Lincoln Riley is the fourth-highest-paid coach in faculty soccer, based on USA As we speak’s database. It’s a reasonably secure guess to imagine USC is within the prime 10 — and doubtless nearer to the highest 5 — in assistant coach salaries.
Theoretically, the return for that type of pay must be top-10 outcomes. It’s Yr 3 of Riley’s tenure. His roster. His workers. His program. His imaginative and prescient. This in all probability appears like a damaged document, however Riley is solely not delivering on the funding USC made in him.
That a lot has been clear for a couple of weeks, but it surely must be crystalized for everybody now after the Trojans suffered a catastrophic 29-28 loss to Maryland on Saturday evening.
USC (3-4, 1-4 Large Ten) is sweet sufficient to have been in each sport. The Trojans have led within the fourth quarter in every of their losses. All of these video games have been winnable.
However USC retains faltering many times. This time, with two minutes left, Maryland blocked Michael Lantz’s 41-yard subject objective try. The Trojans didn’t block accurately up entrance and as a substitute of main 31-22 within the sport’s last levels, USC was compelled to ship its protection again on the sector. Lower than a minute later, Maryland scored the go-ahead landing. The offense made it throughout midfield however couldn’t march into subject objective vary.
Closing. pic.twitter.com/FV5InVZSg2
— USC Soccer ✌️ (@uscfb) October 19, 2024
Afterward, Riley was requested why USC has struggled to shut out video games.
“I don’t know,” he stated.
It doesn’t actually matter what Riley says. What issues is that he finds options to no matter his staff is failing to perform on the sector. So far, he hasn’t finished that.
And there lies the issue. Week after week, it’s USC’s protection failing to provide you with a fourth-down cease when it completely has to. It’s the offense faltering in a crucial second when it has a chance to salt the sport away. It’s the particular groups making a large mistake at an important juncture.
This staff simply finds methods to lose video games.
“We’ve been a ok staff to have an opportunity to win each sport however we haven’t been fairly ok to separate,” Riley advised reporters after the loss, “and once you put your self in these moments you’ll must make some performs to beat any individual. Particularly on the highway. You’re going to must make that subject objective or make that fourth-down sort out or make that catch or throw or block or no matter it’s as a result of it’s not going to be handed to you.”
I do know what the recruiting rankings counsel. I do know the place USC is ranked within the 247Sports Staff Expertise Composite. And I do know the Trojans have extra expertise than Minnesota and Maryland. However I additionally know USC shouldn’t be proficient sufficient to separate from its opponents. Not the place it issues — within the trenches — and never in the way in which Riley described above. And even when this staff is extra proficient than the Golden Gophers or Terrapins, it’s not by a decisive sufficient margin that it might make sloppy errors and get away with it.
Riley’s had three years to construct this roster. It’s on him if the Trojans aren’t proficient sufficient proper now. The speak about how he can’t wave a magic wand ought to in all probability cease. There usually are not lots of causes to imagine USC might be dramatically extra proficient in Yr 4. The Trojans’ 2025 recruiting class is ranked within the prime 10 nationally, however relying on true freshmen is a idiot’s errand.
Bear in mind subsequent yr’s schedule options highway video games at Notre Dame and Oregon and a house sport with Michigan.
If USC does handle to improve its roster in a big approach, it’ll nonetheless have to handle its attention-to-detail drawback. It’s been missing all through Riley’s tenure. Whether or not it’s Mario Williams failing to honest catch a crucial kickoff towards Tulane within the Cotton Bowl two years in the past, John Humphrey and Kamari Ramsey failing to sort out Michigan working again Kalel Mullings — which turned a 15-yard acquire right into a 63-yard run that arrange the Wolverines’ game-winning rating — in September or the missed block on Lantz’s subject objective try Saturday evening.
Coaches usually say, “You’re both teaching it or permitting it to occur.” These types of errors are a mirrored image of the top coach, similar to all these shut losses are. USC has blown 14-point leads in every of the previous two weeks. Riley has misplaced 12 video games because the Trojans coach. His groups have blown a 14-point lead in 5 of them.
Certain, each might be defined away in a vacuum, however these losses have turn out to be a sample. One that may’t be defined away.
“We’re doing lots of the heavy lifting, which is put your self to win video games towards good groups,” Riley stated, “however the lack of ability to complete them off — it eats at you.”
At 3-4, USC has fallen beneath .500 for the primary time in Riley’s tenure. He has to alter one thing structurally with the way in which he runs this system. There’ll naturally be some who will name for his firing, however except these calls include about $80 million, that isn’t practical.
So Riley and USC are possible on this collectively for some time. The Trojans coach can’t double down on how he’s working this system. He’s 11-11 because the 11-1 common season in 2022. No matter he’s doing shouldn’t be working. That type of reflection will possible happen as soon as the offseason rolls round. However why wasn’t that finished final offseason, after a disastrous 7-5 common season?
The tradition appears higher than final season, however that’ll be examined over these subsequent few weeks.
The Trojans couldn’t look any extra disinterested final season within the rivalry sport towards UCLA. So Riley has to show he can hold this staff motivated.
It’s late October and USC already has nothing to play for however pleasure. That’s simply not the place issues are alleged to be in Yr 3.
(Picture: Greg Fiume / Getty Photos)