USC football wins, but shaky performance doesn't quiet noise around Lincoln Riley

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No, that sound coming out of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum isn't Southern California fans celebrating the win over Washington.

It's actually the noise surrounding coach Lincoln Riley − and it's only getting louder.

In a must-win, bounce-back game for the No. 18 Trojans, they accomplished the task against Washington − but it was far from pretty. The ominous cloud hanging over Los Angeles is getting darker.

The vibes all week leading into Saturday, Oct. 3's game were as bad as could be for USC. After the disappointing loss to Oregon and the fallout of Desman Stephens II's hit on Dante Moore, Riley spent the majority of his time with media this week answering questions about the state of his program rather than the upcoming opponent in Washington.

With the coach seemingly on the hot seat, USC didn't need to just beat the Huskies; it needed to convince everyone all is fine in La La Land.

Unfortunately, an odd start set the course for an unsatisfactory day.

Before the Trojans even entered the stadium, there was a notable person missing from the group: Riley.

The coach wasn't present with his players, and didn't come onto the field until there were just 47 minutes before kickoff, a strange occurrence that set the tone for an odd performance. Out of the gate, USC's offense struggled and Washington went into halftime with the lead.

Then, out of the break, USC's offense came out and went three-and-out, a rare occurrence this season.

Apparently, that was enough for the Trojans fanbase. "Fire Lincoln" chants rang throughout the Coliseum from the student section behind the USC bench.

The unhappiness only continued on Washington's next drive, when another Riley defensive "masterclass" resulted in an inexcusable Husky touchdown and 21-10 lead.

With the pitchforks coming out, USC did respond and eventually took the lead back, thanks to a scoop-and-score. Needing to score to stay alive late, Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. powered the Huskies down the field, but fell just 18 yards short of the game-winner.

If it didn't look like USC was celebrating the win much, that's because it knows it shouldn't.

"We felt like we were outplaying them," Riley said. "We just couldn't get out of our own way."

The performance was ugly. The offense had several lapses, scoring just two touchdowns, the fewest since the loss to Notre Dame last season. The defense, despite a score, continued to give up plays when they could have put the game out of reach. The Trojans can't stop committing penalties that give opponents life.

Thanks to a depleted running back room, Washington's rushing attack has been one of the worst in the country, ranked 124th after it had just 40 yards against Minnesota last week. Against USC, though, the unit ran for 116 yards. Washington was only 1-for-12 on third down, but on fourth, it converted three of its four attempts. The one fourth-down failure came on a bad throw by Williams on Washington's final offensive play.

A game that USC needed to win convincingly went down to the final seconds. It's as close as a win could be to a loss, and the pressure continues to build.

Riley's Trojans don't look like the College Football Playoff-caliber team they set out to be. Much like the game against Rutgers, this was a chance for USC to flex its muscle … and instead it ends up having to sweat out all 60 minutes against a team that, on paper, shouldn't hang around that long.

USC is 5-1, but it's not a pretty 5-1.

USC still has to try to figure out how to come up on the victorious side of big games; it has to come out, look good and dominate when it's supposed to. Close wins against inferior competition are no longer going to cut it, and it won't inspire Troy when the stakes get higher.

Next, USC has to travel back to the East Coast to face a reeling Penn State team. Even with the whiteout conditions, the Nittany Lions have looked awfully bad and shouldn't be able to keep up with the Trojans. But is there any belief USC can actually do it in a big spot?

If this season has proven anything, that's going to be another game USC will have to slug out when that shouldn't happen. You can't even rule out the fact Penn State could very well upset the Trojans.

USC desperately got its win, but it desperately needs to be better. The noise around Riley is only growing, and if this trend continues, it'll only be a matter of time before the volume is too much to bear.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USC football wins, but shaky performance doesn't quiet noise around Lincoln Riley

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