USC Playoff Hopes End After 27-13 Loss to No. 9 Indiana

USC Playoff Hopes End After 27-13 Loss to No. 9 Indiana

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USC playoff hopes ended on a chilly night in Bloomington, Ind., when the Trojans fell 27-13 to No. 9 Indiana after missing multiple chances inside the red zone.

Last December, after another season at USC fell short of the College Football Playoff, coach Lincoln Riley promised his Trojans wouldn’t be waiting much longer to compete for a title.

“I really believe a window here has opened up,” he said.

Less than a year later, that window was begging USC to burst through it. The Trojans’ playoff hopes, with three games remaining, still were in their hands.

Indiana gave No. 18 USC every opportunity to seize the moment on Saturday.

There were red-zone trips, dropped picks, rampant penalties, and special teams problems for USC. Any number of those mistakes, had they gone right, might have turned the tide for the Trojans.

There was even a fourth-quarter, potential score-tying drive given away by a goal-line interception. With that turnover, any hope for USC’s season was extinguished in the 27-13 loss.

The defeat leaves Riley to defend another failed pursuit of a playoff bid.

“We’ve definitely come a long way as a program,” Riley said.

“But we still have a ways to go. Closing out games like that are what you have to do to be the best. We were right there close tonight. This game came down to a couple of plays. We did a good job of putting ourselves there, but we have to go shut the door, and we understand that.”

Recent history hasn’t been kind to Riley on the road, as he came into the game having lost seven of eight against ranked opponents. Yet, the Trojans entered this matchup following the premier triumph of Riley’s tenure in Los Angeles, having pulled off an upset against No. 2 Ohio State.

They had just spent the bye week focused entirely on Indiana, which had a 9-1 record and 6-1 conference mark. They went into the bye hoping to run the table and sneak into the playoff field.

The Trojans’ third loss almost certainly eliminates them from playoff contention and, barring unforeseen circumstances, the Big Ten championship game.

“We had some real opportunities to go win this game,” Riley said. “We had too many mistakes.”

Almost all game, the Trojans were well within striking distance. Their defense made timely stops and held Indiana to a modest 181 yards in the first half. But the unit also gave up nine plays of 15 yards or more.

Indiana’s other 53 plays went for an average of just three yards.

“They had a great game plan for us,” defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren said. “Just a few plays we need back.”

The same could be said of USC’s offense. The Trojans racked up 409 yards, more than any other team against Indiana this season.

Five drives made it to at least the Indiana 12-yard line. Despite entering the contest ranked 95th in the country regarding red-zone efficiency, the Trojans managed only a single touchdown alongside two field goals.

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The final missed opportunity inside the twenty-yard line will surely haunt the program for the remainder of the year and potentially far beyond. Moving the ball down to the six-yard line without facing a single third down, USC faced a deficit of 20-13 as the final period got underway.

When quarterback Jayden Maiava targeted the end zone, Hoosiers defender Isaiah Jones intercepted the throw by stepping directly into its path.

This turnover marked the second of three picks for Maiava on the day, standing out as by far the most damaging miscue of his campaign. Altogether, it proved to be a challenging afternoon for the veteran signal-caller, who accumulated 311 passing yards coupled with a lone touchdown throw.

“It was a great defense,” Maiava said. “We’ve got a really good offense as well. Just have to be better at quarterback.”

Star freshman wideout Trent Mosley did his part, recording nine catches for 130 yards. Meanwhile, the ground game struggled to gain traction once more; King Miller and Waymond Jordan managed merely 98 combined rushing yards across 25 attempts, marking a season-low output for the pair.

USC dropped to a 7-3 overall record and 4-3 in the Big Ten. They actually had no trouble moving the ball on Indiana’s vaunted defense early on, but ill-timed penalties stalled their first two drives deep in Hoosiers territory, leading to only three points.

Utilizing reserve signal-caller Grant Wilson as their starter, the Hoosiers immediately connected on a 47-yard completion during their initial third-down scenario, finding the end zone shortly afterward.

Both defenses settled in from there. The Trojans’ offense didn’t convert a third down until midway through the third quarter. After an early field goal, they managed just a single first down over their next four drives.

One of those drives ended with an interception from Maiava, opening the door for Indiana. Operating deep inside their own territory, the USC defensive unit stood firm, compelling the Hoosiers to settle for a field goal.

USC forced a turnover on the Hoosiers’ next possession, turning the game on its head. With 44 seconds left in the half, a tipped Indiana pass found its way into the hands of USC linebacker Deven Bryant.

On the next play, Maiava hit Kayden Dixon-Wyatt deep for a 51-yard gain. USC capitalized soon after that, Maiava hitting Zacharyus Williams for a seven-yard touchdown to tie the score 10-10.

The two Big Ten contenders kept trading punches in the second half. Stopping an 11-play Indiana march right at the six-yard marker, the USC defense successfully stiffened once more during the initial stages of the third quarter.

When the Trojans marched on their own long drive, the Hoosiers held as well. Breaking the deadlock late in the third stanza, Indiana manufactured a pair of explosive gains against the USC defense before taking the lead via a one-yard touchdown plunge from Khobie Martin.

The Trojans twice drove into the red zone, only to be turned away. And when Maiava threw his pick at the goal-line, Riley threw up his hands.

The Hoosiers made the Trojans pay immediately. Wilson hit Charlie Becker with a 42-yard touchdown for the final score.

With no chance at a comeback remaining, the Trojans were left to pick up the pieces following another unsuccessful bid for the postseason.

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