Zach Banner dropped to the turf amid the afterglow.
While teammates across the field mobbed Matt Boermeester, the junior kicker whose 46-yard field goal as time expired lifted USC to a 52-49 victory over Penn State in the Rose Bowl, Banner struggled to move.
“I’m on the ground, just fell forward,” the senior right tackle said. “And feeling feelings I don’t know how to describe. I cried my ass off.”
The dramatic finish capped an improbable season for the Trojans, who began 1-3, their worst start since 2001, before reeling off nine consecutive wins, including the dramatic comeback against the fifth-ranked Nittany Lions on Monday.