The Results Are In...

USC Sports Talk asked which USC football player will benefit the most from returning for their senior season. The results are in, and the majority of fans believe defensive end Lawrence Jackson will benefit the most from his senior season.


LoJack will line up for the Trojans in his 4th season as a starter. LoJack needs to improve upon last years numbers where he tallied 47 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 interception, 3 pass deflections, and one forced fumble. Jackson's inability to produce big numbers last season can be partially attributed to the 3-4 defense that was instituted last season due to lack of depth on the d-line and an abundance of talent at linebacker. This season with Sedrick Ellis returning for his senior season and the presence of Fili Moala, Kyle Moore, and Everson Griffen on the line LoJack is poised to have a monster year. A year that could see him improve upon the 10 sacks he recorded in 2005.

Lawrence Jackson appears on the 2007 Bednarik Award watch list, the award for college football's defensive player of the year.

Here are the complete results from the poll:

1. 32% Lawrence Jackson
2. 29% Keith Rivers
3. 13.3% Sedrick Ellis
4. 12.8% Sam Baker
5. 12.4% Terrell Thomas

Check out our newest (and popup-free) poll

2007-08 USC Men's Basketball Schedule

The schedule for one of the most anticipated hoops season in school history has been finalized. It's a 30 game regular season, featuring 12 non-conference games and the usual 18 game Pac-10 Conference schedule (double round-robin).

This is what the non-conference slate looks like, taken from Matthew Kredell's blog (where you can see the full schedule):

Oct. 28 Sunday Cardinal and Gold (Exhibition), Galen Center TBA
Nov. 10 Saturday vs. Mercer, Galen Center TBA
Nov. 15 Thursday at The Citadel, @Charleston, S.C. TBA
Nov. 17 Saturday at South Carolina, @Columbia, S.C. TBA
Nov. 22 Thursday vs. ^San Diego, @Anaheim, CA TBA
Nov. 23 Friday vs. ^South Alabama/Miami (OH), @ Anaheim, CA TBA
Nov. 25 Sunday vs. ^TBA, @Anaheim, CA TBA
Nov. 29 Thursday vs. Oklahoma, Galen Center TBA (Pac-10/Big 12 Classic)
Dec. 2 Sunday vs. Kansas, Galen Center 11:00 A.M.
Dec. 4 Tuesday vs. Memphis, @New York, NY TBA (Jimmy V Classic, Madison Square Garden)
Dec. 8 Saturday vs. Fresno Pacific (Exhibition), Galen Center TBA
Dec. 17 Monday vs. Delaware State, Galen Center TBA
Dec. 22 Saturday vs. Cal Poly, Galen Center TBA
Dec. 29 Saturday vs. UC Riverside, Galen Center TBA

^ Anaheim Tournament
Home Games are in Cardinal boldface

The Trojans begin Pac-10 play on January 3, 2008.

We will preview the basketball season in a few weeks (once the football season gets underway), but for now I just want to make a couple of comments on the schedule. USC fans will get their first glimpse of the new-look Trojans in what looks to be an intra-squad scrimmage on October 28th at the Galen Center. Then, get ready for the roof to explode when O.J. Mayo makes his debut on November 10th in USC's season opener against Mercer University.

Be sure to make it to both of those contests because USC doesn't return to the Galen Center until November 29th. The week after Thanksgiving, which also happens to be Troy Week, should be really special. Thursday (11/29) USC hosts Oklahoma in the inaugural Pac-10/Big 12 Classic, Saturday (12/1) the USC football team will get revenge on fucla, and then back to hoops on Sunday (12/2) as USC hosts Kansas. Then it's off to New York for the Jimmy V Classic where the Trojans will take on the Memphis Tigers. This a very exciting bunch of games that will not only get the Trojans ready for Pac-10 play, but should provide them with a chance to earn some quality wins that will enhance their NCAA Tournament resume. When you include the tourney in Anaheim, 11 of the games (including both exhibitions) listed above will be played in Southern California. Man, I just can't wait. At least football season is only a month away.

Fight On!

Countdown to Kickoff: 31 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, the excitement is building as we are only 31 days away from the start of the season. Representing #31 for the Trojans this season is redshirt freshman fullback Stanley Havili. Havili spent his first season at the fullback position last year, that is until he suffered a season ending injury that forced him to sit out the remainder of the season. In high school Havili was an All-American running back, amassing over 2,500 all-purpose yards his senior year (including 1,500 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards).

Havili getting ready for fall camp.

Havili sits atop the depth chart at fullback and will enter fall camp healthy and ready to contribute. Havili looked very impressive during the spring running the ball and catching the ball out of the backfield. However he needs to prove that he is capable of being an effective lead blocker and that he can hold his own in pass protection to hold off returning fullback Jody Adewale. Look for Sarkisian to find some creative ways of getting his talented fullback the rock.

Fight On!

Countdown to Kickoff: 32 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we are now 32 days away from getting big things poppin' against the University of Idaho. Jersey #32 has been worn by many running backs, but none quite like the "Juice" O.J. Simpson...

The one major question on this year's USC team is how will Pete Carroll manage the dilemma at running back? I don't think even Carroll knows yet, but I do know one thing, there'd be no race if O.J. Simpson were here. All 10 of the backs competing for playing time would either transfer or change positions, and all of them are blue chip recruits and/or high school All-Americans. That's just how good O.J. was! He is, without question, the king of "Tailback U." Earlier in the countdown I showed why he was so great, here are the links: 67 Days 'til, 68 Days 'til.

Fight On!

Countdown to Kickoff: 33 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we are now 33 days away from getting big things poppin' and welcoming the University of Idaho to the Coliseum. Trojan legend Marcus Allen immortalized #33 by winning the 1981 Heisman trophy...

