Jacked Up For the Rose Bowl

The Rose Bowl is only one day away and I'm looking forward to see the match up between Pete Carroll and Ron Zook.

They are by far, the two best coaches and recruiters in college football. It's going to be a shame to root against Coach Zook since he's a favorite here at USC Sports Talk. ESPN's Mark Schlabach had a good write-up comparing the two coach's journeys. Despite the apparent mismatch on paper between the teams, Illinois should present a challenge to the Trojans given our recent trouble against running quarterbacks. I still wake up in a cold sweat some nights thinking about a certain No. 10 (who will remain nameless) running into the endzone untouched in a Rose Bowl a few years back... (thank you very much, Frostee "Cunt" Rucker for breaking containment). Hopefully this year's speed on defense can neutralize Juice Williams and the rest of the Illini attack.

I hope it's a competitive game tomorrow and that we come out victorious. Even though it's not the arbitrarily arranged national championship game, a win in the Rose Bowl would definitely salvage this disappointing year and start the new year on a good note. Enjoy the game boys and girls and Happy New Year!

Fight On!

OUCH

I think this guy meant to say John Wooden...

Happy Holidays

Finals are over and the USC Sports Talk contributors are enjoying the time off from school. Updates have been scarce now that we're all back home celebrating the holidays, but we'll be posting soon enough on the upcoming Rose Bowl match up with the Fighting Illini. Until then, enjoy the holidays boys and girls. Here's a jingle from the baddest mofo to ever lace up his boots and play the soprano sax, Mr. Kenny G. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night...

Arthur Brown Commits to the U

Arthur Brown, ESPN's #1 rated outside LB prospect and #6 overall prospect, has chosen to attend the University of Miami (Fl). The U is getting a player that will undoubtedly make a big impact as true freshman next fall. This is the scouting report on him:

Brown possesses a great blend of size and speed, but it his explosiveness in the short-area that is rare and a component of his game that you just can't coach. When this fast-twitched athlete zeroes in on a ball carrier, he generates velocity so quickly that he hits with the power of a 230-pound 'backer. That rare ability allows him to blow up plays at the point of attack with strength or burst through the small, backside run crease underneath the cutoff block for five-yard losses. Not many spots between the white lines that Brown can't make plays from; he can attack downhill between the tackles, chase sideline-to-sideline with great range or make an athletic play in coverage with the hips and fluidity of an elite skill player.

Brown will be graduating early from his high school in Kansas, and plans to enroll at Miami this upcoming Spring. Here's the excerpt on his decision from ESPN Insider:

Outside linebacker Arthur Brown committed to Miami-FL over USC, LSU, North Carolina, and Florida Monday night on a televised news conference, ESPN affiliate InsideTheU.com reports.

"Really, in the beginning, I said that it would come down to how I feel and that is why I chose the University of Miami. My visit was great and I met with a lot of the players, coaches, and we really had a good connection."

This is another major blow to USC's recruiting class, as it appears that the Trojans have also lost the services of the nation's #1 CB prospect Patrick Johnson (as reported in my previous post). All the recruiting efforts and focus will probably now shift to ESPN's #2 rated CB prospect T.J. Bryant, who, like Johnson, is also from the state of Florida.

Fight On!

Is Patrick Johnson No Longer Considering USC?

ESPN's Recruiting Insider has an update on USC's Most Wanted recruit Patrick Johnson, the #1 rated CB prospect in this year's recruiting class. Apparently, Johnson has narrowed his list down to 4 finalists, and USC isn't one of them. Here's the excerpt:

Patrick Johnson's father, Patrick Peterson, said that Miami (Fla.), Flordia, Georgia, and LSU are the finalists in the rollercoaster-ride pursuit of 2008's top cornerback, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

When it comes to recruiting, you really have to take everything you hear in the press with a grain of salt. With that being said, if this is true, than it will be a devastating blow to USC's 2008 recruiting class. Yes, Coach Carroll is stockpiling talent offensively with all of those offensive linemen, but it is a relatively thin class on the defensive side of the ball. Again, nothing is for certain until Johnson signs that Letter of Intent, but if the Trojans miss out on him, there will be added pressure to sign Arthur Brown, the nation's top outside LB recruit. Brown will make his decision later today, and USC is very much in the running for him.

Check back later updates on these two big time recruits.

Fight On!

Vick Sentenced to 2 Years in Jail

The NFL has quite possibly lost one of its all-time greatest athletes today after Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison today for crimes involving dog fighting. I am a die hard fan of the Atlanta Falcons, always have been, so this situation has been pretty difficult to deal with. I remember, watching Deion Sanders dominate football when I was growing up, which is what led to me liking the Falcons. Ironically, Vick is the greatest athlete that the NFL and the Atlanta Falcons have seen since Prime Time, but this jail sentence will most likely end his NFL playing career. After sitting out the 2007 and 2008 seasons, Vick is likely to face a 1 year suspension from the NFL for his actions and probably won't be able to suit up again until the 2010 season. There is a chance that teams like the Raiders and Broncos will give him a look (just ask Mike Williams or Maurice Clarett), but at age 30 and being 3 years removed from playing QB, the odds appear to be slim to none.

Vick has taken a mighty fall after being selected #1 overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. At the time, the Atlanta Falcons organization (and myself) believed that they had found their franchise QB. After 4 seasons in Atlanta, it appeared as though Vick would indeed become the team's savior. He guided the Falcons to the playoffs in his 1st year (2002) as a starter, only his 2nd year in the league, and instantly became a star. He helped Atlanta become the 1st team in NFL history to win a playoff game in Lambeau Field when they defeated the Packers 27-7 in the Wild Card Round. Unfortunately, they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round the following week, but he energized the fans and resurrected a franchise that had been struggling since making the Super Bowl during the '98-'99 season. In 2003, Vick broke his leg and missed most of the season, and could only watch as the Falcons finished 3-13 and the man that drafted him, head coach Dan Reeves, was fired. In 2004, Atlanta hired Jim Mora, Jr. as head coach and Vick returned with a vengeance to lead the Falcons to the NFC Championship game. Again, they lost to the Eagles, but Vick was only one game away from the Super Bowl, and for his efforts, he was rewarded with a $130 million contract that offseason. At the time, he was one of the league's most marketable players and had the richest contract ever.

