Is Lincoln Riley to blame for crushing loss to Illinois?

In the second marquee matchup of the Big Ten slate on Saturday, Illinois stunned USC with a 41-yard walk-off field goal, sealing a dramatic 34–32 win in a clash between Top-25 opponents.

Did Lincoln Riley’s late-game decision-making ultimately cost the Trojans the win?

USC found itself trailing late in the game before a 16-yard touchdown pass to Makai Lemon gave the Trojans a 32-31 lead with 1:55 remaining. 

But Illinois had all three timeouts — and used them wisely. With composure and efficiency, the Illini drove down the field, setting up kicker David Olano for a game-winning field goal as time expired.