Lincoln Riley cuts off reporter, refuses to allow player to answer question after USC loses

USC opened its 2024 season with a dramatic, come-from-behind win against then-No. 13 LSU way back on Labor Day weekend.

The Trojans added another win and ascended as high as No. 11 in the AP Top 25 two games into their third season under Lincoln Riley.

But they were bullied on the line of scrimmage at Michigan last month in a 27-24 loss in which the Wolverines gashed the USC defense for 290 rushing yards.

On Saturday night in USC's trip to face new Big Ten Conference foe Minnesota, the Trojans initially were ruled to have stopped Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer's fourth-and-goal plunge from the 1-yard line.

The Big Ten replay center disagreed after review, and the Gophers made their 24-17 lead stand with an interception of Miller Moss to clinch the game.

During postgame, a reporter asked USC defensive end Jamil Muhammad, a sixth-year senior whose collegiate career began at Georgia State in 2019, if he thought that Brosmer had nudged the ball into the end zone for the decisive score.

"Jamil, do you feel like that last touchdown, they got in? For Minnesota?" the reported asked.

Seems we may never know Muhammad's thoughts; Riley wouldn't allow him to speak.

"Oh, don't ask him that," Riley said. "Next question. Who cares what he says? A player's opinion?

"Let's ask a more professional question."

Sure. No one could possibly want to hear the perspective of a player involved in one of the biggest plays of this young season. And, hey, Muhammad could have given a canned answer; the Big Ten doesn't fine its players, after all (not yet, anyway).

So, with Riley's demand in mind, how about this: What's wrong in the Land of Troy? 

After winning 11 of his first 12 games upon taking over USC prior to the 2022 season, Riley now is a meager 11-9 since that time.

His Trojans were favored to win at Minnesota, which already had dropped home games to North Carolina and Iowa, as well as a road tilt at Michigan.

That's the same North Carolina team that just got bushwhacked in a 70-50 loss to James Madison; the same Hawkeyes who hung 31 on Minnesota last month but were limited to a meager late-game touchdown in their 35-7 loss at Ohio State Saturday.

Why do the Trojans have losses of 23, 28, 10, nine, and 18 points among those nine defeats in their last 20 games?

Perhaps Riley would want to answer those questions.