The Game

In the beginning, the fans were ecstatic, the players were pumped and the coaches were proud. By the mid third quarter the fans were defeated, the players were upset and the coaches were confused. 

What happened?

Let’s take it back. The Trojans and Trojan Family travelled down to Arlington, Texas for the Cowboy Classic that featured Southern California’s Trojans against Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team. The game had been planned for two years and I had tickets since they went on sale. The competition was fierce as the Tide boasted their title as reigning national champions, but the Trojans were eager to knock them off. The Trojan Family supported them which was evident as they showed up in spades. Cardinal and gold filled the magnificent AT&T Stadium as the Trojans were warming up. The stadium was buzzing with excitement and anticipation from both sides.

The Trojans came out of the tunnel, fighting and clawing their way on to the field. I had never seen them hungrier to play ball. They were ready. Finally, it was time for kickoff; the Trojans’ first drive was successful. There were two completed passes and the drive ended in a field goal. Trojans were the first on the board and up by three. The fans were screaming louder than I ever heard them.

On Alabama’s first drive, the Trojans held them to three and out. The drives continued. Linebacker Cam Smith recovered a fumble; the Trojans were on fire. By the end of the first quarter, the fans had witnessed some incredible football by the Trojans at 3-0 against the Tide. You could not have wiped the grin off my face if you tried. The vender selling peanuts told me to be careful three times as he was scared I would fall down the stairs from jumping up and down so much. I knew that if the Trojans kept playing this well I would have lost my voice.

The second quarter started fairly normal. There were a couple of incomplete passes by the Trojans, but little did they know the beginning of the end was near. Near the end of the second quarter Jabari Ruffin stomped on the groin of the Crimson Tide’s sophomore defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. Ruffin's penalty was the beginning of the end for the Trojans. Two plays after his stomp, Marlon Humphrey intercepted a Max Browne pass and returned it for a touchdown. Alabama became the leader with a score of 31-3 in the blink of an eye.

The rest of the game was fairly uneventful for the Trojans and also incredibly heartbreaking. The fans got quieter and quieter as more mistakes were made. Each mistake seemed to stem from the previous. The game ended with a score of 52-6 with the Crimson Tide destroying the Trojans. 

Alabama is an amazing team and no one can debate that, but the Trojans are not bad either. Alabama made the Trojans look unprepared, sloppy and downright bad. This was not their shining moment.

The silver lining in this very dark cloud is that the game did not mean anything to what the Trojans are trying to accomplish this year. While the entire Trojan Family wanted to knock the Tide down a couple notches, losing to the number one team only hurts the team’s confidence, which hopefully they can bounce back from. The Trojans still have a great chance at the PAC 12 and playing in the Rose Bowl an amazing accomplishment for the program this year.

While the end of the game left some fans bordering on tears, we must not forget the beginning. Yes, I know, it is the outcome of the game that matters, but the feeling that the fans and, I am sure, the team felt in the beginning is nothing to ignore. The Trojan family came down to Texas with full belief that the Trojans could take on the Crimson Tide and excited to have football back. Few would pay money to go to a game expecting to lose. The excitement in the stands at the beginning and the happiness gleaming from the players’ faces is something that I will never forget. While we left with our tail between our legs, we still left Trojans. The brutal loss that was experienced is no match for the Trojan’ pride. The fans will be back in the Coliseum again this weekend to cheer on their beloved Trojans and no loss will ever change that.