USC Has One Major Leadership Question Under Lincoln Riley

Despite coming off a bye week, USC was clearly unprepared heading into their week 8 loss against Wisconsin.

After arguably playing their best game on the road since joining the Big Ten three years ago against a 3-4 Penn State team on Oct. 10, they reverted back to their old ways and played their worst game on the road against the Badgers.

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Leadership Wisconsin Badgers Defense Big Ten College Football Jayden Maiava — Oct 24, 2026; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches his team during warmups before the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Wahl-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was bad start from the Trojans offense, highlighted by two interceptions by quarterback Jayden Maiava on the first three drives. In the first half, USC’s defense kept them in the game as the offense struggled throughout the night, scoring just seven points and accumulating 241 yards of offense, both were the fewest of the Lincoln Riley era.

In the second half, the defense could no longer support the offense as the physicality of Wisconsin’s offense wore on them. The discipline faded, and the players watched the gap widen as USC fell 24-7. And that is exactly what the players did, they watched it happen.

What safety Prophet Brown said during his media availability on Wednesday was alarming about the state of the 2026 season, but it also highlighted a continuous problem under Riley.

Where is the leadership in the program?

“We just got to play better complementary football on all sides of the ball,” Brown said. “It's a three-phase game: special teams, defense, offense. We all could have been better in our own right, and I feel like at times nobody necessarily picked each other up. We kind of just let it happen and didn't really step up for each other."

USC has several starters that have been in the program for three, four, five and in Brown’s case, six years. Not having any leadership from veterans is a major issue.

The leadership is not coming from quarterback Jayden Maiava, who consistently sulks during moments of adversity. It's easy to be a leader when everything is going great. Maiava often keeps it brief when answering questions following losses.

When Maiava took a knee to end the game in their win over Washington on Oct. 3, he immediately headed up the tunnel, refusing to stop even for the teams director of communications who was trying to talk to him.

That moment was caught on the broadcast and is not the best look for someone that has hopes of being the franchise quarterback of a billion-dollar business in the business.

All of it stems from Riley. The Trojans coach lacks accountability, and it bleeds into the team.

Poor Effort Down the Stretch

USC gave up in the fourth quarter. There’s no sugarcoating it, they flat out quit down the stretch, and the film doesn’t lie.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Trojans trailed by 10 and Wisconsin marched down the field to deliver the final knockout punch and had very little resistance from Southern Cal.

Can’t get washed out of the gap like this as a defensive tackle. No physicality from the defensive end. Poor effort from the middle linebacker. https://t.co/UM3yFFtDdm pic.twitter.com/xhTBWs7Kig
— Kendell Hollowell (@KHollowell_) October 28, 2026

How does USC respond with their program and coach under fire as they host No. 2 Ohio State at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, Oct. 31?

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