The writing was on the wall for a USC letdown


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All signs pointed to it. A week after a huge emotional win, a week of practice swirling with uncertainty, all leading up to a road game against a team nobody thinks has a shot. Smelled like trouble. Looked like trouble. Man, was it ever trouble. In what has become a yearly occurrence for USC, the […]

Other sports trump football on campus


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We know all the statistics and accolades. They are printed on cardinal T-shirts sold in the bookstore: seven consecutive 11-win seasons, BCS Bowls and Pac-10 Championships — not to mention the two national championships won in the middle of this decade. These stats seem to speak for themselves and declare USC football the best sport […]

Trojans won’t fail the ’Quizz this Saturday


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USC has placed itself in a great position to run the table in the Pac-10 after winning a huge Ohio State game in its second contest of the season. Sound familiar? Well it should. Last year, the Trojans beat the Buckeyes 35-3 in Week 2 at the Coliseum and appeared to have passed their toughest […]

It’s too soon to crown Barkley


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As a USC fan, it was alarming. When freshman quarterback Matt Barkley approached the huddle before the Trojans went for the two-point conversion late Saturday night, ESPN announcer Brent Musburger added a little bit of bravado to the already tense situation. “Right before your eyes, you’re watching a freshman grow up tonight, before a record-setting […]

USC’s schedule pays off for now


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No matter how hard Pete Carroll tries to turn the focus forward to the upcoming game against Washington, Saturday’s classic against Ohio State might be the only thing USC fans talk about for some time. The tilt between top-10 teams was a rarity on a number of levels. Earlier in the fall, Carroll mused on […]

Barkley comes of age before our eyes


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Matt Barkley has officially relinquished the title of freshman. With the game on the line in just his second collegiate game, in front of perhaps the loudest crowd he will ever face, Barkley’s play was not that of a teenager. His numbers weren’t spectacular. His missed opportunities were plenty. But for the defining drive that […]

USC should just keep it classy this weekend


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LaGarrette Blount. Many of you know him as the man who, last weekend, threw the best punch on a blue field in history. But once you get past how that one punch that connected with Boise State defensive end Byron Hout’s jaw right made watching that slow game worth it, the reality of the situation […]

USC-OSU should be more of the same


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Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. USC opens up its season with a 50-point romp, beating up a lesser opponent before a supposed “game of the year” the following week against a highly ranked team. Ohio State stumbles before the “game of the year,” playing down to an inferior opponent and having to […]

What we learned about USC in opener


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The official San Jose State football website sported this headline postgame Saturday and for much of Sunday: “Spartans Score First; USC Wins, 56-3.” Really? Talk about a misleading headline. Your opponent scored eight straight touchdowns and you point out your measly field goal? Bold choice. Apart from that ridiculousness, there are a few things USC […]

The wait is over: Game day is here


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The famine is over. I don’t know how you survived, but you made it. The new dawn tomorrow brings a day that you’ve all been waiting eight months for — a day that seemed so far off in April, you wished you could just fall asleep and wake up on Sept. 5. Tomorrow, that insatiable […]