The dream of a College Football Playoff spot for USC took a hard hit on Saturday night. The No. 18 Trojans fell to the No. 9 Indiana Hoosiers with a final score of 27-13. This loss in Bloomington likely ended their season hopes and put a massive target on coach Lincoln Riley’s back. The game was filled with errors that a team with playoff dreams simply cannot make. Per the New York Post, the Trojans dropped multiple interception opportunities and missed two field goals.
Quarterback Jayden Maiava had a chance to tie the game near the end zone. Kayden Dixon-Wyatt was the target of a pass that Indiana’s Isaiah Jones intercepted instead. Jones intercepted the ball at the Hoosiers’ 1-yard line with 6 minutes and 35 seconds left. That play sealed the deal. USC would get no similar opportunity again. The team looked like they forgot how to finish drives when it mattered most.
The Cost of Poor Execution
These mistakes were even more frustrating because USC just had a second bye week. Riley had promised a better effort after a bad road loss to Wisconsin earlier in the season. The team failed to get it done against a ranked opponent on the road. Riley’s record against ranked teams away from home dropped to 1-8. The Trojans could only convert 2 of 11 third downs. That is not enough to win a game in the Big Ten.
With 3:30 remaining, Grant Wilson sealed the victory by throwing a 42-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Becker. The Hoosiers finished with a 9-1 record and a 6-1 conference mark. USC sits at 7-3 overall and 4-3 in the conference. The gap between the two teams grew wider with every mistake USC made.
Time for a Hard Look
The pressure on Lincoln Riley is now at its highest point. The “Time Is Now” billboards around Los Angeles feel like a cruel joke after this performance. Failing to win this game means it is time for athletics director Jen Cohen to think about a buyout. Riley lost all the momentum he built with a win over Ohio State just two weeks ago. The errors on special teams and missed kicks made the loss feel even worse.
Early in the fourth quarter, kicker Caden Chittenden missed a 27-yard field goal to the right. That miss left the Trojans stuck at a 20-13 deficit. A fan even ran onto the field during a timeout, adding to the chaos. The Trojans reached the Indiana 8-yard line before a pass to tight end Mark Bowman was tipped and fell incomplete.
