One of the best feelings in life is to wake up the morning after an ultimate victory by one of your sports teams. It’s the exact opposite of waking up to a crushing defeat in a huge game, like the Utah game on Oct. 15.
Man, this had to feel good for USC players, who celebrated deep into Saturday night after their 48-45 win over the UCLA Bruins. They will wake up Sunday morning and will instantly realize that, yes, it’s real. It’s not a dream.
It’s the actual condition of their world and their 2022 season. They really did it.
USC players get to bask in the glow of beating UCLA. Notre Dame can wait until Monday.
Sunday is a 24-hour “appreciate and savor what you have done before the next big test comes along” zone.
No two USC players felt the weight of the moment more than Korey Foreman and Bobby Haskins.
Foreman, injured and unable to live up to his recruiting ranking and the hype which greeted his arrival at USC for nearly two whole seasons, produced a career-changing play which not only made his season, but validated his own perseverance. It was a classic “Fight On!” moment for “Agent Zero.”
Haskins has spent the past week grieving after the unfathomable tragedy which shook his former school, the University of Virginia. He knew the men who died in that shooting. A piece of Haskins’ heart was shredded and left behind in Charlottesville, though Haskins was in Los Angeles to prepare for this game, in which he played brilliantly.
Let’s take you through the powerful emotions and images of the UCLA postgame scene for various USC players, plus head coach Lincoln Riley: