USC played one of its best games of the season Saturday, and had arguably its best win under Lane Kiffin. They beat Notre Dame 31-17 in South Bend and nearly doubled the Irish’s offensive output. The game did not lack excitement, and it did not lack postgame controversy.
Trojans linebacker Chris Galippo said after the game that Notre Dame quit. During an appearance on 710 ESPN Monday, quarterback Matt Barkley agreed.
“I would agree with [what Galippo said]. I was shocked that they didn’t use the timeouts because we got on the field with … about seven minutes left, and I thought they were planning on stopping us and saving their timeouts for the end when they had the ball,” Barkley said.
“It seemed from our sideline and our perspective that they did give up. It seemed uncharacteristic of Notre Dame. I wouldn’t have wanted to have been on that sideline.”
Notre Dame turned the ball over to USC with just under seven minutes left. They were down 31-17 and had all three timeouts, but they chose not to use any. It’s hard to disagree with Galippo and Barkley’s opinions.
Naturally, USC is playing the PR game in response. Galippo’s Twitter account issued an apology for saying Notre Dame quit. Lane Kiffin reportedly called Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly to apologize for what his players said.
We get what USC is doing, and it fits in with the clean program perception athletic director Pat Haden desires. It’s also wise of the coaches and players to avoid rubbing in a loss when it comes to long-term rivalries. However, if you think Lane Kiffin isn’t privately celebrating the team’s victory, you’re crazy. This was a huge win for the program and he knows it. The apology also doesn’t suddenly make Kiffin a saint, either.
