"But four years into his tenure as the Trojans' coach, Riley's once-sterling road reputation feels like a relic of a past life. Until USC won at Nebraska earlier this month, Riley hadn't beaten a team on the road that finished better than .500 since November 2022, when his Trojans toppled UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Otherwise, outside of L.A., USC's only road victory against a quality team under Riley came against Oregon State ... in his fourth game leading the Trojans."
"USC has been the best offense in college football when inside the Coliseum. But in four road games, USC is averaging 18 fewer points and two fewer yards per attempt on offense. Its red zone touchdown rate plummets 25%, while its third-down conversion rate drops 16% on the road. Simply put, by any measure, Riley's offense has been much worse away from home this season."
"That disparity starts at quarterback. At home, Jayden Maiava has been one of the best quarterbacks in all of college football this season. The junior has completed 74% of his passes at home and averaged 10.7 yards per attempt at the Coliseum, both of which rank top 10 in the nation. He's accounted for 18 total touchdowns to just two turnovers at home, while his quarterback rating puts him in the rarefied air of Heisman contenders like Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Ohio State's Julian Sayin."
Lincoln Riley previously built a strong road-winning reputation at Oklahoma, winning 17 of 21 true road games, but that success has eroded at USC. Through four seasons at USC, wins over quality opponents away from Los Angeles have been rare, with the only notable early victory against Oregon State. This season USC's offense is elite at the Coliseum but averages 18 fewer points and two fewer yards per attempt in four road games, with a 25% lower red-zone touchdown rate and 16% lower third-down conversion rate. Jayden Maiava excels at home with high completion and yards per attempt, 18 touchdowns and two turnovers, yet has not replicated that production consistently on the road, making the upcoming trip to No. 8 Oregon critical for playoff prospects.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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