November 23, 2024 11: 26 pm PT
Lincoln Riley won a game on Saturday night. USC football fought past UCLA, 19-13. The Trojans clinched a bowl bid. They won’t have a losing season. It’s better to win than lose, especially in a rivalry game. Yet, these are bread crumbs for a proud program which expects to compete for championships. Lincoln Riley has delivered another miserable season of USC football. The Trojans won the Battle of Los Angeles and own the Victory Bell once again, but they didn’t play well against the Bruins in Pasadena, certainly not on offense. They were sloppy. They were inconsistent. They were awful in the red zone. Wins are better than losses, but USC fans are not happy with Lincoln Riley, and they shouldn’t be.
THE JAYDEN MAIAVA MYSTERY
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Jayden Maiava can make plays with his legs. The winning touchdown against UCLA was a play the USC quarterback made with his scrambling ability. Why did Lincoln Riley not call the kinds of plays which could make use of Maiava as a runner?
MAIAVA VERSUS MOSS
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The whole point of playing Maiava, in addition to simply giving him some live-game reps, is to take advantage of his unique athletic gifts. If Lincoln Riley isn’t using Maiava as a running threat on option plays or bootlegs or RPOs, why is he even playing?
OFFENSIVE LINE REMAINS INCONSISTENT
Mandatory Credit: Tim Prangley | Trojans Wire
The USC offensive line helped the Trojans move the ball between the 20s, but it failed in the red zone, which is why the Trojans failed in the red zone. There’s a mixture of good and bad from the offensive line in every USC game. The end product is average or maybe slightly above it. The standard is just not good enough.
JOSH HENSON
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
This is Game 11 of the season. The USC offensive line is not improving. It is not able to take control of games — and drives — in the biggest moments. It couldn’t seal the UCLA win; the Trojans settled for a field goal and had to give the ball back to UCLA, allowing the Bruins one more chance to win the game. It’s hard to say Josh Henson deserves any more time with this group.
RILEY AND THE LINE
Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
The red-zone play calling was poor from Lincoln Riley. No one is debating or questioning that point. However, when the offensive line gets blown up on a 1st-and-goal running play, it’s not hard to see why Riley then calls a dumb fade pass on 2nd and goal. If the O-line could run block on 1st and goal, the outcomes of these red-zone drives would be different. Riley should call better plays, but any play-caller will be limited if his offensive line can’t dominate in big situations.
UNDER 20 POINTS
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Last year, the Alex Grinch defense allowed over 30 points with great frequency. This year, the Lincoln Riley offense at USC is scoring under 30 points with great frequency. It’s a shame that the offense hasn’t done more to make use of a good and fundamentally competent USC defense, which has excelled in spite of numerous injuries.
D’ANTON LYNN AND CALEB WILLIAMS
Mandatory Credit: Tim Prangley | Trojans Wire
Imagine if Lincoln Riley had D’Anton Lynn in 2022, when Caleb Williams was producing a Heisman Trophy season. USC would have done great things. It’s unfortunate that USC’s best defense and its best offense (led by its best quarterback) couldn’t be on the same roster.
LINCOLN RILEY TOUGH TRUTH
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Lincoln Riley has coached poorly in the most critical junctures of games this season. Over the course of 60 full minutes, he hasn’t been terrible, but coaches need to be at their best in the biggest moments. That’s when Riley — in 2024 — has been his worst. The offensive line is a real limitation, as we noted above, but a great play-caller (historically) has not been great this season. Riley has to do some self-evaluation if he is to bounce back in 2025.
BEING SERIOUS
If Lincoln Riley is serious about fixing problems at USC, he will fire Josh Henson right after the Notre Dame game next week.
NIL
(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
USC will go to a bowl game, which will help in developing the 2025 roster during weeks of bowl practice. However, development of the program must extend to the NIL space, where USC has been outgunned. The Trojans have to land elite players, chiefly offensive and defensive tackles, in the transfer portal and on the trail. If they don’t, the outlook won’t meaningfully change for this program. It’s time for USC to get more serious about winning.