The Times of Troy: They’re bowl eligible, but it’s still a lost season for Trojans

Hello, everyone! I’m Ryan Kartje, your USC beat writer at the L.A. Times, coming to you loaded with caffeine and running on fumes after a very late, rainy night at the Rose Bowl. This wasn’t the sort of triumphant rivalry win that will go down in the annals of great crosstown showdowns, but in escaping UCLA, the Trojans did manage to scrape out their sixth win of the season, officially guaranteeing themselves a bowl game.

That’s … something. Albeit nowhere near where USC had hoped to be this season. Whether USC winds up in the LA Bowl or the Vegas Bowl or the Sun Bowl matters little at this point. (Other than to my wife, who would much prefer the option that doesn’t leave her alone for a week with our 1-year-old.)

What matters is that USC still managed to make it back to the postseason at all. Because any other result would have been an abject disaster. This was about salvaging what was left of USC’s season, and in that sense, the Trojans have at least protected themselves from a worst-case scenario.

But the best USC can now do is 8-5, the same record it finished with last season, and that would still require an unlikely upset of No. 7 Notre Dame next Saturday. That’s not what USC had in mind when it made Lincoln Riley one of the highest-paid coaches in college football three years ago. Even Riley made clear earlier this fall that he expected the Trojans to be competing for Big Ten championships every year. They came nowhere close in this one.

Last December, USC had hoped its resounding Holiday Bowl win would serve as a springboard into this season. But that’s simply not how bowls, especially lower-tier ones, work. Miller Moss, who threw for six touchdowns in a storybook bowl performance, was benched with four games left in this season. None of the momentum from that Holiday Bowl win carried over eight months later.

So don’t expect anything different this December, even if USC manages to blow out some mid-tier Mountain West team in a second-rate bowl matchup. The Trojans still have many issues to iron out. The defense desperately needs an infusion of depth and talent. The quarterback situation is still uncertain. Woody Marks is off to the NFL, leaving a gaping hole in USC’s offense.

But while one more game won’t suddenly save USC’s season, it still means something. D’Anton Lynn made clear last week that he could definitely use the extra practices to help develop his young defense. And an extra month should help Riley evaluate what he has in quarterback Jayden Maiava.

“These are unbelievable opportunities,” Riley said of making a bowl. “It was important to this team at the end certainly to play another game after next week. Just because, honestly, it’s been a really fun team to coach, there’s a great vibe in that locker room and anybody that’s watched us play — this team leaves it out there every single time. I mean, they have. Glad we get to play a couple more together.”

It’s certainly better than the alternative. But if Riley doesn’t have USC competing for more than a Sun Bowl appearance soon, he won’t get many more opportunities to turn the Trojans around.

—Maiava made the plays he needed to make. But it certainly wasn’t a smooth ride to get there Saturday. The Trojans’ new quarterback struggled to find his stride for most of the game, completing fewer than 50% of his passes well through the third quarter. He tried to do far too much in other moments. Early in the fourth quarter, with USC trailing, he tried to spin away from pressure, only to get sacked out of field-goal range. But it was also Maiava who escaped pressure later in that quarter to deliver a go-ahead dart to Ja’Kobi Lane in the corner of the end zone. Those ups and downs are just part of the Maiava experience at this point. And while the sophomore will get more polished with time, I wonder how Riley feels now about Maiava as the answer next season. Does he looked around for another passer in the transfer portal? Or has he seen enough from Maiava to know he can mold him ahead of next season?

—What exactly was Riley thinking in the red zone in the first half? Three different times, USC found itself inside UCLA’s five-yard line with a first down. And three different times, it was forced to settle for a field goal. Some of those issues have to do with execution, but Riley wasn’t doing his offense any favors with the playcalling. Marks received just one carry during those three trips, while Maiava threw multiple goalline fades that had little hope of connecting. There were several moments in which I found myself wondering why Riley refused to use Maiava’s dual threat ability to his advantage, and none were more glaring that those early red zone trips, when USC could have otherwise built a comfortable lead.

