It was almost half a decade ago that Lincoln Riley, dressed in an elegant blue suit and a bright cardinal’s tie, stood atop the Coliseum’s rooftop terrace, smiling as he looked out over the field below. He had just been introduced as USC’s new head coach, and at that moment, anything seemed possible for the future of Trojan football. Riley, at the time, was one of the most recognized young coaches in college football. And as he watched the scene, he painted a picture of a day when the Trojans were 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 five years later, as the final seconds of a 41-27 loss to Oregon ticked away on Saturday, fans trudged toward the exits, many of them surely wondering how much longer they would accept USC’s current state. soccer. That moment of truth would not come on Saturday. The Trojans’ first loss in the Coliseum since 2024 wouldn’t mean the end of their season by any means, not after just one loss to No. 20 Oregon, but in that moment, the future Riley had envisioned felt further away than ever. Riley then tried to claim the opposite: “We have a very good football team,” he said. “I know”. The Trojans will still have a chance to prove their coach right. But the stakes Saturday have arguably never been higher for the USC coach, who spent the entire offseason explaining how this season would be different. There were no more excuses, no more explanations for why USC kept failing; even he seemed to agree with that. Everything he had been aiming for in the distance was now here, culminating at once. With the challenge of a Big Ten schedule ahead, there was no better time for Riley to show that he had USC moving in the right direction and there was no better matchup to help catapult the Trojans into the College Football Playoff conversation than Oregon, their newest — and perhaps even more bitter — rival. The entire college football world was watching, waiting to see if the USC coach could deliver in the most critical moments. Instead, Riley and his Trojans finished as the punchline in Oregon coach Dan Lanning’s postgame press conference. “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 errors accumulated. Untimely penalties too. And worst of all, the USC defense still couldn’t stop him. He allowed 504 yards to Oregon, the third most he had allowed in the last three seasons. The Ducks would score on six of their final seven drives, almost all of which featured their backup quarterback at the helm. That was after Oregon star quarterback Dante Moore was knocked out of the game early in the second quarter following a brutal hit by USC linebacker Desman Stephens II. The hit, which Lanning called “disgusting” after the game, started a shoving match between players from both teams. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore is stretchered off the field before being transported to the hospital after taking a hit from USC linebacker Desman Stephens in the second quarter. Stephens was ejected from the game. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times) Stephens, who was seen celebrating after the play, was ejected from the game but remained on the bench in the second half. Riley said after the game that he didn’t see Stephens celebrating. And when asked why he sat out, Riley responded, “Why? Because he’s on our football team.” The play overshadowed the rest of the game, but Oregon backup quarterback Dylan Raiola still managed to throw for 289 yards and two touchdowns against the USC defense. Jayden Maiava, meanwhile, had 326 yards and two touchdowns, but completed just 23 of 42 passes. The running game wasn’t much better, as the Trojans averaged just 3.6 yards per carry. The game started on a sour note for USC. After marching on an opening 13-play drive, a third-down sack forced the Trojans to settle for a field goal attempt. But Caden Chittenden missed an easy shot that went wide right. It was just the latest in a series of recent mistakes by the Trojans on special teams. The defense held early, however, even after Oregon running back Jordon Davison came out of the backfield for a 45-yard run on the Ducks’ first play. Oregon ended that drive with a field goal, the only points both high-scoring offenses managed in the first quarter. Unable to do anything on the field, the Trojans turned to their freshman receiver to pace the offense. Five of Maiava’s first seven completions went to Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, one of which came on a 31-yard strike down the seam for a touchdown despite tight coverage. Oregon was preparing a response when Moore launched into a quarterback scramble. But as he slid, Stephens dropped Moore with a direct hit to his helmet, even after he had already tapped out. Moore spent several minutes on the field before being loaded onto a cart and taken by ambulance to Los Angeles General Medical Center. Lanning said after the game that Moore had movement in all of his extremities while in the hospital. His absence left Raiola, the backup, to take the reins of Oregon’s offense, leading the Ducks to the threshold of the goal line. USC’s defense held firm in the red zone that time, holding Oregon to a field goal. But it didn’t last long. Raiola proceeded to find his rhythm in the second half. He led the Ducks in consecutive touchdown drives in just 11 plays. USC coach Lincoln Riley, left, and defensive coordinator Gary Patterson talk on the field after a 41-27 loss to Oregon at the Coliseum on Saturday night. (Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times) USC responded with three consecutive scoring drives, and even added a stop from its defense in the middle. The third, an 11-yard strike to Tanook Hines, tied the score at 27-27 with less than 13 minutes remaining. USC appeared to have stopped Oregon on the next possession. Then, on a third-and-long incomplete pass, defensive tackle 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 five plays later, when Raiola threw a prayer to the corner of the end zone that was answered by one of his wide receivers, Dakorien Moore. A failed fourth down attempt for the Trojans, with the Ducks leading 34-27, would almost end it all. Maiava’s desperate pass was rejected. And with it, so were the assumptions that this season at USC would be very different from the previous four.
