Penalties might be the Trojans’ downfall


Remember how Arizona State unraveled a year ago? A promising beginning to the 2011 season, punctuated by a 43-22 victory over USC in the fourth week, quickly spiraled into mediocrity as the Sun Devils lost their final five games. You didn’t need to be a college football pundit to determine the source of their woes: […]

Inefficiency on third down plagues USC


Halfway through a season that was supposed to end with the Trojans hoisting the crystal football in South Florida, let’s just say things have not gone as smoothly as expected. USC holds a respectable 5-1 record, including a 301 mark in Pac-12 play, and is in no way out of contention for the national championship, […]

Turnovers key to USC’s defensive resurgence


Last year, the Trojans posted signs all around Heritage Hall, proclaiming their mantra: “That’s our ball!” And yet, for the past several years, the Trojan defense has been subpar in forcing turnovers. The Trojans ranked 90th nationally in 2011 with just 1.4 takeaways per game (for an embarrassing comparison, UCLA averaged 1.5). The 2010 team […]