THE HOME TEAM locker room at AT&T Stadium was quiet. At first, no words were spoken, no music played from the speakers. Despite an 11-win season after a 4-8 year, there was no room for celebration. As pads came off USC players' shoulders for the last time in the 2022-23 season, tears surfaced.
The Trojans had been up by 15 points with less than five minutes left in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic but, with victory well within their grasp, they allowed Tulane to engineer a shocking comeback to win the New Year's Six bowl, clouding USC's incredible turnaround season.