Trojans surrender game-winning drive with under two minutes remaining in Big Ten matchup
The more things change for the USC Trojans, the more they stay the same.
Lincoln Riley took over in 2022, promising to bring a new energy, mindset, and level of quality to a flailing program that had declined precipitously under Clay Helton. While on paper the results were strong, and Caleb Williams was so exceptional that he won the Heisman Trophy, SC’s defense was so bad that it prevented them from reaching the then 4-team playoff or winning a conference championship game.
After 2023 was even worse, Riley made a big change on the defensive coaching staff, hiring D’Anton Lynn away from UCLA after an impressive campaign with the Bruins. While they did improve in 2024, the offense regressed. For 2025, SC went even harder on the defensive coaching staff, hiring Rob Ryan and investing heavily in retaining other important defensive assistant coaches.
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SC got out to a hot start in 2025, going 4-0 with some impressive offensive statistics, along with some questionable defensive ones. Heading into a marquee matchup against the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday’s Big Noon Kickoff, the Trojans had an opportunity to make a serious run at a spot in the college football playoff. Instead? USC once again blew a huge opportunity and lost a winnable game.
Sep 27, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) scrambles during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
USC Loses To Illinois 34-32 After Endless Series Of Mistakes
SC drove down the field on the opening series, seemingly unstoppable on offense, until a Waymond Jordan fumble gave Illinois the ball. Immediately, the Illini offense answered with a touchdown.
After a back and forth second and third quarter, another terrible USC turnover, and some good luck on Illinois fumbles at the SC goal line, the Trojans fought all the way back in the fourth quarter. Makai Lemon, the best player on the field for either team, brought down a miraculous catch with just under two minutes to go to give SC the lead at 32-31.
But because it’s USC, the Illini never looked remotely troubled marching the ball down the field in just over a minute, setting up for a game winning field goal to walk it off.
Illinois outplayed USC. They had 502 yards of offense on 62 plays, good for 8.1 yards per play. They completed 21 of 27 passes for 331 yards. It never even looked difficult for them to move the ball. But USC had 490 yards of offensive themselves. Despite their best efforts, they had a lead with under 2 minutes to play, needing literally one defensive stop to win a tough, hard-fought game on the road.
Instead? The defense once again looked hopeless, including surrendering a pass interference penalty on what appeared to be the one semi-decent play of the series. After the game, Riley said that USC’s pass defense was “unacceptable” today.
What it actually was? Predictable.
This has been a consistent problem for USC and for Riley coached teams. They simply cannot get stops when they need them. USC spent a fortune on their defensive coaching staff, revamped their recruiting efforts, and somehow got worse. It’s remarkable. Put simply, this was an inexcusable performance against a team that managed just 10 points against Indiana last Saturday. A team that had two rushing yards. Total. USC’s defensive line, supposedly a strength, never got pressure. Their secondary was hopeless. And now their schedule gets even harder.
SC hosts the Michigan Wolverines in two weeks, providing another glorious opportunity for a historic defensive collapse. They have a road game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish coming up. They play Oregon at Autzen in November. And they have one of the worst defenses in the country, yet again.
SC could have shown something on Saturday to prove they are for real. Instead, they showed that quite literally nothing’s changed. Pretty impressive stuff.
