What the he-k happened, man? The Trojans under Lincoln Riley were on a wild run when the season started. With a massive 27-20 win over LSU and then a 48-o win over Utah State, Lincoln Riley and Co. managed to shock everyone. Even against a giant like the Wolverines, despite losing, Riley and Co. still managed to push last year’s champions to the edge with 27-24 on the board. Going against Wisconsin as well, Lincoln Riley’s team managed to push past all odds to bring in a W. So, it really makes you wonder why it all started to go wrong after that showdown.

Well, Riley has an explanation. Back on USCAthletics, when a journalist asked Riley about the Trojans’ amazing pass game this season, Riley had an unexpected hint in his response which kind of cleared out why the team has been struggling lately. “I think a little bit of the way the games have unfolded. You know, we’ve been in a lot of two-minute situations, which typically accentuates that a little bit,” Riley mentioned. The entire 2-minute fiasco.

See, starting from the 2024 season, the NCAA brought in a new rule; in the 2nd and 4th quarters, the refs will stop the game clock with exactly 2 minutes left. Now, this is what Riley thinks has caused the team the massive losses. The Trojans lost 2 very close games against Penn State and Maryland.

With a touchdown pass from QB Drew Allar, the Natty Lions managed to hit the 30-30 mark against the Trojans. Riley and Co. did have 2 minutes to win it back, but they failed and the game went into overtime, where Ryan Barker took it away for Penn State with his field goal.

And against Maryland, the scene was a bit different. Going into the 4th quarter, the Trojans were on a massive 28-14 lead over the Terrapins. It almost felt like the USC defensive line threw the game. Maryland managed to squeeze in 2 back-to-back touchdowns and Riley and Co. couldn’t do anything about it. So, the question is; is the 2-minute thing the main problem for Riley because it breaks their focus, or is there something else?

Lincoln Riley choking it at the last moment

The game against the Wolverines was pretty much an early warning sign for what the team has to watch out for; closing the game. The Trojans were on a lead with 24-20 and the Wolverines were rolling in the mud. But what happened? The defense choked and Kalel Millings managed to bring in a touchdown for Michigan.

Back during an interview on October 19th, Riley revealed the actual reason behind USC’s back-to-back losses. “Closing out games is hard,” Riley mentioned. Maryland or Penn State, the team made the same mistake. Both should’ve been a win and the Trojans should’ve cut it out for the playoffs, but here we are. Starting the season off so strong and then fading into irrelevancy is something no HC or camp would want.

With 5 more games left on the schedule, it does not look like the Trojans would be able to make a comeback anytime soon and Riley could possibly lose his HC privileges. So, do let us know what you think Riley is doing. Is he making excuses or is the team really that unlucky?