What We Learned About The USC Trojans After Inexcusable Loss To Maryland Terrapins

Well, if it felt bad last week for the USC Trojans after losing in overtime to Penn State, then it just hit rock bottom after a 29-28 loss at the hands of the Maryland Terrapins.

As they have in all 4 of their losses, USC had a lead in the 4th quarter and squandered it away in epic fashion. This may be the darkest it has been in the Lincoln Riley era. Here is everything we learned today.

What We Learned About The USC Trojans

Miller Moss Is Wildly Inconsistent

Miller Moss is a true Trojan. His story of growing up a USC Trojans fan, waiting his turn as the backup, and then winning the starting job this offseason is an amazing story. But his play on the field has the appearance of a heart rate monitor.

There have been times this season where he has looked elite, even a Heisman candidate. He has shown poise and moxy and has made plenty of NFL throws.

But there have been other times when he has made some brutal decisions that have cost his team dearly.

Today was no different.

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Moss finished the game with 336 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. The stat line looks good, but the 1 interception was an inexcusable one. Pressure was in his face, but he threw the ball off his back foot with no velocity. It floated and was an easy interception for Maryland DB Lavain Scruggs.

Scruggs returned it 51 yards and Maryland scored a touchdown on the next play.

Turnovers are always bad, but Moss’s, unfortunately, have been catastrophic. The pick-six against Michigan. The game-changing pick against Minnesota (before the game-ending one). The overthrown INT last week against Penn State on the final drive. And now this.

USC was driving the ball nicely with an opportunity to go up 28-7. Instead, it was instantly 21-14, and the offense would struggle for most of the 2nd half.

One of the most important things about playing QB is consistency. Moss still has a lot of upside, but the inconsistency has been crushing.

The Defense Is Regressing

As a whole, I still think this defense is better than last year, but not by much, and certainly not in big moments. Say what you want about the offensive struggles, but the defense has had opportunities to end every single one of the 4 losses, on their terms. And every single time, they allowed the opposing offense to drive and score.

And to be frank, outside of Penn State, they allowed it against mediocre to poor offenses.

There are moments where this defense looks much improved. The tackling overall is better. The gap integrity is better. They have been able to make big plays in moments of games. But in all 4 losses, they have been unable to make THE play.

It is not false to say that this team is four plays away from being 7-0, but how did you get to those four plays? The defense has had plenty of opportunities in every game to end games before even getting to that “one play.”

Woody Marks Is USC Trojans Most Reliable Playmaker

If we can take anything positive from this loss, it is that Woody Marks is the Trojans’ most reliable offensive player. He finished the game with 17 carries for 82 yards and 1 touchdown.

He is the clear bellcow back, and when needed in critical moments, he nearly always makes a big play.

He was Miller Moss’s target on the game-ending 4th and 2 play which was not converted, but you have to give the Maryland linebacker credit on that play as he read it perfectly and cracked Marks as soon as the ball hit his hands.

This Team Cannot Close Out Games

The USC Trojans have held a lead in every single 4th quarter that they have played. They have squandered five of those leads. Against LSU, Miller Moss was able to lead a game-winning drive in the final two minutes of play.

The other four, they lost.

There is something structurally wrong with this team’s inability to close games out, especially against inferior opponents and quarterbacks.

Former USC Trojans legend, Matt Leinart, said after the game that it is a “mindset.” That mindset comes from the coaching staff and the culture that is being instilled in the program.

Against LSU, it looked like that culture had shifted to a winning one, and one that was building for a very promising future. Since then, questions about the culture, and the killer instinct, are back, and they are louder than ever.

Is Lincoln Riley The Future Of USC Football?

After yet another inexcusable loss, the question will grow louder and louder. Is Lincoln Riley the right head coach for USC football?

I think he did some really good things this offseason. Everything I said about the defense above is true, but I still think that Riley hired a really good defensive staff. The focus on the off-season weightlifting program was absolutely necessary. The way that the team fights every week is always a good sign.

But at the end of the day, you have to win ball games. And the USC Trojans sitting at 3-4 is just flat-out unacceptable.

The reality is that the buy-out really doesn’t make moving on from Riley feasible anytime soon. So it will be up to Riley to get this thing turned around before it gets really ugly.

Will he be able to do that?

The USC Trojans host Rutgers next Friday Night in the Coliseum at 8:00 PM PT .

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• USC Trojans: 2 Key Players Questionable Against Maryland