My Analysis: Why Are People Giving Lincoln Riley A Pass For Indiana Loss?
I’ve seen a lot of excuses for losing the past five seasons but a new one emerged following USC’s 27-13 loss at Indiana.
It was a game full of chances for USC, which is not surprising the way Indiana has lived on the edge with five games decided by one score.
But I’m dumbfounded by the spin that has emerged after the loss: “It’s the players’ fault. Lincoln was blameless.”
Are you kidding me? If you don’t believe me, here is an example of the madness.
Teams are a reflection of their coach. Look at Curt Cignetti or Bob Chesney. Their teams play with character and discipline. But USC loses and the fanboys suddenly make the coach irrelevant.
Did you hear the devastating comment from the ABC sideline reporter at halftime? Cignetti told his players that Lincoln Riley teams play worse in the second half. Cignetti knew. The Trojans scored three points in the second half.
Yes, players dropped interceptions. Jayden Maiava turned in his usual awful road performance. The special teams was atrocious.
But players need to be coached. When has Riley, the nation’s QB guru, lived up to that title since Caleb Williams departed? Who was calling the plays Saturday? The players? Riley has been awful calling plays in the red zone for multiple seasons. He threw a bunch of money at Mike Ekeler to fix the special teams. I didn’t rate Ekeler when Lane Kiffin brought him to USC and he’s worse now.
What drives me crazy and what some of these delusional fans fail to see is that USC goes into these games with a defeated mindset, because their coach is not a leader of men.
Look at Cignetti. His teams have a toughness. They attack situations. USC plays on its heels with its glorified offensive coordinator glued to his call sheet.
Who is going to inspire the Trojans? Who will provide leadership in hostile road situations?
Indiana had third-and-three at the USC 42 late in the game. Cignetti doesn’t flinch. He trusts his backup QB to throw a deep ball to his star wide receiver. Everyone believes in each other. There’s no hesitation. Bam! Game over.
Cignetti plays total football. A suffocating, fundamentally sound defense is the backbone. USC’s defense is an afterthought and when it does happen to have spurts of playing well, they don’t last.
Was there a single series yesterday when USC’s defensive backs covered the receivers consistently? It was just a matter of whether the QB would get the ball to the receiver. People like Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge and Yogi Roth want to pretend Gary Patterson has USC’s defense ready to roll.
But when has the defense flourished against a competent quarterback?
For all the talk about the schedule, look at the quarterbacks USC faced this season. It’s embarrassing. And still, the Trojans lost three games. They lost to Oregon and Wisconsin, two teams UCLA already beat.
What USC needs is someone to come in and give the team a backbone. A guy like Jason Eck who won’t take the nonsense and will make sure the other team knows who they are playing.
Back in the 1970’s — yes I’m going there — when a team faced USC it knew what was coming. You were going to get hit and you would get pancaked if you weren’t ready to play.
Today, USC plays hard here or there. It might tackle someone. It might not. It probably won’t impose its will. It can’t do anything on a regular basis, especially running the ball.
These things happen every game. But some people want to say Riley was blameless vs. Indiana. It’s easier to put your head in the sand than face the real truths about the program, apparently.
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