FOOTBALL

USC-Indiana Live Blog

Riley: “We’re right there, close tonight— this game came down to a couple of plays…”

The playcalling was atrocious and USC’s high-powered offense has scored 20 points the past 2 road games

Man vs. imposter in this game from a coaching standpoint.

Cignetti with more guts on third-and-3 than Riley showed inside the 20 the entire game

Why do people not see Jayden Maiava for what he is?

Mike Ekeler’s special teams have been a complete disaster today. What does he do?

There’s the trademark sand-castle defense. It took Indiana five plays to go 75 yards.

USC could have intercepted three passes in the end zone.

Does anyone want to score a TD?

A tipped pass interception, a 51-yard completion and suddenly it’s a 10-10 tie.

Mike Ekeler’s special teams with two dumb penalties.

Jayden Maiava does what he normally does on the road. Turns the ball over.

The pass defense strikes again!

How many deep passes as Elbert Hill allowed this season?

Three straight runs from the 11-yard line?

The defense still cannot cover anyone. A 47-yard pass down sideline and a 13-yard pass over middle in the end zone.

A holding penalty hurts the opening drive, which ends with Ryon Sayeri hitting upright on 51-yard FG on first possession

Grant Wilson will start at QB for Indiana according to CBS Sports.

158 thoughts on “USC-Indiana Live Blog”

    3. KAM: Cowardly Gabby should be happy that her Bruins won…

      DON: But she’s not. Nothing can take away the fact she is a miserable human being. She is to be pitied.

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  2. gyes,pleas stahp ewezin bhig wirds end maykin kullturrull refrinses,me end tha crazey angrey reetardid ladey doant undurstanned wut ewe awl iz sayin,phuck barsto

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      2. KAM: Poor Cowardly Gabby, living a life of misery.

        DON: She has wasted 26 years her spamming away to no avail. She is still desperately unhappy.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Oh, where? Oh, where is Kris Albarado??!! Another missed chip shot. Too bad Lincoln doesn’t like recruiting Vatos to his football team!

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    1. This game once again shows why how far away our program is from being remotely elite. Poor penalties, Int’s, lack of pass rush, can’t stop the run, poor play calling , zero toughness when it mattered. F LR and his crap culture he’s created. Fire him immediately!

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  6. newbie commenter, can we fire Riley Coyote at half time? Our offense is offensive to watch while the general reads his script between inept plays. Grandpa’s defense can’t cover a wide receiver all season. The external audience has seen enough Riley, its time to say Adios to your undisciplined penalty ridden soft team and you.

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      1. KAM: Why don’t you go back to Bruin Report Online where you belong, Cowardly Gabby?

        DON: You need to be institutionalized at Atascadero State Mental Hospital for the rest of your waste of life..

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    1. KAM: Cowardly Gabby, aka everyone’s imposter is a paranoid schizophrenic so ashamed of herpathetic miserable existence that he/she/it has to pretend to be other people in order to keep from committing suicide, a true low life with nothing better to do.

      DON: Imagine how pathetic it’s life must be spending all day on a blog switching between screen names of other people, I mean …that’s beyond pathetic.

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    1. Well they did get a stop of sorts … but not exactly Pete-like halftime adjustments on defense … guess we’ll see (since two weeks ago was so shocking) … but if they somehow do win CB … USC-UCLA end of season … and if (if!) USC were to win that … back-to-back in the Big-10 championship game? This USC team – and I still want the Coyote “Vamos!” – looking a little like the 2011 team that made Lane Kiffin look like the man of the future for an off season …

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      1. It is sort of weird how much Riley is despised, even boozy Sark or petulant Kiff were not nearly so reviled. Memo to Wolfman: start getting those scattered notes together, your trigger for writing your Tell-All is fast approaching!!

        #CanRilesSaveHisYobWithABruinUpset??

