Road environment to test young USC squad


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So far it’s been a familiar setting for USC: “Tribute to Troy” blaring over the loudspeakers, the fourth-quarter torch lighting and Traveler prancing down the Coliseum sidelines. That changes Saturday, however, when the Trojans head to Tempe, Ariz., to take on Arizona State in their first road game of the season. It’s often hard to […]

Numbers can tell the story of USC football


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A number is worth a thousand words. Not any old, run-of-the-mill digit, mind you: It has to be a telling number, an insightful statistic that gets to the heart of the matter. As evidenced in the new movie Moneyball, statistics are an integral part of the modern sports landscape and, when properly studied and applied, can […]

Woods immune to sophomore slump


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The sophomore slump is as much a part of sports as hot dogs and cheerleaders. The term means exactly what it says — a player, in his second year, fails to come close to living up to the enormous expectations placed on him after the success of his rookie season. Sophomore slumps are fairly common, […]

Seasoned Barkley delivering for USC


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Back in 2009, when then-USC coach Pete Carroll named Matt Barkley the Trojans’ starting quarterback — over Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain — his rationale behind handing the job to the wide-eyed freshman signal caller was simple. “He has all the physical ability, he has the mentality and temperament to handle the position,” Carroll said. […]

Give Kiffin some love, credit he deserves


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Just minutes after stepping to the podium following Saturday’s 23-14 victory over Utah, USC coach Lane Kiffin was confronted with a reporter’s question regarding the “controversial” on-field interview he gave a week earlier, in which he said USC only had two good players on offense. The question had nothing to do with the outcome of […]

Tyler’s play not vital for Trojans’ success


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The thing about a liability on any male sports team is that you can never be too sure he’s reformed. No matter how reformed he is said to be, no matter how many people declare him a changed man, anyone watching is still thinking, “When’s his next outburst coming?” So why, then, has USC been […]

Trojans on the right track after 2-0 start


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For a 2-0 team, there sure is a lot of negativity surrounding USC. Fans are clamoring for bigger margins of victory, fewer penalties and turnovers and gosh darnit, would USC coach Lane Kiffin just go for one? Some of the criticism is justified: Two fumbles, one interception and six untimely penalties nearly cost USC a […]

Kiffin needs to take chances downfield


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The 2000s were an exciting time for USC football. An unsuspecting fan wandering into the Coliseum on any given Saturday could be blindsided by the electrifying offensive play of the Trojans. Points came a dime-a-dozen, yardage climbed to astronomical heights and sensational plays unfolded from the most basic formations. USC seemed to be able to […]

Living on the edge not what USC needs


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It happened, again. It wasn’t pretty. It was hardly palatable. For the second week in a row, USC won a game in the final seconds, barely, edging Utah in the first-ever Pac-12 game. Based on games one and two, living on the edge might serve as an appropriate slogan for the 2011 Trojans. Living on […]

Trojans in need of Tyler’s return


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Matt Barkley, Robert Woods. By now, you’ve heard those names plenty of times, after both broke USC single-game records against Minnesota last weekend in its season home opener. Sophomore wide receiver Woods recorded 17 receptions for 177 yards and three touchdowns and the junior signal caller, Barkley, completed 34-of-45 passes for 304 yards and three […]