USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley on Officiating vs. Minnesota: 'Number of Misses at the End'

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley revealed his discussion with the Big Ten after some questionable officiating calls that were made late in the Trojans’ 24-17 loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday night.

Oct 5, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley looks on during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley was not pleased with the officiating at the end of the Trojans’ 24-17 loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday night. Riley talked to the Big Ten office following the game to clarify why some calls were, and he revealed some thoughts while speaking to reporters after practice on Tuesday, Oct. 8.

Lincoln Riley Talks To Big Ten About Questionable Officiating

Oct 5, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Ethan Robinson (2) celebrates his fumble recovery against the USC Trojans during the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Trojans coach Lincoln Riley addressed the questionable officiating calls made during the USC Trojans' loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday night. Riley said he spoke with the conference after the game to get clarification.

“There was a number of misses there at the end; the pass interference that was called, the pass interference that wasn’t, the intentional grounding, and certainly the last play (Minnesota's fourth-and-goal),” Riley said.

The most notable call that had people up in arms was the final tocuhdown that Minnesota scored from the 1-yard line with under a minute to go. The Trojans appeared to have made a goal-line stand as Minnesota was marked down short of the goal line on the field, handing the ball back over to USC on downs in a 17-17 game. The replay review overturned the call, crediting a touchdown to Minnesota. The 24-17 lead proved to be the difference in the game. 

Riley was asked about the explanation from the Big Ten office on that play.

“The explanation that we got on the last play was that they believed, or thought that the runner had scored. They felt like that was enough to overturn it,” Riley said. “I have not been giving any explanation why we ignored the part of the rule that states to overturn something completely clear cut. . . . That part was ignored, which is unfortunate for us.”

Riley Says Officials Aren’t to Blame for Loss

Lincoln Riley iterated that the officials weren’t the reason for the Trojans' defeat on the road in Minnesota.

“We’re moving past it. It’s not the reason why we lost the game,”  Riley said. “We had plenty of other opportunities, and I’m not sitting here blaming the officials. . . . It’s part of football.”

Riley knows that USC should have been able to take care of business even for the calls that were in question. The Trojans turned the ball over too many times and didn’t put the game away when they had the chance to.

“There’s obviously a lot of things we can do better, need can do better, and expect to do better moving forward.”

On deck for the USC Trojans is a date at the Los Angeles Coliseum against the No. 4 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. PT on CBS.

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