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    1. Literally, aside from some quality players that somehow this dingus fraud of a head coach tricked into coming to SC- they are completely unwatchable. They do everything poorly- coaching, defense, clutch plays , red zone scoring – just crap, no discipline, no in game adjustments. It’s like Riley is so unaware he can’t understand what’s happening during the game. All this for 12 MM a year

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      1. agreed – I’ve pointed to Helton having Darnold, Ronald Jones, and Adoree Jackson and accomplishing nothing with it … and the Coyote is right on par with him in terms of results.

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  16. The commentators not only mentioned, but CBS put up a graphic showing Riley’s road record against ranked teams.

    I guess no one told them that the Village Idiot said that is irrelevant.

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      3. KAM:

        Plow Horse

        August 31, 2024 at 9:42 pm

        I thought Gabby said a few days back that he was going to the USC marching band pep rally today at the Palms at 2:00 and wanted to “meet up” with Scott. Instead, he spent the day trolling the blog. Once again a threat followed by a no show. That’s our Cowardly Gabby. All talk, no walk.

        DON: BWWWWWWWWWWAHAHSAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!

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    1. Perfect song for another shi$ season. What makes me more angry than the loss- the fact this loser of a head coach continues to get paid a ridiculous salary, gets driven to work, and has a guaranteed salary for basically doing a half ass job. Is there any coach in history, paid this much money, in a big program- do this average to poor job?? As I said before- I can’t believe I have to say this- but I hope UCLA crushes us so once and for all we can be rid of this imposter of a head coach!

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  20. That quarter back is the worst I can remember. He is so bad. Truly horrible. The worst game I think I’ve ever seen by an SC qb. He missed every throw. Every one. He is so bad. It’s crazy how bad he is. He missed everything. Everything. He sucked so bad there aren’t words.

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      1. KAM: You wasted 26 years of your life spamming this site night and day 24-7, impersonating and doxxing SC alumni posters … you have nothing to live for. You are a sad lonely mean creature deserving only scorn.

        DON: Leave, you pest.

        Liked by 1 person

  21. I HOPE PEOPLE WON’T GET DOWN ON JAYDEN ….HE WAS SO CLOSE ON ALL THOSE STALLED DRIVES…..AND LINCOLN CALLED HIS BESTEST GAME EVER IN THE RED ZONE….

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      1. Not evil incarnate…..just a eunach disassociated from the world of relationships and human interaction…..

        #….That’sAll

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      2. I once heard it said by a bruin fan that a certain bruin coach was “afraid of the end zone.” Now we have a Trojan coach with the same problem.

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  22. Stick a fork in Riley Coyote, he’s done. Gutties waiting in the wings to roast his ass all the way back to Oklahoma provided Coyote survives the plane trip back to SlowCal this weekend. Adios, get your prepared script ready to read at the presser, it should be hilarious to see who you blame this weekend for your incompetence.

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      1. KAM: Remember when Cowardly Gabby chickened out of fighting Scott Wolf when Scott Wolf was in Las Vegas?

        Plow Horse

        August 31, 2024 at 9:42 pm

        I thought Gabby said a few days back that he was going to the USC marching band pep rally today at the Palms at 2:00 and wanted to “meet up” with Scott. Instead, he spent the day trolling the blog. Once again a threat followed by a no show. That’s our Cowardly Gabby. All talk, no walk.

        DON: That’s how we know Cowardly Gabby is The Coward of the County. If she really lived in Las Vegas like she pretended to, she would be a total coward for not showing up to confront Scott that day after wasting 25 years stalking him on this site.

        Liked by 1 person

  25. got to say I don’t ever remember a team dropping 4 sure interceptions in one game. Poor lil’ Lord Riley got to feel snakebit! He may decide to pull a Nixon and start firing people to save his hide… Ekeler and Patterson come to mind.