—It’s a wonder what a disruptive defensive line can do. That much was evident midway through the fourth quarter, with UCLA facing a fourth and one. USC had struggled to stand tall in that same position all season, but as soon as the ball was snapped this time, the Trojans overwhelmed the UCLA interior, making a critical stop. On the edges, young pass rushers Kameryn Fountain and Sam Greene continue to prove they have serious potential, combining for seven hurries on the night. UCLA still managed to move the ball — nine explosive plays didn’t help USC’s cause — but the pressure the Trojans conjured was among the best they’d managed all season.

—Lane ran just 10 routes on Saturday, after running only five the week before. But boy did the sophomore wideout make the most important one of all count. It was Lane who reeled in the go-ahead score with seven minutes remaining, pulling down a difficult catch in the corner of the end zone that had just grazed the fingertips of UCLA linebacker Kain Medrano. Lane caught it anyway, reminding us once again of his tremendous potential. And while he hasn’t quite lived up to that billing over the last six weeks, Lane still leads the Trojans in receiving touchdowns this season (six).

Memories of J.R.

I asked last week for you to share some of your favorite memories of USC coach John Robinson, who passed away earlier this month because of complications of pneumonia. Here are a few you sent in:

Ron Milhorn: “After being admitted academically to USC in 1979, I mustered the courage to go to Heritage Hall and ask coach Robinson if I could walk-on the team. Four months later, I got a call from offensive line coach Hudson Houck to report to training camp. The man that kept me motivated and inspired to persevere every day was John Robinson. Like most walk-ons, I never saw the field but Coach Robbie always made everyone feel like an integral part of the team. I’ll always be grateful for that.”

Steve Schonfield: “I was a USC professor [from] 1976 to 1991. I remember the wine and cheese receptions that Robinson hosted for faculty. He was humorous and good-natured even when some well-meaning but clueless faculty member would offer questionable advice. Good times!

Doug Wride: In the late 1980s, when John Robinson was the coach of the Rams, I was sitting next to him at a spring charity event. When I asked him how he felt about the upcoming football season, he responded “right now is my favorite time of the season. We’re undefeated.”

Big Ten Best Bet, Week 13

Michigan at Ohio State (-20 1/2)

From 2012 to 2019, when Ohio State won eight straight in this series, the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines by this large of a margin in three of the eight years. And those Ohio State teams weren’t as stacked as this one. Michigan might’ve just walloped Northwestern, but in Columbus, it’s going to have a hard time keeping up.

After three straight losses to Michigan, Ohio State is going to be juiced for this game. Here’s betting the Buckeyes help us stem the slide of a two-game losing streak in our Big Ten picks.

In case you missed it

UCLA vs. USC takeaways: Bruins aim for resilience after fumbling away a signature win

Plaschke: USC rediscovers its best self while dazzling in final minutes against UCLA

USC overcomes early miscues to defeat rival UCLA and become bowl eligible

JuJu Watkins and No. 3 USC can’t hold back No. 6 Notre Dame in first loss

Ahead of Notre Dame game, USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb talks JuJu Watkins, growth and more

D’Anton Lynn’s defection to USC didn’t doom UCLA’s defense, it just gave it a rival

Do front offices see USC’s Lincoln Riley as a future NFL coach?

The secret to USC running back Woody Marks’ career-best year: acupuncture

‘The smarter one usually comes over here’: UCLA’s DeShaun Foster throws jabs at USC

What I’m Watching This Week

As the 2007 president of the Milan High School drama club, my love of musicals runs nearly as deep as my love of football. So as you can imagine, I am stoked to finally see “Wicked,” one of my favorite musicals of all time, on the big screen. You might not be a fan of musicals, but I would urge you to give this one a try. Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West, should be worth the price of admission alone.