Marcus Allen was USC's last great running back of the 2oth century, beginning with Mike Garrett in 1965 , that led to USC being dubbed "Tailback U." As a fullback ('78-'79), he helped the Trojans win a championship in 1978 and opened up running lanes for 1979 Heisman trophy winner Charles White. He also had a great game against LSU in 1979, where the Trojans when marched into SEC country to once again demonstrate how USC does business. He then moved to tailback for the '80 and '81 seasons and went on to become one of the greatest ball carriers in the history of college football. The first picture above is his Heisman portrait from the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, IN. Allen's success translated to the NFL, where he won Super Bowl XVIII and was named the game's MVP. The second picture above is from Sports Illustrated on Campus, who recently named Allen the best Trojan athlete of all time.

Fight On!

Countdown to Kickoff: 34 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we are now 34 days until we get big things poppin' and welcome the University of Idaho to the Coliseum. Who better to represent #34 than senior running back Hershel Dennis, a favorite here at USC Sports Talk...

We said it here after his performance in the Trojan Huddle and we said it again after he learned that he will be granted a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA - Hershel Dennis is a BEAST. Everyone has their own opinion regarding the tailback position, and I've made it clear that Dennis is my preference for the starting job, but the one thing no one can argue is that Dennis is the most experienced of the 10 backs competing for playing time. He's also battle tested. Given all the adversity he's had to deal with, he's arguably the toughest and most resilient person on the team. Looking forward to seeing you back on the field Hersh, and congratulations on graduating, you make us all proud to be Trojans.

Fight On!

Countdown to Kickoff: 35 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we are now just 35 days away from welcoming the Idaho Vandals to big-time college football. Move over Albert Gator, Bevo, Brutus Buckeye, Ralphie the Buffalo, and make way for Joe Vandal...

I don't know what a vandal is, but I do like their mascot. Anyway, back to the game. This one's going to get ugly. I almost feel bad. Idaho's home stadium seats 16,000 and they're coming to a sold out Coliseum with over 92,000 very anxious Trojan fans. I can't wait for the Vegas point spreads to come out because I'm laying down an obscene wager before September 1st. The amount I'm dropping is probably more than the gross national product of many countries.

Fight On!

Pac-10 Media Day results

As expected, USC was the unanimous choice to finish first in the Pac-10 this season with Cal being voted second and a slew of teams after that that no one really cares about. Aside from the media jerk-off that spawns original questions like "who's the favorite this year", "how do you see your team performing", blah,blah,blah. Lets get to the real juicy parts, the memorable quotes. And this year, there were plenty. Here are a few. And what better way to start than at Stanford. Bottoms up!

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh:

"There's no question in my mind that USC is the best football team in the country," he said, "and maybe the best team in the history of college football."

Wow. That was some backtracking if I've ever seen some. His earlier comments about Carroll leaving could be true or could be a ploy to stop recruits from wanting to play at SC. At this point, who cares? Stanford has to visit the Coliseum and I guar-ONTEE that Carroll will floor it like Ridge Racer the whole game. Harbaugh and the trees won't shit right for a week.

Cal receiver DeSean Jackson:

"I don't know about all the talk...I mean, they lost all their receivers. They're a great team, a great program. But separating them from the rest of the conference? That's uncalled for.They lost last season to Oregon State and UCLA, teams we beat," Jackson continued. "That shows us right there they can be beaten. And this year, they gotta come to Cal. I ain't gonna support all this talk too much."

Hey douchebag, thats completely called for. You might have beat the teams we lost to, but I believe we beat the team that you lost to, Arizona. Oh, and I almost forgot. We beat the team that you play for, bitch. You must be feeling that concussion from last year because USC's 2007 defense will crush your nuts, after they smash your face. The next time you open your mouth, Rey will close it (and your life), permanently. This guy is garbage. Next.

Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson:

"They're as good a football program as there is and maybe should be playing in that league (the NFL) where I had so much success."

Well, thats a fine compliment if I ever heard one. Its gonna be a privilege seeing Sedrick Ellis plant Fruity Carpenter all over the warm Tempe grass. That to go along with the victory turkey after the Thanksgiving rape. There's nothing like taken (not given) vagina followed by some turkey and sweet potatoes. Mmmmm...

UCLA head victim Karl Dorrell:

"The reputation of this conference is there's one school -- and everybody else. The coaches in this conference, we don't like that."

Christ.Winning the NutJob bowl would have done wonders for your rep and the Pac-10, so congrats on losing to Bobby Bowden's worst team in like 80 years, asshole. You know what else coaches in this conference don't like? Coaches that hire felons who burglarize homes and carry guns. As much as we would like Karl Dorrell to stay a few more years, I have a feeling that Pete Carroll finally finishes this jerkoff once and for all. You can only run for so long, before December 1st finds you.

As usual, Pac-10 media does a brilliant job of telling the nation what they already know. USC will win the Pac-10 and other coaches simply masturbate to Pete Carroll and his God-given ability to recruit, coach, and destroy. Witness the beast in Southern California in 2007. Next stop: Fall Camp. Enjoy your weekend.

Countdown to Kickoff: 36 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we are now at 36 days until the Idaho Vandals march into town. Here is veteran defensive back Josh Pinkard, who will be wearing jersey #36 for the Trojans again this season...

The 6'1" 215 pound junior is one USC's most talented and versatile players, and has even been called the "best player on the team" by head coach Pete Carroll. Pinkard has the ability and trust of the coaching staff to play any position in the secondary, yet he isn't listed as a starter on the Trojans depth chart. One might ask, how can this be? Well, there are 2 reasons why he is not a starter: (1) the amazing talent and depth on USC's roster, and (2) the unfortunate knee injury that Pinkard suffered in the 2006 season opener at Arkansas. That injury gave freshman Taylor Mays an opportunity to get on the field, and now he's the starter, but it also kept Pinkard out of spring drills. Hopefully he's healthy (and sober) and will be ready to go. Fall camp is just around the corner.

