Riley flags penalties as No. 18 USC holds off Washington 25-21

Lincoln Riley pointed to penalties as the biggest area No. 18 USC must clean up after a 25-21 home win over Washington sent the 5-1 Trojans toward a Week 6 trip to Penn State.

The USC Trojans held off the Washington Huskies 25-21 at home on Saturday night, keeping their strong season on track. Head coach Lincoln Riley had a quick answer afterward when it came to what his team needs to fix most: penalties, which he felt put the win in danger.

Riley has been in charge of the USC program since 2022 and has delivered several strong campaigns in that span, but a College Football Playoff appearance has continued to slip away from him. Reaching the playoff bracket now stands as the program's biggest challenge of the 2026 season, and the Trojans have opened the year well enough to keep that goal in sight.

USC has now won five of its first six games. The victory over Washington came in conference play and carried real weight, though the Trojans went through stretches that put the result at risk, and Riley addressed those issues in his postgame comments.

Riley called the showing far from clean. "Penalties was just massive in this game," he said, explaining that he felt USC had the better of the play for most of the night but that the mistakes kept Washington in the game. "We clearly got to do a way better job on that," Riley said, adding that there is "Lots to clean up" but also "Lots to be excited about." He finished by saying he was "Proud of the team" and "Proud of the fight."

Riley and the Trojans know what is at stake the rest of the season. The priority now is locking in and taking care of business across the remaining games, beginning with the penalty problems that surfaced against Washington.

The game itself was tight for long stretches, with neither side able to create separation. Washington took a 14-10 lead into halftime before USC grabbed control by outscoring the Huskies 12-7 in the third quarter, a surge the visitors could not answer on the way to the four-point final.

Jayden Maiava turned in an effective night through the air despite a handful of mistakes. The quarterback connected on 21 of his 34 passes for 245 yards, throwing one touchdown pass and one interception.

King Miller paced the rushing attack with 81 yards on 18 carries, and Waymond Jordan added 36 yards on 11 attempts with a touchdown on the ground. Zacharyus Williams led the receiving group with four catches for 78 yards, while Tanook Hines caught five passes for 51 yards and a score.

The No. 18 Trojans now prepare to leave home for their next test. USC goes on the road to face the Penn State Nittany Lions in Week 6, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 10.