USC Coach Lincoln Riley Admits He Is 'Still Mad' About Painful Big Ten Loss

The No. 20 USC Trojans defeated the Michigan Wolverines in week 7, and USC coach Lincoln Riley reflected on his 'God awful' performance in the 2024 season in which the Trojans lost to Michigan by three points.

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Michigan Wolverines Big Ten Sherrone Moore run game Woody Marks Waymond Jordan King Miller | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The No. 20 USC Trojans defeated the Michigan Wolverines in convincing fashion on Oct. 11, but Michigan's win over USC in the 2024 season is still on the mind of Trojans coach Lincoln Riley. In USC's inaugural Big Ten season, the Trojans lost to the Wolverines 27-24 in the Big House after allowing an 89-yard touchdown drive in the final three minutes of the game.

After USC's win over Michigan in 2025, Riley revealed his frustrations from the loss a season ago.

"We definitely did a much better job. I was God awful last year and I’m still mad about that one honestly, I’m not past that one," said Riley.

Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley (wearing white visor) celebrates along with defensive end coach Shaun Nua after kicker Ryon Sayeri (48) hit a 54-yard field goal in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Difference a Year Makes

After USC's loss to Michigan in 2024, Riley was criticized for his play calling. Riley seemingly abandoned the run against the Wolverines as the Trojans finished with 96 total rushing yards on 21 carries as a team. USC punted three times in the fourth quarter as the Trojans' offense could not extend drives and control the ball.

On Michigan's fifth possession of the fourth quarter, Wolverines running back Kalel Mullings rattled off a 63-yard rush to set up Michigan's offense in the red zone with less than three minutes remaining in the game.

The Trojans took the lead in the fourth quarter after capitalizing on a Michigan fumble, but it was short-lived before Michigan's 10-play drive to retake the lead and eventually win the game.

Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans running back King Miller (30) sprints into the end zone for a touchdown against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The 2025 matchup between USC and Michigan was a different story, however. The Trojans out rushed the Wolverines 224 yards to 109 despite USC losing lead rushers Eli Sanders and Waymond Jordan during the game.

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Walk-on running back King Miller burst onto the scene with 158 rushing yards on 18 carries on Saturday. By himself, Miller nearly carried the ball as many times as USC's entire backfield did against Michigan in 2024.

Riley Credits Offensive Line

Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore in the second half against the USC Trojans at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Riley spoke about USC's current offensive line and how they handled the challenge of Michigan's defense.

"The guys really executed well up front against a challenging group. To do it with really without three starters against that defensive line, I thought was impressive. We had a couple of decent screen plays and all that, but we still had to block those guys. We’d still block them in the run game. We’d still block them in pass pro. Our guys did a good job, competed hard. J’Onre Reed did a great job at center," Riley said.

"Tobias Raymond I think still continues to be the unsung hero of our offensive line. He’s now started games at three different spots this year, which is ridiculously hard to do. Alani Noa played one of his better games as a USC Trojan. He was awesome," the Trojans coach continued. "That group deserves a lot of credit because it was a battle. It wasn’t easy. It was a battle every single play and you knew it was going to be against that group."