During Saturday’s game against Maryland, USC football coach Lincoln Riley did something that left play-by-play man Eric Collins scratching his head.
With one second left in the half, Riley opted to have quarterback Miller Moss take a knee and the Trojans went into the locker room with a 21-7 halftime lead. On its own, that makes a lot of sense. But there was one problem. Riley took a time-out to make that decision.
When Riley called the time-out, Collins immediately noted how unusual it looked.
“USC had to call the time-out. They’re the only ones with a time-out. But USC was, to a man, already headed to the locker room,” Collins said.
Analyst Robert Smith seemed to agree with Riley’s decision to take a time-out.
“Hey, we got one second, now we take that shot,” Smith said. “Why not?”
Shortly thereafter, the time-out ended. The two teams returned to the field and USC went into victory formation.
“Oh there’s no way you call that, to get into the victory formation,” Collins exclaimed.
*USC calls timeout with 1 second left in the half*
*gets in victory formation* pic.twitter.com/MgGxQm3BfJ— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 19, 2024
“Unbelievable,” Collins added. “I’ve seen it all now. Alright, well they say you can’t take ’em with you. Lincoln Riley obviously believes in that.”
This may seem like a familiar scenario for football fans — and there’s a good reason for that.
During the NFL’s Week 7 Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos, the New Orleans Saints did the same thing. That drew similar commentary from announcers Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit, as well as Richard Sherman moments later. Football is often thought of as a copycat sport, with coaches borrowing things from each other. That said, Dennis Allen may not be the best coach to emulate.
Things only got worse from there for the Trojans. Maryland cut into USC’s lead with a touchdown in the third quarter. While the Trojans regained their two-score lead with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, the Terps responded with one of their own. Then, following a blocked field goal that likely would have sealed a USC win, Maryland scored what ended up being the game-winning touchdown with just under a minute left.
It’s safe to say that USC’s first year in the Big Ten has been a struggle.
[Fox College Football on X]
