Illinois shook off a 53-point loss in one week. Now USC faces its own Big Ten reckoning

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — This was the chance for USC to change the narrative.

The No. 21 Trojans were undefeated and traveling to the Central time zone for an early kickoff against No. 23 Illinois — 11 a.m. local time, 9 a.m. back in Los Angeles. It was USC’s potent offense against a scruffy opponent from the Big Ten’s bygone West Division, an Illini team that was humbled by a 53-point loss at Indiana last week.

Saturday morning was a moment for head coach Lincoln Riley and USC to flip the script, to beat the charges about body clocks and lack of toughness and Riley’s inability to get over the hump. To vault USC into the Big Ten and College Football Playoff conversations. To put the country on notice.

Instead, a dramatic game ended with a deflating result. Illinois defeated USC 34-32 on a walk-off 41-yard field goal by David Olano as time expired, a bounceback victory for the Illini that left the Trojans to face the same familiar questions in year four under Riley.

“We had a lot of fight coming back to take the lead there at the end, but we missed too many opportunities on all sides of the ball to establish momentum,” said Riley. “The reality is we squandered too many opportunities to separate in this game.”

USC (4-1) almost pulled it off. On the heels of a late kickoff last week — an 8 p.m. Pacific start that ended in an impressive win over Michigan State — the Trojans traveled to Champaign on Thursday, giving players an extra day to adjust to the two-hour time difference. It appeared to be an issue last season, USC’s first in the Big Ten, when it lost three conference games traveling east across time zones: at Michigan, at Minnesota, at Maryland. The program did snap an 0-14 streak when playing in the Central and Eastern time zones earlier this month in a road win at Purdue. But that was an evening kickoff, against an opponent that went 1-11 in 2024.

Illinois (4-1) offered an earlier and stiffer test — and USC failed to avoid an underwhelming start. Running back Waymond Jordan fumbled the ball away on the opening drive in plus territory, and the Illini dominated the line of scrimmage in the first half. The Trojans entered the game with the top offense in the Football Bowl Subdivision at 9.2 yards per play; Illinois held them to 6 per play, including just 2.8 yards per carry, and only 10 points at the break.

Riley arched some eyebrows this week when he bemoaned the team’s schedule challenges, but the head coach wouldn’t fuel that storyline after the loss.

“I thought we handled it well,” Riley said. “I give credit to our administration for letting us do what we felt like we needed to do. The (schedule) challenge is there. It’s just how can you minimize it. I thought we minimized it as much as we possibly can. We gave ourselves a great chance to win it.”

That chance came courtesy of a stunning fourth-quarter comeback, as USC erased a 14-point deficit. Quarterback Jayden Maiava bounced back from some shaky moments, wideout Makai Lemon dominated en route to 151 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and the defense forced its second goal-line turnover of the game. But all of it was outweighed by costly mistakes and questionable time management, including a first-half penalty that wiped out another Lemon touchdown. USC dug itself too big of a hole and then left Illinois too much time on the final drive.

The Trojans were outgained 502 yards to 490 and gave up 331 passing yards, with Illini quarterback Luke Altmeyer throwing for 245 in the second half. Altmeyer also became the first Illinois quarterback to score a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game since Kurt Kittner in 1999.

This is a USC program that has made some notable cultural changes, including a surprising change at strength coach in late April, after spring practice. The roster has a talented mix of veteran and homegrown players, particularly in the trenches, and Maiava has made considerable strides in his decision making and efficiency. The results looked promising through the first four games, which featured a pair of conference wins. But in the toughest matchup yet, on the road, there were still far too many mistakes.

“This team is going to battle, there’s no doubt about that,” Riley said. “We just gotta clean up a few things, polish it a little bit. But this team is going to be tough to beat.”

Illinois was a little bit tougher. Embarrassed by Indiana a week earlier, the Illini managed to keep its lofty preseason aspirations alive as the clock hit zeroes, weathering some questionable calls in the process, including a first-half goal-line fumble and a second-half touchdown by USC that could have been flagged for delay of game.

Head coach Bret Bielema admitted he and his team were bruised by last week’s performance, but Altmeyer and company staved off a collapse with an eight-play, 51-yard drive to set up the winning field goal.

“Our guys, since last Saturday to where we are today, responded internally, externally, showed me a lot about who they really were,” Bielema said.

USC will take away some positives as well. The Trojans showed their own resolve to come back and take the lead in the fourth, proving they can stay in games and give themselves a chance to win, even if the offense isn’t humming. The game was this close to being a defining culture win. But in the end, they continue to battle the perception of a coach and team that can’t turn the corner. Or overcome that pesky body clock.

Another reason Saturday’s loss really stings: The schedule seemed to be setting up well for the Trojans. They enter an idle week before hosting Michigan and traveling to Notre Dame in back-to-back weeks. They play at Oregon in late November, but avoid Ohio State, Penn State and Indiana. A win over Illinois would have provided some margin for error the rest of the way. Now the pressure is on, and the doubters are back.

“I like this football team. A lot. I like the fight that we show,” said Riley. “Disappointed with the loss. A lot to love. A lot to correct. We’ll own all of it.”

There’s still time and opportunity for USC to rewrite the narrative, but it will have to do it the hard way. Until then, Riley will continue to get the same questions, and give the same answers. Or lack thereof.

(Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)

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