USC football players have to learn losers' role
USC FOOTBALL
After being upset by Oregon State, they hear a different tone in text messages and campus talk. Some is encouraging, some is trash, but they have to live with all of it.
Family and friends call to talk about the game. On campus, classmates offer their congratulations.
USC players are accustomed to basking in the accolades after a win. But what happens when they lose?
In the wake of last week's upset defeat at Oregon State, they talk about all the text messages and phone calls, the questions from fellow students.
Receiver Patrick Turner: "Family will always be like, 'It's OK.' And your boys will ask what happened. It's almost embarrassing. You don't want to get text messages or phone calls. You don't want to talk to anybody."
Safety Kevin Ellison: "I just got people who said, 'Keep your head up' or, 'Good luck next game.' It wasn't so bad."
Offensive guard Jeff Byers: "There are guys in my MBA classes who are huge fans. You can't be surprised when people ask you. We're in the spotlight, we came here to be in the spotlight.
"When you lose games, you've got to expect to answer questions about it. You want to talk about it when you win, so you can't pick and choose."
Defensive end Kyle Moore, who is from Georgia: "I get a lot of text messages from my buddies on different teams. A lot of them say 'It's going to be all right.' A lot of them, it's trash talk. Especially the guys from Georgia. They said 'How can you all lose to Oregon State?' Then they turn around and lose at home."
david.wharton@latimes.com