Times were great right? He was at the peak of his career at age 24, but it did not last very long. Jim Mora's coaching staff did not seem to fully develop his talents, and the Falcons sputtered into mediocrity the next 2 season with records of (8-8) and (7-9), respectively. Dan Reeves was well on his way to grooming Vick into one of the greatest QB's of all-time, but his untimely injury in 2003 caused Reeves his job. This proved to be the turning point in Michael Vick's career. Mora brought in Greg Knapp as his offensive coordinator, and together, they tried to mold Vick into a West Coast Offense QB. The playcalling was questionable and often times conservative. Vick just needed to unleashed, but instead he became frustrated and received constant criticism from the media about his abilities as a passer. The 2006 season and this past offseason were filled with numerous off the field incidents, culminating with this dog fighting fiasco, and now he's left to ponder what to do with the rest of his life.

It is a truly sad story, such a waste of talent. One can only imagine, what if...what if he hadn't broken his leg in that meaningless preseason game in 2003? It's unfortunate what happened to those dogs, but I'm still 100 % behind you Mike. He never accepted credit during those very successful playoff runs, and never threw a teammate under the bus after a loss. He was a great teammate and did a lot for the City of Atlanta. Here's to you Mike, I wish you the best.

2008 Rose Bowl aka BOREFEST 2008

We never thought we'd end up here, but its USC's 6th straight conference title and BCS appearance. No other coach or team in America can say that. Unfortunately, the Rose Bowl and its band of white-coat wearing, Lexus driving douchebags decided to choose Illinois to represent its at-large pick against USC. Don't get us wrong, USC Sports Talk has a chubby for Arrelious Benn and an affection for the Zooker. But these guys aren't in the same ballpark as USC, hell, probably not even the same fucking sport. USC is on a plateau by itself, while Illinois is a promising program on the rise. Nevertheless, the BCS spits it out, and we must force ourselves to watch this shit. We should have some posts on the game coming soon, including everyone's biased opinion. But for now, we have finals and other things to do. We'll get stuff up ASAP.

So for our faithful readers, forgive the lack of content and opinion. We appreciate every one of you who continue to check our site and read up on USC and its ownage of Los Angeles.

Sean Taylor Remembered

Funeral services were held today in Miami for Sean Taylor, who passed away a week ago from injuries sustained after getting shot in his home. This story has been hanging over sports this whole week and this tragedy has been hard on Taylor's family, friends, the Washington Redskins and entire football community. Thousands of people attended the funeral today, including some of the greatest collection of NFL athletes, namely Miami Hurricanes alumni. Here a select few images from today's services:

Antrel Rolle

Jeremy Shockey

Clinton Portis

LaVar Arrington

Ex-Miami Hurricane coaches Butch Davis and Larry Coker were also in attendance as well as the entire Redskins organization, Edgerrin James, Devin Hester, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and even OJ Simpson. The Juice's kids went to the same high school that Taylor had attended.

O.J. Simpson

A moving tribute occurred in tonight's Monday Night Football game between the Ravens and Patriots. During a moment of silence, Ray Lewis was fighting back tears. We all know Ray Lewis is an absolute beast and for him to be choking back tears, then something isn't right. During pre-game warmups, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Willis McGahee, all ex-Miami Hurricanes, huddled up and Lewis told them to "play their hearts out for No. 21 tonight." Times like these make everyone pause and take a look at what's important in life.

I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan and I am usually a Redskins hater, but Sean Taylor was probably the only Redskins player other than Portis that I cheered for. This tragedy has been difficult for many but hopefully Taylor's family and friends can find the strength to deal with their loss.




R.I.P. Sean Taylor
1983 - 2007

Rose Bowl Bound

It wasn't the bludgeoning that we all had hoped for, but USC restored some order to the universe with a 24-7 victory over UCLA yesterday. USC clinched a record 6th Pac-10 conference title and a bid for the Rose Bowl. The game was actually pretty fucking boring with a slew of turnovers. The USC offense looked sloppy and could have made the final score a lot uglier if it hadn't wasted so many opportunities.

The defense showed up to play and harassed Patrick Cowan all game. Props to Cowan though for getting up each time he was leveled by the USC defense until he finally went down with a knee injury late in the game. That guy can take a hit. Anyone who isn't dead after that hit by Rey in last year's game earns my respect. Kudos to UCLA WR Dominique Johnson for making a badass one handed catch too. Unfortunately, UCLA still LOST so no one gives a shit.

We're far from over though with the 2007 season. We'll be awaiting word as to who we'll play in the Rose Bowl since shitty West Virginia lost and even shittier Missouri lost too, which means Ohio St. will go to the BCS championship game. Needless to say, the BCS is FUCKED and a playoff would definitely be nice this time of year. If only the douchebag university Presidents and Chancellors weren't so fucking gay...

But I digress. Pete Carroll was spotted today at the USC-Kansas basketball game with several recruits at hand. Hopefully they'll make the right choice and commit to play for the Trojans. I was surprised Carroll wasn't sleeping off a hangover. I'm sure he had quite a celebration after being so "jacked" about the Rose Bowl.

We'll find out soon who we'll play in the Rose Bowl, but until then we'll enjoy this victory over UCLA. Cheers.

In 3 Days...

The wrecking is almost at hand. December 1st cannot come soon enough for every Trojan fan. I've never really gotten excited about the UCLA game as much as this year. My freshman year, I witnessed the 47-22 beat down at the Coliseum and Mike Williams OWNING a helpless UCLA CB Matt Clark.


The following year USC came away from the Rose Bowl with a 29-24. The game was pretty boring with a slew of field goals by Ryan Killeen (who was garbage).

Then in 2005 we saw the bloodbath of the 66-19 dismantling of the Ruins. That game was sweet. It was over midway through the 2nd quarter and the rest of the game was salt in the wounds.

Last year was an abomination. The play calling and execution was terrible and we let a potential National Championship slip away at the hands of a shitty fucking team and an even shittier coach. I'm sure Pete Carroll and Co. are salivating at the chance to make it back to the Rose Bowl with a win over the much hated Bruins.

