The whole college football world saw the Oregon Ducks, the USC Trojans' rival and next opponent, win their game 84-0 on Friday. The Trojans followed that by getting into a shootout against the worst team in the Big Ten, Rutgers, on Saturday. The USC Trojans did not put an end to the same old narratives that have haunted this team under Lincoln Riley. Watching this game, it felt like this USC team was exactly the same as it has been in prior years.
It took some time for the Trojans' offense to get going, and the loss of freshman Trent Mosley showed there was a lot of explosion missing. King Miller looked great; he was the bright spot for the Trojans' offense. Jayden Maiava had some struggles connecting with receivers, and this was his worst game
since the season started. This does not inspire a lot of confidence heading into a game against Oregon.
The Trojans' defense not meeting the expected standard was a big takeaway from this game. They gave confidence to an 0-2 Rutgers team which has looked like one of the worst teams in the country. Instead of beating a dead horse, they gave life to Rutgers. They even let Rutgers dictate this football game at times. KJ Duff and Antwan Raymond are phenomenal players, but they definitely improved their draft stock in this game.
A game like this is very concerning because Rutgers gave USC so many chances to pull away and blow them out, yet Lincoln Riley and the Trojans kept allowing Rutgers second chances. This is the worst possible performance you could have had if you were USC heading into a big game. The Trojans are now 4-0, but this feels like a team that will not be undefeated much longer.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Same old problems show up again for USC, Lincoln Riley vs Rutgers
