Lincoln Riley has a familiar reaction to USC's loss to Maryland

In another far-off college town, at the end of a nightmarish month spent traveling across the country trying to find new solutions, Lincoln Riley sat behind a plastic folding table with his arms folded, searching for a new explanation for the same familiar ones Questions.

His defiance had now dissipated and he lost after his fourth defeat in five weeks. His confidence, which had never wavered through six uneven weeks, had given way to confusion after USC lost 29-28 to Maryland, its most inexplicable loss yet.

This time even Riley knew there was no point in explaining away how close his Trojans had come. The same refrain would no longer be enough.

“It just wasn’t enough,” Riley said, shaking his head. “I have to get this team to play better at the end of games. I obviously didn't do that well enough. Clearly.”

Riley said he had never experienced anything like this in his years as a head coach. And certainly it's not often that a college football team of any size blows four fourth-quarter leads in five weeks and loses all four in devastating fashion.

This kind of futility had to be seen to be believed, not to mention a team that had visions of the College Football Playoff when this season, Riley's third season at USC, began. But USC (3-4) managed to defy those odds Saturday, blowing a 14-point fourth-quarter lead to a team that hadn't won in the Big Ten since last November.

“What makes this unique,” Riley said, “is how emotional they all are and how heartbreaking the losses are. And it's like that over and over again.”

The loss would put Riley under .500 for the first time in his career — and USC would have a difficult road ahead just to achieve bowl eligibility.

Maryland wide receiver Tai Felton runs past USC safety Kamari Ramsey for a touchdown in the second half on Saturday.

(Alyssa Howell/Associated Press)

This particular collapse expressed many of those familiar tones, starting at the start of the third quarter. USC was in control for most of the first half, despite another slow start, and had just recovered a fumble by Maryland in its own territory. When Miller Moss led the offense onto the field, the Trojans had a chance to extend their lead from two touchdowns to three, effectively putting the game out of reach.

All afternoon, despite rushing for 336 yards and three touchdowns, Moss had mixed in questionable deep passes, many of which were underestimated, with precision bombs, like his corner kick to Kyron Hudson in the first quarter. The redshirt-junior quarterback had been similarly inconsistent during the Trojans' losing streak, but on Saturday, Riley turned to Moss more than ever with a plan to put Maryland to the test. Moss responded by completing 50 passes, his second-most in a game.

The worst of those throws came at the worst possible time, as Moss forced a pass to Zachariah Branch, but it was intercepted. Maryland's Lavain Scruggs returned the pick 51 yards, and on the very next play Maryland scored and turned the game on its head.

“We had a unique opportunity right there to take all the air out of the stadium,” Riley said.

After that, even more opportunities would be missed. An immediate three-pointer by USC on the next drive paved the way for Maryland to push back down the field again. But cornerback Jaylin Smith came up with a huge play at the goal line, intercepting a fourth-down pass that seemed to put Maryland away again.

USC took a two-touchdown lead again and used a rare drive to lean on running back Woody Marks, who had carried the ball only a few times in the first half. Marks still managed 82 yards, and with less than 14 minutes left, Duce Robinson scored a game-winning score.

And Despite it, it wasn't enough. Not after Maryland drove 80 yards in 10 plays and capped a touchdown drive with a crucial two-point conversion that cut the lead to six. In total, the Terrapins totaled 429 yards, the second most USC has allowed this season.

Maryland wide receiver Kaden Prather catches a pass in front of USC cornerback Jaylin Smith in the first half on Saturday.

(Alyssa Howell/Associated Press)

Suddenly defeat felt within reach. Right on time, USC's confidence seemed to wane. Even after Maryland inflicted a fumble on USC at its own 33-yard line, the Trojans couldn't do anything with it.

The clock was down to the two-minute timeout when Riley sent his kicking unit to fourth-and-1. On the sidelines, he and his staff had been debating whether or not to try.

“It was close,” Riley said. “The book definitely says that if you have a six-point lead, you can turn it into a nine-point game and make it really, really difficult for them to win if you convert that. We felt really good about it.”

Until the Maryland defense fell victim to USC kicker Michael Lantz, whose 41-yard kick was easily blocked thanks to a clear protective attack from USC.

The script was largely the same from then on. A game-winning drive by Maryland aided by an unfortunate pass interference penalty. Then came a desperate attempt to catch up, which narrowly failed for USC.

And here again was the familiar epilogue, with Riley sitting between two dejected Trojans, trying to keep the faith.

“You just have to keep at it,” Riley said. “There is no magic cure.”

After four narrow losses in five weeks, USC's options, magical or not, are quickly disappearing.

“I know we will continue to fight in the future,” said safety officer Bryson Shaw. “This is the only option we have.”