This time, USC exhibits composure


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For about four minutes last Thursday night, the then-No. 13 Trojans looked like they were in trouble. They turned the ball over twice in their first two possessions, leading to a pair of Utah touchdowns. With 12:15 left in the first quarter, USC was already down 14-0. Was USC coach Lane Kiffin going to be […]

Undefeated No. 12 Ohio State mirrors 2010 USC team


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During the last four weeks, the parallels between 2012 Ohio State in its first season of sanctions and 2010 USC were becoming a little too eerie. Both teams fumbled through their first four games, narrowly beating teams they should have obliterated and shakily clinging to their undefeated status, with pollsters still pinning them around the […]

Trojans can reclaim national spotlight


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Most coaches would prefer that their teams fly under the radar. The idea that their players are not getting the recognition they deserve creates an “us against the world” mentality that most teams thrive on. At USC, this is most certainly not the case. Arguably the premier sports team in Los Angeles, the Trojans have […]

Other USC sports are thriving in anonymity


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Stop me if you’ve heard this before: USC students need to be better fans of sports other than football. Students need to go and support the other perennial national powers in the USC athletic department like water polo and volleyball. Trojan pride should be for more than just football and all that jazz. It’s the […]

Is Lane Kiffin beyond a point of maturation?


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To everyone — the pundit, the avid fan, the man who sells you bacon-wrapped hot dogs on Exposition Boulevard — Lane Kiffin represents a number of things. To some, he’s a perpetual brat. To others, he’s a Trojan prince, leading USC back from NCAA sanctions. Truth, in turn, becomes muddied, and it’s understandably challenging to […]

USC’s defense looks championship-caliber


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The bye week not only provides teams with much- needed rest, but also provides a break for fans. I spent the majority of Saturday posted up on my couch, watching teams I don’t normally watch, seeing what I could learn. The first game is the one that really caught my eye: Baylor at West Virginia. […]

Trojans’ bye week is a good thing for fans


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The night of Stanford’s latest upset victory over USC is not my fondest memory. After missing our return flight to Los Angeles that night, fellow editor Michael Katz and I slept over in San Francisco International Airport, sprawling out on a couple of benches beside a 24-hour Subway. Though sleeping beside vats of tuna fulfilled […]

Water polo leaves opponents in its wake


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This probably won’t come as a surprise: The USC men’s water polo team is favored to win the NCAA championship this fall. After becoming the first school to win the NCAA championship four years in a row, the Trojans were expected to be great again this year — but what they’ve done this season so […]

Issues with Pac-12 Network loom large


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When the Pac-12 Networks launched on Aug. 15, there were plenty of kinks still to be worked out. Pac-12 Enterprises President Gary Stevenson essentially admitted as much in an interview with the Daily Trojan, but was also clear about the possibilities for the schools in the conference. “Imagine what being on 24/7 on seven networks […]

Veteran coach turning D-Line into strength


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During the latter days of training camp, Ed Orgeron stood near the corner of Howard Jones Field, arms crossed and carrying a slight grin. He knew the answer to the question, but he cared not to say, really, or even elaborate much. “You’re sandbagging a little, aren’t you?” a reporter asked. “You guys are better […]