Make California Post a Preferred Source As Jayden Maiava gazed into the end zone Saturday, the USC quarterback spotted an opportunity.
His Trojans were near the end of a promising drive that could tie the score and further trumpet themselves as a serious College Football Playoff contender after being widely dismissed only a few weeks ago.
But Maiva’s pass — and USC’s season — met the worst possible fate.
Indiana’s Isaiah Jones read the play and stepped in front of the pass intended for Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, intercepting it at the Hoosiers’ 1-yard line with 6 minutes, 35 seconds left at Memorial Stadium.
In a taut game that wildly vacillated one way, then another, that was the big difference.
USC would get no similar opportunity again, the No. 18 Trojans badly fading late in a 27-13 loss to the No. 9 Hoosiers, a setback that likely ended their CFP hopes while raising anew the issue of coach Lincoln Riley’s fate.
Near the end of Year 5, Riley fell to 1-8 against ranked opponents on the road and lost all of the momentum that had been built two weeks earlier with a massive home victory over then-No. 2 Ohio State.
This was a game filled with mistakes, with the Trojans (7-3 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) dropping multiple interception opportunities, missing two field goals and making multiple penalties on special teams.
The errors were all the more confounding given that USC was coming off a second bye week — in which Riley had vowed to put forth a better effort after the team’s first extended break led to a devastating road loss to Wisconsin.
But the Trojans made the least of the opportunity, converting only 2 of 11 third downs.
The Hoosiers (9-1, 6-1) sealed USC’s fate when Grant Wilson zipped a 42-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Becker with 3:30 left.
This was a game Riley and the Trojans had to have after putting themselves on the clock — literally — with those “The Time Is Now” billboards around LA.
Failing to get it done against the Hoosiers means it’s time for USC athletic director Jen Cohen to start seriously contemplating Riley’s buyout.
Riley sagged his shoulders on the sideline early in the fourth quarter after kicker Caden Chittenden pushed a 27-yard field goal wide right, ending a promising drive with nothing to show for it.
The Trojans had reached Indiana’s 8-yard line before Maiava’s pass intended for tight end Mark Bowman in the end zone was tipped and fell incomplete.
When Chittenden missed the field goal, the Trojans’ 20-13 deficit remained intact.
Making matters worse, a fan came onto the field and made a field goal during a timeout.
The Hoosiers won’t have a quarterback controversy going forward.
Having served as the backup to Josh Hoover for most of the season, Wilson came up big by completing 17 of 27 passes for 305 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.
It looked like the Trojans were in real trouble late in the first half after a catch inference penalty on Ethan “Boobie” Feaster — the team’s third penalty on special teams — gave Indiana the ball at midfield while holding a 10-3 lead.
But USC linebacker Deven Bryant intercepted a tipped pass, Maiava completed a 51-yard deep shot to Dixon-Wyatt and the Trojans scored when Maiava connected with Zacharyus Williams just over the goal line for a 7-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left before halftime to tie the score at 10.
The Trojans return to the Coliseum for their final home game of the season to face Maryland next weekend before concluding the regular season against No. 4 UCLA at the Rose Bowl on Nov. 28.