Fight On!

Khaled Holmes Prediction

There are a number of media outlets speculating that Khaled Holmes, younger brother of former USC tight end Alex Holmes, will announce his commitment to USC within the upcoming days. I'm willing to go beyond speculating and say the Khaled Holmes is 100% Cardinal & Gold.


Last night at The Simpsons Movie premiere the USC Sports Talk crew happened to be in line with none other than Khaled Holmes himself. Sporting a USC sweatshirt, throwing up the Victory Sign, and telling his friends to Fight On! Khaled left me with zero doubt that he was born and bred to be a Trojan.

Here's a glimpse at what the offensive line may look like during the 2009-2010 season....
Matt Kalil, Martin Coleman, Kristopher O'Dowd, Khaled Holmes, and Tyron Smith. Whoever wins the starting quarterback job should book their plane tickets to New York immediately.

Double Feature

Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing two great movies in one day. The first movie of the double feature was the Nick Young documentary Second Chance Season. The USC School of Cinematic Arts had a free screening of the movie at Norris Theatre. The movie exceeded all my expectations.



I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The film delves into the life of Nick Young as he struggles to become academically eligible to play in the NCAA all amidst his family's continual struggle to cope with the loss of Young's eldest brother Charles Jr.. After a semester in one of Boyd's film classes you'll have to excuse me for not giving you a full in depth analysis of the film, senioritis is a bitch and my brain only functions at half speed during the summer. However I will say this, I recommend that any Trojan basketball fans, Nick Young fans, Washington Wizard fans, or anyone with a general interest in documentary films to see this movie. It really makes you appreciate the accomplishments of Nick Young as well as many other athletes that have to overcome so much adversity at such a young age.

I couldn't be happier for Nick Young that he has made to the NBA. And thank the heavens that Young made the correct decision to play for the Trojans and not the Ben Ball Butt Banging/Ball Busting/Ben Blowing/Bitch Balling/Butt Biting/Ball Basting/Back Blasting/Bitch Boy Warriors.

As for the second half of the double feature... I'll leave that up to RG3 to tell you how that went...


FIGHT ON!

"Second Chance Season"

I just found out about this yesterday (and I didn't get a chance to post this earlier), but USC will be screening the documentary featuring Nick Young titled Second Chance Season at about 7:30pm today. I am going to go check out, along with PCbestever, and we'll provide some feedback. I'll get to the countdown to kickoff later, sorry for the delay...

Fight On!

Countdown to Kickoff: 37 Days

We are almost a week away from fall camp, which starts Monday August 6th, and 37 days away from the season opener. Representing number 37 on our Countdown to Kickoff is the Norco High School linebacker turned fullback, Jordan Campbell. Campbell will enter fall camp ripped and ready to compete.



Campbell will add much needed to depth to a position that bolstered only one scholarship player this spring. Campbell was expected to back up Stanley Havili this season, however with the return of former USC fullback Jody Adewale, it is unclear as to how much PT Campbell can expect to see this year. With Havili's athleticism, talent, hands and blocking ability and Adewale's experience look for Campbell to find himself at the bottom of the depth chart once fall camp starts. Luckily for him Carroll is all about competition. In just a few more days Campbell will have his shot to show the coaching staff what he's capable off.

Best of luck to Campbell in the upcoming season....

FIGHT ON!

Update

Well, there have been some details on the arrest of UCLA WR coach/thug/key recruiter Eric Scott. I'm pretty sure everyone has heard through the LA Times of his previous arrests and convictions, which include a concealed weapons charge and disturbing the peace. We won't go any further into the actions of house thieves and criminals from Westwood, but I came across this post from EDSBS and I know you all will find it funny.

We will have a full write-up on Pac-10 Media Day later tonight. Enjoy the rest of your day. As usual, Fuck the Bruins. .......And remember to lock up your homes.

UCLA WR Coach ARRESTED

According to CBS Top Stories, UCLA WR coach and recruiter Eric Scott was arrested, along with two other suspects, for attempting to burglarize a home Tuesday morning. Yes, you heard that correctly. UCLA's squeaky clean program has a coach who tried to break into someone's home in daylight and commit theft. I don't know where to start.

Its one thing to have young college kids make mistakes, even bad ones at that, but to have coaches commit crimes sends quite some message. Interestingly, Eric Scott is a key recruiter for UCLA's joke of a football program, and I can expect commits and their parents to think twice about where they send their sons to play football. Unfortunately, this might be one of the last straws for Karl Dorrell, which is unfortunate because the expectations are quite high this year for the vastly overrated Bruins.

And for this to happen 2 days prior to Pac-10 media day? Wow. Anybody think Dorrell has a gun in his mouth right now? But in the end, who gives a rats ass? I am just glad we have Coach Carroll and his awesome staff and not a bunch of thug coaches calling plays.Have fun with this one, guys. Fight On! Fuck the Bruins.

Countdown to Kickoff: 38 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we are now at 38. In just over a month, we will see "Big Balls" Pete Carroll roaming the sidelines again as he guides the best team in the land to glory...

Fight On!

Breaking News: TE Ayles Commits to SC

According to Rivals recruiting service, Orange Lutheran TE Blake Ayles has officially committed to USC over Arizona State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and UC-Los Angeles. Ayles was a 4-star recruit, but is one of the premier tight ends in the country, which is evident by all the elite schools recruiting him (except UC-Los Angeles).

The good times keep rolling.....

Countdown to Kickoff: 39 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we are now 39. This post is another chance for me to say fucla, what better way then by presenting to you the Finger Fountain...

Or better yet, how about this bruin fans?

Fight On!

Some Late Afternoon Coffee

This past weekend was on fire with sports stories and news from around the country, so here goes.

