258 Days until kickoff!

Going to be a very, very fun offseason! Starting soon.....

Big Big Weekend....

• George Farmer commits to USC per Scott Schrader
• Marquise Lee may be the next commit per Scott.
• Rumors floating around that JUCO Safety Isiah Wiley flipped from Arkansas to USC.
• DeVante Wilson is visiting this weekend, and is deciding the 15th, looks good!
• David Garness is visiting this weekend, and it is close for decision time for JUCO's.

What a day! Fight on!

Havili vs. Langi...

I was reading up on how USC is now coming after RB Harvey Langi from South Jordan, Utah and noticed some very comparative things between he and Stanley Havili...take a look!

Senior Year Harvey Langi...South Jordan High School, Utah
Ht: 6'2 Wt: 215 40speed: 4.65
Langi is a powerful running back with excellent balance, and he does a good job of keeping his feet clear of traffic on the ground, whether it's by a quick hop or a cut around diving arm tackles. He is a big back that smaller defenders have trouble wrapping up with the combination of his size and balance as they tend to slip off of him. Is more likely to knock a defender down than out run one, but can avoid traffic with good vision- Scott Kennedy
Senior Stats: 133car. 1309yds 16TD..9.84avg

Senior Year Stanley Havili...Cottonwood High School, Utah
Ht: 6'1 Wt: 215 40speed: 4.55
The top 'big back' on the west coast, you always expect Havili to get caught in the open field against players supposedly much quicker, but he actually creates separation. Could be the next LenDale White-type power back with speed. -Scout.com
Senior Stats: 103car. 1025yds 17TD..9.95avg

Havili 2.0? Maybe! Hope USC can land him!

The KING of L.A.

Well for the 4th year running USC handled UCLA to win the victory bell. It wasn't pretty at first but the seniors came through when we needed them. Most notable stepping up was Malcolm Smith, and Allen Bradford. Bradford after not having a carry the previous two games, went off for over 200 yards of rushing, and Malcolm smith returned a fumble in the second quarter when UCLA was in USC territory in a game changing moment. The Trojans hung 28 points on UCLA for the 3rd year running, and if it were not for a late touchdown by slick Rick Neuhiesel and UCLA the score would have been 28-7 for the 3rd year running. It is nice to see the seniors go out on top though, and I already can not wait for next year, as it seems this year went by all too fast!
       A lot of people are bashing Lane Kiffin for his play calling and his way of going about things. Well if you ask me, his honesty is what the program needs. As for his play calling, you have to try things to learn things. He learned a lot from the game last night. An 8-5 record seems poor, but when you think about it, we are less than 10 points from being 11-2 right now. Crazy to think right? Look it up yourself. The will to win is there, but it seems as they gave up in the most crucial of times. Lane will correct that in the off-season for sure as we get ready for a new bunch of Trojans to step into the lime light and Fight On!

**Also shout out to Teague Egan for losing his certification. Awesome job Teague.

USC needs to land Niklas.

Troy Niklas is a converted tight end, playing Offensive Tackle this year for Sevite High School in Anaheim, CA. With a 6'5 frame and weighing in at 265lbs, he has the potential to be even bigger, and USC is in desperate need for lineman as everyone knows. Troy was recently reported saying he is down to USC, Stanford, and Notre Dame and many Trojan fans would love to see him in Cardinal and Gold. The last tight end to be converted to an Offensive Lineman was Aaron Douglas who was at Tennessee with Lane Kiffin who became a Freshman All-American at Tennessee before deciding to transfer out to a JUCO due to Kiffin leaving. Douglas is also a possibility for the Trojans to land, and many think they hold the edge with him having played under most of the current staff. Hopefully the staff can pull in Niklas, and Douglas to boost the talent on the line for the upcoming seasons.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sorry nothing has been posted Trojans fans! Been very bust with College Apps! Expect new stuff soon!

Matt Barkley for Heisman in 2011!!

http://lostangelesblog.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/matt-barkley-for-heisman-2011/     Spread the word!

Trojans pull the upset..

