Saturday Blitz
Fansided

USC football: 3 takeaways from heartbreaking Cotton Bowl loss to Tulane

By Connor Muldowney

Jan 2, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) walks off the field after the game against the Tulane Green Wave in the 2023 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) walks off the field after the game against the Tulane Green Wave in the 2023 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Jan 2, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Tulane Green Wave wide receiver Deuce Watts (2) runs with the ball after the catch during the second half in the 2023 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Tulane Green Wave wide receiver Deuce Watts (2) runs with the ball after the catch during the second half in the 2023 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Alex Grinch’s seat got significantly warmer

For years, Alex Grinch was known as one of the best defensive coordinators in college football. He was one of the main reasons Washington State was on the map, he helped turn Oklahoma’s defense around, and after following Lincoln Riley to Los Angeles, people thought he was going turn the Trojans around right away.

That hasn’t been the case.

Grinch has been very open and honest about his defense’s struggles and the Trojans had been getting gashed by good teams all season, ending in a Pac-12 title game loss to Utah.

With a month to prepare for Tulane and the Cotton Bowl, there was hope that he would figure it out but his Trojans gave up 46 points in a heart-wrenching loss. The Trojans were up 15 late and just couldn’t seem to get any stops, allowing the game-winning touchdown with under 10 seconds left.

Grinch is struggling, but I think he deserves another shot in 2023 but his seat got a lot warmer on Monday.

Home/USC Trojans