Early in the week, UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson talked about his hatred for USC. Talked about his desire to repeat his 2021 performance and score 60 on the Trojans again. All the while, USC’s players stayed measured in their responses. The furthest they went was to say the Bruin would have to back up his words.
But after a thrilling 48-45 victory over UCLA at the Rose Bowl, the Trojans were done with staying silent.
“We heard all their stuff, but you can tell those teddy bears we beat them,” senior center Brett Neilon said. “We run L.A.”
USC is going to the Pac-12 championship game. USC is two wins away from the College Football Playoff. Both inconceivable a year ago. Both true. And USC is starting to find the swagger to match these facts.
But for returning USC players, there has been a simmering rage lurking just beneath the surface all season. They don’t let it out much, but when they do, you can sense the intensity.
Remember, if you dare, the magnitude of the defeats USC suffered last season. It wasn’t just a 4-8 record. It was Oregon State winning at the Coliseum for the first time since 1960, Utah and BYU at the Coliseum for the first time ever.
And UCLA setting a record for points scored in the crosstown rivalry, with Thompson-Robinson hurdling over tacklers and interacting with a USC fan at the Coliseum in stunning fashion.
“It’s not fun to lose at home and have people signing hats in the middle of a game. You see that, you’re like, ‘Man, people really mess with us like that?’ ” wide receiver Kyle Ford said. “If you’re from California, it’s also a big thing. I used to be 7 years old crying if we lost this game, and I wasn’t even on the team. We’re not crying today.”
If you think players from last year’s roster haven’t held onto and nurtured that pain, allow the understated team captain, Tuli Tuipulotu, to dispel that notion.
“I know everybody talks about this is the Lincoln Riley era,” Tuipulotu said. “But for a lot of the guys on the team, man, this is the revenge tour. We need to get our get-backs for a lot of the teams that disrespected us last year.”
So when quarterback Caleb Williams took a knee for the final play of the game, allowing the remaining 30 odd seconds to tick off the clock, USC’s players stormed the field in celebration. They held four fingers down to mock UCLA’s “fours up” signal. They ran across from the UCLA sideline, screaming in jubilation in the Bruins’ direction.
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For a team that a year ago had lost its identity, that saw half the roster get turned over, that had to integrate two dozen transfers and an brand new coaching staff, it’s been a remarkable turnaround.
But most important for what comes next, whether that’s just the conference championship game or something greater, USC has learned how to absorb a shot and not back down. A year ago, the Trojans folded under the first sign of adversity. After comeback wins over UCLA and Oregon State, the Trojans have proven to be a new team in that regard.
“Being down 14-0 and not even thinking about flinching … for us to respond like that, over and over,” Riley said when asked about the team’s improvement from August. “We keep talking about kind of the closeness and culture and togetherness of this team, and I think it was on full display tonight.”