Some eyebrows were raised when Southern California backup quarterback Matt Koffler faded back into his end zone and unloaded a 97-yard bomb to third-string receiver Jay Soward to run the score to 48-3 against Illinois with less than 6 minutes left in Saturday’s game.
There were those who thought Tepper was upset by coach John Robinson running up the score. When Tepper was asked if he had glowered across the field at Robinson, he responded: “Stare through Robinson? I had bigger problems.”
Tepper was right. Chicago area product Quincy Woods was the next USC quarterback to make an appearance and he led a 51-yard drive that accounted for the final margin.
Morale booster: Senior captain Ty Douthard had nothing to say to the media after the loss. He didn’t show up in the interview room because, as captain, he said he had more important things to do. That included trying to rally players in the locker room not to give up on the season, said one source.
