{"id":115440,"date":"2025-12-31T21:50:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T21:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/115440\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T21:50:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T21:50:08","slug":"trojan-veterans-blast-lincoln-riley-usc-after-bowl-collapse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/115440\/","title":{"rendered":"Trojan veterans blast Lincoln Riley, USC after bowl collapse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Matt Leinart<\/a> went to bed early.<\/p>\n

Tired from hosting family for the holidays and planning on rising early for a workout, the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner and star USC<\/a> quarterback did not stay up to catch the end of his alma mater\u2019s game against Texas Christian in the Alamo Bowl<\/a> on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

He likely does not regret that decision.<\/p>\n

After allowing a 10-point lead to slip away in the final minutes of regulation, the Trojans eventually lost 30-27 in overtime<\/a> after TCU running back Jeremy Payne caught a check-down pass on third-and-20 and broke multiple tackles on his way to the end zone for a 35-yard, game-winning touchdown.<\/p>\n

It was a exasperating finish to a 9-4 season already considered a disappointment by many Trojan fans after the team failed to make the College Football Playoff for the fourth time in as many seasons under coach Lincoln Riley<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A number of former USC players took to social media during and after the game to express their frustrations. Leinart initially wasn\u2019t one of them, even though some people thought he was commenting on the Alamo Bowl when he wrote<\/a>, \u201cNobody cares\u2026. I promise!\u201d Tuesday night on X.<\/p>\n

Later, the verified TCU Football account reposted Leinart\u2019s post and wrote \u201ccry on<\/a>,\u201d a play on the USC rallying cry, \u201cFight on!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"USC <\/p>\n

USC coach Lincoln Riley, right, shakes hands with Texas Christian coach Sonny Dykes after the Alamo Bowl<\/p>\n

(Kenneth Richmond \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

On Wednesday morning, Leinart wrote<\/a> that his comment actually \u201chad nothing to with USC game lol.\u201d In a video<\/a> posted about an hour later, the two-time NCAA national champion said he missed the last three drives because of his early bedtime. He did, however, offer brief thoughts on the previous night\u2019s result and the state of Trojan football.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a good way to end the season,\u201d the Fox Sports analyst said. \u201cIt is what it is at this point. Big offseason.\u201d<\/p>\n

Su\u2019a Cravens<\/a>, a USC standout at safety\/linebacker from 2013-15, also pointed to the next year as make-or-break for the Riley-coached Trojans.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother year goes by and yet we\u2019re marching in the same ole place of above avg football!\u201d Cravens wrote<\/a> on X. \u201cI pray to God this recruiting class and offseason squeezes every ounce of talent and work ethic out of this team next year. Because in my book, you either make the playoff next year or this was a failed experiment. Plain & simple!\u201d<\/p>\n

Cravens, who hosts Rams coverage on ESPN LA, added some constructive advice in a separate, and lengthy, post.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet more former players in the building coaching and showing these guys what it really means to be a Trojan!!!!\u201d he wrote<\/a>. \u201cLet practices be open again and allow every single media camera on the sideline and create that Pete Carol [sic] environment of competition! Pressure makes diamonds !!! …<\/p>\n

\u201cACTUALLY HOLD PLAYERS ACCOUNTABLE IN THE FILM ROOM AND BENCH THEM WHEN THEY REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKES!!!! Let\u2019s get down the core of the issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

LenDale White<\/a>, who won two national titles with the Trojans during the Carroll years, offered to be one of those former players to return as a coach.<\/p>\n

\u201c@uscfb i\u2019m ready to be on the staff it\u2019s time,\u201d the former running back wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cWhat are we gonna do???\u201d<\/p>\n

White also vented about the Trojans\u2019 Alamo Bowl performance \u2014 writing<\/a> \u201cDo y\u2019all ever practice tackling ever or is it always about offense?\u201d \u2014 and having to endure more than two decades without a national title.<\/p>\n

\u201cI truly don\u2019t even know why I\u2019m mad. I knew better lol. My fault!!!\u201d White wrote<\/a>. \u201cMaybe one day I can see them in the playoffs maybe one day don\u2019t look like no time soon!! and I hope I can eat my words.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former USC longsnapper Jake Olson<\/a> was asked on X for his thoughts on Riley and the Trojans after Tuesday night\u2019s collapse.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve made my thoughts on [Riley] pretty clear over the course of the season. Tonight\u2019s game, although reminiscent of the season, probably isn\u2019t the best measuring stick in all fairness,\u201d Olson wrote<\/a>. \u201cBut clearly there\u2019s problems\u2014problems that are still here from 4 years ago. Simply put, hes not it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olson continued<\/a> in the comments: \u201cExcept I will add this. It\u2019s alarming to see how clueless Riley looks at times. He has regressed so much, especially in play calling. For 11 mil a year, and for offense to be his \u2018forte,\u2019 it\u2019s become very sad.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Matt Leinart went to bed early. Tired from hosting family for the holidays and planning on rising early…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":115441,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[61634,61637,61635,61633,48184,423,48,52,51,61638,32698,47,50,49,61632,278,427,23138,22926,61636,72],"class_list":["post-115440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-alamo-bowl-collapse","tag-big-offseason","tag-brief-thought","tag-former-usc-player","tag-fourth-time","tag-game","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-lendale-white","tag-lincoln-riley","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-matt-leinart","tag-season","tag-team","tag-trojans","tag-tuesday-night","tag-x-later","tag-year"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115440\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}