Lincoln Riley‘s USC Trojans (5-2) suffered yet another defeat to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Week 8. In a rain-affected game, the Trojans had to rely on the pass offense rather than their ground game. The Irish held them to just 68 rushing yards, a clear departure from how they fared against the Wolverines. On the other side, the defense conceded 308 rushing yards. In a way, the game was lost on the line of scrimmage. Despite that, Riley was satisfied with how well their depleted offensive line performed.

Speaking to USC Athletics on Tuesday, he spoke about how well the OL protected quarterback Jayden Maiava, and while they weren’t as coordinated and “clean” as against Michigan, he believes they still did a lot of things right. The Trojans’ head coach also touched on OL Elijah Page‘s return to the gridiron.

“We are hopeful (of Paige returning after the bye week). They’re making some great progress, starting to get a lot closer. I think it’s more realistic now.” The offensive tackle has been out of action since the Trojans’ Week 4 win over Michigan State. Paige was involved in practice last week and will be judged for full fitness against Nebraska.

Lincoln Riley was also asked about Jadyn Walker, who is quickly becoming a prominent figure in the Trojans’ squad. “He’s been, I think, one of our most impactful players. He plays violent, he takes on blocks, he plays without hesitation, and he’s just getting better week by week. It feels like he takes steps every week, and his confidence is rising, and I think our confidence in him, the teammates around him, so absolutely, he can continue to earn a bigger role in our team.”

The linebacker has 15 tackles this season and had a standout performance against the Michigan Wolverines in Week 7. USC now has a bye week ahead of a showdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Nov. 1. It should give Lincoln Riley a chance to rethink some of his strategies as well.

Lincoln Riley’s costly error headlines Notre Dame loss

In what was a third consecutive loss to their storied rivals, USC head coach Lincoln Riley received criticism for his decision-making. Riley called for a trick play on a first & down in the fourth quarter, wherein quarterback Jayden Maiava handed off the ball to wide receiver Makai Lemon. However, Lemon was quickly taken down by Notre Dame cornerback Christian Gray.

In the post-game press conference, the USC head coach admitted to his costly blunder.“It’s a stupid call,” Riley said. “Stupid call. “We had an option right there to sneak it or to pop it out, and we got to make decisions right there at the end. . . . They defended it well,” he added. 

The performance drew the ire of American rapper Snoop Dogg, who publicly called out Riley for his play-calling. “Who calls a reverse pass to a non-quarterback in the rain.. damn coach what u smoking,” he posted on Instagram late Saturday night.

Following the 34-24 loss, the Trojans are now joint third in the Big Ten Standings. The Trojans will need to win against the No. 6-ranked Oregon Ducks on November 22 to have any chance of making the playoffs.