USC went into Tucson to face an Arizona team who was ranked #18 in the nation at the time, winning 24-21. The Trojans had an incredible ground game going for them as Marc Tyler was the star today going for well over 100 yards. Matt Barkley was pin point in the first half, but seemed to struggle a bit in the second. As for the defense, a lot stood out for good, but also the bad as well. They converted on too many 3rd and longs, and that certaintly needs to be stopped. However, USC could most definitely be on course to go 10-3 this season after ND has lost their QB in Crist, and Tight End Rudolph for the season. It won't be an easy win against Oregon State either, as USC has not had much luck in the state of Oregon recently. I predict USC will in fact win out and finish 10-3 overall with a record of 6-3 in the Pac-10.

OT/DT Cody Temple commits to USC.

Recruiting is getting hot!!!
Cody cited USC as the place he has wanted to be for a while.

JUCO Defensive Tackle Sheldon Richardson Commits.

Sheldon Richardson was a 5-star out of high school, and remained a 5-star through his JUCO career. He was committed to Mizzou for the longest time, but made the switch to USC after feeling they were the school who could get him to the pros. Sheldon is an Early Enrollee.

Update: Moose Jalil and Ronnie Stanley..

Mustafa Jalil is currently a Cal commit, but USC has been coming after the 2011 Defensive Tackle prospect very hard. Coach Ed Orgeron has been pushing Jalil to USC for a while now, but Jalil remains solid to Cal. "Yeah man, he (Coach O) is a crazy dude in a good way. He is super into it, talking about how they need me and the benefits that USC has. It's hard to say no to him." As for visits, he will be trying to attend the Notre Dame game later this month. The season has been an up and down ride for the man they call Moose, but he certainly has plenty of football ahead of him.

Ronnie Stanley, 2012 Offensive Tackle attends Bishop Gorman High School which could become a USC pipeline with the Grimble brothers leading the way. However, Ronnie Stanley has racked up an offer from USC putting his total at 6. Ronnie is still wide open to any school, but Jalen Grimble is pushing him to look harder and harder at USC. Don't expect a decision to soon from him however, he plans on announcing sometime senior year.

Weekend Recap

After a shaky win against Arizona State that saw USC win 34-33, the Trojans improved to 6-3 on the year and 3-3 in the conference. News broke shortly from various sources that Steve Dillon Defensive End out of Palmdale, CA has committed to USC. USC seems to be on a hot streak right now after grabbing Punter Kris Albarado out out Louisiana to help out the special teams and Coach Baxter. Rumors also floating around that Sheldon Richardson former 2009-5 Star defensive tackle and now 2011 JUCO-5 star defensive tackle has committed to USC. Stay tuned.........!

USC 2011 Pac-12 schedule released...

USC 2011 Pac-12 Football Schedule
**-Conference Game

Sat., Sept. 3
Minnesota at USC

Sat., Sept. 10
Utah at USC **

Sat., Sept. 17
Syracuse at USC

Sat., Sept. 24
USC at Arizona State **

Sat., Oct. 1
Arizona at USC**

Sat., Oct. 8
BYE WEEK

Thurs., Oct. 13
USC at California**

Sat., Oct. 15
BYE WEEK

Sat., Oct. 22
USC at Notre Dame

Sat., Oct. 29
Stanford at USC**

Sat., Nov. 5
USC at Colorado**

Sat., Nov. 12
Washington at USC**

Sat., Nov. 19
USC at Oregon**

Sat., Nov. 26
UCLA at USC**

Sat., Dec. 3
Pac-12 Championship Game
TBD vs. USC :)

Lane Kiffin Show

Good for some laughs.... With "Ricky NewHighSchool"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuecgwvLEvY 

Predictions: Oregon

Oregon comes into the Coliseum as the number one team in the land. So it looks dim for USC right? Wrong. USC has won 8 of its last 10 homecoming games, and is coming off a bye week which the Trojans had much time to prepare and had some great practices. USC needs to contain LaMichael James. He is their heart and sole along with their QB. It is going to be a very high scoring game, and here is why or why not the Trojan will be on top.

Why- USC comes off a bye week so they had extra prep time to breakdown the Oregon offense to its fullest extent, and have extra time to learn the weakness' in the defense. USC is hot coming off a big win against CAL, winning 48-14. It is USC's homecoming game, so they crowd will be ready to rock.

