The heat on Lincoln Riley at USC football should now increase by several hundred degrees. We are in oven-bake territory for this particular coaching hot seat. How can Lincoln Riley possibly retain any slight shred of trust or respect as USC head coach after the pathetic display by his team on Saturday night against Wisconsin?
Punched in the mouth
USC couldn't run the ball and allowed Wisconsin to dominate at the line of scrimmage, especially in the second half. Wisconsin came out of the tunnel at halftime and scored a touchdown on a drive which took nearly six minutes to start the third quarter. Then, the Badgers were able to grind down the clock and gradually overwhelm USC in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin led by 10 or more points for more than 23 minutes in the second half. This wasn't just a loss for USC; it was a decisive loss.
A week off did not make USC better - it made the Trojans worse
Lincoln Riley had two weeks to regroup and make his team better for the stretch run of the season. Instead we saw this miserable performance against Wisconsin. It says everything you need to know about a coach when two weeks on the practice field make a team worse, not better.
Jayden Maiava
Lincoln Riley has generally done a good job with Jayden Maiava, but Riley clearly didn't have Maiava prepared for this game, as two first-quarter interceptions showed. There's nothing Riley did well in this game after having two weeks to prepare.
Special teams was a disaster
USC missed two field goals in this game. The kick protection unit failed when Wisconsin blocked one of the two field goal attempts. Lincoln Riley special teams have been consistently bad, and nothing has changed in Year 5.
USC still unable to run the ball
USC has needed to improve the ground game to become a more dangerous and complete team. Riley has not been able to make it work this season. The Trojans were smothered by Wisconsin's defensive front.
Schooled by Luke Fickell
Luke Fickell has been a below-average coach at Wisconsin. He has been better this season, but overall, he still hasn't been very good in Madison. On Saturday night, however, he ran circles around Lincoln Riley, obviously having a far better plan for Riley's offense than what Riley offered in the opposite direction. Given that Fickell has been on the hot seat the past few years at Wisconsin, Riley's failure only magnifies the attention which will be paid to his own seat in Los Angeles.
Strength training isn't very strong
Bringing in Trumain Carroll as the new strength coach isn't yielding results. USC was clearly second best in terms of overall physical prowess and brute strength against Wisconsin.
Dumb penalties
In addition to the interceptions, USC committed a horrible pass interference penalty and a careless late-hit penalty which aided Wisconsin touchdown drives. USC's clean performance at Penn State was an aberration and outlier, not the norm.
Year 5
If this is what happens in Year 5 under Lincoln Riley, why would Year 6 be any different? Jen Cohen and the USC administration have to face facts and reality about Riley and the future of the football program. USC fans can't take this any longer, and what's more, they shouldn't have to. It's time for action. It's time for a change at USC.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Lincoln Riley makes it impossible to trust him again at USC | Opinion