USC’s loss to Oregon was already a painful night for Lincoln Riley, but the fallout from Desman Stephens’ hit on Dante Moore turned the game into something much bigger. Riley went from not getting involved in the on-field drama after his player injured someone to handing Stephens a suspension the next day. As the dust settles on that issue, the focus is returning to the loss. How can the Trojans recover from another humbling against a ranked opponent?
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“Just by winning,” Riley said at the post-game conference on September 29. “Look, we didn’t get run out of the stadium. There are a lot of good things on that tape. There are a lot of young guys making a lot of plays. Hence, there is a lot of good on that tape. You don’t have a chance to win a game like that if you don’t do some things pretty well. So we got to capitalize on those, and we got to attack the areas we got to be better at.”
The Ducks were never going to be an easy matchup. On paper, Dan Lanning has a better roster. However, Oregon didn’t start its season on a high note. At the same time, USC was 4-0. But Riley’s team also leaked 35 points to Rutgers. That leak continued in its 27-41 loss to Oregon.
The second-quarter hit by Desman Stephens on Dante Moore dominated the discourse after the game. That also took attention from the ‘same-old USC under Riley’ narrative. Once again, the Trojans couldn’t win against a powerhouse. On top of that, this was USC’s third-straight loss to Oregon under Lanning.
But it’s not like USC didn’t offer any punches. The Trojans gathered some offensive momentum in the third quarter and even tied the game at 27-27 at one point. But the issue has never been the offense for Riley’s teams. They just couldn’t stop the opponents from scoring. Even though the Ducks had a backup quarterback leading the offense after Moore was sidelined.
The Nebraska transfer completed 19 of his 25 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns. Oregon had 504 yards of total offense. Moreover, Dan Lanning’s team got stops when it mattered the most, something that USC couldn’t do.
So, of course, the tape is not all that bad. Jayden Maiava didn’t have a bad day. Kayden Dixon-Wyatt should also be happy with what he did. What about the other side of the ball? USC recorded zero sacks and 1 QB hurry during the game.
That is the real question in the aftermath of the game. Can Riley’s defense stop high-powered offenses? Because there will always be games where its offense is going to be outmatched.
It also didn’t help the team that the Stephens controversy put a question mark on the issue of discipline within USC ranks. While the hit was bad enough, Stephens made it worse by celebrating with his teammates when Moore was getting treated by the medical staff on the field. Afterward, USC suspended him for one game. The linebacker has also apologized to Moore. He won’t be seen on the field for USC’s Week 5 game against Washington on Saturday, Oct. 3. Riley also gave his comment on Stephens’ behavior.
“Desman’s actions in last night’s game are unacceptable and are not reflective of USC Football nor of his personal character,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said in a statement. “He understands his mistake, accepts the consequences of his actions, and will learn from this. The entire Trojan family wishes Dante a full recovery, and we send our best regards to him and his family.”