Tommy Trojan is covered in tape, Dorrell is cleaning out his office and Carroll's blood pressure is through the roof since he's so jacked. Saturday will hopefully be a glorious day. The USC Sports Talk tailgate will keep us well fed and drunk and we should see a dominant performance by the Trojans. Cheers to that.

Fight On!

Illusions of Grandeur

We are now just one day closer to the dismantling of UCLA (FYI, UCLA now highlights the Cunts their uniform, so we will maintain consistency) at the Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. Tuesday of Hate Week brings some "quotes" from the delusional Westwood Wankers from the infamous "BruinsNation" Here are a few that will knock your socks off from the brilliant all- knowing Festor.

"I am sure our defensive guys are all shaking in their boots about facing an offense which it blew up all over the Rose Bowl last season"

At this point, the UCLA defense should be shaking in their boots about facing any offense with a pulse, unlike Oregon minus Dixon, Utah, or the steamrolling offense of Notre Dame. The way USC moved the ball against ASU, the offense has definitely improved and will be dangerous for once.

"Their running game is not all that formidable this year, compared to the one our defense destroyed last year."

Right. The idea of Chauncey Washington and Stafon Johnson along with the dangerous McKnight isn't at all formidable, considering we did have the all world CJ Gable and Emmanuel Moody last season. I seriously hope they are kidding because with a healthy offensive line, we will rush for at least 200 yards, easily.

"If our D can hold these guys to within 20 points..."

I quit reading mid sentence because this asshole has no idea what he is talking about. If we kick a field goal, the game is out of reach already. Do you mean to tell me that their 4th string QB plucked from the scout team will lead a charge on this defense which is now just peaking? I'll give Cowan his due for last season, but he paid the price for it and will now acquire Alzheimer's at age 30. This Osaar Rashaan scrub has no idea what he is in for. And let's not bring up their 30 year old Mormon QB, who might be even worse. The fact that they scored 13 last year was a miracle, and I don't expect them to reach that this year.

Other events surrounding this weekend are the possible departure of Karl Dorrell and hiring of Norm Chow, Mike Leach, Bill Cowher, Mike Price, Vince Lombardi, Chris Peterson, Tom Landry, or Bill Walsh to take over the "prestigious" and "tradition-rich" UCLA football program. This may be the end of Krazy Karl as we know it, but we all need to stay focused on what is important this weekend, which is taking back Los Angeles and reminding everyone who the best football program in America really is. While most Bruin fans say they don't care about this weekend's game, the reality is that every one of them does.

I don't think Pete Carroll has ever been more jacked up for a football game in his life. Not even when trying to win a 3rd straight national championship or trying to prove all the NFL doubters wrong. Last season's stunning loss was probably more surprising than this season's loss to Stanford. Carroll marched right up to his office and watched film and waited.... a year. Well, it has finally arrived and I know that Coach Carroll will take no prisoners this weekend. 13-9 will officially become a useless phrase on Saturday night when there won't be enough training tables for all the Bruin injuries. We should all be confident that our stout defense and emerging offense will bring their best game this Saturday.

Fight On! Fuck the Bruins!

R.I.P. Sean Taylor

Washington Redskins safety and former University of Miami star, Sean Taylor, has died from injuries sustained after getting shot on Sunday night. Taylor was shot in the femoral artery after an attempted burglary at his home. Taylor was an All-American at the U and was widely regarded as one of the fiercest hitters in the NFL. It's a damn shame Taylor is gone. Our thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to Taylor's family.

R.I.P.
Sean Taylor
1983 - 2007

In 5 Days...

Hate Week has officially started here at USC Sports Talk. Some call it Troy Week, Rivalry Week or the Battle for Los Angeles, but we here at USC Sports Talk call it Hate Week. We fucking hate UCLA. Maybe I'm not speaking for the group, but I sincerely HATE UCLA. Back in high school I had thoughts about attending that institution. I applied. I was accepted. But I chose USC and now I loathe anything powder blue. We've been waiting for this game for a long time, and it's fast approaching. Patrick Cowan's neck and jaw still crack every time he chews, courtesy of Mr. Rey Maualuga. Pete Carroll still wakes up in a cold sweat after the abomination that happened last season, but rest assured all of you Westwood pieces of dog shit, USC will be ready this Saturday... ready to fuck up the Bruins. The sharks are circling around the Coliseum, and they smell blood already.

The Massacre

The Massacre is less that 8 days away ladies and gentlemen. Here's a preview of what fucla fans can look forward to next Saturday.

The man is only getting warmed up...




Osaar Rasshan looks like he will get his second start of the season for the bruins today against Oregon, in place of the injured Ben Olson. UC Los Angeles fans may not even want to travel to the Coliseum next Saturday if this is the guy they plan to start under center against the Trojans...


Fight On!

Tigers Tamed in Triple Overtime

Darren McFadden and the Arkansas Razorbacks gave everyone something else to be thankful for this holiday season. The Hogs defeated Les Miles and LSU at Tiger Stadium in a hard-fought triple overtime game.


LSU has been winning ugly all season long, pulling out close wins week after week. The former #1 ranked team in the country allowed McFadden to rip off 205 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns, also throwing for a touchdown. LSU's "dominating" defense allowed the Razorbacks to rip off 384 yards rushing.

Hopefully this loss brings as much joy to everyone as it has myself and the USC Sports Talk family.

Stay tunned for a weekend wrap-up and select words from RG3

Happy Holidays

Derozan & Miller Sign

Demar Derozan, the #2 ranked player in the country, and Percy "Romeo" Miller officially became Trojans Monday evening when they signed their letters of intent at a press conference in Beverly Hills.

Here's the highlight video that was shown during the press conference. The video showcases what an exceptional talent we are getting in Demar Derozan.



The Trojans also received a letter of intent from Top-20 JUCO PG Donte Smith from Pomona, CA. Coach Floyd and the Trojan coaching staff are still waiting to year from SG Malik Story from Oak's Hill Academy, formerly of Artesia High, and PF Leonard Washington from Lake Charles, LA.

Fight On!

