Weekend does not bode well for Trojans


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Being frank, I thought USC looked its worst this season during last Saturday’s 38-10 win over Oregon State. The stats on the surface were strong: a four-touchdown cushion, 316 passing yards (three scores) for redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Darnold and more than 500 yards of total offense. But the Beavers are a team in shambles […]

Rankings should not count the Trojans out


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I don’t really understand how national rankings work. Of course, I understand the premise of voters and polls based on point differentials and strength-of-schedule statistics. I’ve read plenty of explainer columns that break down the variety of factors that are put into deciding the national rankings for teams every week. But when it comes down […]

T-Time: Could kneeling spread to college?


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First off, please allow me to make my opinions clear. I think it is perfectly OK for athletes to protest in the form of taking a knee during the national anthem. They are influential figures in society who are taking peaceful actions against what they perceive as injustice — not the flag, the military or […]

Viscarra’s Vice: Rams’ fast start is converting skeptics


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When the Los Angeles Rams opened the 2017 regular season with a convincing 46-9 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, there was a positive feeling about the direction that the team was heading in. Los Angeles put on a dominant defensive showing in its Week 1 victory, paired with a clean 300-yard passing effort from quarterback […]

Grinding Gears: Trojans can’t rest on laurels after win


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Redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Darnold threw for over 300 yards in Saturday’s 38-10 win over Oregon State. He completed 66 percent of his passes and recorded three touchdowns. But the first few questions he fielded from the postgame media scrum were critical of his performance. He was asked about what he needed to improve on, […]

Lack of a bye could hurt this USC team


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For the first time in a while at USC, people are staring longingly over at Westwood. The Bruins may be trending down with two losses in their last three games, but right now, UCLA has something the Trojans desperately want: a bye week. People have been harping on USC’s lack of a midseason break since […]

Poe’s Perspective: Newton’s comments are beyond dismaying


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It’s another Thursday in the Daily Trojan sports section and, yet again, I’m writing about the treatment of women in sports media. I’m sorry, everyone. I don’t want to talk about this. I really don’t. If it was up to me, the phrase “women in sports” would never need to be uttered by anyone, anywhere, […]

Offense must step up for the LA Rams


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To start their 2017 campaigns, the Los Angeles Rams have competed notably hard under the leadership of new head coach Sean McVay. On Sunday, the Rams traveled to Dallas and beat the Cowboys, an NFC heavyweight in 2016, by a score of 35-30. Now with a 3-1 record, McVay seems to have sparked a team […]

Viscarra’s Vice: Chargers aren’t at home in Los Angeles


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A Sunday afternoon at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., is quite the experience. Upon entering the stadium, you can confirm that a 27,000-seat venue for professional football winds up being unique as one of the most intimate spectacles in sports. The cheapest seats here give fans fantastic proximity and a clear vantage point of […]

Grinding Gears: Coaches must give offense a fair chance


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In a waiting area outside the weight room adjacent to where USC’s team buses were parked following its upset loss to Washington State on Friday in Pullman, Wash., offensive coordinator Tee Martin faced the media and delivered a series of terse, one- to two-word answers. Did he feel like receivers were getting open consistently? “No.” […]