Caleb Williams and the Trojans nearly gave all USC students a heart attack after their game against Arizona. Down by 20 after the first half, feelings of despair were evident with 2 more quarters to play.
James Coomber and Brandon Fu, two seniors majoring in human biology, shared their opinion.
James Coomber: “You know after the first quarter and the first half, I was really feeling not confident in our team. Brandon and I, we work at the practices, we work the games for sports medicine and we kind of just we’re a little bit worried there.”
Daniel DeMeyer, a Trojan fan touring the USC campus, was livid about the Trojan’s defense.
Daniel DeMeyer: “I hate to say this because I try to be a good supporter, but I mean, the defense, they don’t even tackle. These kids have been playing football since they’re like five years old, playing pop Warner, tackling space, basic no matter what scheme, whatever. You’re not just not it’s that’s just crazy. So that’s a little you know, that doesn’t mean that’s not going to go down well against Oregon or Utah.”
Caleb Ouanounou, a Business Administration major, shared the same sentiment.
Caleb Ouanounou: “I was kind of, like, disappointed at the fact that we’re down by 20 at half because I mean, we’re like USC, Caleb Willimas, playing at UofA, it’s pretty disappointing.”
In addition to what many blame the defense, USC had a chance to win the game in the last seconds of the fourth quarter with a field goal. However, USC missed it.
Caleb Ouanounoou explains what went through his mind.
Ouanounou: “What the hell just happened? And this like, this is like, ridiculously, the game’s going to last forever.”
While there were many negative feelings, messages of positivity were still being preached. These were the words of Robert Westermann, a sophomore studying journalism. These were the words of Robert Westermann, a sophomore studying journalism.
Robert Westermann: “A lot of people were very panicked and worried, but I had a lot of faith in our team. I mean, there’s going to be games like that were, you know, the offense wasn’t all there, the defense wasn’t all there. But I think it’s good for you to see to have games like that, because when they play tougher opponents, especially in the second half of their season, which they’re entering now, they’re going to play some better, higher ranked opponents. So having the close games now is, I think a good thing.”
The USC Trojans are ranked number 10 in the AP Top 25 after their win against Arizona. Is USC’s narrow win a sign of a team of resilience and grit or a team that just got a lucky win?
For Annenberg Media, I’m Daniel Park.