Character evident in spite of tough loss


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USC’s thrilling, triple-overtime showdown against Stanford ended with applause — not after a last-second game-winning field goal or a goal line stand from an oft-maligned defense. It came after a fumble from Curtis McNeal, the junior tailback who rushed for a career-high 146 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries Saturday. Hordes of cardinal and […]

GameDay provides false sense of hope


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Early Saturday morning, hordes of dedicated USC fans and handfuls of Stanford’s faithful will trudge down Trousdale Parkway, across Exposition Boulevard and around the Rose Garden to wait patiently outside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum’s peristyle — maybe even in the rain — before ESPN personnel shepherd them into a gated area behind the set […]

Hype proves all too burdensome for Baxter


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Blame it on Reggie Bush. After all, you’d figure he’d be used to it by now, given the heat he’s taken for being the primary cause of USC’s NCAA sanctions. If it weren’t for Bush and his crowd-wowing play for the Trojans from 2003 to 2005, USC coach Lane Kiffin’s announcement Tuesday that sophomore running […]

Running game has been catalyst for USC


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After a quick three-and-out by Notre Dame to start the game on Saturday, USC took over possession and proceeded to do exactly the opposite of what everyone expected — it ran the ball. If USC coach Lane Kiffin would have proposed this game plan to the USC faithful before the Trojans’ first snap, I would […]

Luck of the Irish wears off against Trojans


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It’s a script that has been written before — so often, in fact, it has become almost cliché. The echoes have been awakened, Notre Dame is back. That much was indicated prior to Saturday night’s grudge match against USC. Facing a USC team that had been underwhelming for much of its first six games, Notre […]

Where does this historic rivalry now stand? (ND)


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Six years ago, No. 9 Notre Dame hosted No. 1 USC in one of the most memorable contests in recent college football memory — a game remembered simply as the “Bush Push.” Though the Irish fell in a heartbreaking 34-31 defeat, many viewed the game as evidence of Notre Dame’s imminent return to football prominence. […]

Where does this historic rivalry now stand? (DT)


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Unless I’ve been sleeping under a rock for the last decade, the question of who still holds a grasp on the coveted “Jeweled Shillelagh” heading into USC and Notre Dame’s prime time showdown tomorrow night, requires little to no thought: USC. There’s no bias here or jaded sense of entitlement, the numbers, the wins, the […]

Coaches don’t deserve all scrutiny, blame


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USC-Notre Dame just doesn’t have the same kick to it anymore. With both teams at relative low points, the bad blood in the rivalry doesn’t quite boil like it used to (at least on the West Coast, anyway — South Bend might be a different story). Sure, the game will receive plenty of attention with […]

Distance makes for a unique tradition


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Rivalries make college football special. Coaches, players and fans alike circle one or two games on their calendar each year as “must-win” games — not because of rankings or standings, but out of a longstanding and passionate dislike for another school. For some, it would be OK if their team lost every other game if […]

Victory not indicative of later success in 2011


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Mid-October has become something of a bright spot for the Trojans in recent years. For the last three seasons, the early breaths of fall have ushered in an always crucial bye week and a matchup against California to round out the first half of USC’s football schedule. This has only become special because of what […]