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The USC Trojans lost a third straight conference game on Saturday, falling 29-28 to new Big Ten rival Maryland on the road. After the loss, a few former players voiced their displeasure with the trajectory of the program.
Matt Leinart and LenDale White, both members of USC’s national championship squads of the early 2000s, are questioning Lincoln Riley’s leadership.
The Trojans have now dropped three consecutive Big Ten matchups, each of which they led at some point in the fourth quarter. Saturday’s defeat against Maryland was maybe the most deflating.
Truly an unbelievable run. pic.twitter.com/ZQFounSyWj
— Barstool USC (@BarstoolSC) October 20, 2024
USC was up 28-14 with 13 minutes left to play following a 26-yard Moss Miller TD pass. They’d surrender 15 points in the final 10 minutes of play, allowing the Terps to score the go-ahead touchdown with 56 seconds remaining on the clock.
The result dropped the Trojans to 3-4 on the year, angering a large part of the fanbase that’s been sold on Big Ten success.
I’m gonna be completely honest Lincoln Riley should be embarrassed. They should probably do him like they did Lane Kiff.
— LenDale White (@thereal_lendale) October 19, 2024
Former USC Trojans RB LenDale White called for Lincoln Riley’s job after the fact. He’s seen enough of his head coach this season!
His old QB Matt Leinart was also disappointed, though he was a bit slower to lay all of the blame on the coaching staff.
🚨Usc Reaction🚨 pic.twitter.com/xl4zVOHE89
— Matt Leinart (@MattLeinartQB) October 20, 2024
USC is on a downward spiral as the one-score losses continue to pile up. Unfortunately, the job won’t get any easier as the year moves on.
The Trojans still have Washington, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and rival UCLA on the slate! We’ll see if Lincoln Riley can turn it around and save his season.