The stage was set for a signature victory for Head Coach Lincoln Riley: No. 18 USC football hosted its rival No. 15 Oregon — a team that Riley has yet to beat in his time with the Trojans — in front of over 75,000 fans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. 

While the game was close at the top of the fourth quarter, the Trojans (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) couldn’t pull off the statement victory over the Ducks (3-1, 1-0), losing 41-27 Saturday. 

Despite playing the majority of the game without its star quarterback, Oregon put up over 500 yards of total offense, continuing a trend of defensive struggles for USC after it allowed 35 points to Rutgers (1-3, 0-1) last weekend. The Trojans’ playoff hopes are dwindling after the loss, with three ranked opponents left on the schedule for Riley and company.

“You play in a heavyweight battle like this, and you trade punches the whole night to put yourself in position to win,” Riley said in a postgame news conference. “But against good teams, if you give them opportunities to stay in the game or give them that fresh set of downs, it’s tough to beat good teams that way.”

Oregon playmakers shine with backup quarterback

Early in the second quarter, Oregon senior quarterback Dante Moore was tackled while sliding on an illegal hit by USC junior linebacker Desman Stephens II. Moore suffered a serious head injury and left the game in an ambulance, while Stephens was ejected and later suspended for one game. The hit caused a scuffle between the two teams, resulting in unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for each player on both sides.

The loss of Moore, a preseason Heisman favorite, initially seemed to sway momentum in the Trojans’ direction. Fortunately for the Ducks, their backup quarterback, junior Dylan Raiola, would likely be a starter with most other programs in the nation, as Raiola transferred to Oregon after serving as Nebraska’s (4-0, 1-0) starter for his first two seasons. 

Raiola did not miss a beat from his days with the Cornhuskers, completing 19 of his 25 passes, racking up 289 yards through the air and two touchdowns in less than three quarters. 

The Ducks outgained USC both through the air and on the ground, thanks to strong performances from sophomore running back Dierre Hill Jr. and senior tight end Jamari Johnson. Hill totaled 168 scrimmage yards — 105 receiving and 63 rushing — running for two touchdowns. Johnson led Oregon in receiving with 119 yards on seven catches, constantly finding open space within the flawed Trojan defense.  

“It was more of a miscommunication on [the] secondary side of the ball,” senior safety Christian Pierce said in a postgame news conference. “It just can’t happen; we gotta get that fixed.” 

After shutting out Fresno State University (3-1) in Week 1, USC’s defensive side of the ball is trending in the wrong direction, allowing 106 points in its last three games and forcing zero turnovers against the Ducks.

Trojans offense unable to keep pace with Ducks

Despite some noteworthy stat lines on the offense, the Trojan offense had its worst showing of the year, mustering season-lows with 27 points scored and 446 total offensive yards gained. 

Following the trend, redshirt senior quarterback Jayden Maiava had his most inefficient outing of the season. Although he threw for 326 yards, he completed just 23 of his 42 pass attempts for a meager 54.8% completion rate. 

As has been the story of the season, though, the young receivers stood out among the subpar offensive performance, with freshman wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt hauling in seven receptions for 114 yards — both his best marks of the season — and a touchdown. Dixon-Wyatt’s 31-yard score put USC on the board early in the second quarter. 

With freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley still out with a knee injury, other receivers like junior wide receiver Terrell Anderson and sophomore wide receiver Tanook Hines were forced to step up. Anderson’s introduction into the offense helped him finish the game with 50 receiving yards, while Hines notched an 11-yard touchdown that tied the game at 27-27, the last time the Trojans would get on the board.

The offense went cold when it mattered most, however, as USC converted just two of its 11 third-down opportunities and couldn’t reach the red zone in the final 12 minutes of the contest. 

Key mistake seals USC loss

A critical mistake late in the fourth quarter was likely the difference between a win and a loss for the Trojans on Saturday. 

After coming back to tie the game in the fourth quarter at 27, the momentum favored the Trojans, with the Coliseum backing them as Oregon faced a third-and-long. Raiola’s pass fell incomplete, and with the Ducks far enough out, Oregon was likely to punt the ball and give USC a great chance to take the lead. 

That was until junior defensive tackle Jide Abasiri was called for a roughing the passer penalty, giving the Ducks a first down and extending the drive. Abasiri has been one of the Trojans’ best players, with one sack and 15 tackles. Oregon seized the opportunity and went down to score the go-ahead touchdown, taking a lead it would never give back. 

“We made a few too many errors there in the end, especially when we got momentum there in the fourth quarter,” Riley said. “[We] gave them some more opportunities, and they did a good job [to] capitalize on them.”

With this loss, USC’s path to the College Football Playoff became significantly harder to picture. With remaining bouts against the last two national champions in No. 5 Ohio State (3-1, 1-0) and No. 6 Indiana (4-0, 1-0), losses to both or a loss against any other team on the schedule would likely put the Trojans out of contention. 

USC will look to bounce back when it hosts Washington (3-1, 0-1) Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at the Coliseum.