Miller Moss threw an interception in the third quarter, and the defense allowed two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, including one after a blocked field goal. USC lost another late lead, falling 29-28 to Maryland on Saturday, marking their third straight loss.
The Trojans (3-4, 1-4 Big Ten) have now lost their last four games by a total of 14 points, all after leading in the second half. They were ahead 28-14 before the game slipped away in a painful way.
“That’s the tale of the last several weeks for us is doing some good things, get a lead and we obviously just have not been able to finish these games,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said. “It eats at you.”
Michael Lantz’s field goal attempt with two minutes left, which could have secured the win, was blocked by Maryland’s Donnell Brown.
A crucial pass interference penalty on John Humphrey on the next drive allowed Billy Edwards Jr. to score a go-ahead 3-yard touchdown run with 53 seconds remaining. Moss’ incomplete pass on fourth down with 11 seconds left ended the game, and fans rushed the field to celebrate after the first meeting between the two teams.
Riley described the loss as a “tough one to swallow” after a “heartbreaking way to end it.”
USC safety Bryson Shaw said, “We’re confident in all these games. They come down to the wire, and you’re like, ‘How did that just happen?’ But full confidence. This hurts — don’t get me wrong. This hurts like crazy, but I know going forward that we’re going to keep fighting and that’s the only option we have.”
The Terrapins (4-3, 1-3) managed to overcome some mistakes that could have led to another disappointing loss. Instead, Roman Hemby’s touchdown run and the following 2-point conversion set the stage for a comeback, which happened after many of the 43,013 fans in attendance had already left.
Coach Mike Locksley joked that he might have left too, but he said those who stayed learned something about his team. “Let’s buy in that we can win around here and we can win big, and I think today was a step in the right direction,” Locksley said.
Edwards completed 39 of 50 passes for a career-high 373 yards, with touchdown passes to Octavian Smith Jr. and Tai Felton. Kaden Prather had a career-best nine catches for 111 yards, and Lavain Scruggs made a key play by intercepting Moss and returning it 51 yards to set up a touchdown.
“Billy continues to show tremendous leadership,” Locksley said. “Billy is a guy that’s a winner and this team will fight. He’s taken on the personality that we need him to have as a leader.”
USC continued to make mistakes, including an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Mason Cobb during the extra point that allowed Maryland to take the lead. The Trojans allowed Maryland to gain 429 yards of offense and are struggling to turn things around.
“It’s not about any kind of end result or whatever that may be,” said Moss, who was 34 of 50 for 336 yards with touchdown passes to Ja’Kobi Lane, Kyron Hudson, and Duce Robinson. “We said at the beginning of the year we were committed to each other no matter what, no matter what the result, and I think that holds true.”
