Khalil Tate has been one of college football’s bright spots in 2017. He came out of nowhere and wasn’t even starting during Week 1. Now he’s torching defenses.

He fell short against USC after helping tie it up at 35 in the fourth quarter.

But USC head coach Clay Helton and the Trojans didn’t let him wallow after the loss.

Clay Helton waited around to find Khalil Tate. When he did, Tate was crying and Helton was consoling him, along with other players pic.twitter.com/Xkl1IuKSTC — Connor McGlynn (@cmcglynn48) November 5, 2017

These things happen every week, and they’re always awesome to see. After beating Tennessee a few weeks ago for instance, South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley picked up Vols QB Jarrett Guarantano and offered him some words of support.

Tate played high-school ball for Junipero Serra, a southern California powerhouse. He was offered a scholarship by USC, with new coach Helton upgrading the offer from a chance to play WR to a chance to play QB.

Beyond that, real recognized real. USC saw Tate battle hard to bring his team back. Tate was largely bottled up, but did finish with 161 yards rushing.

After the game, Helton said Tate “honored his family and his city."

Football’s a game of intense passion and emotion, and losses hurt. It’s cool to see an opponent being there to lend a hand.