David Beckham made his much anticipated debut with the L.A. Galaxy and the reception was as warm as can get. A party hosted by Will Smith and Tom Cruise to follow? Although it was quite funny to see all the amateur soccer fans, myself included, stand when Beckham entered the game as if he would make an impact the moment he touched the ball. The man is golden and I am buying that jersey. We'll wait and see if he can lead the Galaxy to the playoffs.

The NBA's worst nightmare has been realized when allegations surfaced that an NBA referee fixed games, which included some he actually refereed. NBA basketball is going to take a huge hit, as if the ratings weren't already low enough. This is more bad news for all of sports. Dog fighting in the NFL, NBA referees fixing games, steroids in MLB baseball, what the fuck? With all the cheating and crap going on in sports, who is gonna shell out money to see these clowns?

As reported by Yahoo! news, Zoey the Chihuahua saved a baby from a rattle snake. Now, thats a story I wanna hear about.

Another great episode of Entourage with E and Vince getting into it again with another movie. Walsh and Eric are not square and we'll have to see what Drama does with Sandy Koufax's jersey.

Former Trojan Troy Polamalu is making bank, as he is now the NFL's highest paid safety.

Countdown to Kickoff: 40 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we are now at 40. We're that much closer to seeing the majestic Traveler, USC's official mascot...

How fun is it at USC home games when the Olympic torch of the Coliseum is lit, and then Traveler rides out to signal the start of the 4th quarter. The magnificent white horse has been getting Trojan players and fans pumped since he made his debut in 1961. Legend has it that O.J. Simpson decided to attend USC after seeing Traveler on a televised football game. I just hope fans stick around for the 4th quarter of games this season to see him. There won't be many close games this year, at least not at home...

Fight On!

Grootegoed Still Ballin

Former USC great Matt Grootegoed displayed his great tackling skills this Saturday as his Calgary Stampeders defeated the Toronto Argonauts 33-10. Grootegoed's "textbook" tackling earned him a spot in SportsCenters Top 10 Plays when he leveled an opposing player.

Countdown to Kickoff: 41 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we have arrived at 41. Wearing #41 for the Cardinal and Gold this season is senior linebacker Thomas Williams.

T-Will is one of the most experienced and versatile players on the team. He can play all 3 linebacker positions (Middle, Strong, Weak), is a key member of the special teams units, and has even played some fullback. Williams capped off a great spring with an impressive performance in the Trojan Huddle spring game. When Brian Cushing sat for most of the spring with injuries, Williams showed that he can step in at any time and the defense will not miss a beat. At 6'3" 235 lbs., Thomas is an imposing player, and is a punishing tackler who loves contact. He plays with great energy and emotion, and without question, is one of the team's emotional leaders. I love the face paint he uses too, you know that stuff intimidates the hell out of the opposition. Thomas Williams is one of my favorite players on the team and I am very much looking forward to seeing this guy perform this season.

Fight On!

Countdown to Kickoff: 42 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we have arrived at 42. All football fans should know who the greatest player ever to wear #42 is, USC legend Ronnie Lott...

Lott was a star at every level: he prepped at Eisenhower High School in Rialto, CA (which I'm sure makes PCbestever proud), became an All-American at USC, and was a 4-time Super Bowl champion with the San Francisco 49ers. He was also tough as nails (just check out this video) and is still widely regarded as the hardest hitter ever to play the game.

Fight On!

Idaho Blows.... According to Maddox

In my last post regarding the University of Idaho, I stated that I almost feel guilty talking shit about the Mighty Vandals. However, after reading "Idaho Blows," from The Best Page in the Universe I don't feel so guilty anymore. Maddox takes on the entire state of Idaho calling it, among other things, "the most boring state in the union."

He even questions whether or not Idaho is worthy of being a state...

According to the 2004 Census report, Idaho's population is 1,393,262. Just for comparison, there are 1,970,000 cows in Idaho. New rule: if your state has more cows than people, you don't get to be a state anymore.

The article speaks for itself. Check it out.

Husker WR Reinstated

According to ESPN, Nebraska wide receiver Maurice Purify has been reinstated to the Nebraska program after pleading no contest to assault charges. He was sentenced to a year probation and fined $1250. He will also undergo some internal discipline from the team as well. However, he is suspended for the season opener against Nevada, but will be eligible and suited up to play against Southern California in week 3.

Who didn't see that coming? Let the hype (and hating) begin.

Countdown to Kickoff: 43 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we have now arrived at 43. Current Trojan linebacker Kaluka Maiava and former Trojan and 2003 1st round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers Troy Polamalu are two recent players who have proudly worn jersey #43...

Maiava is a 6'0" 225 pound junior linebacker and is a key special teams performer and will be the top backup at the Will, or weakside, linebacker spot behind the All-World Keith Rivers.

Polamalu is a Trojan legend and was one of the key players who helped Pete Carroll restore glory at USC. Now he flourishing in the NFL and is without question one of the best defensive backs in the league.

Fight On!

Countdown to Kickoff: 44 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we have arrived at 44. The representative for this post is USC's Heritage Hall...

At its best during the holidays, Heritage Hall is home to the USC Athletics Department, and is a remarkable sight. It is a must see for those who haven't had the luxury of witnessing its glory firsthand.

Fight On!

Snoop on Les Miles

100 % Injury Rate (via our friends over at TrojanWire) reports that our very own USC supporter Snoop Dogg had some.....uhhh, should I say, strong, words for Les Miles. On a Los Angeles radio station, Snoop addressed the comments made by Les Miles by saying this:

"Who the fuck is Les Miles?"

"The SEC, we done played Arkansas last year Les, tore they ass up by 40 Les, they won your division last year, Les, bitch-ass motherfucker."

Not only that, but Snoop clowns on Les Miles again by saying that Nick Saban is the reason for LSU being a legit program. Our boy Snoop D-O-Double G even takes it a step further by saying what everybody at Troy already knows:

"Man, we're USC. We get Heismans like my crew gets pussy -- whenever we want to."

