USC faces critical two-game stretch


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The next two games are crucial ones for the fate of the USC football program. On Saturday, the Trojans take on Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz., a place where they were beaten 43-22 two years ago by a Sun Devil team that finished 6-7 that season. After a bye week, the team returns to the […]

Trojans’ defense passes crucial dual-threat test


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In the modern game of college football, there are basically three types of offenses that are widely used. There’s the classic pro-style offense that uses a strong running game to wear out defenses and set up play-action passes. There’s the spread offense that utilizes a strong-armed pro-style quarterback and dynamic receivers. And there’s the hybrid […]

Kiffin lays foundation for future USC success


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It’s easy to hate Lane Kiffin. Especially when he loses games. After the Washington State debacle two weeks ago, it was hard to imagine a more hated man in college football. After the Trojans put up a single, measly touchdown in a 10-7 loss to the Cougars, “Fire Kiffin” chants echoed off the walls of […]

USC students should cherish each gameday


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The name of this column is “Any Given Saturday,” a collegiate play on the great NFL movie Any Given Sunday with Al Pacino. It’s about the beauty of college sports and sports in general — in college football, on any given Saturday, something special might happen. For three Saturdays in a row here at USC, […]

Enfield turning cynics into believers


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In the midst of all the excitement surrounding the hiring of USC men’s basketball coach Andy Enfield, I remained a bit wary. As the old saying goes, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. This time I wanted to remain impervious to the standard optimism associated with a new hire, […]

Defense faces first real test in Aggies


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Don’t believe everything you read. At least, that’s how the saying goes. Because if you read statistics about USC’s defense in 2013, you would believe that the Trojans had one of the top defensive units in all of college football. So far this season, USC ranks eighth in the nation in points per game allowed […]

USC perseveres in must-win situation


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After USC polished off the finishing touches on a near-perfect 35-7 victory over Boston College, the Trojans were quick to admit that the atmosphere surrounding the team’s preparations for the Eagles wasn’t ideal. “It was really dark last week,” redshirt sophomore tailback Tre Madden said. “This [win] was a relief.” Rumors about a players-only meeting […]

Division I lacrosse could thrive at USC


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Hi, my name is Luke Holthouse, and I will play Division I lacrosse at USC before I graduate. Well, probably not. But I learned at my freshman orientation this summer that “ambitious” is one of the five traits of a USC student etched into Tommy Trojan’s statue, and I think Tommy would look much more […]

Loss to Cougars different than most


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Nineteen. That’s how many USC home football games I had attended in my three years as a student here before Saturday. Six of those were losses. Some of them were bad losses. Some were frustrating beyond belief. Some were maddening beyond description. I’ve seen the Coliseum crowd shocked after wide receiver Ronald Johnson let a […]

Kiffin, QBs waste talented roster


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After another stalled drive against Washington State, USC’s star wide receiver, junior Marqise Lee, who will almost certainly be nabbing passes from an NFL quarterback a year from now, stormed off the field. He yanked off his helmet and screamed in frustration in the direction of the stands that were once filled with cheers but […]