Indiana Shakes Off USC 27-13 to Near Playoff Berth

He settled it with 3:30 left, a 42-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Becker. Wilson finished with 305 yards passing and two touchdowns.

"We've had a lot of close wins this year," Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. "But we always find a way."

Maiava's red-zone mistake

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava found his rhythm in the fourth quarter. He completed four passes for 81 yards on a drive that reached the Indiana 8 and threatened to tie the score.

Then he telegraphed an ill-advised pass. Isaiah Jones intercepted it at the 1-yard line with 6:35 to play. It was Maiava's third interception of the night.

The mistake fit a pattern. USC came in 95th nationally in red zone scoring percentage at 81.82 percent. Indiana's defense came in 17th in opponent red zone scoring percentage at 75 percent.

The Hoosiers' defense held down an offense that had scored 30 against Ohio State in its previous game. Indiana's own offense, by contrast, kept producing in fits and starts.

What it means for both teams

The win is Indiana's best of the season and might be its only ranked victory. Indiana against No. 4 UCLA (10-0, 7-0) is now the most likely matchup in the Big Ten Championship Game. A loss there should not penalize the Hoosiers, given the quality of UCLA's season.

USC fell to 7-3 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten, leaving the Trojans with slim Playoff hopes. They have not won a road game against a ranked team outside Southern California in a decade.

Their last such win came at No. 4 Washington in November 2016, in Clay Helton's first season as head coach with Sam Darnold at quarterback. The only other ranked win away from The Coliseum since then was over UCLA in 2022, the lone ranked road win of Lincoln Riley's tenure.

The loss followed a win over Ohio State, played without quarterback Julian Sayin. Back-to-back victories could have changed the tenor of USC's season and Riley's job security.

Riley said he is "absolutely" the right coach to lead USC. "We've definitely come a long way as a program, but we still obviously here got a little ways to go," he said.

"I believe in what we're doing. I believe in myself. I believe in our leadership," Riley said. "We will get there."