Shawne Merriman Got OWNED

I used to be a big fan of Shawne "Lights Out" Merriman. That guy was a beast even though he took steroids (allegedly), key word being "was." Merriman got fucking pancaked by Maurice Jones-Drew this past Sunday during the Chargers-Jaguars game. When I say "pancaked," I mean "fucked-up." Whatever heart and intensity Merriman had showed before was completely nullified by this play. Anyone who gets bitched like that doesn't deserve any credit, especially if they're blocked by a short, piece of shit Bruin.

Upset brewing in Arizona, Dixon hurt

Another #2 is in danger of falling down in Tuscon. Not only does Oregon trail 31-14 at the half, but their Heisman contender at QB is out for the game after re-injuring his knee. I am just leaving work to catch the 2nd half. Stay tuned, because if Oregon fails to mount a comeback, the stakes for the USC vs. ASU game will go way up.

Fight On!

Weekend Recap

USC 24 - Cal 17
The USC Trojans fought the rain, the Cal Bears and the rest of the hippies up north en route to a victory this past weekend. Chauncey "The First President" Washington wrecked the Cal defense and finished with a career best 220 yards rushing and 1 TD. The rain made for a sloppy game, but the Trojans were able to hang on to the lead and gave another reason for Jeff Tedford to put a gun to his temple after one of the most disappointing seasons of his career. Me-sean Jackson remained a douche and finished with 61 yards receiving and was a non-factor. The victory gives the Trojans the possibility of going to the Rose Bowl if they can beat ASU on Thanksgiving Day in a few weeks. There's also the bi-annual rape of the Bruins at the Coliseum to look forward to on December 1st.

Illinois 28 Ohio St. 21
The Buckeyes were "Juiced" on Saturday at the Horseshoe by the Fighting Illini. Juice Williams is a favorite here at USC Sports Talk and he gutted Ohio St. with 4 TDs in an impressive performance to take down the No. 1 team in the land. It was nice to see Ron Zook emotional after the victory during the post-game interview. That guy is a class act, a great coach and a decent human being. Kudos to Zook and the rest of the Fighting Illini.

There were a lot of other games this weekend, but no one gives a shit about any of them. Michigan is still a joke, Miami got shutout in their last game at the Orange Bowl and Mark Mangino is still a fat piece of shit.

In other news, OJ Mayo had his regular season debut for the Trojans at home against the mighty Mercer Bears... and we lost. Mayo finished with 32 points but the team looked out of sync and lost at times. I really hope Floyd can set the team right once everyone gets healthy, but we shall see.

I know we've been lagging lately with posts and updates, but we're all students and midterms are shitty. We'll get back into rhythm soon. Until then, "Jagger Bombs!"

Reflection

As students, fans and alumni prepare for the annual trek up north for the USC v. UC Berkeley game, lets take a moment to reflect on last years contest. More importantly, lets reflect on "the play." The play that has made Kevin Ellison a fan favorite and YouTube legend. The play that has DeSean Jackson shivering at night. The play that has set the stage for how physical the game on Saturday will be.

The Play


Beat the Bears!

Patrick Johnson Update

Confusion surrounds the recruitment of the nations #1 ranked cornerback prospect, Patrick Johnson. The 6’1” 193lb senior from Ely High School in Pompano, FL has been adamant that he is unwavering on his verbal commitment to The U. CaneSport.com recently quoted Johnson sending out this message in response to message board rumors that he had decommitted from Miami…

"Just stay tuned. You'll find out when I start (school) Jan. 7 at the University of Miami."

While reaffirming his verbal commitment to Miami, Johnson also praises LSU, which he officially visited a couple weeks ago, and maintains that he is very interested in the Trojans. Johnson has made plans to officially visit USC in 3 weeks when the Trojans unleash hell on the lowly bruins in the Coliseum. This will be Johnson's second visit to SC, as he unofficially visited during the summer when he participated dominated USC's Rising Star camp.

Rivals.com had this to say about Johnson after his performance during the Rising Star camp...

Johnson's recovery speed also makes him special. In fact, he's so good in this area that it almost seems like he tricks the quarterback and receiver into thinking they have an open play, but then closes on the ball so fast that an incompletion or turnover occurs.

A defensive back that creates turnovers? Now there's a concept.

A commitment form Patrick Johnson would be a huge steal for the Trojans. Carroll and his assistant coaches are going to have to put on there game faces and put on a show for Johnson if they wish to steal him form the Canes.

Fight On!

Mangino Thrilled with Teams Performance

Kansas' head football coach couldn't be more excited about his teams 8-0 start this season. Here's footage of him celebrating last weeks win over Texas A&M...

Mark Mangino


Where's the Big 12 Championship after-party???

The opportunity left us in the dust....

It was fun while it lasted, right guys? Lets face it, the party had to end sooner or later. Every loss along the way was justified with a "Rose Bowl" or a "everyone else will lose" response. Not this time. Our loss to Oregon guarantees we are out of the BCS national championship race and out of the Pac-10 race as well. Sure, mathematically we are still in the race for the Pac-10 title, but don't count on it folks. This year, book your tickets to either El Paso or Las Vegas because thats where we are headed.

The team gave Oregon a run for its money on Saturday and we even had a shot at winning the game, but give credit to Oregon who is moving on, while we are not. Here are a few things I have outlined to keep an eye on the rest of this season.

1) Playcalling: Our playcalling this season has been horrific. I never thought I would say that I wish Lane Kiffin was still here. An end around on 4th and 1!!?? Are you fucking kidding me? That is the kind of shit that gets you fired. And that is exactly why Steve Sarkisian should be picking up garbage for a living. "Ask Corso" on NCAA 2008 could pick better plays than this clown. We keep constantly hearing from Carroll and Sarkisian that they have "complete confidence" in Sanchez and "he has been brought into the system" and blah,blah, blah.....
If thats the case, they need to take advice from this man next time they want to run the ball with under 3 minutes on their own 20 yard line down by a touchdown with a 2 page playbook. Or in other words, playing the game just to "play it".

2) Heart: If this team has any of it left, they will take no prisoners and relish the role of "spoiler" and cause ruckus to everyone else's season by injuring and destroying their players and teams.