Why Not- If USC comes out sluggish, it could be a long night. Everyone including the waterboy needs to be on top of his game. USC needs to come out and punch Oregon right in the jugular. If they fail doing this, Oregon will win.

Predictions-
USC-45
Oregon-41

• Barkley has 4TD passes and well over 300yards.
• Robert Woods has a big game again
• Allen Bradford rush TD
• Interception by the D
• Kick or Punt return for TD
• Ronald Johnson 2TD's

Crazy Saturday...

What a weekend it has been in College Football. Makes me happy USC had a bye-week to prepare for a strong looking Oregon! There were upsets galore on Saturday, by some less likely opponents. First we saw Syracuse who is off to their best start in years knock off West Virginia. Iowa State shock Texas at home and have Texas fans questioning whats going on. K-State going down to Baylor, Oklahoma being the 3rd Number one tanked team falling to Mizzou. I mean, it was everything you could wish for if you root for the underdogs. Some of the lower top 25 teams losing, gave USC the chance to reappear into the top 25. The AP poll has them listed at #24..It is going to be one hell of a match up between USC and Oregon, with College Gameday in town, and the USC faithful sporting a 'Red Out.' Only 6 more days until we see what the Trojans can do.

UCLA vs. Oregon

The Game Thursday night features #1 ranked Oregon, and UCLA. Now, I hate UCLA big time, so for those who also despise them, like I do...This will be a nice game to watch. UCLA has suspended a good amount of starters for this game, and it seems like UCLA is becoming the Florida of the west! Yeah, I said it..so what?! If Oregon comes out strong they will probably win this one in a rout, but you never know with the way things have been going...
However, I believe Oregon wins this one big...
Oregon-59
UCLA-10

But the Oregon vs. USC game? Well thats a different story..........

Cliffhanger........

Wow. What can you say about a performance like that except "amazing." Everything seemed to click tonight especially Barkley and Robert Woods. Robert Woods picked up right where he left off from last weeks heartbreaker against Stanford tallying 116yards on 7 catches with a paid of scores. Barkley, who looked outstanding with 5 touchdown passes through for over 350yards as well. It was really nice to see Joe Houston boot two field goals tonight, and get his confidence up. Remember fans: USC is 3 points away from 7-0. Oh..how one can dream! The title of this is cliffhanger because it seemed as if this is one of the best performance I have seen from USC in a while, and now with the bye week coming up and off to face what could be #1 Oregon (scary thought, I know!) You want to see just how real the Cal game was. Is this a turning point or just a lucky day for USC? We shall find out! Here are a recap of the predictions....
USC-42
Cal-24
Final score made me smile however!

• Barkley throw 3TD's (He had 5 total)
• Allen Bradford leads team in rushing (Tyler lead, Gable 2nd..Hate to see Gable go down like he did)
• Robert Woods breaks 100yards receiving (116yards, He is a STUD)
• Woods gets in at DB near the end (I dont recall him being in, any help would be appreciated!)
• Two interceptions today by Cal (One by Harris and one by McDonald.)

Cal Predictions

The Trojans come in on a 2 game skid looking to make something out of this game. If they control the running game, then it can be an easy day on not only the team, but the fans as well! Shane Vareen is a stud running back, but of course he is not as good as Mr.Best. Kevin Riley, well it is rare for him to break 100 yards passing it seems, so as long as the secondary is on their toes I wont be two worried (knock on wood). Here are some predictions as to what I believe will play out...

USC-42
Cal-24

• Barkley throw 3TD's
• Allen Bradford leads team in rushing
• Robert Woods breaks 100yards receiving
• Woods gets in at DB near the end
• Two interceptions today by Cal

Recruiting heating up..

It was a good feeling to get another commit for the class of 2011 this week. Charles Burks committed to USC after originally being offered only an EE spot. But the coaches changed that, and Burks committed on spot. Corey Waller another big name, and who many expect to be a Trojan got an offer Monday according to Greg Biggins. A few other offers went out this week all to 2011 prospects, and the list includes Mustafa Jalil-DL, DeVante Wilson-DL/LB, and Lake Koa Ka'ai-DL according to Mr. Biggins. Good to see the coaches really start to step it up where the depth is a huge need for upcoming years. I would love to land Waller, and steal Jalil away from Cal. Not to sure on how good Lake is, but to get a sacred offer from USC, he must show signs of life!

