In its first month of the 2025 season, Lincoln Riley has showcased an elite offense, but the defense is still searching for answers in the trenches. This contrast was evident during a 34-32 road loss at Illinois, which was decided by a walk-off 41-yarder. The Trojans looked to have a brief lead late in the game, but failed to keep it as the defense failed to stop the Illinois offense. Through five games, USC has averaged 48.5 points and 565 yards per game. These numbers show a dominant force on this front, but Illini’s Luke Atlymer’s 328 passing yards and 4 touchdowns show how bad the physicality gap is on defense.

Josh Pate has made his verdict fairly clear on USC on his podcast with Colin Cowherd. In his firsthand observation, he said, “When we went to that game (USC vs Illinois) the other day, that’s one of the games where I made it a point to stand in the end zone coz I wanted to see that early on. I wanted to see that. It was so glaring. They got pushed around. They got put on skates.” USC’s physical mismatch was quickly revealed against the quality Big Ten front. Moreover, the concerning thing is that the Illini had rushed for just 2 yards and allowed seven sacks the previous week against Indiana. However, against USC, they gained 171 yards and allowed only one sack.

Pate’s endzone view was honest, but his view from the sideline was even more blunt. He said, “And then I, you know, you work your way over to the USC sideline and they just, you can so clearly pick up on the fact that they know what’s happening to him. They know there’s not a whole lot they can do about it. They’re going to they’re going to need picks, interceptions.” The defense was overwhelmed, but the staff wasn’t. They knew exactly what their reality was, and they couldn’t do a thing to change it. The margins were sloppy, too. Eight flags and a late defensive letdown wiped out a comeback to the lead. The turnover ratio sits at 4, but their pass defense gives up roughly 251 yards per game.

Josh Pate ended his monologue with some hope and skepticism, saying, “They don’t win all the games, but it’s not because of what happened to USC. So you’re still sitting there waiting for it. I’m still sitting here waiting on it. They made front office changes. Okay, they’ve got a high rated recruiting class right now. I don’t doubt they’ll try and attack the portal like no one’s business this upcoming winter cycle. I just hope philosophically that’s where it is. Like I hope those changes have been made to that it’s just better players. I’m skeptical.” USC has great minds around. Lincoln Riley is a good coach, but they’ve failed to attract the talent that they expected they’d get. 

But the fix to this is not mysterious, though. They’ve to just reengineer the front seven and go at it with the portals. They’ve got one of the best 2026 recruiting classes, and maybe that’s when all the pieces connect. Nevertheless, they should keep trying. Because the effort Riley has been putting in is sacred, irrespective of the results. If the pieces of the 2026 class accelerate and they do their best in the transfer portal in winter, then maybe USC would be up with the best of them in the Big 10 next year.

But USC’s loss to Illinois wasn’t just down to bad performance.

Lincoln Riley’s team’s Illinois slip: injuries and execution

Lincoln Riley did pull off a 7-6 into a 4-0 this year, but that unbeaten streak was answered by Illinois, which turned a potential road win into a missed opportunity. As David Pollack said, “I think that USC had the early morning kick and they came out sluggish.” But it also has a lot to do with the personnel that Lincoln Riley was missing. Pollack further added, “USC was down their left tackle. They’re down their best safety. They were down their best receiver, like Ja’Kobi Lane, was playing a little bit like in spot duty.”

USC missed Elijah Paige, Kamari Ramset, Chasen Johnson, and Lane was limited, which further reduced the margin of their errors. The defense fought but could never find answers to the Illini’s attack. USC went for eight penalties and 69 yards with two turnovers.

Between the early kick, injury-marred roster, and the miscues, Riley’s boys still managed to come inches closer to the victory. But they’ll need a lot of that to go through the quality Big 10 play that’s waiting for them.