Previously unbeaten Trojans lose to the Illini on final play

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. The loose ball tumbled through the end zone, slipping through one set of fingertips, then another, blue-and-orange bodies clawing desperately aside cardinal-and-gold ones.

- RYAN KARTJE

USC wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) catches one of his two touchdowns Saturday.

(CRAIG PESSMAN Associated Press)

So much had gone poorly for No. 21 USC all afternoon, from its struggling secondary to its stifled pass rush to its inconsistent quarterback, but at the most critical moment in its season thus far, here was a particularly fortunate twist of fate, as linebacker Eric Gentry punched out a fumble, and somehow, some way, safety Christian Pierce landed on top of it.

The late-game gift, with six minutes remaining, had come after a particularly frustrating afternoon. The deck had seemed stacked against the Trojans from the start of Saturday's 34-32 loss to No. 23 Illinois. Not only were they playing without two starting offensive linemen and their top red-zone target, they lost Kamari Ramsey, their defensive leader, to a bout of food poisoning just before the game.

Though, by the fourth quarter, a ravaged roster felt like the least of USC's concerns.

The rushing attack couldn't find room. Both lines were being blown off the ball, and the secondary was struggling to stop the bleeding. Then there were the self-inflicted mistakes, the same ones that have marred the season to date, and the clock management questions, ones that followed coach Lincoln Riley from last season.

But all those errors were seemingly erased in one fell swoop, as USC recovered the goal-line fumble, marched the length of the field and found wideout Makai Lemon with a rope to the corner of the end zone.

“We gave ourselves a great chance to win it,” Riley said.

After Lemon's score, the Trojans led, 32-31, with less than two minutes to go. Then just as quickly, hope faded into familiar frustration as USC's defense failed once again.