3) Coaching Changes: Carroll needs to pull his grey muff out of his ass and fire some coaches. Starting with Nick Holt, Carroll needs to lay down the law. Holt has done nothing but steer the ship using 7-9 NFL future lottery picks. No coaching, just cruising. Last time I checked, that's not why he was hired. Carroll needs to take over the defense completely and hire a O-coordinator that can get the job done on his own. I won't even touch on special teams.

4) Recruiting: This season has permanently damaged the perception of the USC football program. Once heralded as "unbeatable" and "athletically and mentally superior" is now being discussed using the words "Stanford", "injuries", and "Stanford." Is everyone else catching up to USC? No. USC has slammed on the breaks with awful coaching, poor preparation, and underachieving players. We still have some 5-star athletes on the radar across the U.S. , specifically in the defensive backfield, who need to be shown what USC is all about.

5) Sanchez: He has shown the cannon and moxy to compete with Mustain next year. I hate to mention the scumbags from across town (still wiping human ejaculate from their photos of Ben Howland) , but like Patrick Cowan, Mark Sanchez has the toughness to compete over a supposed more accurate and pro-style quartertback. Booty has been exposed for the average QB that he is and there is no reason to bring him back. There is this rule that you don't lose your starting job to injury, but rules don't matter anymore. Its one thing when your undefeated and the team is rolling, but its another to say it after you lose to no talent, fairies with an "S" on their helmet.

For once, USC is playing a different role in college football. We can go around crying like babies that we won't play in a BCS game or even yet, get to the promised land and "end-all, be-all" wet dream of all sports, the Rose Bowl, or we can take this opportunity to have fun. Whether its giving Rudy Carpenter a career ending injury or removing the head from Desean Jackson again, there are things to look forward to. It was fun winning national championships and laughing at eveyone that we blew out by 60+ points, but some things we never knew. How does it feel to spoil someone's season? The run is over, we need to rebuild and cause some damage along the way. Fight on!

Vote Eve Torres

USC alumni, Eve Torres, is a finalist for the World Wrestling Entertainment's Diva Search 2007. Ms. Torres graduated in 2006 with a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from USC... no easy task. As seen by these pictures, Eve has looks to go with the brains. USC Sports Talk encourages everyone to vote for Eve. The winner will be announced live on Monday's edition of Raw is War. Good luck to Eve this Monday. Fight On!

Oregon Offense Preview

Probable Starters vs. USC

Pos. No. Player Height Weight Class Hometown
WR 4 Jaison Williams 6-5 240 Jr.-2L* Inglewood, CA
LT 57 Fenuki Tupou 6-6 322 Jr.-TR* Elverta, CA
LG 61 Josh Tschirgi 6-4 310 Sr.-3L* Vancouver, WA
C 60 Max Unger 6-5 300 Jr.-2L* Honaunau, HI
RG 71 Mark Lewis 6-4 308 Jr.-2L* Arroyo Grande, CA
RT 75 Geoff Schwartz 6-7 337 Sr.-3L Los Angeles, CA
TE 83 Ed Dickson 6-5 240 So.-1L* Bellflower, CA
QB 10 Dennis Dixon 6-4 205 Sr.-3L San Leandro, CA
RB 28 Jonathan Stewart 5-11 230 Jr.-2L Lacey, WA
WR 89 Aaron Pflugrad 5-10 172 Fr.-HS Eugene, OR
WR 21 Garren Strong 6-3 203 Sr.-3L* San Jose, CA

Best Offensive Player: QB Dennis Dixon

Quarterback -- This is senior QB Dennis Dixon's team. He makes things go and is the catalyst behind the nation's 2nd ranked offense. The guy is very talented, and although he has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his career, things haven't really clicked until this season. He's had to share time at QB throughout his career, and has not had the luxury of continuity in the offense because the Ducks have gone through offensive coordinators at an alarming rate. Last season, Dixon threw more interceptions (14) than TD's (12) and looked lost as he saw his Ducks lose their final 4 games and finish with a record of 7-6. This year the Ducks are (6-1) and ranked 5th in the nation. Dixon is the team's second-leading rusher with 416 yards and seven touchdowns and he has completed 69% of his passes for 1,728 yards and 16 touchdowns with only three interceptions. It's all come together for Dixon this year, he's running that spread offense very effectively and effortlessly. He's very fast and has good vision when running with the ball, but he also has cannon for an arm, throwing the deep ball very well. This QB looks less like the Dennis Dixon that USC faced last year, but he's not quite at Vince Young's level. He's more like the Bryan Randall that USC faced in the 2004 season opener against Virginia Tech.

Backs and Receivers -- Oregon's playmakers have been on fire this season. They lit up Michigan in the Big House, and every other team they've faced this season with the exception of that choke job in Berkeley. They did however, lose two of their biggest weapons in backup RB Jeremiah Johnson and starting WR Cameron Colvin to injury a couple of weeks ago. Both players were making contributions to the Ducks' offense at the time of injury. This significantly hurts their depth, as USC can place much of its focus on its primary weapons WR Jaison Williams (31 catches, 505 yards, 5 TD's), RB Johnathan Stewart (131 rushes, 940 yards, 7 TD's), and TE Ed Dickson (19 catches, 255 yards, 2 TD's). Oregon does a great job creating mismatches with their formations and play designs, and I'm sure they'll take some shots downfield on USC's secondary, which hasn't been exactly ballhawking this season.

Offensive Line -- The Oregon line deserves much of the credit for an offense that is averaging 46.6 points per game, second behind Hawaii and is second in total offense with 550.9 yards per game, trailing only Texas Tech. The line has surrendered just 12 sacks in 211 pass attempts
and have opened up some big running lanes for Dixon and Stewart in that spread formation. They do a good job of forcing teams to overcommit to one side, allowing the linemen to funnel them and open up the backside for cutbacks or misdirection plays. They haven't faced a front seven as good as USC's since last year's USC game in the Coliseum, but they are certainly running on all cylinders right now.

Check back for the defensive preview, which I will be posted sometime after the BC @ Virginia Tech game tonight.

Fight On! Beat the Ducks!!

