Lincoln Riley Clashes With Ohio State AD, Reads Pointed Statement After USC Upsets No. 2 Buckeyes

On the second play of the game at the Coliseum, USC freshman Trent Mosley caught a screen pass and took it a long way for a touchdown. That early score set the tone for an afternoon few people saw coming, least of all after the week the Trojans had just endured.

The previous Saturday, USC went to Madison as a sizable favorite over Wisconsin and lost, scoring only seven points. It was the first time a Lincoln Riley team had been held to that total. The mistakes piled up: a 58-yard field goal attempt into the wind that failed and handed the Badgers good field position, multiple intentional grounding penalties and two interceptions from senior quarterback Jayden Maiava, a muffed catch on a kickoff that cost a chance before halftime, and no timeout when the defense was misaligned on a key fourth-and-2, which led to a Wisconsin touchdown. USC finished with minus-17 net rushing yards.

The fallout was immediate. Talk spread that Riley was mentally checked out of Los Angeles. The athletic department had reportedly begun pulling together money to cover his rumored $70 million buyout, and fans and analysts started drafting lists of possible replacements for 2027 and beyond. Riley addressed the speculation in a midweek news conference and said Los Angeles is where he wants to be.

Then Ohio State arrived, ranked No. 2, with a top-three defense, Jeremiah Smith, arguably the best player in the country, and a head coach, Ryan Day, with plenty of big-game experience. The Buckeyes were starting backup quarterback Luke Fahey and were still heavily favored. USC dominated anyway. Ohio State held the ball longer and piled up yardage, helped by garbage-time drives, but never looked much like a winner. With a first-and-goal inside the 1-yard line, the Buckeyes still could not score.

Mark Bowman supplied what may be the tight end highlight of the year, hurdling a defender and running through tackles on a big catch-and-run. The much-criticized USC defense came up with a timely turnover, forced a fumble that went unreviewed, and made stops when it counted.

The afterglow was not tidy. As Ohio State players and staff left the field through the tunnel, Riley tried to head to the same area with his family and a security guard. An Ohio State staffer held him up for a few seconds, and athletic director Ross Bjork was seen gesturing back toward Riley and saying something to him. Riley answered with clearly audible profanity before he was let through. A second angle showed Bjork saying something indistinguishable as he left the field.

In the news conference, Riley read a prepared statement, with sharper language aimed at the media. "This program is built on internal joy, not external applause," he said, dedicating the win to staff, players, leaders and administrators. He repeated that he is the right person for the job, said that as long as the people inside the program know it, that is all he cares about, and closed with "Adios."

The criticism that preceded it was not baseless. USC's two losses were poor ones: the 41-27 defeat to Oregon, in which the defense let backup Dylan Raiola do as he pleased, and Wisconsin, which looks worse after the Badgers lost 30-0 to Iowa. Riley has had few signature wins, and after an offseason marketing push about a open "championship window," 6-2 is short of the goal.

The path ahead is hard. USC visits Indiana in Bloomington next, then closes against No. 5 UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Winning out would likely put the Trojans in the College Football Playoff with three wins over top-5 teams. Losing two of the last three and finishing 8-4 would revive talk of the buyout and the open job at Baylor.