All those prediction models and analysts bragging about the Trojans’s expected win to Minnesota. Where are they now? Wasn’t even a tight game, man! They lost by 17-24; can you imagine? Lincoln Riley entered the SEC from PAC 12 with hopes of dominating the place. But what we saw last weekend is that they are far from finding foot in the conference. While everyone is blasting out at USC’s poor offensive line, what does the head coach have to say about it? “I felt like offensively. It’s kinda strange looking at the scoreboard, I thought our guys played really good game up front.” Is he even serious?

After Minnesota slapped USC in the face, Riley appeared in a podcast, and when a host asked him about his experience at SEC, he said, “Games have maybe felt like they’ve gone by a little bit quicker., I think that’s been a little bit; I think just the nature of something was played, but that’s, that’s, that’s always a possibility, but, yeah, I mean, I think that’s, that’s probably the biggest difference. think obvious differences about the every road atmosphere that you’re going to go to in this place is going to in this conference, is going to provide challenges, which wasn’t always the case in the pack, not all the time.” Riley said, indirectly blaming the hard time they are facing at the SEC as compared to their previous PAC conference.

Moving forward, a host asked him about his team’s performance in the Minnesota game, especially their offensive line. He said, “The offense moved the ball well the entire game. It’s the turnovers. Without the turnovers, there’s a lot of good stuff on tape offensively. Honestly, there’s a lot of things we did better that game than we did against some of the previous opponents.” Don’t you think it’s funny? Cause that’s not what most college football analysts believe. Not even fans! They were literally trolling their offense.

With that said, let’s look at last weekend’s game between Minnesota and USC, where the Trojans struggled throughout the game. Whether Riley believes it or not, the scoreboard doesn’t lie! And looking at it, everyone felt how badly Minnesota threw them out of the field.

Lincoln Riley’s team in the USC vs. Minnesota game

In a stunning fourth-quarter collapse against Minnesota, USC’s season took another hit, letting slip what could have been a crucial victory. Ranked No. 11 in last week’s AP poll, USC is now in desperate need of a turnaround after suffering two major losses in the season. Star quarterback Miller Moss had his moments, throwing for 200 yards and two touchdowns, but two costly interceptions added to the team’s woes.

USC’s struggle to maintain control of the game was evident, with three turnovers by the Trojans compared to just one forced. A lone bright spot was running back Woody, who posted a career-high 134 rushing yards and a touchdown. But despite his efforts, the offense sputtered for the third straight game, unable to find its rhythm in the first half. It wasn’t until midway through the second quarter, on a grueling 15-play drive, that Moss finally connected with Duce Robinson for a touchdown, giving USC a flicker of hope.

However, penalties and mistakes plagued the Trojans, gifting Minnesota opportunities to capitalize. By the time USC began to find its stride, it was too late to overcome their early missteps. In a game that seemed within their grasp, USC ultimately let it slip away. Minnesota fought hard too, and with just 56 seconds left on the clock, Max Brosmer punched in a 1-yard touchdown to secure a 24-17 victory, sending shockwaves through the Trojan faithful.

For head coach Lincoln Riley and his squad, this was more than just a loss—it was a wake-up call. If the Trojans are to salvage their season, they’ll need to address their first-half sluggishness and cut down on the costly errors that have haunted them in recent games. Can USC regroup and find their form, or is this the beginning of a deeper slide for a team once filled with high expectations? Only time will tell, but the urgency is undeniable.