Lincoln Riley Forced into Accountability as Blunder Nearly Costs USC Against Purdue USC edges Purdue as penalties and a sideline blunder test Lincoln Riley as he owns the mistake, and lessons loom for

USC escaped West Lafayette with a 33-17 win that felt closer than the final score, because a three-hour lightning delay, a weird trick-play touchdown, and a fourth-quarter wobble kept the door open longer than anyone in cardinal would’ve liked. Jayden Maiava was efficient and tough, going 17-of-28 for 282 yards and a short rushing score while Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders combined for 152 on the ground. But Purdue’s Ryan Browne kept firing, finishing 24-of-39 for 305 yards with a touchdown and three picks, and the Boilermakers never quite went away until Fitzgerald closed the door later.

Despite the win, HC Lincoln Riley was forced to answer for every penalty, turnover, and miscue that nearly cost the Trojans the game. If the margin tightened, it was because the self-inf