Early optimism abounds at USC


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Plenty of things could have gone wrong for USC on Saturday against Fresno State. I wasn’t nervous, but I certainly had memories of last year’s Washington State game fresh in my mind as I walked into the Coliseum for another home opener. Very little did go wrong. Evident by their performance and the 52-13 final […]

Trojan football must look inward


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The Trojan football team is no stranger to controversy. Last year it was the firing of head coach Lane Kiffin and the departure of beloved interim head coach Ed Orgeron. Before that it was He Who Must Not Be Named and the improper benefits that led to USC’s sanctions. This year it’s Josh Shaw and […]

Josh Shaw scandal is all too familiar


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Here’s what we know about the Josh Shaw situation: At some point between USC’s annual Salute to Troy dinner on Saturday and the Trojans’ Monday morning practice, the senior defensive back suffered two high ankle sprains. Shaw originally claimed that his injury was the result of rescuing his drowning nephew, a story that garnered him […]

Josh Shaw incident raises questions


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It seemed too good to be true — now we find out it might literally be too good to be true. I didn’t think too much of the story when I first came across it on the Spirit of Troy Facebook page, where a link to the article on USC’s athletic website had been posted. […]

Shaw’s heroism should be praised


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UPDATE: This column ran in the Aug. 26 print edition of the Daily Trojan, prior to the development of new information regarding senior cornerback Josh Shaw’s injury. For up-to-the-minute information on the developing story, please click here and subscribe to the Daily Trojan Twitter account (@DailyTrojan). When news broke that senior cornerback Josh Shaw suffered […]

You were missed, Tommy Trojan


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A lot of crazy stuff went down in the world this summer. If I wasn’t writing this column for a university publication, I would probably use a different noun starting with an S than “stuff,” because almost all of this “stuff” was really, really “stuffy.” Sorry, I mean really, really bad. Planes crashed in Ukraine, […]

Kiffin deserves respect from USC


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As of Tuesday, the NCAA sanctions on USC’s athletic programs have expired. After four years of being hamstrung by a two-year postseason ban, scholarship limitations and the vacating of a Heisman Trophy, as well as the 2004 BCS National Championship and all of their victories in 2005, the USC football team is now free from […]

‘Trojan Family’ is not just a saying


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I thought it was stupid. I was standing on the steps of the Physical Education building, overlooking Cromwell field. It was my freshman orientation, and I was stuck there, surrounded by people I didn’t know, being forced to perform that outrageously obnoxious two-finger-V-thing as a 10-piece segment of the Trojan Marching Band blared Tribute to […]

Sterling situation raises questions


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When Daily Trojan Editorial Director Yasmeen Serhan pitched a story about President Barack Obama decrying the racist statements made by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling earlier this week, I was reluctant to pick it up. Everyone and their mom (including mine) had an opinion about Donald Sterling’s racist comments at that point, so I […]

Change of plans paid off perfectly


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It wasn’t supposed to end like this. Four years ago, as I waited anxiously for my college decision letters to arrive, I envisioned how it would all play out — my dream school would accept me, the school whose posters and jerseys covered the walls of my bedroom, and I’d get to go to college […]