USC Debuts Incredibly Creative Trick Play for 75-Yard Touchdown Erased by Penalty

Lincoln Riley reached deep into his bag for this one.

Early in the second quarter of No. 21 USC's matchup against No. 23 Illinois at Gies Memorial Stadium, the Trojans dialed up one of the more creative trick plays you'll see. Facing a second-and-17 and trailing by a touchdown, the Trojans split quarterback Jayden Maiava out wide in the wildcat formation. Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders ran the zone read, and the junior running back kept the ball and sprinted to his right. Jordan flipped the ball to Maiava, who slung the ball deep to a wide-open Makai Lemon.

Lemon took it to the house from there to put an exclamation mark on the fancy trick play. But unfortunately for the Trojans, there was a flag on the play. J'Onre Reed, the senior center, was whistled for an ineligible man downfield penalty.

OH NOOOO

A brutal flag takes away this TD from USC 😬 pic.twitter.com/vSJCYS1GBh
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 27, 2025

Here's a quick look at the penalty that wiped the touchdown off the scoreboard:

Here's a closer look at the penalty that took away the TD from USC 🎥 pic.twitter.com/gJNZlWbQPI
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 27, 2025

The Trojans went on turn the ball over on downs on that possession.

At halftime, USC trails Illinois 14–10. Maiava has thrown for 181 yards on 13-of-21 passing with no touchdowns or interceptions. Jordan leads the Trojans with 42 rushing yards on 10 carries.

More College Football on Sports Illustrated

Listen to SI’s new college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.