10
Loading video...
By Michael Gallagher
Sports Content Coordinator
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
USC head coach Lincoln Riley delivered the biggest win of his Trojans tenure on Saturday night when his team upset No. 2 Ohio State at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
What happened after the final whistle is getting just as much attention on social media.
A week earlier, a 24-7 loss to Wisconsin had put Riley squarely on the hot seat. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum went as far as saying that “a loss to Ohio State and a backup quarterback will finish him.”
Read More on NCAA
...
Instead, USC beat true freshman quarterback Luke Fahey and the Buckeyes 30-18, and fans stormed the rain-soaked field. However, things got heated in a hurry.
With his family in tow, Riley was trying to reach the Coliseum tunnel as Ohio State players and staffers were also heading inside. The New York Post reported that several Buckeyes staffers were allowed through the security checkpoint ahead of him, which seemingly set Riley off.
“Are you kidding me? F--- you!” Riley shouted at the passing staffers, per the Post. “That’s bulls---.”
WBNS 10TV reporter Nicole Shearin caught the moment on video.
Riley also appeared to have words with former Ohio State star running back Maurice Clarett, according to Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde. At one point Riley put his hand on Clarett’s shoulder and pushed him aside, then brushed past associate athletic director Quinn Tempel.
Riley wasn’t in much of a celebratory mood at the podium either. He closed his postgame press conference by pulling a piece of paper from his pocket and reading a prepared statement.
“This program’s built on internal joy, not external applause,” Riley said. “This win’s for all the staff members, the players, the leaders, admin, all the people within the walls. I said before this game that I’m the right person for this job, and as long as all those people know that, that’s all I care about.
“I appreciate being a part of this university and all it does, I appreciate our kids and our staff, and I’m going to continue to fight on because that’s what being a Trojan is all about.”
With the win, USC moves to 7-2 and jumps back into the College Football Playoff conversation. Ohio State fell to 6-2 in its first game without injured quarterback Julian Sayin, two days before the committee releases its first rankings on Tuesday night.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines