The USC Trojans’ dream of making the College Football Playoff died on a muddy field in Bloomington, Indiana. A promising drive that looked like it would tie the game ended with quarterback Jayden Maiava throwing a fatal interception. With six minutes and 35 seconds remaining at the one-yard line, Indiana’s Isaiah Jones intercepted the pass meant for Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. That single play killed the momentum for the No. 18 ranked Trojans and handed the No. 9 Hoosiers the win.
USC lost 27-13 in a game filled with self-inflicted wounds. The Trojans dropped multiple interception opportunities, missed two field goals, and committed several penalties on special teams. The New York Post reported that these mistakes were especially perplexing since USC had just finished a second bye week during which coach Lincoln Riley vowed improved performance. Instead, the team converted only two of eleven third downs and faded badly in the fourth quarter.
A Season of Missed Chances
The loss to Indiana was a massive blow for a team that had just beaten then-No. 2 Ohio State two weeks earlier. The loss to Indiana likely ended any real shot at the playoff. Riley now sits at a record of 1-8 against ranked opponents on the road. Grant Wilson secured the victory for the Hoosiers by connecting with Charlie Becker on a 42-yard touchdown pass as three minutes and 30 seconds were left on the clock. USC simply could not answer the call when it mattered most.
Questions for Lincoln Riley
The pressure is now on USC athletics director Jen Cohen to decide if Riley is the right man to lead the program. The team had put itself on the clock with “The Time Is Now” billboards around Los Angeles, yet they failed to get it done. Following kicker Caden Chittenden’s missed 27-yard field goal to the right, Riley dropped his shoulders on the sideline. That miss ended a drive that had reached Indiana’s 8-yard line, leaving the Trojans stuck at a 20-13 deficit. The errors on special teams were just the latest in a long line of mistakes.
The situation got even stranger when a fan ran onto the field during a timeout and made a field goal. This bizarre moment highlighted the chaos that consumed the Trojans’ night. Riley had vowed to fix the issues after a devastating road loss to Wisconsin earlier in the season, but the same problems returned with a vengeance.
The Cost of Failure
When a team has as much talent as USC, losing 27-13 to a top-10 opponent is hard to explain. The Trojans (7-3 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) simply could not make the big plays needed to win. Indiana (9-1, 6-1) controlled the game when it counted. The loss raises serious questions about the future of the program in Los Angeles. Riley fell to 1-8 against ranked teams on the road, a stat that does not look good for his job security.