Looking Forward to Cal..

        The Cal Bears come off a huge win, after crushing the UCLA Bruins 35-7. Although most of that was was the running game of Cal which went well over 200 yards. QB Kevin Riley only had 83 yards passing but did toss a touchdown pass. The Trojans will need to focus on the run game, as it has been clear Kevin Riley is not exactly the MVP of the Cal team. If USC can contain the running game and keep an eye on Kevin Riley, then it should be an easy win for USC. Right? Well, it seems there are no easy wins for USC so look for the game to most likely be closer then some may expect. I'm not saying a three point difference, but maybe in the 10 point range or so. The Cal defense has been strong and they face a great USC offense, and look for Robert Woods and Barkley to continue where they left off. This is going to be a scary combo for the next two and a half years.
        I predict USC will end the 2 game skid against Cal, and the Home crowd will be jumping. USC needs to come out firing on all cylinders and score at will. This will be another test for the defense, and if something goes wrong something needs to be done about it. I wouldn't mind seeing Kennard back at DE, and Galippo back at the Mike position. Shane Horton has proved he is a worthy back-up and Marquis Simmons is getting healthier and healthier. Christian Tupou missing is also hurting a bit, so hopefully, and I'm praying to the lord on this one, Jurrell Casey returns for next year. A defensive line that could look like Nick Perry, Devon Kennard, Jurrell Casey, Christian Tupou, rotated around with Armond Armstead and Hebron Fangupo? Man..can not wait for 2011! Next years team will be much better, even though the depth will be down a bit. But with a more experienced secondary and an electric offense returning, it could be a big year. Now lets hope we win that appeal and can be bowl eligible!
   

Stanford thoughts...

    I came away impressed with how the Trojans played. The offense is spectacular, and Robert Woods in an absolute stud. I just wish on days we have the pass game working big, that we can also get our run game in there just as much. Our two leading rushers were tied with 33yards a piece, and everyone thought the run game would be the key. The defense is still just not there. Stanford should not have won that game, but I do feel confident that USC can win the rest of the games, aside from maybe Oregon. Oregon is going to be tough obviously but if we play them like we played Stanford, and our defense improves, we have a shot. Look what Washington State did..43-23, that's vulnerability.
    Anyways, 4-2 still is not bad. Think of this season as a "practice season" for Lane Kiffin and Co. since we have no bowl game. I still feel very strong about the appeal and that may be our biggest win by the end of this year. It's all in the NCAAs hands and will be yet again another interesting off season for all Trojan fans. My final record prediction? I feel either 10-3 or 9-4..we are 3 points away from 6-0, I believe the only games we have to worry about are the Oregon, Arizona, and maybe the Oregon State game. Only 6 more days until Cal! Beat the Bears!

Fight On!

Beat the Cardinal!

Lets hope for a huge running game today, improved defense..(much improved) and of course a win!

Go Trojans!

Well....

My computer crashed, so im writing from my ps3. Anyway, quick Stanford prediction...
If USC plays with heart, they can win this game...
USC-35
STAN-27
If not, then lookout...
USC-24
STAN-41

Lane Kiffin...

