan penalty, and terrible USC play calls. reach victory 42-27.
Still waiting.
With the win, the seventh-ranked Ducks almost certainly clinched a playoff berth.
With that defeat, the 15th-ranked Trojans were certain to be eliminated for the fourth time in Riley's four seasons, while the embattled coach was dealt an equally crushing defeat.
Under Riley, the Trojans are 0-5 against top-10 teams.
Almost as bad is that in four years, the Trojans have won just three road games against teams that finished the season with records above .500. Before beating Nebraska this year, Riley's Trojans had not had a quality road win since his freshman season.
If USC wins UCLA Next weekend, as expected, the Trojans would finish with a 9-3 record and a nice rest in some anonymous bowl game.
And that won't be enough. This can't be enough.
I wonder how long the rich people of USC will tolerate such failed expectations, such barren autumns, such… mediocrity.
Heck, if UCLA can buy its way out of the Rose Bowl, one might assume USC can buy its way out of football coaching.
I'm just saying. I'm just saying because there's nothing more to say at the moment.
USC coach Lincoln Riley may have smiled early Saturday morning when the Trojans tied the game, but by the end of the 42-27 loss to Oregon, there was no reason to celebrate.
(Lydia Ely/Associated Press)
“We’re already here,” Riley said later. “They are an inspiring team to watch all year and will get better and better.”
Indeed, it was inspiring to watch the Trojans fight back from countless injuries and field a fighting team Saturday that had been gutted at several positions.
But it still wasn't much fun watching Oregon gain more than three times as many yards while the Trojans hurt themselves with an unacceptable 103 penalty yards.
When it came time to make a big stop, the Trojans couldn't make it. When it came time to complete the big game, they were often celebrated.
Oregon is good, but Oregon shouldn't be able to control a game against a deep and talented USC team… and yet, for a long time, the Ducks did.
“They made more plays than we did,” Riley admitted.
The rest of the time, the Trojans simply tripped over themselves.
USC started Saturday's game strong and in style, setting up a 14-all tie on the first play of the second quarter on a trick play that didn't work against Notre Dame, with receiver Makai Lemon throwing 24 yards to Tanuku Hines to tie the game.
If only the swaggering Trojans weren't so sloppy.
On the next possession, a line drive punt was returned 85 yards for a touchdown by Malik Benson to give Oregon a 21-14 lead.
“Obviously this is a huge, huge play in the game,” Riley said.
Then, late in the first half, everything fell apart for USC, the way things always fall apart in big games.
The breakdown began when USC appeared to have regained momentum after a missed 44-yard field goal by the Ducks' Atticus Sappington. But on the play, Trojan Desman Stevens II jumped the line and received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
“I panicked a little,” Riley said. “I did something we don’t teach.”
With new life in play, the Ducks quickly took advantage with a one-yard touchdown run by linebacker Bryce Boettcher to give them a 28-14 lead with 1:52 left in the half.
USC then looked even worse on the ensuing drive when, on first-and-goal from the Oregon eight-yard line, Riley inexplicably flagged two Lemon running plays that were converted. The Trojans eventually had to try for a field goal, but in the final ticks of the inning, Rion Sayeri hit the ball off the right post and the Trojans were left empty-handed.
“A defining sequence in many ways,” Riley said.
By halftime, the Ducks' 14-point lead seemed much larger and proved insurmountable.
Early in the second half, the Trojans held Oregon on fourth and one at midfield, stole the Ducks' next possession after a Kennedy Urlacher interception, converted on their fourth down and eventually scored on a four-yard pass from Jayden Maiava to Lemon to make it 28-21.
But then Oregon used some drives to complete a 28-yard pass to Kenyon Sadiq to make it 35-21 late in the third quarter.
The Trojans made it a one-possession game again with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Lake McRee early in the fourth quarter, but Oregon drove 79 yards and scored on another Noah Whittington punt to clinch the win.
Game over. End of the season.
Still waiting.