    #NoMoreRileyToKickAround

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      2. Ha! I’m counting no chickens yet, got the ultimate trap game in the Big House, then the trOJies ( thank god on our field). Before the possible Big Ten title game…too much stress for a broken down old Bruin.

        #CalgonTakeMeAway

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  26. Another winnable game lost. This supposed offensive genius couldn’t figure out his QB was off, again, so run the damn ball. But, we all know Riley couldn’t and wouldn’t do that so another loss.

    5 years. No playoffs. No Big 10 or Pac 12 championship. No signature wins

    It’s time to part ways with this fraud no matter the cost

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    1. 100%

      And they actually ran well at times … he simply could not stay with it … and what we’ve discussed about Maiva throwing balls up for grabs … well, chickens come home to roost … hopefully one will show up with the Coyote’s number soon …

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      1. Both right. Riley was trying to change up to more runs, some pitch option and tunnel screens, passes to TEs, (all good things) but Maiva hasn’t adjusted and been lost and frustrated. It’s been an interesting sub-plot, but the show is about to be cancelled.

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      2. Well put GC.

        I feel bad for Maiva. He’s not great but he’s not terrible at all. But clearly has been coached to take risks and throw 50/50 balls up but not coached to have the judgment necessary to do it with the game situation in mind. I’ve seen a worse QBs at USC have more success, but they knew when to, and when not to (at least most of the time).

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      3. trOJie ccoaches after Petey have all been too pass-happy! as i posted after the first trOJie drive “keep running even if IU scores” they were gashing IU d-line which is hard to do early in game when everyone is all juiced up, but as usual, when they fall behind even early in game it’s pass, pass, pass setting up many third and longs. if he tries this agin’ Bruins, we’ll love it snce we lead ncaa with 20 int’s!!

        #JustTryin’ToHelp

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      1. It’s the air raid mentality … great when overmatching a team or catching them unprepared … no physicality … if not hitting the big play and taking it all the way, then the 12th, 13, and 14th defenders on the 30 yard or shorter field make the 7-on-7 drill just a tad harder …

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  27. A day late and a dime short with the loss. I think it’s over for LR. Riley, in his own kinda neuro-divergent way, has recently shown he wants to coach at USC, and is open to change. He’s been learning humility, fight, respecting what USC means and what it can do and how important the heart of the supporter base is. For instance, that prepare speech, he’s trying to communicate and get it right. Sort of sad.

    And the shots from Lanning, and especially the expletive laden exchange with the Ohio State AD who was cursing at Riley and his kids, the Ohio State player spitting at USC fans, it sort of demonstrated to him that for the people involved, there is a level of competitiveness and nastiness that isn’t Oklahoma being happy with the upper levels of mediocrity.

    USC v Ohio state, and the likes is prison-yard ego. Even sh!t Big 10 felt that in Riley they had a punk. UO and OSU aren’t our equals as programs, and Riley got to see how big the USC brand is, and his peers got giddy in feeling a punk got the chance to punk the biggest name out there BECAUSE of Riley. He got to see that the laid back façade of USC hides that the school and base will give you anything but it doesn’t accept mediocrity and excuses and insults to its pride and traditions– ‘SC is second to none, or you’ll be pushed out, without any Texas bluster.

    Riley’s game v OSU and this game has shown a “come to Jesus” change. Running, tight ends, extra TEs and RB lead blocking in personnel groups, longer drives, field position, complementary defense, importance of special teams, not hanging your defense out to dry. He’s been trying to relieve a little of the pressure on the QB with more screens. (Some of this has come at a time when Maiva has shown his warts and maybe the changes are causing it.)

    Patterson, by the way, has been really developing and growing the defense, including developing and changing from his own pass stopping specialty from the old pass happy Big 12 era, though it’s still obviously a work in progress.

    Does that mean the running game isn’t still far too predictable? Of course it still is, but it is hard to develop that during the middle of the season. But that’s simply a footnote to what is likely the end of Riley’s tenure.