    It really gets me mad when you go on a forum or any media outlet, and you see people calling for Coach Lane Kiffins head already. People stating how we need to get rid of him and how he will only hurt the program, and that he was not Pat Hadens choice. This is just crazy. Pete Carroll went 6-6 in his first year as the Trojans head coach, and lets remember he was not facing lack of depth, or sanctions for that matter. For Lane Kiffin to have a 4-1 record is just fine with me, as it is going to take some time for him, and his staff to adjust to these situations. Most of you are probably thinking "adjust? They were here before!" But the fact is, its like they were not here. Sure they know the area, the best spots to grab a beer, the best beach spots, but they are facing new challenges that many coaches do not face in their whole coaching career.
    How easy can it be having 70 scholarship players, and knowing those numbers are only going down with the reduced scholarships coming into affect, unless the appeal kicks in. Still, we will not be able to use as many offers as we once thought. Lane is working with the same team that Pete Carroll had last year in a 9-4 season, minus some key players such as Damian Williams, Taylor Mays, and Everson Griffen. They have all been filled with younger talent such as Freshman Robert Woods, Sophomore TJ McDonald, and Sophomore Nick Perry. Does the defense make you want to rip your hair out? Yes. But it is a very young squad which will grow in talent in the next few years. Not to mention that Kiffin had racked up the number one recruiting class in 2010, and pending early enrollees,and regular enrollees, could be heading for that number one ranking again.
    Every single Trojan fan should be happy that Lane Kiffin was offered and accepted the coaching position, as not many would have with everything lingering at that time. Kiffin brought in a monster staff, not to compete only for Pac-10 championships, but to win as many championships as he can. Remember this is his "Dream job" so unless he was lying, expect him to be around a very long time, and do great things here. I see a very bright future for Trojan football, and many new BCS Championships and Heisman winners to come!

Recruiting Updates...

The Trojans have picked up 2012 Athlete Jaydon Mickens from Dorsey High School according to Scott Schrader and 247sports.com.

Brent Calloway (RB/OLB: Russellville, AL Class of 2011)-
     Brent Calloway has been making plenty of noise on both sides of the ball this year, having broke the school record in touchdowns, and surpassing the 1000 yard mark already. However, Brent is committed to Alabama, but for how long? "I'm solid as of now but USC is in my top 3, I haven't been on any visits but we'll see what happens." USC can really use those two way players now with the sanctions and lack of depth hitting hard in the upcoming years, and Brent would be a perfect fit. Linebacker is a huge need of position, and Brent can fill that mold very well. Keep a close eye on how his recruitment turns out in the near future...

Butch Pauu (Linebacker: Servite High School, CA. Class of 2012)-
     One of the top Juniors in California, Butch Pauu is starting to make a lot of noise. He is stepping up as a leader for the undefeated Servite team, and will likely be a top player for the 2012 class. Butch currently does not hold any offers, but everyone who has watched his highlights knows that will not last long. Butch also has strong family ties to USC. "I love USC. My uncle Fili Moala graduated from USC and my cousin Hebron Fangupo is attending there right now." Pauu says it would be "an honor" to be offered by the Trojans, and if he continues to dominate on the field, that offer may be coming very soon.

Jeremiah Allison (Linebacker: Dorsey High School, CA. Class of 2012)-
     Jeremiah Allison has been a name on college coaches short list for some time now. Allison already has 10 sacks on the season, including seven against Hamilton High School in Los Angeles. Allison, along with Pauu are two of the top linebackers for the class of 2012 and no doubt would be huge pick ups for USC. Allison is teammates with recent USC commit Jaydon Mickens, who have both helped lead the Dorsey team to an undefeated season thus far. So where does USC stand with Allison? "Well USC is a choice since its really close to home (right down the street) and I know alot of people who go there, and their education is pretty prestigious as well." Allison currently holds no offers for now, expect that to change in the very near future however.

The Ugly...

    What can you say about a game like that? A lot of things could have been done to win that game near the end, like going for it on 4th down having Bradford punch the ball up the middle, having Houston actually make the kick. But these things happen, and the team needs to focus and look at themselves and ask, "Is this were we want to be?" USC should have won this game big. Instead a repeat of last year happened, with Folk kicking a game winner. I sure hope all of the defensive recruits there realized that they can help out BIG time. It is going to be a very long season with continued play like this. I will say the offense looks great, but the defense...Come on Monte. We have Stanford, Cal, and Oregon in a 4 week span. Thats gonna get ugly. Very ugly. However, we will be back on top. Maybe no this year or next year, but I am confident in USC winning the appeal, and returning to Glory with a Senior Matt Barkley in 2012-2013..The defense will learn, they are just very young. but it seems every time there is a 3rd and long, or a 4th down and they decide to go, you say to yourself, "Just move the chains." That will change in the next few years though. So do not worry Trojan fans!

As for my predictions...they were pretty much all wrong except the Tyler and Bradford part. It was bad....

