Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

Lincoln Riley under fire after USC’s scuffling start to Big Ten home opener vs. Wisconsin

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Lincoln Riley has already experienced enough highs and lows in this season. However, he’s once again facing some fire after USC’s performance against Wisconsin in the Big Ten home opener for the Trojans.

It’s remarkable how much can change in a game and a half. After all, USC was firing on all cylinders entering last week’s game as a road favorite vs. Michigan.

Then, the Trojans fell apart late during a game-winning drive by the Wolverines, and that kind of performance has carried over into Saturday’s home game vs. Wisconsin.

Heading into halftime, USC is trailing 21-10 after entering the game as a 2-touchdown favorite. USC’s offense has found success moving the ball, but it hasn’t been able to afford major miscues.

A muffed punt by Zachariah Branch, a penalty on a potential 4th-and-1 play and more recently, a strip-sack turnover are all issues that have plagued Riley’s team. It’s a far cry from the performance that saw USC beat LSU to open the season, and falling to 0-2 in the B1G would be a major dud for the head coach.

With Saturday’s odds getting bleaker and bleaker entering halftime, Riley is catching the brunt of the criticism on social media. He’ll want to find an answer vs. the Badgers to get things turned around in the 2nd half.

Take a look:

 

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.