Lincoln Riley is the fourth-highest-paid coach in school soccer, based on USA Immediately’s database. It’s a fairly protected guess to imagine USC is within the prime 10 — and possibly nearer to the highest 5 — in assistant coach salaries.
Theoretically, the return for that type of pay ought to be top-10 outcomes. It’s 12 months 3 of Riley’s tenure. His roster. His employees. His program. His imaginative and prescient. This in all probability seems like a damaged report, however Riley is just not delivering on the funding USC made in him.
That a lot has been clear for a couple of weeks, but it surely ought to be crystalized for everybody now after the Trojans suffered a catastrophic 29-28 loss to Maryland on Saturday night time.
USC (3-4, 1-4 Massive Ten) is sweet sufficient to have been in each recreation. The Trojans have led within the fourth quarter in every of their losses. All of these video games have been winnable.
However USC retains faltering time and again. This time, with two minutes left, Maryland blocked Michael Lantz’s 41-yard subject aim try. The Trojans didn’t block accurately up entrance and as an alternative of main 31-22 within the recreation’s closing levels, USC was pressured to ship its protection again on the sector. Lower than a minute later, Maryland scored the go-ahead landing. The offense made it throughout midfield however couldn’t march into subject aim vary.
Ultimate. pic.twitter.com/FV5InVZSg2
— USC Soccer ✌️ (@uscfb) October 19, 2024
Afterward, Riley was requested why USC has struggled to shut out video games.
“I don’t know,” he mentioned.
It doesn’t actually matter what Riley says. What issues is that he finds options to no matter his crew is failing to perform on the sector. Thus far, he hasn’t achieved that.
And there lies the issue. Week after week, it’s USC’s protection failing to give you a fourth-down cease when it completely has to. It’s the offense faltering in a essential second when it has a possibility to salt the sport away. It’s the particular groups making a large mistake at an important juncture.
This crew simply finds methods to lose video games.
“We’ve been a ok crew to have an opportunity to win each recreation however we haven’t been fairly ok to separate,” Riley instructed reporters after the loss, “and whenever you put your self in these moments you’re going to should make some performs to beat someone. Particularly on the street. You’re going to should make that subject aim or make that fourth-down sort out or make that catch or throw or block or no matter it’s as a result of it’s not going to be handed to you.”
I do know what the recruiting rankings recommend. I do know the place USC is ranked in the 247Sports Staff Expertise Composite. And I do know the Trojans have extra expertise than Minnesota and Maryland. However I additionally know USC is just not proficient sufficient to separate from its opponents. Not the place it issues — within the trenches — and never in the way in which Riley described above. And even when this crew is extra proficient than the Golden Gophers or Terrapins, it’s not by a decisive sufficient margin that it could possibly make sloppy errors and get away with it.
Riley’s had three years to construct this roster. It’s on him if the Trojans aren’t proficient sufficient proper now. The speak about how he can’t wave a magic wand ought to in all probability cease. There aren’t a number of causes to consider USC might be dramatically extra proficient in 12 months 4. The Trojans’ 2025 recruiting class is ranked within the prime 10 nationally, however relying on true freshmen is a idiot’s errand.
Be mindful subsequent yr’s schedule options street video games at Notre Dame and Oregon and a house recreation with Michigan.
If USC does handle to improve its roster in a big method, it’ll nonetheless have to handle its attention-to-detail downside. It’s been missing all through Riley’s tenure. Whether or not it’s Mario Williams failing to truthful catch a essential kickoff in opposition to Tulane within the Cotton Bowl two years in the past, John Humphrey and Kamari Ramsey failing to sort out Michigan working again Kalel Mullings — which turned a 15-yard achieve right into a 63-yard run that arrange the Wolverines’ game-winning rating — in September or the missed block on Lantz’s subject aim try Saturday night time.
Coaches typically say, “You’re both teaching it or permitting it to occur.” These types of errors are a mirrored image of the top coach, identical to all these shut losses are. USC has blown 14-point leads in every of the previous two weeks. Riley has misplaced 12 video games because the Trojans coach. His groups have blown a 14-point lead in 5 of them.
Positive, every one will be defined away in a vacuum, however these losses have turn out to be a sample. One that may’t be defined away.
“We’re doing a number of the heavy lifting, which is put your self to win video games in opposition to good groups,” Riley mentioned, “however the lack of ability to complete them off — it eats at you.”
At 3-4, USC has fallen beneath .500 for the primary time in Riley’s tenure. He has to vary one thing structurally with the way in which he runs this system. There’ll naturally be some who will name for his firing, however until these calls include about $80 million, that’s not lifelike.
So Riley and USC are seemingly on this collectively for some time. The Trojans coach can’t double down on how he’s working this system. He’s 11-11 because the 11-1 common season in 2022. No matter he’s doing is just not working. That type of reflection will seemingly happen as soon as the offseason rolls round. However why wasn’t that achieved final offseason, after a disastrous 7-5 common season?
The tradition appears higher than final season, however that’ll be examined over these subsequent few weeks.
The Trojans couldn’t look any extra disinterested final season within the rivalry recreation in opposition to UCLA. So Riley has to show he can preserve this crew motivated.
It’s late October and USC already has nothing to play for however satisfaction. That’s simply not the place issues are alleged to be in 12 months 3.
(Picture: Greg Fiume / Getty Pictures)
