USC’s Lincoln Riley Faces Scrutiny After Loss to Indiana

Southern California lost 27-13 to Indiana on Saturday in Bloomington, Indiana, dropping the Trojans out of the College Football Playoff conversation and intensifying pressure on head coach Lincoln Riley.

Memorial Stadium hosted the matchup, which served as another big moment on the road where the No. 18 Trojans folded under the pressure against the No. 9 Hoosiers.

The defeat pushed USC’s record to 7-3 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten, according to The New York Times. “Say that louder for the people in the back,” Riley said then about the opportunity in front of his team. Despite an annual salary exceeding $11 million, the Trojans have struggled to secure consistent results on the road against ranked opponents, holding a 1-8 record in such matchups during Riley’s tenure. Across five seasons and two different conferences, Riley has gone 12-12 in true road games, including 5-8 in the Big Ten.

That lone road victory against a ranked opponent came over UCLA in 2022, Riley’s first season. Chittenden missed a 51-yard attempt that doinked off the upright and pushed a chip shot wide right from 27 yards out, alongside two unnecessary penalties on special teams.

Indiana opened the scoring with a touchdown on its first possession before USC countered with a field goal, and Indiana added another field goal to take a 10-3 lead into halftime.

Senior quarterback Jayden Maiava finished the afternoon with 311 passing yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions on 26 of 42 passes.

“Just got to play better at the quarterback position. Trust it and be able to flush it,” Maiava said, according to Yahoo Sports.

Trojans Quarterback Takes Blame

Maiava struggled to establish a rhythm in the second half as Indiana’s defense clamped down on the USC attack. Mosley and Bowman combined for 11 targets, eight receptions, and 59 yards at halftime. Maiava’s brightest moment came in the closing seconds of the second quarter on a play where he threaded a tight needle to Zacharyus Williams for a game-tying touchdown. Across the board, it was a difficult outing as the play-calling became one-dimensional and the run game failed to find any rhythm or was ignored entirely.

Two of Maiava’s three interceptions occurred during the fourth quarter, effectively shutting down any hopes of a late comeback. “You compare that (play) to some of the interceptions that we dropped on the other side,” Riley said.

“I mean, again, those plays are just so massive.”

“I believe in myself… We know how close we are… We’re gonna keep battling. We will get there,” Riley said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Play for play, we’re probably even. We had too many mistakes.” Those mistakes included three dropped interceptions that turned into 10 Indiana points.

“I believe in everything that’s happening here. So we’re gonna keep battling. We will get there.” Addressing speculation about his future and potential interest from schools in his home state of Texas, Riley added, “I’m going to continue to fight on because that’s what being a Trojan is all about.”

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