USC, who entered the weekend ranked eighth in the country, shook off a slugging start to blowout visiting Colorado by a final score of 55-17 on Friday night.
But people most are talking about a third-quarter celebration that will be hard to forget.
The first quarter drew to a close with Colorado actually leading by the uncommon score of 3-2. But 24 unanswered points from the Trojans broke the game open, as quarterback Caleb Williams ran for a pair of touchdowns and threw for another in the second quarter as USC began to pull away. Kicker Denis Lynch added a field goal as time expired as the Trojans headed to the locker room with a 26-3 halftime lead.
USC continued to pull away in the third quarter, and this touchdown pass from Williams to wide receiver Tahj Washington set the stage for a celebration to remember:
Williams buys time in the pocket — something he does so well — before finding Washington downfield. The receiver turns on the jets and blows past the Colorado secondary for the score.
USC sent their field goal team onto the field for the extra point, with backup Will Rose serving as the holder. However, they had something up their sleeves:
Rose puts the ball down for a second, before pulling it and tucking around the right end for the two-point conversion. With the points secured, that is when Rose goes airborne, hitting the backflip in celebration.
A move like that needs a replay angle for sure:
While Rose’s teammates loved the celebration, the referees were not as enthused, as the flip drew a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
USC’s victory, however, did come with a cost. Late in the second quarter, senior running back Travis Dye had his left leg get caught under him on a rushing attempt, and stayed down on the field in obvious pain. As teammates huddled around him, trainers placed an air cast on his left leg before taking him off the field on a cart:
After the game, USC head coach Lincoln Riley indicated that he did not expect Dye to be back this season, while praising the running back: “There’s no way we’d be sitting here as a football team if it wasn’t for him,” Riley said. “He’ll be playing on an NFL team next year.”
Up next for USC? The yearly rivalry game with UCLA. That game could have massive implications for the Pac-12 and beyond, as both teams are vying for a spot in the conference championship game.