Separation Saturday

Next Stop: Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon

USC prevailed in its Gut Check Saturday two weeks ago, bouncing back from that terrible loss to Stanford to defeat the Arizona Wildcats, 20-13. Last week's test was rivalry week against Notre Dame and the Trojans passed by shutting out the Irish 38-0, avoiding a let down against a dismal, 1-win Irish team.

This weekend is Separation Saturday for #9 USC as it travels to Eugene, OR to take on the #5 Oregon Ducks, but also for other teams. This week's slate of games has 4 of the top teams in Pac-10 dueling it out, as well as big games nationally involving top 10 teams. Thursday #2 BC travels to Blacksburg to take on a very good Virginia Tech Hokies team ranked #8. Saturday #1 Ohio State travels to an equally hostile environment in Happy Valley to take on #24 Penn State. Elsewhere in the Pac-10, #7 Arizona State will try to remain undefeated as they host #18 Cal.

Autzen Stadium is a very difficult place to play, probably the toughest venue west of SEC country. USC struggled early the last time it was there, needing another other-worldly performance for Matt, Reggie, LenDale, and Co. to secure a 45-13 win after getting behind 13-0. Last year, the Trojans coasted to an easier than expected 35-10 victory at the Coliseum. USC smothered Ducks QB Dennis Dixon, forced him out of the game, and then smothered his backup, Brady Leaf. There was that interesting exchange between Pete Carroll and Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti, during timeout for a replay challenge though. In case you forgot it went something like this...

Oregon is a fumble away from being undefeated and possibly being ranked #1 in the country. Ducks WR Cameron Colvin, who may be out for the season due to injury, fumbled into Cal's endzone just before he crossed the goaline late in the 4th Quarter. What would have been the game winning TD became a touchback for Cal, and sealed the game for the Bears. Besides that one play, Oregon has looked great all season and pose a big threat to the Trojans. The Trojans are underdogs for the first time in the regular season since its 2003 opener at Auburn (A 23-0 USC win). The loser will suffer its 2nd loss of the season, and will be all but eliminated from the BCS National Championship race and will likely end up playing in my hometown of El Paso for the Sun Bowl.

Check back for Oregon's offensive and defensive previews. I've been swamped by papers and midterms the last couple of weeks, but I'm back on track now. Sorry for the lack of updates during Notre Dame week.

Fight On!

Weekend Recap

Week 8 brought us another slew of upsets and random shit going on in college football. I know it's a bit late, but here's the weekend recap:

USC 38 Notre Dame 0
We won a game convincingly for once! Good shit. Mark "The Dirty" Sanchez threw 4 TD passes and staked his claim for the starting spot this week against Oregon. For once, our team didn't suck ass against a lowly opponent and USC handled their business. USC dominated Notre Dame in every aspect of the game and handed "Mom Jeans" Weis and the Irish another loss to their dismal season. It's a shame that Jimmy Clausen didn't get a chance to see what he would have been up against everyday at practice if he had signed with USC. Fuck that guy.

Note: Jimmy Clausen revealed that he is of Italian decent, and therefore a Guido.

Douche.

The Clausen Crew

LSU 30 Auburn 24
Those cunt muscles from LSU should have lost this weekend, but they managed to squeak out a victory against a tough Auburn team who had them by the balls but let go at the end. Miles and Co. are bound to fall sooner or later and the world will be a better place. Candy will taste sweeter, and the sun will shine brighter when this happens.

Rutgers 30 South Florida 27
You know the 2007 college football season is weird when this game matters.

UCLA 30 Cal 21
Cal decided to bend over and take one from Dorrell and the band of misfits at the Rose Bowl. Apparently UCLA is atop the Pac-10 standings for now. It shouldn't be long before the Ruins remember that they're a joke of a program and start losing. Cal is done.

The weekend also left us with one of the most disgusting images in recent memory:

Kansas coach Mark Mangino gives obesity a new meaning. This guy is fucking disgusting.

Big game this week against the Oregon Ducks at the Autzen Zoo. It should be a tough game for both teams. I just hope USC can stop the spread offense and slow down Dixon and Stewart. More on that throughout the week...

Hilarious...

Props to Kyle and gang over at Trojanwire for this dandy. Enjoy.

Separated at Birth?

Doctors have been trying to treat Charlie "Mom Jeans" Weis' weight problems for decades now. Maybe they just haven't realized that Coach Weis is in fact an obese, slug-like alien. Don't believe me? You decide...

Get Ready for Notre Dame Week...

The last time USC traveled to South Bend to take on the Irish, the world witnessed one of the greatest college football games of all time. In an epic seesaw battle, the Trojans needed a last second score on the play that will forever be remembered as the "Bush Push" to triumph over the Irish. Trailing 31-28 late in the 4th quarter, USC first needed to convert a crucial 4th and 9 to setup Leinart's game-winning TD. The play was "82 Sluggo Win." Leinart saw a coverage he liked, audibled, and threw a perfect pass down the left sideline to a streaking Dwayne Jarrett. A couple of plays later, Leinart sneaked into the end zone as time expired and USC triumphed 34-31. Those two plays will go down as two of the most memorable moments in the history of USC Football.

Here is the clip of 4th and 9...

Fight On! Beat the Irish!(again)

Another Gator CHARGED

Today I logged in another productive day of procrastination, successfully avoiding my finance books. This freed up my night to explore the wonderful world of YouTube. During my session I came across this video that highlights the arrest of a University of Florida student, not affiliated with the football team, who was UCPD by local police. The student apparently became unruly during a campus forum with Senator John Kerry and needed to be detained by police. The student resisted as the police attempted to remove him from the room. See for yourself...

Feast On That

Week 7 brought us another crazy weekend in college football. USC played pretty fucking shitty again, but at least this time we won against Arizona. More on that later, but what really brought joy to me this weekend was seeing this:

It felt so relieving to see Les Miles frustrated on the sidelines and somber in his press conference. That guy is a fucking douche if there ever was one. I bet his own family hates his guts, assuming there was a woman brave enough to put up with that piece of shit in the first place. LSU lost to a very good Kentucky team on the road. I know what it feels like to lose those triple overtime games at the wire (see Cal 2003). It's a real shitty feeling, and I know LSU fans are hurting. Shit happens though and Les Miles is a cunt, so fuck him.