Predictions: Washington

    As USC (4-0) and Washington (1-2) square off this Saturday, payback will be in the mind of the Trojans, who lost a very close game last year without QB Matt Barkley and Safety Taylor Mays. The game marks the second home game for the Trojans this year, and the crowd will surely be excited, loud, and looking for their revenge. This game should be a win for the Trojans, as Washington is very mediocre in many areas, and lost 56-21 to a strong Nebraska team. Look for USC to open the playbook a bit more as we start getting into the heavier Pac-10 teams, and see some stuff that we have not yet seen in the Kiffin era. If USC can contain Jake Locker then it could be big win, as it seems he is their only weapon. Chris Polk, former USC commit, could also do some damage, so it will be key to contain him as well. Now, time for some predictions...

• Matt Barkley 3TD
• Baxter has a big game
• RoJo gets 2 TD grabs
• Woods gets the other
• Bradford leads team in rushing and has a TD
• Marc Tyler TD
• An INT in the game by Locker
• Houston makes a 35yd+ field goal

Score Prediction-
 USC-38
Wash-17

Updates on top 2011/2012 prospects..

Amir Carlisle-RB(Sunnyvale,CA)-2011
    Amir states that he is still committed to Stanford, but USC is "a very close 2nd." With Coach Helton recruiting him hard to try and lure him away from Stanford, it seems to be slowly working. He is contemplating on coming back to the Coliseum for an unofficial visit, and will take some other visits, stating "ill take other visits but those are primary." Amir is a VERY smart kid, and very polite, calling me sir..even though I am the same age as him!

DeVante Wilson-DE/LB(Corona, CA)-2011
    DeVante stated that USC is on top, "They are my number 1 right now, and they are getting really involved...they want me to play end most likely and im going to the game this Saturday and talking to coach O and cregg afterwards." DeVante says the Trojans are close to offering, but he will wait through the process before pulling the trigger to a school.

Shaq Powell-RB(Las Vegas, NV)-2012
    Shaq Powell is starting to hit the scene big. He hails from the same school as current Trojan Xavier Grimble, and current USC commit Jalen Grimble. USC is trying to start a pipeline to Bishop Gorman it seems, having offers out to several bishop players. Is Shaq Powell next in line? Shaq says recruiting is going a bit slow for him, but expect that to heat up very soon. He mostly gets mail from Oregon, Colorado, and Nebraska. He says the Trojans are always in mind and that "It would be awesome!" to have the possibility for playing for the Trojans.

Andrus Peat-OT(Tempe, AZ)-2012
    The big man has offers from tons of schools all over the United States, and the Trojans are one of them. "Recruiting is going pretty well. USC is a school I'm definitely looking at. I wanna try to get out to the campus sometime, I've never been there." But it seems as if USC has some stiff competition to say the least. "I'm strongly looking at Stanford, ASU, UofA, Clemson, Nebraska, and Oregon State, Ive been to all except Nebraska." Coach O, and Coach Barry are pushing hard to land the 2012 stud. Lineman is a key position of need for the Trojans in the next few years, so Andrus could expect plenty of action on the field.

Stay tuned for more updates....

Stay Tuned...

Bunch of updates coming from top 2012 prospects, and some 2011 targets. Should be up by tomorrow night!!

Recruiting Update:

• Antonio Richardson (Nashville, TN) is still wide open, but plans on visiting USC
• OLB and current Florida commit Ryan Shazier is solid to Florida and will not take visits.
• Tim Jernigan (Lake City, FL) will visit for the Oregon game, not the Notre Dame game as stated earlier.
• Kent Turene (Ft. Lauderdale,FL) is still considering a few other schools, but is still solid to USC.
• Ronnie Stanley (2012 OL Bishop Gorman, NV) Has a Trojan offer, maybe he will follow the Grimbles to USC!
• JUCO lineman David Garness (San Francisco (California) City College Of San Francisco.) will be visiting for the ND game per sources.
• DeAnthony Arnett (Saginaw, Michigan) will also visit for the Oregon game.
• Cyrus Kouandjio, who is considered one of the must gets for USC, has USC in his top 5. "I've been talking to the coaches a lot.,coach mortan, cregg...they are top 5 on my list."

Post Game Thoughts...

