Offense still needs more time to mature


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For the 16,850 USC fans in attendance, Saturday’s annual spring game at the Coliseum was not pretty, littered with interceptions, incomplete passes and missed field goals. With senior tailback Marc Tyler and sophomore wide receiver Robert Woods sidelined with various ailments, USC’s offense was noticeably out of sync and overwhelmed by a defensive front that […]

And the final chapter: what I learned at USC


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Right about now, hundreds of thousands of high school seniors are making their life-changing decision about which college to attend. Only 3,000 will make the right choice and come to our side of warm, sunny Los Angeles for the next four years. I remember when I made my decision, and then changed it and then […]

Draft defections give USC an edge in Pac-12


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After the USC men’s basketball team was ousted in the First Four of the NCAA tournament, I thought there was a slight possibility it could lose junior forward Nikola Vucevic to the NBA after a stellar season. After all, who would blame him? I’d probably get tired shouldering USC’s inconsistent offense and facing constant double […]

Is Sunday football in the Pac-12’s future?


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Sunday football is as American as apple pie, reality TV and outdoor music festivals all put together. For football fans, it’s a weekly holiday that makes hugging bartenders and high-fiving strangers acceptable — even if only for a few hours. But an NFL lockout would put the kibosh on more than just bar lines and […]

Establishing a backup quarterback is crucial


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Backup quarterbacks live by this mantra: It’s just a play away. Just as the vice president is a heartbeat away from the presidency, the No. 2 signal-callers are one snap away from going from relative obscurity to having all eyes looking at them. There are those who never get the chance, those that history relegates […]

Big XII TV deal opens a door for the Pac-12


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$60 million might sound like a lot. With that much in capital, you could buy two dozen Coachella tickets, three or four Boeing 737s and a five-star Caribbean resort (at least by my calculations). But in the world of college football television contracts, the soon-to-be Pac-12’s $60 million in annual earnings is at the bottom […]

Let’s be careful not to forget the fun in sports


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Think back to when you were a kid, when you would come home from school and shoot hoops with your friends in your driveway, or wake up on a rainy Saturday morning and put on your soccer jersey and cleats on without a second thought, or when you would spend all day in your fourth […]

Volleyball deserves more fan support


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The USC men’s volleyball team, has a rich tradition of success, including four NCAA championships and 12 Final Four appearances. Over the last couple years, USC coach Bill Ferguson has directed the USC men’s volleyball team back to the top of the collegiate volleyball hierarchy; his teams have been synonymous with the word “success.” In […]

Coliseum can learn from Dodgers’ ordeal


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One stadium’s misfortune could be another stadium’s opportunity. With less than five months until the Trojans take the field against Minnesota on Sept. 3 for their 2011 home opener, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum commission and USC have a chance to create their own silver lining in the aftermath of the altercation outside of Dodger […]

Future still bleak for USC football program


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I woke up yesterday to an email from USC football announcing Tuesday’s “Trojan Day” at L.A. Live. USC coach Lane Kiffin, his father Monte and Ed Orgeron will be there signing autographs. Season tickets will be available for purchase. But the most promising part of the email was written in all capitals at the top: […]