Lincoln Riley used the phrase “agonizingly close” multiple times to describe the Trojans after a 52-42 loss to Washington at home on Saturday.

USC lost its third game of the year. The College Football Playoff hopes were effectively dashed when USC lost to Utah in Week 8. The Pac-12 title hopes were dealt a critical blow by the Huskies. The 52-point day marked the fifth time in USC’s last six games that an opponent has put more than 40 points on the defense.

Fans were calling for defensive coordinator Alex Grinch to be fired before the game even ended. Riley was asked in the postgame press conference if it felt like another generational season from quarterback Caleb Williams was being wasted. He was asked if he regretted his handling of the defense after the 2022 season ended.

He declined to speak on big-picture issues in both instances.

“Every week is its own season for us,” Riley said. “We were in the moment right now to try to go beat a top-five team here and we were agonizingly close. Maybe one holding call from getting that done. We’re just fighting like crazy every week to play as good as we can and not get too wrapped up in all the big-picture stuff right now. There’s too much left to play for.”

For USC to make it to Las Vegas, it has to beat Oregon on the road next Saturday. The sixth-ranked Ducks just beat Cal 63-19 at home — the same Cal team that scored 49 points on USC.

But just a win over Oregon won’t be enough. Because of the loss to Utah, the Trojans’ fate is in Utah’s hands. USC needs to go 2-0 over its last two and it needs Utah to lose a game.

Riley said USC hasn’t played well enough to separate. He said the Trojans have made some critical errors and they haven’t gotten the breaks that bounced their way in 2022.

“The reality is this team has all shared plenty in the wins and the losses,” Riley said.

Riley said the run defense — which gave up 316 yards and five touchdowns to a rushing offense that came in averaging 102 yards — wasn’t good enough. But there was no talk of Grinch.

“I’m not into the big-picture questions right now. My job’s to go try to beat Oregon next week,” Riley said. “I know as a head coach, it all falls under my responsibility and I don’t shy away from that — and I never have — but there are times and places for those discussions and those will happen at the appropriate times.”