It was hailed as not just a home run hire, but a grand slam.
Lincoln Riley was going to make USC an annual title contender, restoring glory to the once-proud program. Championships were supposed to follow the former Oklahoma coach to Los Angeles, particularly after he brought quarterback Caleb Williams with him.
Instead, there has been more hype than substance, media relations gaffes, awful defense and underwhelming results.
Last year, USC couldn’t get past Utah in the Pac-12 championship game, a loss that cost the Trojans a spot in the College Football Playoff. This year has been much worse despite the electric talent of Williams, the potential first pick in April’s NFL Draft and last year’s Heisman Trophy winner.
Riley’s team was all but eliminated from the playoff on Saturday night by Utah again, a Utah team without star quarterback Cameron Rising, a Utah team that had managed a combined 21 points in two games against Pac-12 contenders UCLA and Oregon State. USC was fortunate to get past Colorado and Arizona, Pac-12 teams it couldn’t stop that are unlikely to finish in the top half of the conference.
Think about this: Through 22 games, Riley has the same record (17-5) as Clay Helton did. He was hired to be the next Pete Carroll. Worse, Riley is starting to make excuses.
After the loss, he felt the expectations had worn down his team. He suggested that the narrative about winning championships is media-driven, that USC doesn’t “come in every week talking about winning a national championship.” He must have forgotten telling reporters in July of 2022 that he and his staff didn’t leave Oklahoma “to play for second.” Players weren’t made available to reporters on Saturday, a shortsighted decision that does nobody any good.
There is a lot of Mike D’Antoni with Riley, a brilliant offensive mind who can’t develop a competent defense. It is what kept him from winning a title at Oklahoma despite elite offenses and future NFL quarterbacks Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts and Baker Mayfield. USC is allowing 407.6 yards per game and giving up 30.5 points per contest, dismal numbers that are among the worst of any power conference program.
Worst of all, USC is wasting a gem of a talent in Williams, who seems to be regressing of late, with just one touchdown and three interceptions the last two weeks. Even with that said, the defense has allowed 72 points in these two losses to Utah and Notre Dame. The offense isn’t the issue – it never has been for Riley.
It may not get much better. USC still has to face the big two of Washington and Oregon. Riley could be looking at the first four-loss season of his otherwise overwhelmingly successful coaching career. This isn’t how anyone except this year to go for the Trojans – most of all, the coach who said he didn’t come to USC to play for second place. Right now, a second-place finish in the Pac-12 would be a great accomplishment.
Another Nittany Lion letdown
It was the perfect time to get Ohio State. It was down star running back TreVeyon Henderson, No. 2 receiver Emeka Egbuka and No. 1 cornerback Denzel Burke. The Buckeyes were vulnerable and the offense, except for the brilliance of Marvin Harrison Jr., was punchless.
Except, it didn’t matter. Penn State and James Franklin still couldn’t get it done, losing to Ohio State for the 11th time in 12 meetings and dropping to 3-16 against top-10 teams. His offense couldn’t muster much at all, limited to 240 total yards. His defense couldn’t stop Harrison, who had 11 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown. He was conservative early, coaching not to lose.
This loss doesn’t necessarily eliminate the Nittany Lions, but it puts them in the precarious position of needing to beat undefeated Michigan on Nov. 11 in Happy Valley and hope the Wolverines then knock off Ohio State on Thanksgiving Day weekend. But it seems unlikely that Penn State can get by Michigan.
Franklin’s reputation for coming up small in big spots is growing. Saturday was just the latest shortcoming of him being good, but not good enough to elevate this program to true contender status.
Michigan on a mission
It’s time to give Michigan credit.
Yes, the Wolverines have played nobody. Their best win is over mediocre-at-best Rutgers. But every week, you see top-ranked teams struggle with inferior opponents. This week, for instance, Washington narrowly got past Arizona State, North Carolina lost to dreadful Virginia and Oklahoma had problems with under-.500 Central Florida.
Michigan, however, is blitzing everyone, outscoring the opposition by an absurd 229-31. That’s an average score of 28.6-3.8. The defense has allowed double figures just once. Either that sign-stealing operation must really be a game-changer, or Jim Harbaugh’s team is on a mission.
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