FOOTBALL

USC-Oregon Report Card

QUARTERBACK

Lincoln Riley praised Jayden Maiava but he was the second-best QB in the Coliseum. It was another example of Maiava not quite living up to the hype against a marquee opponent.

Grade: C

RUNNING BACKS

King Miller looked like his former self on the 27-yard run. But he managed only 47 yards in his other 12 carries.

Grade: C+

WIDE RECEIVERS

Nine different receivers caught passes. They played their part but they weren’t a decisive factor in the game, mainly because of Little Lord Riley and his 12-yard flea flickers.

Grade: C+

OFFENSIVE LINE

They gave up two sacks on the opening possession but none after that. However, yet again, they proved to be unremarkable overall despite all the promises in the offseason.

Grade: D+

DEFENSIVE LINE

It’s hard to overlook the roughing-the-passer penalty on Jide Abasiri, while grading this unit. There was some moments but let’s remember they were part of a defense that allowed 504 yards in offense.

Grade: D+

LINEBACKERS

If it wasn’t enough that Desman Stephens embarrassed the university, the rest of the linebackers were busy chasing running backs down the field or failing to cover the tight end.

Grade: F

DEFENSIVE BACKS

They were all over the field but usually in the wrong spot or not covering a receiver. The 29-yard TD pass to give Oregon a 34-27 lead was just a glaring example but far from the only one.

Grade: F

SPECIAL TEAMS

They set the tone early with a missed chip shot field goal, just the latest miscue this season. Special teams certainly isn’t setting the tone through five games.

Grade: C-

COACHING

Let’s see, the team was undisciplined in the supposedly biggest game of the Riley Era. The sideline was a circus. And Lincoln Riley goes for it on fourth-and-7 in the fourth quarter, which showed he had no faith in his defense. The offense let him down too. The guy wasn’t ready for prime time. Again. In a big game. It was like USC did not have a head coach on the sideline. A mannequin would have been better because it wouldn’t have hurt the team.

Grade: F

GAME MANAGEMENT

A special category. They ran out of beer swords in the first half. There was no one in the administration to tell Riley to have his player stop celebrating after getting kicked out of the game, or being a cheerleader in the second half.

Meanwhile, the radio broadcast became a national embarrassment, which meant the country finally saw what die-hard Trojan fans have experienced for decades. The one-game suspension for the targeting was also a joke. Who is in charge around here?

Grade: F

33 thoughts on “USC-Oregon Report Card”

  1. I’ll give myself a shout out for guessing C- on special teams in the previous post!

    Scottie outdid himself today with the “Game Management” category! F, or course!

    I thought Scottie was going to drop the linebacker unit from his class (Grade: withdrew from class).

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    1. KAM: I felt so sorry for the marching band Saturday, sequestered in the worst seats in the Coliseum. You used to be able to feel their wonderful music crossing the field from the student section to the alumni section on the South side of the Coliseum. They are so talented and know hundreds of songs. Now they play to the drone filming the game.

      DON: The band were playing their hearts out when they were allowed to. But that stupid DJ dominated the proceedings with his violent misogynist rap music cranked up to 100 decibels. My ears were ringing when I left after the game.

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      1. ….that sounds good unless you were seated right next to them – after revery 1st down the charge’ revelry….TDs ‘fight on’ admittedly in 2026 there is a bit of caution based on the teams performance but man the incessant ‘charge’ every 1st down got old.

        Liked by 3 people

    2. Band: A-. One always needs another rung on the ladder to reach for.

      Juice Boxes: F. Looks silly, and unclear what it is supposed to do. Is it there for the amusement of the audience? For recruits?

      Shoulder Tapper: Incomplete. Hard to know if he is failing at his job, or that Riley just ignores the taps and fails on his own.

      Rex Ryan, LB coach and assistant HC for the defense. F, not only because the LBs failed and because of Stephens, but also because a solid coach would be embarrassed to have a title that was only there for ego.

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      2. i’ve been looking and have yet to see any other coach using an actual shoulder tapper. seems like that would very annoying not to mention distracting.

        #KindOfLikeJuiceBoxes

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  4. hey wolfman, you and the Fanboys need to see a new USA Today article about Lil’ Lord Riley!! of course he takes zero accountability for anything and calls SC fans Chicken Littles!! his quote: “there’s always going to be a sense of ‘Oh my God, the sky’s falling'” mentality from the (fans)” (parenthesis mine)

    you ever notice coaches who are real leaders say after a game: “i got outcoached” or “I obviously did a bad job getting this team ready” that’s what Chesney would say after his first loss (heaven forbid).

    #Riley=KingJoffreyBoratheon?

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    2. Charlie —I hope we get a chance to ‘test’ Chesney’s reaction to: a loss that comes in the last 30 seconds of the USC game —when USC marches the length of the field on one bad pass interference call after another…and instant reply shows our winning TD isn’t really a TD… but the score is nevertheless upheld for probably corrupt reasons…..

      #…SoSweet

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  8. DON: Strange how no one has mentioned that it was Oregon’s players that were pushing SC’s Stephens around that precipitated his showboating act

    KAM: If there are facts that don’t fit the narrative then they are ignored

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  9. KAM: Wiley said that when things are going badly fans are always crying out, “The sky’s falling”

    DON: He’s right, I get that all the time

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