Well said, Snoop, well said. Click here for audio commentary courtesy of Gump4Heisman.

Derozan Video

Nice video containing highlights of USC commit Demar Derozan at the Pangos All-Star tournament...



Video courtesy of Vootage.com

The video also has a few highlights of USC prospect Jordan Hamilton, a 5-star small forward from Dominguez High School.

Tourney Tim is getting it done!

Its Almost Time

Seriously, do these clowns have anything better to do than hate on proven winners. This is the most pathetic thing I have ever seen. Lobbying the NCAA to punish their rivals? Its sad that UCLA can't do it themselves and win a Pac-10 title on their own, but rather need a committee of douchebags to do it for them. However, most UCLA fans feel they have the talent and the experience to compete this year. If thats the case, December 1st is time to put up or shut up. In the Coliseum this year. Right now, UCLA is calling 1-800-NCAA but on December 1st, the only number I can see them calling is 9-1-1. Bitches.

Another bowl forecast, this time from College Football Poll's computer rankings. As expected, USC and LSU are predicted to clash in the BCS National Championship. However, they also predict Ohio State to face....yep, you guessed it. UCLA. I won't even get into the one million reasons why UCLA won't be there, but one of the things I look forward to this season is the disappointment from the Scum of Westwood. When their team falls short of the 8-11 wins predicted by many publications, and they will, the joy on my face will look like Christmas morning. December 1st can't arrive soon enough. Pete Carroll and our NFL defense will have an early Christmas present for Karl Dorrell and his band of misfits.

Anyhow, the hype is starting to gain momentum a full 40+ days before the season starts, and I have few worries about this year's team. Unlike last year's team or the year before, the essentials are in place to make a run. And by that I mean an experienced quarterback and a solid defense. Wide receivers are new, but they are more than capable. Running backs are still unsettled, but I am confident that things will be settled by the end of August training camp, especially with the re-emergence of Herschel Dennis. Booty is healthy, experienced, and ready to go. We have the talent, the coaching, the experience, and the hunger to obliterate every team that steps onto the field with us. Pete Carroll himself has said on multiple occasions that this defense is the fastest, strongest, most aggressive defense he has coached. The offense returns a monster line, a Heisman worthy quarterback, and the talent at wide receiver that is necessary for a great run this year, not to mention a competent offensive coordinator. While they still have to prove it on the field, Carroll's coaching and previous accomplishment speaks for itself. This team has the ability to be one of the greatest college football teams to play the game, especially during one of the best college football runs in history. The only thing that can stop this team is itself, which is very possible (see UCLA & Oregon State loss). All I can say now is that its the best time to be a Trojan and this season will be very fun to watch all the way to The Big Easy. Fight On! Fuck UCLA!

Countdown to Kickoff: 45 Days

As we continue our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, #45 brings us to a tribute to one of the top reasons why it is great to be a Trojan: the USC Song Girls. Needless to say, the Song Girls sure know how to raise spirits at the football and basketball games. Almost all of these ladies fall under the category of "Ball Honeys," which is usually only reserved to describe the hottest of the hotties.

The Song Girls have been a part of the USC athletic tradition since 1967 and they are one of the most recognizable dance groups in the world. The Song Girls have participated in many outside events such as a guest appearance on the hit television series The O.C., or chilling with Three Six Mafia in Mexico on HollyHood and many other events.

While all of the Song Girls are "cover girl" material, I personally have two favorites. I consider these two girls to be the definition of perfection. The first is Ms. Natalie Fujii, who was a part of the squad from 2003-2005.

Wow. Here's another one of my favorites, Ms. Teni Panosian. She was part of the squad from 2005-2007.

Holy shit. These girls are HOT. I'm going to throw in this other picture just for good measure. This was taken from the 2007 Rose Bowl annihilation of Michigan. The infamous "upskirt" picture is seen here:

I figured that this picture was assworthy of including in this post. After much debate and ballistic expert analysis, I have concluded that this perfect upskirt belongs to Song Girl Megan from the 2006 Squad.

In short, the Song Girls make every sporting event they cheer at much more enjoyable. They know how to get the crowd's attention and they add that extra motivation to go to the games, even when you know USC is going to win by 50 points. It sure is good to be a Trojan.

Countdown to Kickoff: 46 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we have arrived at 46. Wearing #46 for the Trojans is redshirt freshmen outside linebacker Michael Morgan, AKA Slim. A 4-star recruit out of Dallas, TX, the 6'2" 200lb Morgan was given the nickname Slim by linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr.


Last year Morgan suffered a back injury that sidelined him for the season. I'm not sure as to whether or not Morgan's back is 100%, (if anyone has any info feel free to give me an update). I know he did not fully participate in spring ball. I recall watching him run laps around Howard Jones during the final spring scrimmage.

Morgan is currently listed 3rd on the depth chart at the Will linebacker spot behind Keith Rivers and Kaluka Maiava. If healthy, Morgan should get plenty of pt on special teams this season. Morgan will likely get some reps at linebacker in the Idaho game and many other blowout games.

FIGHT ON!

Ron Artest: Humanitarian

The NBA suspended Ron Artest this week for the first 7 games of the 2007-2008 season for pleading no contest to a domestic violence charge back in March. Artest could not be immediately reached for comment because he was on a humanitarian mission in Kenya. Ron Artest, yes, this Ron Artest, is in Kenya according to ESPN.com

Artest left the country last week as part of an NBA Players Adssociation convoy spearheading a "Feeding One Million" drive, which calls for the traveling party to distribute 11 million pounds of rice to the needy in Kenya.

I'm a fan of Artest and this news shows the human side of arguably the best defender in the NBA (fuck Bruce Bowen). Artest replied to an email sent by ESPN with a short message apologizing to his family, teammates and fans for his involvement in the domestic violence dispute with his wife and also attached a slew of pictures from his travels.

