USC football beat Washington, but it won in the least convincing manner possible
. If you wanted to see Lincoln Riley show he has this Trojan team heading in the right direction, you did not get what you were looking for. If you wanted to see Riley right the ship and fix this team's problems, you were disappointed. USC fans didn't watch a loss on Saturday, but they didn't watch a team which is ready to make the College Football Playoff.Penalties
You saw the penalties. You saw USC wipe away one of its own touchdowns and give Washington a touchdown. You saw the unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and a general lack of focus and discipline. One week after the Oregon loss, the fact that USC did not clean up its act is a reflection of how little accountability
Lincoln Riley creates within his program.
Jayden Maiava not sharp
This was not a good Jayden Maiava game. He and his receivers were frequently not on the same page. He lacked the precision he had against Oregon. Riley needs to create a more consistent version of Maiava. He failed to do that against Washington.
Run game can't lock it down
USC had the ball up 25-21 midway through the fourth quarter with a chance to put the game away, but the offense quietly fizzled and gave the ball back to Washington. The run game had its moments, and it did pound out some fourth downs, but this is not an elite running game by any stretch. Riley hasn't gotten the most out of this part of the offense.
Early second half
USC instantly imploded in the first 90 seconds of the second half. It recovered, but still, the fact that this team was unfocused coming out of the tunnel for the second half is another negative reflection on the head coach, Lincoln Riley.
2-point conversions
Chasing points early in the second half is questionable. Even more questionable is having Jonas Williams on the field for both 2-point conversion attempts. One? Maybe as a trick. Two? That's ridiculous. Put your QB1, Jayden Maiava, on the field for an important play. This was crazy.
USC needed help
Consider all the penalties Washington committed. Think of Washington's awful offensive line and the subpar passing of quarterback Demond Williams. The Huskies had to be bad for USC to win. Lincoln Riley isn't fooling anyone.
43 yards
USC allowing 43 yards on a 4th and 2 in the fourth quarter on a coverage bust is the kind of breakdown we have seen far too often from a Riley defense over time. The defense did enough to win, but it was hardly dominant or overwhelming.
Year 5
This is the point we have to end with: It's Year 5, not Year 2. Coaches should have basic problems fixed by now, but Lincoln Riley doesn't. No USC fan has confidence this team will become special or elite. Why would anyone trust Lincoln Riley at this point? It's a win which did nothing to change the mood in and around the program.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Lincoln Riley fails to give USC fans confidence for future | Opinion
