The USC Trojans have dispensed with the preliminaries. Now it’s on to the big games in the middle third of their schedule. The 4-0 Trojans haven’t been severely tested by weaker opponents. Now they will begin to find out how good they really are. They visit Illinois, which should be hopping mad after eating a 63-10 loss to Indiana. USC has been a 6.5-point favorite the whole week. Should it be?
We wrote, “Maybe not crazy, but certainly excessive. USC led Purdue by 13 with the Boilermakers in the red zone in the fourth quarter earlier this month. Purdue is a markedly worse team than Illinois. The Illini are in a must-win situation at home with Fox Big Noon on site. It will be a carnival atmosphere in Champaign, and nothing we have seen from the USC secondary shows the Trojans are ready to play an airtight and complete defensive game. Illinois might not win, but it will keep the game close. USC, once again, has to earn respect before being treated as a good team. The Trojans aren’t there yet. They have to prove they are for real.”
We wanted to see how real the Trojans are. They weren’t good enough. Here’s how this game unfolded:
Final score — Illinois 34, USC 32
You could see that one coming a mile away. Illinois does in fact walk off USC on a last-play field goal. Brutal all the way around. Lincoln Riley scoring quickly was a boneheaded move.
USC 32, Illinois 31
The good news: Jayden Maiava and Makai Lemon are super-clutch. Touchdown Trojans for an improbable lead. The bad news: They scored quickly. 1:55 left and Illinois has all three timeouts. USC has three timeouts, too. Now the Trojans need to be aggressive on defense. They don’t want Illinois to burn clock and kick a walk-off field goal. If USC allows a TD but has time to answer, that’s better than Illinois kicking a chip shot on the final play.
Eric Gentry game-saver
Illinois was steaming into the end zone for a game-clinching touchdown near the six-minute mark, but Eric Gentry punched the ball out from behind and the Trojans get a touchback. They can actually win this thing, down only six.
Illinois 31, USC 25
USC scores on a fourth-down conversion and then scores the 2-point conversion, but it’s all for nothing unless the defense can do something. 9:54 left.
Illinois 31, USC 17
USC’s defense, without any pass rush, has no chance, given the injuries ravaging the secondary.
End 3rd quarter — Illinois 24, USC 17
The Trojans’ pass rush has been stifled by the Illinois offensive front. A step up in competition has exposed the Trojans in so many ways and on so many levels. Illinois is in field goal range as the quarter ends.
Illinois 24, USC 17
Husan Longstreet provides a first-down run in the red zone. The Trojans score a touchdown. The offensive line, despite being shorthanded, has done well today. That’s perhaps the one encouraging sign in this game. Just under 17 minutes left (1:46, third quarter). There’s time for USC to turn this around, but the margins are small.
Illinois 24, USC 10
USC has so many key defensive players out that it’s hard to expect this defense to lock down. USC needed the offense to show up today, and it hasn’t. Big trouble in River City (or Champaign).
Frustration rising
Maiava continues to miss open receivers. He is now playing bad football (not just average football) after a really strong first 20 minutes to this game. Illinois and USC trade punts. Illini ball as the third quarter drags along.
Jayden Maiava mess
Jayden Maiava telegraphs a pass into triple coverage, and it’s intercepted. This is going the wrong way very quickly in the third quarter.
Illinois 17, USC 10
The Trojans give up points, but not seven. A DeCarlos Nicholson sack on a blitz stops the Illinois drive.
Halftime: Illinois 14, USC 10
The Trojans get three but fail to get seven in the red zone. They used too much time on their red-zone snaps. A terrible half leaves USC down only four. It could have been 14. The boys need to clean things up. They are way too sloppy to win Big Ten road games against decent opponents.
USC Christmas gift
Illinois fumbles on the USC 1-yard line with 49 seconds left. USC was on the verge of falling behind by 14 points with Illinois getting the ball to start the second half.
Jayden Maiava misfire
Maiava misses open receivers on consecutive throws, and USC’s drive is stopped on downs. Ugly first half from this team. Maiava had been really good, but he missed some critical plays there.
J’Onre Reed massive mistake
Reed, newly inserted, commits a careless ineligible man downfield. He drifts upfield and cancels out a long Makai Lemon touchdown on a brilliantly-designed trick play from Lincoln Riley.
Kilian O’Connor hurt
The Trojans’ starting center suffers a knee injury. He walks off the field on his own power, but here’s J’Onre Reed’s big chance.
Illinois 14, USC 7
USC gets completely fooled on the Philly Special — the reverse pass to the quarterback — in the red zone. Kamari Ramsay is out for the Trojans, and it shows.
End 1st quarter — USC 7, Illinois 7
The quarter ends with USC committing offside and defensive pass interference on the same play. The mistakes just keep flowing for D’Anton Lynn’s group. USC has to nip this in the bud. It’s a recipe for a loss.
USC 7, Illinois 7
The Trojans got out of their own way on that drive and dominated Illinois up front. USC should absolutely win this game. It looks stronger and faster. It’s just a matter of finishing plays and not gift-wrapping anything to Illinois with mistakes.
Illinois 7, USC 0
A dumb face-mask penalty after a fourth-down conversion enables Illinois to march downfield and score. USC remains sloppy and not crisp. It’s going to get this team defeated unless or until the mistakes end.
Brutal turn of events
Waymond Jordan, running for a first down inside the Illinois 30, and fumbles against light contact. USC’s offensive line did well. The Trojans established the running game. They seem to be able to do whatever they need to, but they cannot make dumb mistakes. Illinois takes over.
Elijah Paige out
USC must immediately show it can play without its best offensive lineman.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC vs Illinois — rapid recap for Trojans’ devastating Week 5 loss
Reporting by Matt Zemek / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
