EUGENE, Ore. — The last time he made it here, to the doorstep of the College Football Playoff, Lincoln Riley could only watch as USC’s hopes slipped away with a single hamstring pull. Without its Heisman-winning quarterback healthy, USC fell painfully short, forced to wonder what could have been.
It would take Riley nearly three years — and plenty of ups and downs — to return to that same place, only this time to have the door slammed shut by No. 7 Oregon in a 42-27 loss that all but eliminated the Trojans’ hopes of a first-ever playoff invite.
USC will settle once again for a second-tier bowl game, while the Ducks are likely to be one of three Big Ten teams to host a playoff game.
It wasn’t an injury or an uncontrollable act that doomed them this time, but rather a rash of discipline errors that came at the worst possible time.
An extraordinary number of mistakes came from USC’s kick and punt teams, where the Trojans had looked somewhat improved this season. But that no longer seemed the case Saturday, as USC unraveled on special teams, putting its offense in too deep of a hole to climb out of.
The Trojans’ defense certainly didn’t help matters, in spite of assurances that it had ironed out its issues over three standout, second-half performances. Against Oregon, though, that progress was tough to spot, as USC gave up 436 yards, just shy of its season-worst mark.
The loss wasn’t for a lack of effort from its passing attack. After a questionable performance on the road in each of USC’s first four road trips, quarterback Jayden Maiava made big throws to key the Trojans’ offense. Seven of his 25 completions went for 15 yards or more. He finished with 306 yards and three touchdowns.
Maiava wasn’t without mistakes. He was intercepted twice for the second time in four weeks and missed a few key throws. But the junior quarterback kept USC’s offense alive for the most part while its rushing attack struggled to move the ball at all.
King Miller had been stellar in the five weeks since being thrust into the lead role in USC’s backfield. But the Trojan walk-on was totally neutralized by Oregon’s stout defensive front. He rushed for just 30 yards, the longest of his 15 carries going for just five yards. The Trojans managed just 52 yards on the ground.
After USC coaches reiterated all week the importance of starting fast, the offense wasted no time in making an opening statement. On its first drive, USC marched down the field and converted on three third downs before Makai Lemon caught a swing pass and sprinted eight yards to the end zone.
The momentum lasted all of a few minutes. Oregon needed just six plays to roll over USC’s defense and into the end zone, the fifth straight game the Trojans allowed an opening-drive score. The Ducks didn’t face much resistance on their next possession, either. It took just two third downs in two drives for Oregon to take a two-touchdown lead.
As its run game struggled to find room, big pass plays kept USC afloat early. Maiava had six passes of 15 yards or more in the first 20 minutes.
At the start of the second quarter, Maiava found Lemon on a swing pass in the backfield, only for Lemon to throw again downfield on a double pass. Waiting for the pass was freshman Tanook Hines, who leaped for an acrobatic 24-yard touchdown catch in traffic.
The fireworks didn’t stop there, as both defenses struggled to contain one another. But the Ducks managed to take advantage of multiple special teams errors by USC; the most glaring coming on a second-quarter punt, as Oregon’s Malik Benson sprinted untouched by Trojan defenders 85 yards for a score.
The mishaps snowballed for USC. A leaping penalty on linebacker Desman Stephens turned a missed Oregon field goal into a touchdown. USC then drove to the 10-yard line with seconds left in the half, only for kicker Ryon Sayeri to clank a 27-yard field-goal attempt off the goalpost.
A third-quarter interception from Kennedy Urlacher, one of two USC reserves starting at safety, gave the Trojans some life after halftime.
But there would be no stalwart second-half stand from USC’s defense, like it managed the last three weeks. Nor could its electric offense climb back in time.
As the final seconds ticked away Saturday, there was only the realization that, once again, its hopes of a special season had been dashed right on the doorstep.
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