USC vs Tulane

USC was ranked No. 4 in the College Football Playoff heading into the game, seemingly needing just one more win to make the playoff with a 12-1 record. After ...

Spears has proven to be one of the most dynamic backs in the entire country over the second half of the season with 1,376 yards rushing and 15 rushing touchdowns on the year, which ranks in the top 15 nationally for both categories. The result of that campaign was a Heisman Trophy for Williams, the eighth for a USC player and third for a Riley-coached quarterback in the last six seasons. With [Jordan Addison](/college-football/players/3162290/jordan-addison/) among the USC players opting out of the bowl game to prepare for the 2023 NFL Draft, Williams will be joined by underclassmen who might be helping the Trojans pursue a Pac-12 title once again next fall. [Utah](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/teams/UTAH/utah-utes/) in the Pac-12 title game. The Green Wave gave the Sooners all they could handle before falling short 40-35 in a game that saw Pratt score four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing), two of which came in the fourth quarter as Tulane came roaring back from a 23-point halftime deficit. 4 in the [College Football](/college-football/) Playoff heading into the game, seemingly needing just one more win to make the playoff with a 12-1 record. Pratt has 25 touchdowns to just five interceptions on the season, and his 8.6 yards per attempt ranks is tied for the best in the AAC and tied for 14th among all FBS quarterbacks. [USC](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/teams/USC/usc-trojans/) takes on No. This will be the first meeting between USC and Tulane in 76 years; the two teams previously played in 1931, 1942 and 1946. 16 [Tulane](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/teams/TULANE/tulane-green-wave/) on Monday. The Green Wave saw a nine-win increase from 2-10 in 2021 to 11-2 here in 2022, and in winning the AAC, claimed the program's first conference championship since winning Conference USA back in 1998. Willie Fritz, on the other hand, has been at Tulane since 2016 but similarly received credit for a dramatic one-season turnaround.

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Utah abused USC’s run defense in the Pac-12 Championship, and I think Spears is poised for a monster day as well. have had on the offensive side of the ball, USC’s defense has been one of the worst in the country. Williams has been pretty emphatic that he’s feeling healthy and will be a factor in this game. USC’s run defense fell apart down the stretch, so Spears could be in for one of his best performances to date. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The Green Wave defense has been nothing to sneeze at either — granted, it came against mostly AAC competition. Pratt added 10 rushing touchdowns to go with 25 passing scores and accounted for nearly 400 yards on the ground. Williams has reiterated that he will play in the game, but to what extent the injury may limit his role remains to be determined. The Trojans offense will be without their leading receiver in Jordan Addison, who caught 59 passes for 875 yards and eight touchdowns. Tulane did the unthinkable this year, turning a 2-10 record in 2021 into an 11-2 season and AAC Championship. For all the success Williams and Co. Pictured from left: Michael Pratt (7) of Tulane and Austin Jones (6) of USC.