Lincoln Riley roasted for confusing timeout call

Apr 23, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans coach Lincoln Riley during the spring game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

USC coach Lincoln Riley left everyone scratching their heads Saturday with his bizarre clock management at the end of the first half.

With USC in possession of the ball at their own 44-yard line and time running out in the first half, both USC and Maryland players were leaving the field for halftime, with the Trojans ahead 21-7. Riley, however, had other ideas. He gestured his team back on the field and called his final timeout with one second left, leading the FS1 telecast, and presumably many others, to believe Riley wanted to take a shot at the end zone from about 55 yards out.

That was not the case. Riley sent his offense on the field to take a knee.

*USC calls timeout with 1 second left in the half*
*gets in victory formation* pic.twitter.com/MgGxQm3BfJ

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 19, 2024

Maybe Riley was trying to make a point. It’s not clear to who, or about what, but there weren’t many good explanations for such a pointless exercise.

The New Orleans Saints actually did something very similar to this on Thursday against the Denver Broncos. That was ultimately pinned on an assistant coach, but there is no disputing that this was all Riley. Maybe he was doing it in solidarity with Dennis Allen, but either way, it was certainly strange.

USC entered Saturday’s game at 3-3 following back-to-back losses against Minnesota and Penn State.