    If this was Riley in year 2, it would have been a different story, but Riley fought any and everyone on everything.

    Assuming he’s out, he’s left a team that still is unified, that still has fight, that is one of the most talented in the nation. We’re all men, we’ve all had our youthful bouts of stubbornness which are probably much worse and lasts much longer when you’re making tens of millions of dollars and think you’ve gamed the system. USC has hired guys like that in the past couple of decades.

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    1. “If this was Riley in year 2, it would have been a different story …”

      Very true GC – had thought of watching Lou Holtz at ND – first year returned to competitiveness but 5-6 … second year back to being good and 8-4 … third year 12-0 national champions …

      Riley isn’t in the same universe as Holtz (few have been admittedly even if he was at the hated Dome) … but there were lots of little improvements and very closes today … if in year 2 … but it’s not.

      Waiter, check please …

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      1. I don’t want desert- just the check! Hilarious if it wasn’t so disappointing! It is sad he’s so oblivious to how badly he’s being outcoached and outplayed in every big game the doofus coaches in. Remind me what his record is against ranked teams?🤣

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      2. Yeah, he probably doesn’t understand the extent to which is ineptness is responsible for the results … think he knows to an extent, but deceives himself into thinking it’s always someone else’s fault or the big change is one week away … great coaches – and USC should have the best coach – don’t do that.

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      2. KAM: Cowardly Gabby can dish it out but like most broads, she can’t take it.

        DON: She loves to impersonate MG and SoCal but cries like Hillary when someone does it to her!

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      2. Every sentence he/she has typed over the last 20 years is a cry for help from a frustrated virgin….

        #MoreToBePitiedThanCensored

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  31. Elections and games both have consequences. The mistakes and ineptness in this game, like the other losses this year, prove that Lincoln Riley has to take his buyout and leave USC. USC needs a young, but experienced head coach who has proved that he can be a leader who turns boys into men who can win. USC has the tradition and attributes needed for success, but it needs a true leader of men . Could it possibly be Carson Palmer? Scott, thank you for your honesty. Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962

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  32. I would think, even allowing for his giant ego, that Riley knows he’s through at USC. The AD and president who hired him are both gone.
    The blame also goes to Maiava who played as bad as he did against WI…the run game was decent….the two failed FGs were a direct result of an inability to score touchdowns in the red zone – the margin of loss 13 points.

    I don’t see how Riley stays….the chorus from the seats next Saturday vs MD is going to be loud and raucous and for him, well deserved.
    I certainly hope discussions are with his counsel on moving him out because this is never going to work – there is no ‘identity’ to the team…which brings to mind what Neville Chamberlain was told in House of Commons after the German victory in Norway May 1940, by Leo Amery he quoted a statement from Cromwell to the ‘rump parliament’ very fitting here for Riley.

    “You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go.”

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  34. PLAN A : APOLOGIZE TO SARK …PAY HIM 20 MILLION A YEAR FOR 5 YEARS …..AND ASK HIM TO BRING MANNING WITH HIM….

    PLAN B: APLOGIZE TO KIFFIN…..ETC., ETC…..

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      2. Deep down we all know USC will beat UCLA and Lincoln will return next year with an easier schedule and a new quarterback [Riley ‘s system depends on an elite qb….and that ain’t Jayden]…..

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  35. I keep hearing critics accuse Jayden of throwing too many fifty/fifty balls …we should be so lucky..he threw at least a half dozen uncatchable balls yesterday…

    #JumpBallsWouldBeBigStepUp

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  36. Riley was right- the Time is NOW, to fire your stupid visor wearing a$$. It’s incredible how ill prepared HE is to take the next step. The team was ready, waiting for a leader to show them the way… and he once again failed miserably. There was a moment when SC was on defense on Indiana’s last TD drive- where he came out onto the field clapping his hands trying to fire up the defense – the defense ignored him. Very telling for sure. Adios dic5head.

