The USC Trojans came away with the win over the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, but some would argue there were two losers in that game.
After Colorado received a brutal beatdown by Oregon, the Trojans had their chance to kick the Buffaloes to the curb for the second straight week. Bo Nix and the Ducks had slowed down the hype surrounding Coach Prime and Colorado -- the Trojans could put an end to it once and for all.
Instead, the Trojans saw themselves scrape by with a 48-41 victory. The Buffaloes put up 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter; however, they came short of completing the wild comeback. After the game, Colorado can give itself a pat on the back for its strong offensive showing. USC quarterback Caleb Williams shined, too, but with the state of the Trojans' defense right now, fans can't be feeling too good about the team's championship hopes.
Williams finished with 403 yards and recorded a whopping six touchdowns against one interception, his first of the season. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders finished with 372 yards with four touchdowns against one interception; he also added 50 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
Looking back, this game should not have been that close from USC's perspective. Here are the best memes and tweets from those shocked by the results.
USC avoids humiliation in close win over Colorado
USC allowed Colorado to score on their starting defense? Can’t relate.
— emilyetaylor (@emilyetaylor23) September 30, 2023
USC beats Colorado 48-41.
— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) September 30, 2023
Both teams lose.
USC is letting Colorado come back pic.twitter.com/N3o3ZpLurq
— 𝙎𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙮 ⁶𓅓 (@itsdrakeszn) September 30, 2023
USC/Colorado was one of those games where the team that won probably feels a lot more concerned about where they are right now than the team that lost.
— Colb (@___Colb___) September 30, 2023
I was told it wasn’t possible for Colorado to hang with USC. pic.twitter.com/Dcz93h9YOl
— Locked on Sooners (@LockedOnSooners) September 30, 2023
Since 2010, there have only been two instances where the eventual national champion allowed 40+ points to an unranked team:
— Jack Smith 🎙 (@jacksmithpxp) September 30, 2023
Alabama @ Ole Miss in 2020
Clemson vs. Pitt in 2016#USC allowed 41 points to Colorado today and 564 total yards, the most in a game under Alex Grinch. pic.twitter.com/vMLCtNr53q
Up next, the Trojans will try and re-inspire some confidence in their team in a matchup against Arizona.