USC loses 24-7 at Wisconsin as offense stalls in Madison
The No. 16 Trojans managed minus-17 rushing yards and scored only once, leaving them 6-2 with difficult Big Ten games ahead.
USC lost 24-7 at Wisconsin in Madison on Saturday, October 24, as its offense managed just one touchdown and minus-17 rushing yards. The defeat left the No. 16 Trojans 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten, with several demanding games still on their schedule.
The Trojans’ only score came on Jayden Maiava’s four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Taniela Tupou in the second quarter. USC trailed 10-7 at halftime, but Wisconsin extended its lead after the break. Colton Joseph capped the Badgers’ opening drive of the second half with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Chris Brooks Jr., according to The Sporting Tribune.
How Wisconsin held USC to seven points
CBS Sports reported that USC gained minus-17 yards on 25 rushing attempts after entering the game with the Big Ten’s seventh-best rushing offense. Maiava completed 31 of 50 passes for 258 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Both interceptions came in the first quarter, according to The Sporting Tribune, which also reported that Wisconsin sacked him five times.
Wisconsin relied heavily on its ground game, rushing 42 times for 142 yards, The Sporting Tribune reported. Joseph attempted only 14 passes and threw for 58 yards. The Badgers improved to 5-2 and recorded their second victory over a ranked opponent. USC was also penalized six times for 51 yards, compared with four penalties for 30 yards by Wisconsin.
Riley takes responsibility with tough games ahead
USC coach Lincoln Riley said his team had fallen short in every phase. ‘Just flat-out didn’t play good enough on any of the three sides of the ball,’ he said after the loss, according to The Sporting Tribune. ‘Didn’t coach good enough, made critical errors on the road...I take responsibility for it.’ Maiava also acknowledged his performance: ‘Flat out, I just didn’t play great,’ the outlet reported.
CBS Sports reported that Ohio State, Indiana and UCLA are among USC’s final four opponents. The Wisconsin defeat was the Trojans’ second loss of the season; CBS noted that their three Big Ten wins had come against teams with a combined conference record of 3-10. Those remaining games will test USC after an unusually low scoring night under Riley: The Sporting Tribune reported that the team had not scored fewer than 17 points in a game since he became head coach.
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Sources and context
- USC falls apart in Madison, losing to unranked WisconsinThe Sporting Tribune, republished by Yahoo Sports
- The time has come for USC to pony up and pay Lincoln Riley's buyout after bottom falls out against WisconsinCBS Sports
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.