Then to top things off, as I'm enjoying a nice meal of chicken wings and beer at Hooters, Cal loses to Oregon St. on a bonehead play by their redshirt freshman QB. Cal drives down the field in an attempt to tie the game with a field goal, only this cat decides to be a hero and scramble for a first down and runs out the clock in the process. What a fucking idiot. It was such a good ending to a day that saw LSU fall.

The first BCS poll comes out today and I'm sure USC will be pretty far down the rankings, but with the way this season is going, anything can happen. Big game today in Dallas with the hated Patriots and Bill Belicheat visiting the Cowboys at Texas Stadium. Hopefully Romo can pull this one out. It's also Notre Dame week, so expect a lot of hate and venom aimed this week at Charlie "Mom Jeans" Weis and the Irish. Feast on that.

Enter Mark Sanchez...

The wait is over Trojan fans. Mark Sanchez makes his long awaited first start this Saturday against the Arizona Wildcats. Sanchez gets the nod over JDB who is still recovering from the broken finger he suffered against Stanford last week.



I haven't been this excited for an SC game this entire season. Ever since Mark Sanchez arrived as a freshmen I've been anticipating his first start. Hopefully the weather will clear up and allow Mark to show the coaches and the fans what he can bring to our offense.

I wonder how Carroll will respond if Sanchez goes balls out on Saturday in a blowout victory?

Odds are, regardless of how well Sanchez plays on Saturday, Booty will be our starting QB in South Bend if his finger is fully healed. We'll see if our program really revolves around COMPETITION next week.

What's Mustain thinking right now?

FIGHT ON!

USC vs. Arizona: Key Matchups / Predictions

Five Key Matchups to watch out for tomorrow...

USC QB Mark Sanchez vs. Arizona CB Antoine Cason
This will be the biggest individual matchup of the game and its outcome could very well determine who leaves this game a winner. It will be important for Sanchez take some shots downfield, but he must be careful not to test Cason, who will probably be a 1st round pick in the NFL Draft. USC's WR corps is not good enough right now to bail Sanchez out on any indecisions or poorly thrown balls. This is his first career start, so mistakes are going to happen. Golden rule for Sanchez tomorrow, KNOW WHERE #5 IS AT ALL TIMES...

USC RB Chauncey Washington vs. Arizona's Run Defense
Chauncey, the First President, must get going early to take some pressure off Sanchez. Washington struggled to break off any long runs last week with Stanford stacking the box on the Trojans. Chauncey needs to run with authority tomorrow, establish himself, and set the tone for the rest of the game.

USC CB Terrell Thomas vs. Arizona WR Mike Thomas
USC Sports Talk has said it many times , Terrell Thomas sucks. I don't where all this talk about him being a lock down defender came from. The average sports fan needs to look no further than across the sideline at Arizona CB Antoine Cason to find a real shut down corner. Mike Thomas is very explosive in this new spread offense that Arizona has implemented. It will be up to Terrell Thomas to break down and not let Mike turn a 5 yard slant into a 70 yard touchdown.

USC RT Drew Radovich vs. Arizona Defensive Ends
Radovich has been USC's most vulnerable offensive lineman during the past two seasons. Many of Booty's sacks and tipped passes have been a result of Radovich doing a poor job in pass blocking. Sam Baker and Jeff Byers are as good a left side that you'll find on any offensive line in the country, so you can expect Arizona to target Radovich. Sanchez will need to feel comfortable in the pocket if he is to succeed tomorrow.

USC DE Kyle Moore vs. Arizona LT Peter Graniello
The Trojans are going to give up yards against this spread offense passing attack, but they will need to generate pressure on QB Willie Tuitama. If USC's defensive line does not register any sacks or force Tuitama into hurrying his throws, then it will be a long afternoon for the Trojan secondary. Sacks and INT's will negate a 400 yard passing day from Tuitama. There's no question that big Sedrick Ellis will once again be a disruptive force on the inside, but he needs Moore or LoJack to get some pressure of the edge.

Gameday Expectations:
Offensively, I think Carroll and Sarkisian will pull the reigns back while Mark Sanchez settles down and works the jitters out. They will try to establish the running game early and maintain ball possession in order to keep Arizona's high octane offense on the sidelines. Look for CB Antoine Cason to disguise his coverage to confuse Sanchez and bait him into throwing an INT. Sanchez must maintain his composure if he does throw an early INT. The coaching staff will need to limit his reads and give Sanchez plenty of check downs. Fred Davis has been unstoppable this season and tomorrow should be no different, he will definitely help loosen things up on the outside. Arizona will stack the box with 8 or 9 guys, leaving their corners on an island, so USC will need to make the necessary adjustments and throw the ball in the 2nd half.

Defensively, the Wildcats know that USC's run defense is very good so they will definitely stick to what they do best, which is throw the ball. I'm not sure the Trojans can hold Arizona under 300 yards passing, but the key will be sacks and turnovers. USC's defense will do just enough to win the game. Thomas Williams and Keith Rivers will either jump a slant route for a pick or force a fumble on a quick WR screen. It's gut check Saturday for USC, but the coaches will keep the game plan simple and will be happy just to get back on the winning track...Prediction: USC 31, Arizona 21

Other Predictions:
Joey -- Joey as unable to post predictions because there was some foul bacteria eating away at his stomach lining.

PCBestever -- If losing to Stanford doesn't fire this team up I don't know what will. Yea I do.... Mark Sanchez will! Guaranteed the team responds with more intensity with Sanchez on the field. Prediction: USC 35, Arizona 6. (With the rain and our blocking on special teams I doubt we kick any field goals tomorrow)

RG3 -- After the unthinkable happened last week, USC will be hungry and ready to win some respect back. If our team has any balls, we'll come out fired up today and start the streak at the Coliseum all over again. Sanchez will start slow and eventually get into a rhythm with his new favorite targets, RoJo and Ausberry. USC 31 Arizona 17

Fight On!

