USC Routed 24-7 at Wisconsin as Pressure Builds on Coach Lincoln Riley

USC lost 24-7 at Wisconsin on Saturday night, intensifying scrutiny of head coach Lincoln Riley. The Trojans scored one touchdown, in the second quarter. Quarterback Jayden Maiava completed 31 of 50 passes for 258 yards with two interceptions, and the offensive line allowed five sacks. USC's running game had its worst showing of the year, totaling minus-17 yards; King Miller carried 11 times for eight yards. Former USC receiver Keyshawn Johnson then posted a 2-minute, 42-second video calling the team a joke, saying enough was enough and that the Trojans were run out of the building. He also praised UCLA, which improved to 7-0 under first-year coach Bob Chesney. Entering 2026, USC had the nation's top recruiting class, Maiava back as starter and new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson. The schedule included Oregon, Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana, and the goal was 10 wins and a playoff berth. In 2025 USC went 9-3, with all three losses on the road.

Left-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while alternative/independent and right-leaning outlets had. On the right, the New York Post leads with Johnson's video, quoting his criticism and filling in the game statistics, and its headline calls the loss Riley's latest disaster. Fox News focuses on Riley's future, calling the loss inexcusable and saying his era looks to be nearing an end. It supplies context on 2025 road losses, preseason expectations and Patterson's hiring, and links to stories on "Fire Lincoln" chants and a commentator's call for a firing over the Dante Moore injury. Both right-leaning outlets frame the loss as a deepening crisis for Riley; they differ in that the Post relies on Johnson's voice and game numbers, while Fox relies on season-long context. Yahoo Sports, listed as alternative, carries the same Johnson story as the Post.