Tuli Tuipulotu opens up on 'tough game' in PAC-12 Championship

This has been a great turnaround season for USC. Most of the focus has been on the offense, but the defense has talented players in its own right. One of those players is Tuli Tuipulotu, who is a finalist for several awards this season, including the Lombardi Award.

Ahead of the Lombardi Award, Tuli Tuipulotu spoke about the PAC-12 Championship loss to Utah. In that game, the USC defense struggled with the toughness of Utah’s offense. Ultimately, it was a loss that cost USC a shot at the College Football Playoff.

“We didn’t finish too good at the end of the fourth quarter,” Tuli Tuipulotu admitted.

“So, that’s why the score looked like that. But, man, it was a tough game for sure.”

Things did get out of control for USC at the end, giving up 23 fourth quarter points on the way to a 47-24 loss. In that game, Tuli Tuipulotu had four tackles. He had 21 tackles for loss on the season and 12.5 sacks, making him a candidate for the Lombardi Award, as the nation’s best lineman.

Tuli Tuipulotu was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2020. He has the potential to be a high NFL Draft pick but is undecided right now about his future. He was also named the PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Meanwhile, quarterback Caleb Williams won the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year honor.

Tuli Tuipulotu on USC getting back on top

During his time at USC, Tuli Tuipulotu has seen both highs and lows for the program. However, he’s confident that the program is moving in the right direction now.

“Bouncing back from a pretty bad season last year going 4-8, this year went 11-2, so I think we’re doing a good job of just trying to get us back up to the top. Coach [Lincoln] Riley has been doing a great job for sure of bringing us back to the top,” Tuipulotu said.