USC trailed Washington 21-10 at the Coliseum this past weekend when a chant started rolling out of the student section, loud enough to cut through the roar of a Los Angeles Saturday night: “Fire Lincoln!” The Trojans answered on the field, rallying to win 25-21, but the chant made clear that a win alone may not be enough to ease the pressure building around head coach Lincoln Riley.
A Furious Second-Half Comeback
USC trailed by 11 points before clawing back behind a defensive play that flipped the game: Jahkeem Stewart returned a fumble 48 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, according to the Los Angeles Times. Quarterback Jayden Maiava finished 21 of 34 passing for 245 yards with a touchdown and an interception, per the same report. USC outgained Washington 360 yards to 319 and controlled the ball for nearly 35 minutes compared with Washington's 25, numbers that reflected a Trojans team that found its footing after a shaky start.
The defense also showed signs of life in stretches, holding Washington to just 44 passing yards through the first half, the Los Angeles Times reported. Defensive coordinator Gary Patterson called the game from the press box rather than the sideline; Riley compared the move to repositioning chess pieces and said Patterson handled things differently because his former TCU staff knew the scheme better. Still, the performance wasn't clean throughout — Washington tight end Decker Degraaf broke through what the Times described as two feeble-arm tackles from the USC secondary on his way to an inexplicable 42-yard touchdown, a play that became a flashpoint for frustrated fans watching the tackling issues play out in real time.
Chants Erupt as Patience Wears Thin
The “Fire Lincoln” chant rose from the USC student section behind the team's sideline during the game, according to the New York Post. It followed a disappointing three-and-out to open the third quarter, a sequence that seemed to tip frustrated fans over the edge. Social accounts amplified the moment: the Post reported that the account BarstoolSC posted a nine-second video on X showing fans calling for Riley's job, captioned “3 and out to start the half. fire lincoln chants continue,” which the outlet said drew over 52,400 views within an hour, along with 247 likes, 45 reposts and 18 comments.
Other fan reactions circulated as well, per the Post's report — one account posted a graphic depicting Riley in a burning dumpster, while another user criticized the tackling with a pointed comment accompanied by crying emojis. A separate user took aim at USC's decision not to play longtime rival Notre Dame during the 2026 season, a rivalry the two programs have only paused twice before: during World War II from 1943 to 1945, and during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, according to the Post.
A Program Under the Microscope
The frustration in the stands didn't come out of nowhere. USC opened the season 4-0 but showed what ESPN described as concerning shades of inconsistency even amid the wins, with pressure mounting and the demand for a signature victory reaching a boiling point. Riley, now in his fifth year running the program at age 42, carries a 35-18 overall record into this season after the Trojans went 28-15 over the three years following their 11-3 campaign in 2022, ESPN reported.
The financial stakes attached to any potential coaching change are steep. The New York Times's Athletic reported that Riley's buyout is estimated at roughly $72 million, even as USC has poured resources into the program, opening a $225 million football facility and spending between $37 million and $40 million on this season's roster. The same report characterized USC as fielding one of the Big Ten's worst defenses despite Riley's hire of Hall of Fame defensive coordinator Gary Patterson, and noted that critics see familiar issues recurring in Riley's teams dating back to his years at Oklahoma.
Looking ahead at potential successors, the Athletic floated Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer as the name USC athletic director Jen Cohen would reportedly call first if a change were ever made, and also mentioned BYU coach Kalani Sitake as another possible candidate. Those scenarios remain speculative, tied to media analysis rather than any official USC action. For now, the Trojans sit at 5-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play after beating a Washington team that dropped to 3-2 and 0-2 — a result that bought Riley another week, even if it didn't buy him silence from the stands.
