USC safety Bishop Fitzgerald had a heck of a debut for the Trojans on Saturday. In his first game in Cardinal and Gold, the transfer from North Carolina State recorded a pick-six in USC’s 73-13 rout of Missouri State. While Fitzgerald was more than ready to play for the Trojans on the field, however, his interviewing skills off of it appear to still need some work.
In an appearance on USC’s “Trojans Live” show on Monday, Fitzgerald was asked about what he was looking forward to this season. His answer might not have had bad intentions, but it certainly did not come off well to USC fans.
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“Playing at Oregon,” Fitzgerald said. “Every kid dreams of Oregon, their jerseys, the stadium, all of that.”
If Fitzgerald had just said the first part, there would be nothing wrong with it. It is totally normal to get excited to play against one of the best teams in the country in a matchup if the West Coast’s two premier college football programs.
But to say, as a USC player, that “every kid dreams of Oregon?” That is the type of thing that the Trojans’ opponents are supposed to say about USC. Not the other way around.
While USC’s two biggest rivals on the field for nearly a century have been UCLA and Notre Dame, over the past decade plus, Oregon has emerged as the Trojans’ biggest foe on the recruiting trail. To say that “every kid dreams of Oregon” is literally giving the Ducks free recruiting material. You can already see the graphic on Dan Lanning’s social media—“USC star says he wanted to go to Oregon.”
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Was Fitzgerald’s comment the end of the world? Of course not. But it shouldn’t take a USC degree to realize that it was probably not the smartest thing to say.
As for the best way for him to make it up to the Trojan Family? Another pick-six at Autzen Stadium on November 22 would be a great place to start.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Wait, what? USC safety Bishop Fitzgerald praises Oregon in interview
