Lincoln Riley reacts to Penn State players planting flag on LA Coliseum field

The USC Trojans and head coach Lincoln Riley suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions. After the game, players on Penn State appeared to try and plant a flag over the USC logo at midfield in celebration.

Following the game, Riley addressed the planting of a flag on the field at the LA Coliseum, explaining that he’s not focused on what happened after the game. Instead, his concern is what happened during the game.

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“I don’t get caught up in all that,” Lincoln Riley said. “I mean, that’s all stuff outside the game. We’re very proud of our program. We don’t take a backseat to anybody and that’s all.”

Video of the incident showed defensive back Audavion Collins holding a flag while multiple other players surrounded him and cheered while he attempted to plant the flag. However, it was broken up very quickly by head coach James Franklin, who took the flag away and made them stop.

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You can watch video of Penn State planting the flag on the LA Coliseum field, here:

Penn State players just planted a flag at midfield. James Franklin told them absolutely not. Too late. pic.twitter.com/gFi8ccKOI2

— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) October 12, 2024

“Are you kidding me? Huh? F***ing awesome!” Franklin can be heard saying.

For Lincoln Riley and USC, this loss to Penn State was their second in a row and third of their last four as it’s been a challenging first season in the Big Ten Conference. However, the Trojans did have a chance to upset the Nittany Lions in this one.

At the half, USC led Penn State 20-6. However, in the second half, the Nittany Lions made a comeback and tied the game at 30 points each late. At that time, USC had a chance to try and go score, but Riley was fairly conservative with the clock and the game went to overtime. There, Penn State won on a field goal and the celebration was on.

Ryan Barker, the Penn State kicker, hit the Trojans with a “Night Night” celebration, using his hands to mimic going to sleep in the celebration. It’s a fairly common celebration to use in sports when winning a game or when you feel the game is out of reach. In the NBA, Steph Curry using it is a fairly common sight. James Franklin, for his part, was also caught on camera embracing Barker, using some harsh language in the aftermath of the game-winning kick.

Next week, Riley and USC will look to rebound against Maryland in a road game. Meanwhile, Franklin and Penn State are going to put their unbeaten record on the line against Wisconsin after a bye week.