3 days ago2 min read

Legendary Trojans Call Out USC's Startling 2024 Failures

After Week 8 of the 2024 college football season, the USC Trojans are unranked with a disappointing 3-4 overall record and an alarming 1-4 record in the Big Ten Conference. The program's current status has prompted former USC stars to speak out, uniformly criticizing the team's performance and unacceptable results.

High Expectations

USC has won nine national championships recognized by the NCAA. (The Trojans claim 11 national titles.) Additionally, Southern Cal has produced more Heisman Trophy winners (8) than any other football program and has more players in the Pro Football of Fame than any other university (14). Thus, USC fans and alumni expect and demand optimal results. Indeed, as succinctly stated by 2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinert, "Mediocrity isn't the standard at USC."

2024 Failures

After beginning its 2024 campaign with a promising win over No. 8 LSU (6-1, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) and a 48-0 drubbing of Utah State (1-6, 0-3 Mountain West Conference), the Trojans dropped four of their next five games. Despite taking second-half leads against the Michigan Wolverines (4-3, 2-2) the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions (6-0, 3-0), the Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-3, 2-2) and the Maryland Terrapins (4-3, 1-3), the Trojans managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in each contest.

Reactions of USC Greats

After the loss to Maryland, Leinert took to social media to express his dissatisfaction with the team's performance: "I mean this is unbelievable. Every game we’ve lost we’ve been up in the second half and we can’t figure it a way to win, we can’t finish. That is a mindset nothing else, it’s a mindset ... I mean [I'm] frustrated, disappointed, embarrassed, you name it ... I think the fans, [and] the alumni deserve better. This is just not what we expected [in our] first year in the Big Ten ... This is bad, this is really bad."

Su'a Cravens, the No. 1 safety in the 2013 recruiting class and an All-American at USC in 2015, said on the ESPN Los Angeles "Trojans Wrap Up Show," that blame needs to be allocated from the top down, starting with the head coach. In his words, "Lincoln Riley has not done a good job late in the game, three to four weeks in a row."

All-American and national champion running back LenDale White joined the chorus, stating that the loss to Maryland was embarrassing and laying the blame at Riley's feet.

As noted by Sports Illustrated, "The Trojans have held a lead in the fourth quarter in every game this season but have four losses by a combined 14 points."

USC supporters criticize Riley and his staff because the Trojans are more talented at skill positions than the opponents to whom they have lost.