"Emotionally, it’s tough, man": Lincoln Riley "heartbroken" as USC blows another fourth-quarter lead vs. Maryland

Lincoln Riley's USC Trojans suffered a tough loss on Saturday against the Maryland Terrapins. Coming off the overtime loss against the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Trojans were looking to bounce back against the Terrapins. However, a final-minute touchdown handed them their fourth defeat of the season.

In recent weeks, USC has struggled to close out games, consistently losing leads in the fourth quarter. They were up 24-20 against Michigan and 17-10 against Minnesota. They had a 30-23 lead with three minutes to go against Penn State, yet lost all three games.

The story was the same on Saturday in College Park, Maryland. The Trojans held a 28-14 lead over the Terrapins in the final quarter but let it slip away again. This stretch of tough losses is hard to take for Riley.

"Heartbroken for the guys in the locker room,” Riley said in his opening statement postgame. “It’s been a really tough stretch. Emotionally, it’s tough, man.

"When you fight like these guys are fighting and put yourself in a position to win some of these games, do a lot of good things out there, but it just simply hasn't been enough."

Lincoln Riley in search of answers to the late struggles

USC has endured a frustrating stretch in their first month of Big Ten play, losing four close games by a combined total of just 14 points. While it looks like USC has found a solution to the defensive woes of last season, the late-game collapse has become a major issue.

This challenging period has left Lincoln Riley searching for answers, as he said he’s never experienced anything quite like it during his coaching career. Despite being competitive in each game, the Trojans have struggled to secure wins, making this past month particularly puzzling.

"Well, I don't like to compare just the end of games," Riley said. "It's just we've had so many games that have come right down to it in a row, and I've been a part of other teams that had other things that were kind of their thing that they had a hard time getting over.

"But yeah, I just think the one that's made this unique is just how emotional all of them are and heartbreaking the losses are. And it's like that over and over and over again. That's probably been the challenge.

Following the struggles in his second season at USC, Riley is once again finding it hard to get things together in his third season with the Trojans. The program’s first season in the Big Ten has been disappointing, with four losses and no chances of making the playoffs.