Artest comments how:

"I am doing many positive things this summer. ... Me, Maurice Evans, Theo Ratliff and Etan Thomas are holding HIV babies and walking around in the slums where kids have no running water or electricity and no shoes on their feet, feeding rice and beans to kids."

Artest goes on to mention that he's planning on buying a house in Kenya so he can "travel back in the summers and help out in the slums."

This guy is a beast. Not only is he an accomplished basketball player, a recording artist and one of the chief engineers behind the Malice at the Palace, but he is classy humanitarian. I applaud Artest's actions this summer and I hope to see him back in form with the Sacramento Kings next season. Other athletes should take a page out of Artest's book and do something positive with their time and money, especially baseball players. Those assholes get paid WAY too much money.

Weekend Wrap

• Gary Sheffield is accusing Joe Torre of racism because he claims black players get treated differently than white players, but not Derek Jeter, who happens to be a mix of black and white. I could never expect this from a winner like Torre, but I am more surprised to see no one publicly defend Joe Torre. What do you all think?

• Scott Wolf reports in his open forum that USC is recruiting Julio Jones, a dominating wide receiver from Alabama. For a second, it was hard to believe USC wasn't recruiting such a dominant wide receiver.

• We engaged in some beer talk over the weekend on how fast Ronald Johnson will get into the mix at wide receiver. We are all in agreement that he will definitely see the field alot; call us crazy, but a few of us are hyping this guy to start sometime this season. Watch out Me-Dal Hazelton!!

• Another great episode of Entourage and E finally got some clean shots on Billy, which made me quite happy. But that sparked another problem...how are they gonna make the next movie if director and producer can't get along? And is Ari gonna rekindle his lust with Dana Gordon sometime soon. That chick is deceivingly hot. Seriously.

And tickets have officially gone on sale for the much anticipated release of this.

Countdown to Kickoff: 47 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we have arrived at 47. Junior linebacker Clay Matthews will be wearing jersey number 47 for the Trojans this season...

The 6'3" 230 pound linebacker comes from a strong football pedigree. His grandfather Clay Sr. played football at Georgia Tech and in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers. His father Clay was a 4 year letterman linebacker at USC (1974-1977), a member of the 1974 national championship team, an All-American selection in 1977, and played 19 seasons in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns (1978-1993) and Atlanta Falcons (1994-1996). His uncle Bruce Matthews was an All-American offensive lineman at USC in 1982, and was a 14-time Pro Bowler in the NFL as a member of the Houston Oilers franchise.

Clay Matthews (the third) certainly has the bloodlines to be great. The former walk-on earned himself a scholarship in 2006 and should be ready to become a key contributor this season, not only on special teams (a.k.a. White Nation), but also provide solid depth at strong-side linebacker. As long as he stays away from social websites like facebook and myspace, he should be fine. Though I was not offended by Coach McNair and other USC players referring to a group of student-athletes as "white nation" (it was actually pretty amusing because I recall the days when we used to kid around with teammates about each other's race in high school), it's clear to me why it was offensive. This was something that should have been kept under wraps and was just a poor case of judgment by Matthews and Co. But we're all past that now (except for those losers at BN) and it's time to look forward to seeing this guy on the field.

Fight On!

Countdown to Kickoff: 48 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we are now at 48. The feature of this post will be new offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who will assume full play-calling duties this season after fellow co-offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin accepted the head coaching job with the Oakland Raiders...

Sarkisian, age 33, has rapidly risen up the coaching ladder during his young career. Coach Carroll has always spoken highly of Sarkisian, and I'm anxious to see how he handles the USC offense. He has spent the past two seasons as co-offensive coordinator, along with Kiffin, but it was Kiffin who called the plays. However, both men, along with Carroll, were heavily involved in the game-planning for each game. Sark is more than capable though, and I strongly believe that he will excel in his new role. Sark played for former USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow at BYU and had great success there. He then worked alongside Chow at USC, so he has a pretty good grasp on the offensive system and philosohpy that has been kept intact following Chow's departure 2 years ago. Sark also got the chance to work under NFL offensive mastermind Norv Turner when he was the QB Coach with the Oakland Raiders in 2004. Clearly he has the credentials, now it's time to see him apply what he has learned.

It's no secret here at USC Sports Talk that I was not very fond of Kiffin's style or play-calling. I was quite happy to hear that he was leaving to coach the Raiders. I have nothing against the man personally, he seems like a honorable person, but I'm glad Sarkisian is in charge of the offense now. Maybe Kiff was spoiled in 2005 by having all-world talent and quite possibly the greatest offense in college football history. It seemed that he could just pick a play out of a hat and then Bush and Leinart would do the rest. When 2006 rolled around, USC was breaking in a new backfield, but the offense still had big time players like Dwayne Jarrett, Steve Smith, Ryan Kalil, and Sam Baker. Yes they were inexperienced, but there was no reason for the offense to sputter the way it did last year. Kiffin's substitutions and personnel groupings would often tip his hand to the opponent and made USC's offense often times predictable. If you don't believe me, just look at last season. When Jarrett and Smith exited the game for a play and were replaced by Patrick Turner and Brad Walker, 99 times out 100, the ensuing play was a run. I can go on forever, but let us not forget the worst substitution in the history of sports, when back in the dreaded Rose Bowl versus Texas, Reggie Bush was watching from the sidelines when LenDale White was stuffed on the infamous 4th and 2 play. Kiffin's lack of creativity made it easy for teams to pick up our offense and made it seem that opposing defenses were in the USC huddle as John David Booty called the play (e.g., ucla game). That's just how I feel, but an 11-2 season and a victory in the Rose Bowl is still quite an accomplishment. Looking forward the 2007 Sark...

Fight On!

