USC football coach Lincoln Riley is just having no luck against the Utah Utes. The head coach is now 0-3 against the Trojans' Pac-12 rival since Riley took the job in southern California before the 2022 season. USC lost to Utah 34-32 on Saturday, and the defeat left Riley with a sour taste in his stomach once again.

“As gut-wrenching a defeat as I can remember in my career,” Riley said with a sigh, per the Los Angeles Times.

USC struggled on offense for most of the game, but still had a chance to win it. Utah needed a last-second field goal to defeat the Trojans and hand USC their second straight loss. The Trojans got smacked by Notre Dame in South Bend the week before, losing 48-20.

Riley admitted there were “a couple of calls” he'd like to have back from this game and said there were a few too many mistakes that hurt them.

“We’re kind of in one of those tough stretches that you gotta go dig yourself out of,” Riley said. “This is when you get tested as a program. This is when you get tested as a coach and a leader.”

USC's struggles vs. Utah under Lincoln Riley

USC football, Utah football, Trojans, Caleb Williams, Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams (in USC uni) with USC football stadium in the background

In only his second season at the helm, Lincoln Riley has lost three times to Utah. The team lost to the Utes in both the regular season in 2022 and then went on to lose again in the Pac-12 Championship Game. That loss kept the Trojans out of the College Football playoff.

There may be some good news for the Trojans, however. USC and Utah are moving on to different conferences. Utah is joining the Big 12 and USC is headed to the Big Ten. It's hard to think that USC will be rushing to schedule Utah as a non-conference opponent once the two schools part ways with the Pac-12 conference.

USC's next game is at California on Saturday. The Trojans are now 6-2 and in need of a win to keep up in the Pac-12 championship race.  The Trojans still have top-10 matchups against both Washington and Oregon in the coming weeks. Riley has a message for those doubting USC football.

“I still know that there’s a lot out there for this team, even though some people will count us out,” Riley said. “That’s OK. There’s a lot left for this team.”