Lincoln Riley is the fourth-highest-paid schoolteacher in school soccer, according to USA Today’s database. It’s a nice-looking cover wager to think USC is within the peak 10 — and almost definitely nearer to the peak 5 — in workman schoolteacher salaries.
Theoretically, the go back for that type of pay will have to be top-10 effects. It’s Moment 3 of Riley’s tenure. His roster. His group of workers. His program. His visible. This almost definitely seems like a damaged report, however Riley is just no longer handing over at the funding USC made in him.
That a lot has been cloudless for a couple of weeks, however it will have to be crystalized for everybody now then the Trojans suffered a awful 29-28 loss to Maryland on Saturday evening.
USC (3-4, 1-4 Heavy Ten) is just right plenty to had been in each tournament. The Trojans have led within the fourth quarter in each and every in their losses. All of the ones video games had been winnable.
However USC assists in keeping faltering over and over. This pace, with two mins left, Maryland prohibited Michael Lantz’s 41-yard farmland purpose effort. The Trojans didn’t forbid as it should be up entrance and rather of important 31-22 within the tournament’s ultimate phases, USC was once pressured to ship its protection again at the farmland. Lower than a slight after, Maryland scored the go-ahead landing. The offense made it throughout midfield however couldn’t march into farmland purpose length.
Ultimate. pic.twitter.com/FV5InVZSg2
— USC Soccer (@uscfb) October 19, 2024
In a while, Riley was once requested why USC has struggled to akin out video games.
“I don’t know,” he stated.
It doesn’t actually topic what Riley says. What issues is that he reveals answers to no matter his group is failing to perform at the farmland. So far, he hasn’t finished that.
And there lies the infection. Hour then hour, it’s USC’s protection failing to get a hold of a fourth-down cancel when it completely has to. It’s the offense faltering in a important year when it has a chance to salt the sport away. It’s the particular groups creating a large mistake at a an important juncture.
This group simply reveals techniques to lose video games.
“We’ve been a good enough team to have a chance to win every game but we haven’t been quite good enough to separate,” Riley informed journalists then the loss, “and when you put yourself in these moments you are going to have to make some plays to beat somebody. Especially on the road. You’re going to have to make that field goal or make that fourth-down tackle or make that catch or throw or block or whatever it is because it’s not going to be handed to you.”
I do know what the recruiting scores counsel. I do know the place USC is ranked in the 247Sports Team Talent Composite. And I do know the Trojans have extra ability than Minnesota and Maryland. However I additionally know USC isn’t gifted plenty to isolated from its warring parties. No longer the place it issues — within the trenches — and no longer in the best way Riley described above. And despite the fact that this group is extra gifted than the Blonde Gophers or Terrapins, it’s no longer by way of a decisive plenty margin that it might create sloppy errors and escape with it.
Riley’s had 3 years to develop this roster. It’s on him if the Trojans aren’t gifted plenty presently. The controversy about how he can’t wave a magic wand will have to almost definitely cancel. There aren’t a bundle of causes to imagine USC can be dramatically extra gifted in Moment 4. The Trojans’ 2025 recruiting elegance is ranked within the peak 10 nationally, however reckoning on true newcomers is a idiot’s errand.
Reserve in thoughts then month’s time table options street video games at Notre Dame and Oregon and a house tournament with Michigan.
If USC does govern to improve its roster in an important means, it’ll nonetheless have to handle its attention-to-detail infection. It’s been missing all over Riley’s tenure. Whether or not it’s Mario Williams failing to truthful catch a important kickoff in opposition to Tulane within the Tale Bowl two years in the past, John Humphrey and Kamari Ramsey failing to take on Michigan operating again Kalel Mullings — which grew to become a 15-yard acquire right into a 63-yard run that arrange the Wolverines’ game-winning rating — in September or the neglected forbid on Lantz’s farmland purpose effort Saturday evening.
Coaches ceaselessly say, “You’re either coaching it or allowing it to happen.” The ones types of mistakes are a mirrored image of the top schoolteacher, similar to most of these akin losses are. USC has blown 14-point leads in each and every of the age two weeks. Riley has misplaced 12 video games because the Trojans schoolteacher. His groups have blown a 14-point govern in 5 of them.
Positive, each and every one will also be defined away in a vacuum, however those losses have grow to be a development. One that may’t be defined away.
“We’re doing a lot of the heavy lifting, which is put yourself to win games against good teams,” Riley stated, “but the inability to finish them off — it eats at you.”
At 3-4, USC has fallen beneath .500 for the primary pace in Riley’s tenure. He has to switch one thing structurally with the best way he runs this system. There’ll naturally be some who will name for his firing, however until the ones yelps include about $80 million, that’s not life like.
So Riley and USC are most probably on this in combination for a past. The Trojans schoolteacher can’t double unwell on how he’s operating this system. He’s 11-11 because the 11-1 familiar season in 2022. No matter he’s doing isn’t running. That type of mirrored image will most probably pull playground as soon as the offseason rolls round. However why wasn’t that finished extreme offseason, then a deadly 7-5 familiar season?
The tradition turns out higher than extreme season, however that’ll be examined over those then few weeks.
The Trojans couldn’t glance any further disinterested extreme season within the competition tournament in opposition to UCLA. So Riley has to turn out he can secure this group determined.
It’s past due October and USC already has not anything to play games for however delight. That’s simply no longer the place issues are meant to be in Moment 3.
(Picture: Greg Fiume / Getty Pictures)