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  37. KAM: You give a quarterback time to throw the ball and he will look like Johnny Unitas. SC’s pass rush was non-existent.

    DON: And do the defensive backs ever have pass-catching drills so they don’t drop interceptions in their bread baskets? And with poor quarterbacking play it was 3 strikes and you’re out SC.

    KAM: Overall it was still an interesting season

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      1. At least our d-back guys hit themselves in the helmet and pounded the turf each time they dropped an easy interception….our kicker smiled when he blew the 51 yard field goal…watch the tape, he smiled at his holder….as in “whoa…hilarious, huh?”……

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  38. Partly… but the BIG problem is Jayden forgets everything he knows about throwing a football when he rolls too far right……

    …also…I appreciate Jayden protecting himself from tough questions by giving prerehearsed one word answers…. but after a game-losing performance like yesterday’s he owes fans more….yesterday he needed to acknowledge he let his receivers down and he has very specific mechanics problems he’s gonna work on before the Big Game [like actually completing his fricking throw motion when he puts the friking ball in the air]……

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      1. ….many star athletes critique their own losing performances….they know Exactly what went right and what went wrong………the fact neither Lincoln nor Jayden have a clue in any of their pressers is NOT a good sign…..

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Oh, wow—too on the money: you can’t lie to the confessor [you can lie to yourself, though —and Lincoln continues to do this].

        As i told someone who was trying to con me recently, “sorry, love, it won’t work —I’ve heard every lie that can be told and I’ve told every lie that can be heard —I’m kinda an expert on this sh*t”…..

        Liked by 1 person

      1. I don’t even wanna see the d-back, defensive line, quarterback, special teams or coaching grades….just whatever, if anything, is left…..

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    2. USC will probably beat UCLA….it’s not a true road game, our guys will sleep in their own beds, play football in their own time zone….and have plenty to prove [to themselves and their fans]…..

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      1. KAM: Thanks to Riley Coyote our jet alagged team sleptwalked throught the game.

        DON: Why didn’t he learn to bring the team out on Thursday? That is inexcuseable.

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      2. True…..but the biggest problem was Jayden’s inability to throw the football in third down situations….he’s regressed to an unbelievable level..

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  40. That was as big a coaching mismatch as you will see in college football , Riley was a bad hire, has been worse than expected, is not a good guy and needed to be fired years ago. Now UCLA has blown by us by making a great coaching hire, we don’t play Notre Dame and Lincoln has accomplished what seemed impossible. He has made USC football irrelevant on a national basis. If they don’t buy him out, it will only get worse.

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      2. Riley was not a great hire…..too many personality deficiencies [that weren’t all apparent until he went on losing streak]……but he will beat UCLA and keep his job…..and go looking for an elite qb that makes him look good again [something he should have done for the 2026 season]……

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      3. Agree he could save his yob w victory over Gutties, he’ll take the biggest, loudest victory lap in history, he’ll he may even give Willie an exclusive interview!!!

        #ARealMustRead

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      5. Correct on both accounts, Charlie [“Willie” is Scott’s girlfriend’s name for her favorite body part on Scott]…..

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      3. So Cal

        January 2, 2026 at 6:18 pm

        Wolf’s post is exactly why I said I am cautiously optimistic about our #1 recruiting class. The fanboys were whooping it up.

        That #1 distinction doesn’t mean diddly squat if you don’t make the best of that talent and, so far, Riley hasn’t proven he can do that.

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  43. KAM: LSU and Lane Kiffin are 6-4 and the old Utah coach is about to get fired at Michigan

    DON: And SC thinks they got it bad

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  44. wolfman, i know you’re probably still shacked up a/some cheerleader(s), but got to hear your opinion on failing Pete Arboghast’s hot mic comment yesterday: he said trOJans “don’t deserve to win”!! this coming after he claimed Moore “dove into” Desmon’s cheap shot in OR game!!

    #Scully

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