USC loses to Oregon in another letdown of the

It was almost a half decade in the past that Lincoln Riley, dressed in a slick blue go well with and shiny cardinal tie, stood atop the Coliseum’s rooftop deck, grinning as he gazed out across the discipline below. He’d just been launched as USC’s new head coach, and in that second, something felt attainable for the future of Trojan soccer. Riley, at the time, was one of the most famend younger coaches in faculty soccer. And as he surveyed the scene, he painted the image of a day when the Trojans had been back on top and the Coliseum was hallowed ground once again.

“This place,” Riley said that day, “is going to be the mecca of college football.”

But less than 5 years later, as ultimate seconds ticked away on a 41-27 loss to Oregon on Saturday, followers trudged toward the exits, many of them absolutely questioning how for much longer they’d settle for the current state of USC soccer.

That second of fact wouldn’t come Saturday. The first loss for the Trojans at the Coliseum since 2024 wouldn’t spell the end of their season by any means — not after a single defeat to No. 20 Oregon — but in that second, the future that Riley had envisioned felt as distant as ever.

Riley tried afterwards to plead in any other case: “We have a damn good football team,” he said. “I know we do.”

There will still be probabilities for the Trojans to show their coach proper. But the stakes on Saturday had arguably never been increased for USC’s coach, who spent all offseason explaining how this season could be different. There had been no more excuses, no more explanations for why USC was still falling short — even he appeared to agree to that. Everything he’d been pointing in the direction of in the distance was now right here, culminating all at once.

With a gauntlet of a Big Ten schedule forward, there was no better time for Riley to show he had USC transferring in the proper direction and no better matchup to help catapult the Trojans into the College Football Playoff dialog than Oregon, its latest — and still perhaps most bitter — rival. The complete faculty soccer world was watching, ready to see if USC’s coach might ship in the most vital of moments.

Instead, Riley and his Trojans ended up as the punchline in Oregon coach Dan Lanning’s postgame news convention.

“Three wins against these guys,” Lanning said. “I guess if you’re from this area and you’re interested in winning football games, you should go to Oregon. If you’re interested in going to a Chris Brown concert, you should go here.”

The Trojans once again had been in an all-too-familiar, all-too-painful place, one they’d skilled many occasions before during Riley’s tenure. Mistakes piled up. Ill-timed penalties too. And worst of all, USC’s protection still couldn’t get a stop. It gave up 504 yards to Oregon, the third-most it had allowed over the past three seasons.

The Ducks would rating on six of their last seven drives, virtually all of which featured their backup quarterback at the helm. That was after Oregon star quarterback Dante Moore was knocked out of the recreation early in the second quarter following a brutal hit by USC linebacker Desman Stephens II. The hit, which Lanning called “disgusting” after the recreation, began a shoving match between gamers from both groups.

Stephens, who was seen celebrating after the play, was kicked out of the recreation, but he remained on the sideline in the second half.

Riley said after the recreation that he didn’t see Stephens celebrating. And when requested why he stayed on the sideline, Riley responded, “Why? Because he’s on our football team.”

The play forged a pall over the relaxation of the recreation, but Oregon backup quarterback Dylan Raiola managed to throw for 289 yards and two touchdowns against USC’s protection. Jayden Maiava, meanwhile, had 326 yards and two touchdowns, but accomplished just 23 of 42 passes.

The dashing assault wasn’t a lot better, as the Trojans averaged a mere 3.6 yards per carry.

The recreation started on a bitter notice for USC. After marching on a 13-play opening drive, a third-down sack compelled the Trojans to settle for a field-goal attempt. But Caden Chittenden missed an simple kick huge proper. It was just the latest in a string of latest particular groups slip-ups for the Trojans.

The protection, however, held early, even after Oregon working back Jordon Davison burst out of the backfield for a 45-yard run on the Ducks’ first play. Oregon completed that drive with a discipline objective, the only factors either high-scoring offense managed in the first quarter.

Unable to get something going on the ground, the Trojans turned to their stud freshman receiver to tempo the offense. Five of Maiava’s first seven completions went to Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, one of which got here on a 31-yard strike down the seam for a landing despite tight coverage.

Oregon was mounting a response when Moore took off on a quarterback scramble. But as he slid, Stephens decked Moore with a direct hit to his helmet, even after he had already given himself up. Moore spent a number of minutes on the discipline before being loaded onto a cart and taken to Los Angeles General Medical Center by ambulance.

Lanning said after the recreation that Moore had motion in all of his extremities while at the hospital. His absence left Raiola, the backup, to take the reins of Oregon’s offense, and he led the Ducks to the doorstep of the objective line.

USC’s protection stood tall in the crimson zone that time, holding Oregon to a discipline objective. But it wouldn’t last.

Raiola proceeded to discover his rhythm in the second half. He led the Ducks on consecutive landing drives in just 11 performs.

USC coach Lincoln Riley, left, and defensive coordinator Gary Patterson speak on the discipline after a 41-27 loss to Oregon at the Coliseum on Saturday night time.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

USC responded with three straight scoring drives, and even added a stop from its protection in between. The third — an 11-yard strike to Tanook Hines — tied the rating 27-27 with less than 13 minutes remaining.

USC seemed to have Oregon stopped in its tracks on the ensuing possession. Then, on a third-and-long incompletion, defensive deal with Jide Abasiri was flagged for roughing the passer. The penalty gave Oregon just the opening it needed.

“We had all the momentum in the world,” Riley said. “But you can’t do that against good teams and good offenses.”

The Ducks scored 5 performs later, as Raiola lofted a prayer to the nook of the end zone that was answered by one of his wideouts, Dakorien Moore.

A failed fourth-down attempt for the Trojans, with the Ducks main 34-27, would all but end it.

Maiava’s desperation go was swatted away. And with it, so too had been any assumptions that this season at USC could be a lot different than the 4 that got here before it.