      There were certainly some bright spots this game as the Trojans hung 50 on the Cougs beating them 50-16. It was the first game that felt like Trojan football again. Barkley made a lot of mistakes however, throwing two picks, where one should have been an easy touchdown after a nice blocked punt. It was 1st down and inside the 15, when Barkley threw a pass over the middle right to a defender. The first half was rough, with a fumble and two INTs, but it also showed us many signs of life. The running game is just amazing, we have 5 backs we can use that can all do damage. Havili was an absolute beast in all aspects of the football game, and he will be a huge factor come Pac-10 play. Robert Woods is also going to be a factor, he is really stepping up, and is making some great grabs. It seems to be that freshman will really help this team out. Robey, Woods, and Baxter are all going to be great Trojans in the future!
       The offensive line was much improved, cutting down the penalties drastically. They also allowed 4 running backs to have big days, which is very rare for that kind of success; It is a very good problem to have though! Nice to see Mitch Mustain get a TD pass in there as well, I was pulling for us to pass a bit more with him in there to show what hes got. Though Washington State is a bad team, winning 50-16 gives this team confidence, and I believe they will show that against Washington. Coach Baxter has me excited about the special teams after Saturday, blocking an extra point, and blocking a punt. The 2-point conversions I can pass on but hey, we may need them one day so practice them while we can.
        Overall, it was a much better showing from the Trojans, and I'm really looking forward to next Saturdays match up with Washington and seeing Coach Sark, and Coach Holt back in the Coliseum. If the Trojan defense can contain Jake Locker running and passing I believe USC can win this one pretty easily. Also I just want to say, it was shocking to see UCLA beat Texas like they did, and Oregon showing that they can be challenged. I was glad to see Bama' win because, personally I do not want Boise or TCU in the national championship game. Also here are the updates from my final predictions....not to shabby...
Red-Wrong
Green-Correct
Predictions:

• Barkley throws 3TD's with no picks. (3TD, 2INT)
• Ronald Johnson catches two of the TD's the other goes to Rhett Ellison (RoJo had one TD)
• Robert Woods has a big day (Ill keep this as right since he had a nice TD catch, 2 for 32 TD)
• Bradford leads the team in rushing (7car 84yds)
• Baxter scores a touchdown  (Did look good though)
• Tyler Scores a touchdown (scored in 1st half)
• One Interception by one of the safeties. (TJ McDonald had a pick)

Score Prediction:       USC- 41
                          Wash St.-  6       (I'll probably never get this right)

Halftime Report:

Trojans lead it 28-13 in an up and down frist half. USC should be up much bigger, 35-7 to be exact. Barkley needs to get his head screwed on tight, and ball control is key for the second half. Havili...What a beast! Havili is looking like a heisman candidate in this game! Catching, Running, Blocking everything! Also, Nickell Robey is doing an amazing job.Congrats to Robert Woods on his first receiving touchdown.
Here are my predictions I made earlier this week..which ones were wrong? Which ones are correct so far?....
Red-Wrong
Blue-Pending
Green-Correct
Predictions:

• Barkley throws 3TD's with no picks.
• Ronald Johnson catches two of the TD's the other goes to Rhett Ellison
• Robert Woods has a big day
• Bradford leads the team in rushing
• Baxter scores a touchdown
• Tyler Scores a touchdown
• One Interception by one of the safeties.

Score Prediction:       USC- 41
                          Wash St.-  6

One More Day...

     As we near this Saturdays game against Washington State, I'm more excited for this game than any other. A great week in practice as stated by our leader Lane Kiffin really has me excited to see just how much we have improved since the Minnesota game. I was happy with the Minnesota game, as it showed that not only is TJ McDonald ready to be a leader as a sophomore, but even Jawanza Starling who had a nice INT is attempting to step up. There were a good amount of INT's this week in practice, so it should be interesting to see that if its the secondary that has improved, or Matt Barkley who is struggling. Either way, the secondary has seen a confidence boost the past few days.

