The loss to Notre Dame has revived the hot seat conversations for Lincoln Riley this season. The weather unleashed havoc for the Trojans, and they seemed jarringly out of sync. Riley’s going to have to answer for his poor playcalling in particular. Even Snoop Dogg had some words for the HC on that game changing fumble.

Riley did not look like the head coach who had rallied the Trojans for a massive win against Michigan just last week. The defense was already battered by Notre Dame’s rushing attack in the first half itself. But the most devastating play came later on. Riley pushed for a reverse pass from Makai Lemon in the 4 quarter, which was brutally stripped by safety Adon Shuler. Snoop Dogg couldn’t help but share his frustration over that trick call.

“Who calls a reverse pass to a non quarterback in the rain ☔ damn coach what u smoking 🫵🏿🤔,” the icon shared online. Notre Dame’s Kingstonn Viliamu-Asa recovered the fumble. 7 plays later, the Irish effectively took the game away from the Trojans with a 10-point lead. Lemon likely lost control of the football because of the wet conditions. That aspect called for even more backlash against Riley. Before the play, USC had only 3 points to make up for to still hang on for a win. But this wild play ended up being the dagger that ensured their loss.

This bizarre call also showed how differently Notre Dame and USC were being coached in this important game. There was no need for Riley to play this boldly. He’s going to use the next two weeks to help recover from this costly fumble. Fortunately for Snoop Dogg, Lincoln Riley very well knows he messed up.

Lincoln Riley owns up for “stupid” call

After that fumble, there was no way Lincoln Riley could escape the post game without giving an explanation. That costly move was followed by an interception, that made this blow sting a lot more for USC fans. Riley is known for his offensive mindset, but that is subject to further judgement after that ridiculous decision. He knew what he had done, and had respectfully owned up to that mistake. “Stupid call, stupid call,” Riley said of Makai Lemon’s game-changing fumble

“We just flat out didn’t play good enough tonight against a good team on the road, and had some missed opportunities that that you know that make you sick right now,” the HC said. “I had the reverse pass and two fourth down calls that weren’t very good calls and didn’t put our guys in very good position. So, I got to be way better for our guys,” Riley added.

Lincoln Riley being better for USC has been the need of the hour for the past 2 years. A mistake this gut-wrenching after years of being at the helm does not bode well for the Trojans head coach. USC enters a bye week once again, and they’ll hopefully come out better in Week 10. It’s not just the team that needs a retooling, Riley needs to put himself under the scanner to prevent blunders like this in the future.