USC Refutes Report Players Fought in Tunnel After Loss to Stanford

USC issued a statement to Bleacher Report refuting a report by TMZ Sports that two players fought in the tunnel of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum following USC's 41-31 loss against Stanford on Saturday night and had to be restrained by coaches and other players. USC Sports Information Director Tim Tessalone announced findings of USC's investigation:  

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"We have checked with multiple people who were in the tunnel after the game, including Coach Sarkisian, other coaches, security staff, players and other members of the Athletic Department and no one saw any such incident. There also were 50-plus members of the media walking up the tunnel with both teams and there were no reports of any post-game altercation."

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TMZ Sports reported two players were "yelling and pushing" before being separated, and coach Steve Sarkisian reportedly said, "We just lost the game and you two are fighting each other?"

The loss seriously hurt USC's College Football Playoff chances, especially with a difficult schedule in front of them that includes games against Notre Dame, Utah, Arizona, Oregon and UCLA, so mounting frustrations aren't a shock. 

Following USC's loss on Saturday, Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports noted, "For a coach who needed to get off to a good start to mute a lot of the growing skepticism about whether he can handle this job, this is one of the last things he could afford."