Arizona Defense Preview

Probable Starters vs USC
DE 1 Louis Holmes 6-6 265 Sr.*-1L
DT 96 Yaniv Barnett 6-1 315 Sr.-3L
DT 54 Lionel Dotson 6-4 286 Sr.*-3L
DE 97 Johnathan Turner 6-3 262 Jr.*-2L
DE 53 Jason Parker 6-3 265 Sr.*-3L (key backup)
Sam LB 39 Dane Krogstad 6-2 240 Sr.*-3L
Mike LB 33 Ronnie Palmer 6-3 245 Jr.*-2L
Will LB 51 Spencer Larsen 6-1 240 Sr.*-3L
Cornerback 3 Wilrey Fontenot 5-9 174 Sr.*-3L
CB 6 Devin Ross 5-11 170 So.-1L (key backup)
Strong Safety 20 Cam Nelson 6-1 200 So.*-1L
Free Safety 8 Dominic Patrick 6-1 210 Sr.-3L
FS 21 Corey Hall 5-10 190 So.*-1L (key backup)
Cornerback 5 Antoine Cason 6-1 185 Sr.-3L

Best Defensive Player: CB Antoine Cason

Defensive Line -- The Wilcats rotate 3 pretty good players at defensive end. The regular starters are Louis Holmes (18 tackles, 2 TFL, 0 sacks)and Johnathan Turner (10 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks), but Jason Parker (25 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3 sacks) sees a lot of time as well and is the leading tackler amongst the linemen. At defensive tackle, seniors Yaniv Barnet (18 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 sack) and Lionel Dotson (19 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks) have started every game this season, and are very experienced. In fact, the strength of this unit is its experience. They have been done a decent job against the run, opposing teams have averaged 116.3 rushing yards per game and 3.4 yards per rush. The unit's weakness has been pressuring the QB and causing turnovers. The Wildcats had only 15 sacks last season, and although the 12 sacks they have this year are ahead of last year's pace, they still aren't generating the pressure that Mike Stoops would like.

Linebackers -- The linebackers experienced and very active. Senior weakside LB Spencer Larsen (49 tackles, 2 TFL) leads the team in tackles, junior MLB Ronnie Palmer (39 tackles, 1 TFL) is 3rd on the team in tackles, and senior strong-side LB Dane Krogstad (28 tackles, 2.5 TFL) is the tied for 5th in tackles. They are stout against the run, tackle very well, and make plays all over the field. Their only weakness seems to be the lack of production in pass coverage, given that the 3 starters have yet to record a sack or an interception.

Defensive Backs -- The secondary is probably the strength of Arizona's defense. This is a fast unit, probably more athletic than USC's secondary. Three seniors starters return in the defensive backfield, led by Jim Thorpe Award candidate Antoine Cason. The senior CB is one of the elite cover guys in the country, and he proved it last year when he manhandled USC's all-everything WR Dwayne Jarrett. Cason is the team's 2nd leading tackler with 40, and has TD returns on both a punt (70 yards) and an INT (60 yards) so far this season. Senior CB Wilroy Fontenot starts opposite of Cason, an though undersized at 5-9, he has tremendous speed and good ball skills. The safeties sophomore Cam Nelson and senior Dominic Patrick are big hitters and sure tacklers. Nelson is 4th on the team in tackles with 34, while Patrick is tied for 5th with 28.

The key matchups will be up shortly...

Thanks once again to Scout.com's College Football News and the Arizona Athletics website's Game Notes for providing background info on the Wildcats...

Fight On!

Arizona Offense Preview

Probable Starters vs. USC:

WR(X): 84 Terrell Turner 6-2 190 So. -1L
Tight End: 48 Rob Gronkowski 6-6 250 Fr.-HS
TE (Small): 9 Anthony Johnson 6-2 210 Sr.*-3L
Left Tackle: 76 Peter Graniello 6-5 310 Sr.*-3L
Left Guard: 64 Colin Baxter 6-4 295 Fr.*-RS
Center: 50 Blake Kerley 6-2 285 So.*-1L
Right Guard: 75 Joe Longacre 6-3 315 Jr.*-2L
Right Tackle: 77 Eben Britton 6-6 310 So.*-1L
WR(Z): 10 Mike Thomas 5-8 195 Jr.-2L
Quarterback: 7 Willie Tuitama 6-3 220 Jr.-2L
Running Back: 23 Nic Grigsby 5-10 178 Fr.-HS
H-Back: 49 Earl Mitchell 6-2 265 So.-1L
H-Back (Small): 18 Delashaun Dean 6-4 198 Fr.*-RS

Best Offensive Player: WR Michael Thomas

Quarterback -- Junior QB Willie Tuitama exploded onto the scene as a redshirt freshman in 2005, but has yet to build off of that first season. He's been beaten up behind a very porous offensive line throughout his career, but he is as dangerous as ever in the spread offense that new offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes has implemented. This spread offense emphasizes short and intermediate routes, but Willie T has a very strong arm and can make any throw on the field. He is athletic and can make plays outside of the pocket as well. The key for Tuitama will be his health and consistency.

Passing Game -- Arizona's offense revolves around its passing game. Not counting rushes by Wildcat QB's, which include sacks, Arizona has attempted 270 passes to only 141 rushes. That's almost a 2 to 1 ratio. USC's defense employs a bend but don't break philosophy, so the pressure will be on Arizona to take what the defense gives them. They have an electrifying player at WR in Michael Thomas (38 catches, 423 yards, 6 TDs) that can score from anywhere on the field. Thomas can run past an overly agressive corner on a deep route, or turn a short 5 yard pass into a 50 yard gain by making tacklers miss. "X" receiver Terrell Turner (25 catches, 327 yards, 2 TDs) and "small" tight end Anthony Johnson (25 catches, 290 yards, 1 TD) present bigger targets for Tuitama. Running backs Chris Jennings (18 catches) and Nicholas Grigsby (14 catches) have been active targets out of the backfield.

Running Game -- True freshman Nic Grigsby became the starter at running back in Arizona's 4th game and hasn't looked back. In 4 appearances this season, Grigsby leads the Wildcats in rushing with 345 yards on 68 carries, good enough for 86.2 yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry. WR Michael Thomas is a threat and reverses and end-arounds, gaining 111 yards on 7 carries. The Wilcats aren't going to play smash mouth football and control the clock on anybody, but they will catch defenses that are overly focused on stopping the pass sleeping.

Look for the defensive preview later on tonight...

Fight On!