Countdown to Kickoff: 49 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we are now at 49. Rockin' the #49 jersey is BIG SED, Sedrick Ellis. The 6'1" 305 lbs senior nose tackle is entering his third season as a starter and we are expecting BIG things from him this season. Ellis is on the Watch Lists for the 2007 Outland Trophy, Lombardi Award, Bednarik Award and Lott Trophy.


Ellis will look to improve on his numbers from last season were he accumulated 34 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, and 4 pass deflections. The Trojans will enter the 2007 season with a lot of experience on the defensive line. Ellis will start alongside fellow senior Lawrence Jackson, and juniors Kyle Moore and Fili Moala. Incoming freshman Everson Griffen will add a tremendous amount of talent to an already impressive defensive unit whose only visible weakness (on paper) is a lack of depth.

With this talent group up front I don't picture Ellis getting doubled, at least not early on in the season. As a result, look for last seasons Morris Trophy winner to spend a lot of time in the backfield ballin', brushin' his shoulders, or helping opposing quarterbacks out of the ground.

FIGHT ON!

The Next Reggie Bush???

Ran across this video over on TrojanWire...

Here's the link...

Great running backs come along every 10 years or so. O.J. Simpson was dominant in the late 60's and into the 70's, the 80's saw Walter Payton set what, at the time, was the all-time rushing yards record, the 90's had the immortal Barry Sanders, LaDainian Tomlinson has been the running back of this new millenium, and Reggie Bush will carry the torch into the next decade, but I've just seen one that has potential to be the next great one. His name is Cody Paul, and supposedly he's 8 years old. If he really is 8, then he's well ahead of the game, because he already has better vision and feel for the game than some college backs ever will. So check it out.

Fight On!

University of Idaho?

Pete Carroll is only 50 days away from unleashing the biggest can of whoop ass the world has ever seen. Carroll and his galaxy of stars begin their quest for USC's 12th national championship on September 1st, 2007 at 7:15pm against the University of Idaho. We here at USC Sports Talk love our fair share of trash talking. So trust me when I say that there will be a lot of NSFW warning labels during game weeks.

It's important to know your opponent not only for battle on the field but also for talking shit off the field. Today I realized that my knowledge of the University of Idaho goes only as far as knowing that USC defensive coordinator Nick Holt served as head coach for the Vandals. So I decided to do some research...

University of Idaho

Founded: 1889
Location: Moscow, Idaho
Enrollment: 11,739
Faculty: 871
Nickname: Vandals
School Colors: Silver and Vandal Gold

In-State Tuition: $4,410
Out-of-State Tuition: $14,490

Campus sits on 1,580 acres of land
Located about 80 miles south of Gonzaga and WSU in Spokane, WA

Moscow enrollment

Undergraduate - 8,723
Graduate - 1,836
Law - 302
Resident - 8,040
Non-resident - 3,401

Student demographics

• Students enrolled from all 44 Idaho counties, 50 states and 92 countries
• 645 international students
• Student population is 54.2 percent male and 45.8 percent female
• 69% In-state students
• 31% Out-of-state students
• 2% American Indian/Alaskan Native
• 3% Asian/Pacific Islander
• 1% African American/Non-Hispanic
• 5% Hispanic
• 84% White/Non-Hispanic
• 1% Non-Resident Alien
• 4% Race/ethnicity unreported
• 80% had high school GPA of 3.0 and higher
• 20% had high school GPA of 2.0 - 2.99

Notable Alumni

• Jeffrey Ashby- astronaut, veteran of three space shuttle missions, including Columbia in 1999. Class of '76
• W. Mark Felt- "Deep Throat," a former top official of the FBI. Class of '35
• John Friesz- NFL Quarterback (1990-2000). 2006 College Football Hall of Fame inductee. Class of '90
• Dan O'Brien- 1996 Olympic gold medalist
• Mark Schlereth- NFL lineman (1989-2000) and ESPN commentator. Class of '89
• Frank Shrontz- Past chairman and CEO of The Boeing Company. Class of '54

Football

Head Coach: Robb Akey
Team Captains: David Vorbora, Sr. Linebacker and Adam Korby, Jr. Center.
Preseason All-Conference: Stanely Franks, Sr. Defensive Back and Adam Korby

The Vandals finished with a 4-8 record in 2006
Finished 6th in the WAC

The Vandals have only appeared in one bowl game. The 1998 Humanitarian Bowl


I almost feel guilty talking shit about this school. If you thought the Arkansas game in 2005 was bad this is going to be a total annihilation of not only this football team, but quite possible the entire University of Idaho football program.


Information taken from:

www.govandals.com
www.wacsports.com
www.wikipedia.org

Countdown to Kickoff: 50 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we are now at 50. I have chosen funny man and USC alum Will Ferrell as the feature on this post...

This guy is one of the greatest performers in the history of TV and film. Ferrell, 39, graduated from USC in 1989 with a degree in Sports Information. His really really took off after joining Saturday Night Live in 1995. He immortalized characters like President George W. Bush, "Celebrity Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek, and Gene, the cowbell playing member of the Blue Oyster Cult. I can't forget about his movie career. He just knows how to make us laugh, whether he's playing race car driver Ricky Bobby (pictured above) in Talladega Nights, Frank the Tank in Old School, or Chazz in the Wedding Crashers (a USC Sports Talk favorite).

It won't be long before we see him on the sidelines of the Coliseum rooting for the best college football team in the land.

Fight On!

Westwood Desperation

After the fallout from the sanctions and penalties handed down onto the Oklahoma football program, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that USC penalties would arrive somewhere in the conversation. Here's a comment left by one of the bottom feeders over at BruinsNation (under the Diary SI.com: Sooners Punished, What About TrOJans (Bush)?,

"The Jarrett thing is over. It was leinarts father that reported the infraction to the NCAA. They are much more lenient when people turn themselves in. They represented the whole affair as a mistake, and thats how the committee saw it. Crying about it now isn't going to change a thing.

As for the Tings, only 1 failed a drug test, and both quit the team before the year started, so the NCAA isnt going to pursue that.

