Receiving group focal point for USC in 2011


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Despite many major moments of the 2010 season being dominated by obvious growing pains and missed opportunities, there remained a constant staple in the Trojans’ offense fans could always get excited about — the exhilarating connection that junior quarterback Matt Barkley shared with then-freshman wide receiver Robert Woods. Quickly getting time as a starter alongside […]

Continuity should help USC in 2011


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What a difference a year makes. Last summer it became a daily ritual to digest a smattering of national headlines regarding USC football along with my morning cereal. This summer, however, it seems the only buzz surrounding the team is senior tailback Marc Tyler’s well-documented night on the town. Though some teams would do just […]

Amnesty would be good gesture


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Football is fast approaching, and there is, as always, plenty of NCAA administrative nonsense to gripe about. This season, USC will reprise its role as the governing body’s redheaded stepchild, sheltered from postseason play and short a handful of scholarships. Meanwhile, the NCAA continues to sniff out problems at North Carolina, Ohio State and Oregon, […]

USC’s top stars shine off the gridiron as well


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With 11 national championships and six Heisman Trophy winners, USC has become synonymous with football, and for good reason. The football program, however, can sometimes cast its Coliseum-sized shadow over the other members of what is one of the country’s deepest and most successful athletic programs. The “other” USC sports teams have combined for 93 […]

Stipends problematic for collegiate athletes


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Nobody cares about Lonnie White. Nobody cares that as a former USC wide receiver from 1982 to 1986, White pocketed roughly $14,000 in extra benefits. Nobody cares that he sold his season ticket allotment. Nobody cares that, in doing so, he violated NCAA rules. We’re numb to this now. Unless Yahoo! Sports were to learn […]

Vucevic proving doubters wrong


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The “one more year” chants echoing throughout the Galen Center on Senior Night and the smile breaking across Nikola Vucevic’s face as he prepared himself at the foul line told me everything I needed to know. Vucevic leading the Trojans as a junior was merely a pleasant wish; his final home victory was the perfect […]

Storm clouds hanging over USC athletics


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Heritage Hall, by most standards, is a decorated facility. Six Heisman trophies line the entrance, championship banners hang from the upper balcony, and if you venture outside the building, you’ll spot several hundred plaques on a patio floor commemorating members of USC’s athletic hall of fame. It’s a fitting display for a program with 92 […]

Johnson, Trojans ready for another title run


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Junior Steve Johnson has accomplished what very few have been able to do. With strong play  and impeccable will and stamina, he walked away victorious from the NCAA singles championship match in Palo Alto, Calif., just a week after he led the Trojans to the NCAA team title. Johnson’s achievements could not have come at […]

Suing NCAA not a viable option for USC


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Well, that was exhausting. Five years, one month and six days later, and the final chapter to the Reggie Bush era officially closed Thursday morning with the NCAA once again giving USC the cold shoulder, announcing the school’s appeal of last June’s sanctions had been denied. And it’s about time. For a case dating back […]

Foundation for men’s volleyball set in place


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Four of the country’s top prep volleyball players — Tyler Cundiff, Ben Lam, Robbie McKnight and Austin Rysyk — will join USC for the 2012 season, USC coach Bill Ferguson announced on May 19. The new class features state and club champions, players selected to be part of the national team’s pipeline of talent and […]