As Lane Kiffin walked off the field and into the tunnel at AT&T Stadium following pre-game warmups, he reached into his pocket and threw a piece of candy toward a group of USC fans who were jeering at him.
The sarcastic and seemingly innocent move would end up with a larger meaning after Kiffin's offense and Nick Saban's Alabama defense combined to trounce USC 52-6 in what was one of the worst opening game losses in the history of the program.
That candy Kiffin tossed before the blowout would be one of the only sweet gestures USC would receive the rest of the night. Their former coach made sure of it.
"They played up to their potential," head coach Clay Helton said afterward. "And just the cold, hard truth is we did not play up to ours."
It all began with what seemed like the perfect start.
When USC managed to turn Alabama's first five drives into four punts and a fumble, the game, albeit a lone field goal by the Trojans, was even for a moment.
Thanks, in large part to the defense that had a surplus of energy and aggressiveness in the first quarter, USC hung with Alabama. But suddenly, the physical clashing became too taxing, the bite the defense had began to wither and the offense never found its rhythm.
The sensationalized emphasis on technique and fundamentals throughout fall camp also faltered. Highlighted by Jabari Ruffin's personal foul kick that led to his expulsion from the game, the Trojans had the knack for penalties in the worst moments all throughout the night.
"My biggest disappointment," Helton called it. "When you have mistakes and you have missed assignments, and you have a costly penalty like we had, you have to take accountability as a coach."
After a short punt by in the second quarter, another penalty granted Alabama 15 key yards.
With redshirt freshman Jalen Hurts under center, that's when the tide turned, and back-to-back touchdowns followed.
In the second half, it just rolled.
"Obviously they made the explosive plays," said wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster, who only had one catch all night. "Our guys ran wrong routes, missed a block…just made mental mistakes."
Again, USC lost all sense of self. A blown coverage gave Alabama a 71-yard touchdown on its first second-half drive, and a botched punt on the ensuing drive allowed the Tide to tack on seven more for good measure.
In retrospect, Alabama played its game to perfection. It roped USC into a physical first half wherein the Trojans matched the intensity brought by the Tide. But the physicality eventually turned into a fatigue that made the Trojans slower by a second, weakened by a margin that was far too much to keep up with.
"We didn't quit, but you get deflated," admitted safety Chris Hakwins.
On offense, USC looked like a team without a plan, all the while seemingly searching for an identity they wanted but couldn't find.
In the midst of seven punts, the Trojans were 2-for-10 on third downs and 0-for-1 on fourth downs in the first half, averaging a less-than-ideal 2.6 yards per play. By the time the clock hit zero and USC players went to salute their former coach in Kiffin, they finished with less than 200 total yards.
"It gets down to a few big plays," argued starting quarterback Max Browne, who struggled and was replaced by Sam Darnold for a few drives. "You get those plays, it's a different game for sure."
The second half didn't bring better results, just another field goal. Sandwiched between Matt Boermeester's two kicks, Alabama scored 38 unanswered points. The kicks ended up being as meaningless as USC perceived the result to be.
"We knew coming in, win or lose, that our goal at the end of the year was to be Pac-12 Champions," Helton said as he opened his press conference.
"There's a whole lot more we can accomplish," said running back Justin Davis.
In essence, the result that was meant to be a shot of adrenaline to jumpstart the season ended up also being a cold, dose of realism poured out, clearly spelling out out the fact that USC isn't ready to compete with the likes of Alabama and other teams of playoff ilk.
"It kinda shows a lot," said Smith-Schuster on the game. "It shows who we really are."
It was a realization that wasn't unknown, but one that was masked under the veil of a talented roster. Pegged against the defending champions, however, that talent was tempered, and the foundations of fundamentals Helton has been wanting to instill in the team showed plenty of cracks.
It's not a game that defines or destroys a season, especially when Helton's first full campaign will inevitably be measured by what he does in the Pac-12, but it is a game that suggests and proves that much work at the hands of Helton's USC is still yet to be done.
Reach Staff Reporter Paolo Uggetti here, and follow him on Twitter here.
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