AS for McKnight, if there was a call, there will be a record for it. I doubt they will find anything. But hey if you use the FOA to get pompom's cellphone records, maybe you can find the call.

We need to prove that the SuC administration has had a knowledge of these things in order to bust them. So far they are skirting around the rules, getting away with murder. Our best bet for major sanctions depends on proving that McNair knew about Reggie Bush, and didn't report it, or one of the people that reggie bought off blabbing.

My gut feeling is that they will get away with it all.

I hate them. I really really hate them. I hope they all die in a fire"

That, my friend, is the definition of pathetic. The only fire that I know of is the one that UC-Los Angeles will be thrown into on December 1st. Kind of like the fire Reggie Bush started when he torched the UCLA defense. BruinsNation might want to check the identity of some of its members because I wouldn't be surprised if this guy pulls a Chris Benoit on his family when we slaughter the cows on December 1st and then tear down New Orleans again en route to a national title. Nestor really knows how to pick em. The funny thing is that they don't demand results from their team or players, but rather from judges. I mean, how long can you blame Karl Dorrell when all your players are 1-star athletes, while all the 5-star athletes are part of an empire that stretches from sea to sea? Fuck the Bruins. Fight On!

Countdown to Kickoff: 51 Days

As we continue on our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we have arrived at 51. We'll take you back a couple of years to the days of offensive lineman Fred Matua, who proudly wore #51 for the Trojans until leaving school for the NFL after the 2005 season...

Boy do I miss seeing him and Deuce Lutui plowing through defenders in 2005 as part of the best offensive guard combination in college football. It's a shame that he and his family had some financial troubles, which forced him to forgo his senior season and enter the 2006 NFL Draft. Matua is a fighther though, and he will make it in the league. Good luck to him with the Cleveland Browns this year.

Fight On!

Fast Forward USC

Here's a look at the next 2 Heisman Trophy winners at USC. McKnight and Johnson are two game breakers that will give Pac-10 special teams and defensive coordinators nightmares, while giving Trojan fans pleasant dreams for the next four years. I've said it before and I'll say it one more time. Pete Carroll has assembled one of the greatest empires college football has ever seen. There isn't anyone in the country who wouldn't trade places with us right now.FIGHT ON!!

[photo:uscfootball.com]

Nick Young Explodes in Second Game

After a shaky performance in his first professional game, shooting only 3-14, Nick Young exploded in his second outing against the Detroit Pistons Wednesday afternoon. Young led his team in scoring putting up 20 points, shooting 50% from the floor and 100% from the free throw line.

Young threw down some sick dunks in this game. One of which included the posterization of Detroit's center, 7'1" Cheikh Samb (If only I knew how to transfer video from a DVR to a PC). I thoroughly enjoyed watching Young take Arron Afflalo, Detroit's second first round draft pick and Abercrombie poster boy, off the dribble to hit the running jumper.

Unfortunately for Young and the Wizards the Pistons exploded in the 4th quarter, outscoring the Wizards 35-13, winning the game 84-70.

I'm looking forward to Young teaming with Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler and wish him the best of luck in his rookie season.

Fight On!

The Shark Responds....

Scott Wolf reports that Carroll did hear about the comments made by LSU coach Les Miles and responded with the following,

"He's really taking a shot at all the other schools we play. Maybe the comments should come from the coaches at the other schools, including Charlie (Weis) at Notre Dame. He didn't slam us. He slammed all the other schools we play."

While I mentioned before that Les Miles is an idiot and needs to shut his mouth, we all know that Carroll is very media savvy. Carroll quietly shrugged off the comments, but you know what really went down. You know goddamn well those comments are on the bulletin board and its personal now. I don't think there is anyone that would be more "jacked up" to play the Bayou Bengals than Professor X...errr, I mean Pete Carroll. Looks like the douchebags of Westwood High are taking a backseat (for the moment), to the Cajuns. I have a feeling these two teams will clash come January, barring a disaster like a hurricane or something. Its going down !!!!

Countdown to Kickoff: 52 days

As we continue our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we have arrived at #52. Wearing #52 for the Trojans next season will be redshirt sophomore Luther Brown. From the looks of things the only thing keeping this guy off the field is the current depth at linebacker. I can assure you there isn't a quarterback in the nation that would want to see this guy staring at him from the middle linebacker position.

"The sophomore has bulked up and is cut like a professional body builder right now. He was mostly used on special teams last year, but if he can play even half as good as he looks, there is no way Carroll could afford not to get him more reps at linebacker."

Spring Ball Preview: Linebackers

Brown will see plenty of time on special teams this season and will battle Thomas Williams for the the #2 spot at middle linebacker behind Rey Maualuga. Earning playing time on defense this season will be crucial for Luther Brown. The experience will be desperately needed if he is to hold off incoming freshmen Chris Galippo (and probably another linebacker by the name of Brown) in future seasons to win the coveted starting middle linebacker position.

Fight On!

Countdown to Kickoff: 53 Days

As we continue our daily countdown towards the 2007 season, we want to dedicate this post to #53 Jeff Byers. This season Byers will step forward at Center in hopes of replacing Ryan Kalil. Byers played at left guard in the 2005 season but has suffered some injuries the last two seasons. We're hoping Byers has made a full recovery so he can help anchor the Trojans overpowering offense line. The 6'3" junior will be a dominant force if he can show some of the form he showed his freshman year.

Jeff Byers qualifies as a beast here at USC Sports Talk. We've seen this guy dominate opposing defenders and there's the infamous image of him drinking beer out of a blender. Byers is capable of pancaking opposing defenses. Our running backs will have the luxury of running through the wide holes opened up by Sam Baker and Jeff Byers. These guys will leave a path of destruction in their wake. It'll be fun to see Byers mauling people in the trenches this coming season.

Photo taken from uscfootball.com