USC will have more fun under Coach Orgeron


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The best movie ever is Remember the Titans. This is an indisputable fact and I will not waste another millimeter of column space discussing it. There is a great scene in the movie where coach Herman Boone (played by the one and only Denzel Washington) is meeting his team for the first time. Coach Boone […]

Struggles of Kiffin era build loyalty


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My first memory of USC football isn’t very inspiring; it’s of former Kansas State standout Terrence Newman streaking down the sideline to score on a blocked point after touchdown attempt from USC kicker David Davis. USC ultimately lost that game 27-20, and I’ll never forget my dad, a diehard fan, lamenting the loss as typical […]

Kiffin never had a chance at USC


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It ended with a whimper, not a bang. The Lane Kiffin era at USC finally, mercifully, came to an end in the wee hours of Sunday morning, providing a jolting wake-up call for most Trojan fans who stayed up late the night before watching their team get blitzed by Arizona State in a 62-41 defeat. […]

Kiffin’s dismissal only the first step in rebuild


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When Marqise Lee went down with a left knee injury in the opening moments of the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s game against Arizona State, it surely seemed like that would be the most significant news to come out of USC football this weekend. Sure, the Trojans were being manhandled by a Pac-12 opponent, but […]

Penn State reductions make USC fans cringe


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Remember those birthday parties back in elementary school that you felt like you never got invited to? And there’s no reason why you weren’t invited to the party, besides the fact that the one kid just didn’t like you very much. And all your friends that did get invited came to school on Monday talking […]

Trojans have sense of familarity with ASU


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Technically, every game counts. And technically, USC has already started its conference schedule (and is 0-1). But the preseason is over. This, of course, is a lie. There is no preseason in college football. Week one is week one, and the games all count just the same in the annals of history. But still … […]

Coliseum crowd remains sparse


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USC is a football school. It always has been, and always will be. No matter how many consecutive national championships the men’s water polo team wins (five), All-Americans the USC women’s volleyball team has (two in 2012) or supermodel wives the USC men’s basketball coach marries (one), Saturdays at the Coliseum will always be the […]

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 […]