USC's latest terrible loss to Indiana Hoosiers might be the final straw for Lincoln Riley in LA

Where have we ever seen this movie before? The USC Trojans, with their season and hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff on the line, on the road against another good team, needing to come through late in the fourth quarter to finally get the breakthrough win they need to reach the next level.

And they came up short.

While there's more to Saturday's 27-13 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers than any one play or incident, the embodiment of the Trojans' season, of head coach Lincoln Riley's tenure at USC, came halfway through the fourth quarter.

INDIANA HOOSIERS BOOST COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF HOPES WITH 27-13 WIN OVER USC TROJANS

Down 20-13, SC moved the ball down the field quickly, with Jayden Maiava completing a 34-yard pass to superstar freshman Trent Mosley to set up 1st-and-goal from the Hoosier's 8-yard-line. A quick two-yard run set up 2nd-and-goal from the six with 6:34 remaining. Maiava dropped back to pass and...telegraphed his intentions by staring down receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, ignoring Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones, and delivering a perfectly thrown and timed interception.

Just like that, a potential tie game became Indiana ball. And just as they so often have, the Trojans defense couldn't get the ball back with the game still in reach. The Hoosiers went 93 yards on just seven plays, with a 42-yard touchdown pass from Grant Wilson to Charlie Becker effectively ending the game. Though it was officially ended when Maiava threw yet another interception on SC's final drive of the game.

Again, to put the entire loss on that one play, 2nd-and-goal from the six, isn't doing SC's collapse enough justice. The Trojans dropped not one, not two, not three, but four interceptions. One thrown directly to a defense back that bounced off his chest. One that went through a defenders hands on a diving try in the end zone. One in which SC actually did catch the ball, miraculously, only to have it knocked away by the slightest bit of contact. And another just for fun.

They missed two field goals, a 51-yard try that hit off the upright, and, somehow, a 27-yard attempt that wasn't even close. To make matters worse, a random Indiana fan nailed a field goal from almost that exact same spot a few minutes later.

The missed attempt came after a 3rd-and-8 with an obvious pass interference on the Hoosiers incorrectly waved off because a linebacker got a fingertip the pass. Per NCAA rules, a tipped ball negates pass interference, but contact before the ball is touched should still be enforced. The contact on the play came before, and after, the tip, but the refs apparently determined otherwise. Though the fact it was even close points to Maiava's poor pass and decision making.

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USC's two fourth quarter drives, pre-garbage time, resulted in 17 plays for 148 yards, both reaching to the Indiana 10-yard-line, and...zero points. Not three points, zero points. 148 yards on two drives, zero points. That wasn't an aberration; USC drove into the Indiana red zone five times throughout the game and scored just one touchdown. Five red zone opportunities, 13 total points.

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USC's defense was frequently in the right place at the right time, as evidenced by the four dropped interceptions, but they also gave up their share of trademark back-breaking mistakes too. With the game still tied late in the third quarter, Indiana had a 37-yard run, helped along by an obvious holding on No. 11 against a USC linebacker that wasn't called, that set the Hoosiers up for a go-ahead touchdown.

After Maiava's pick, SC needed a stop to get the ball back. Instead, the Hoosiers went four-yard run, five-yard run, eight-yard run, 12-yard run, two-yard run, five-yard-run, 42-yard touchdown pass. That was the fourth play of 30+ yards the SC defense gave up to an offense run by a backup quarterback.

It was a microcosm of the problems with the Lincoln Riley era in LA. Ten positives, outweighed by five negatives. A defense that isn't good to win games on their own. Missed opportunities on offense, particularly with short fields, missed field goals, and in the post Caleb Williams-era, quarterback play that simply isn't good enough. Especially on the road.

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The loss was eerily reminiscent of the USC-Notre Dame game in 2025, when the Trojans took a 24-21 lead in the third quarter, then immediately gave up a 100-yard kickoff return. Still only down 27-24 after a missed PAT, Maiava threw yet another back breaking interception around midfield. The SC defense held, and the offense got the ball back, drove down to the Notre Dame 37-yard-line and...Makai Lemon fumbled on a trick play. The Irish scored on the ensuing drive, all but ending the game. Though Maiava added another late pick on the final drive of the game, just as he did against Indiana.

Much of the blame for Saturday's loss can be placed on the players; dropped picks aren't Riley's fault, and Maiava's interception was a textbook case of poor quarterback vision. But at some point, the blame has to come back on Riley, doesn't it?

This loss wouldn't have mattered as much if the Trojans had just beaten a very mediocre Wisconsin team on the road. They scored seven points and lost. Or if they'd have been able to hold serve against the Oregon Ducks playing backup QB Dylan Raiola for most of the game, at the LA Coliseum. They couldn't.

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Maiava's played in a whopping 29 games for USC and Lincoln Riley now, and hasn't improved much. His footwork is awful, frequently unnecessarily throwing off his back foot. He often makes terrible decisions in pressure situations. His accuracy is atrocious as soon as there's pressure, and despite being a fairly mobile quarterback, he's all but stopped moving up in the pocket or running for free yards. That's a necessity in modern college football, and Maiava no longer even attempts it.

Some of that's on him, yes, but Riley's claim to fame is his work with quarterbacks. Why hasn't Maiava gotten better? Or why did he not evaluate Maiava's weaknesses and hit the transfer portal hard to find someone better?

We're somehow just two weeks removed from SC fans storming the field after a huge win over Ohio State, but with the Trojans once again out of the College Football Playoff, once again suffering a disastrous, self-inflicted loss on the road, once again staring down the barrel of a long offseason of wondering what went wrong, it's once again enough to start the "Lincoln Riley hot seat" conversations. Particularly considering RIley's dismissive pre-written statement after the Buckeyes' win implying that he always knew the Trojans would peak at the right time and get into the tournament.

Already, reports have suggested the Trojans could put his buyout together. And the crosstown rivalry game on Thanksgiving weekend might be the last try he has of staying in LA. UCLA in year one under Bob Chesney is a near-lock for the playoff, while Riley in year five is once again on the outside looking in. Lose to the Bruins, in a symbolic changing of the guard in LA, and it seems impossible that he's back at the Coliseum in 2027.

It's a roller coaster, and most of the SC fanbase is ready for it to end.