        I'm starting to get the nerves I get before every game, no matter who it may be against. Those nerves last through the game, and even if we are up 35-0 with 1 minutes left to play, my nerves stay until I hear the announcers say "Final score here in Los Angeles, USC-35, Washington-0," its the way its always been for me. Trojan football is more then a game for me, it's the thing I love the most. Everyone has that one thing they are passionate for, and mine just happens to be watching USC in a room filled with Trojan memorabilia, a cold Mountain Dew, and some Salt and Vinegar chips. I breathe USC, the University is just one of the greatest in the U.S.A. in not only sports, but academics as well. I often ponder to myself that I am probably the only one to get nervous before the Trojans take the field, but I think to myself, how about the guys who get to go to games every week when i have only been to one my whole life, that must be the life! How cool is it if you're having a touch work week, and you have Saturday to look forward to? Eventually my goal is to fly out to catch a USC game, and go to a WeAreSC meet and greet! Those meet and greets sound like a ton of fun, plus only around 30 bucks for the night? That's a pretty nice deal! Some goals to reach before the age of 19 right? So I raise my Mountain Dew to you, USC. Kick some tail and Fight On!

September 25th Around the League Picks..

    There are certainly some very intriguing games this weekend around CFB nation, although I'll have my eyes glued to the TV for the USC game, which is the most important game this Saturday! However, there are many games that will have big implications on the BCS standings with 4 games featuring two top 25 teams going head-to-head. Here are some picks on how I believe things will play out...

  (1)Alabama-34
(10)Arkansas-20

(24)Oregon St.-16
(3)Boise State-23

(5)Oregon- 45
Arizona St.- 13

UCLA-9
(7)Texas-27

(12)S.Carolina-13
(17)Auburn-17

(22)WVU-20
(15)LSU-21

(16)Stanford-31
Notre Dame-20

This years sleeper recruits?

     In past years, USC has always seemed to have that one commit to come out of nowhere. Jarvis Jones, and Jawanza Starling are two that come to mind as I sit here typing this right now. So will USC have anyone this year who will shock the recruiting world and come to USC, when many did not even think SC' was on the radar? Two prospects that come to mind would be Colt Lyerla-DE/LB and Curtis Grant-Linebacker. Grant who hails out of Virginia, has rumored to have said that playing time would be the deciding factor and who can offer the most. Reportedly his top 3 school are Alabama, Florida, and USC. USC needs linebackers badly, so there is a high chance that Grant will see the field early. Lyerla has been quiet for the most part on his recruitment, but some say USC, Oregon, and Miami(FL) are his main 3. Scout.com, who doesn't even list USC as a choice for Lyerla does however list a long list of suitors possible for Lyerla. It will be an interesting run to National Signing Day, hope for the best for USC!

George Farmer

     Many people have been saying for a very long time that 5 star wide-receiver George Farmer (Gardena, CA) has been a lock for the Trojans, since his freshman year it has always been not 'if' George commits to USC, but 'when' will he commit? Farmer has been quoted saying that he wants to stay close to home so his family can watch him play. So it does look good for the Trojans when George cut his list down to 5 schools which include: USC, Alabama, Florida, Oregon, and Miami(FL). With Alabama, Florida, and Miami all being nearly 3,000 miles away, it seems odd that they are in his top 5 right? Oregon, who rounds out his top 5, isn't too far from his hometown, but it was surprising when he dropped the likes of Cal, UCLA, and Stanford. Things look good for the Trojans due to the fact academics play a huge roll in his decision, and USC is the highest ranked out of his top 5. Not to mention that long time friend/high school teammate Robert Woods is an upcoming Freshman seeing plenty of time on the field. George was going to announce in January, but the process seems to be wearing him down. Look for George to be a package deal with teammate Marquis Lee, 4 star safety with a USC offer, and Jason Gibson, linebacker who holds an offer as well. Things look very bright for USC landing this trio of studs.

Prediction Time: Class of 2011

Signing day is still LONG ways away, but its never to early to start guessing who will sign with the Trojans! Here are some predictions of who USC will land come signing day(I'll be putting 25 players to fill the class up, which hopefully we do with the lack of depth coming soon)....


                             Early Enrollees...

• Cody Kessler-QB (Bakersfield, CA)
• Aaron Douglas-OL (JUCO-Arizona Western..Yuma, AZ)
• Thearon Collier-WR **Transfer-Miami(FL)**
• Peter McBride-LS (Scottsdale, AZ)
• Andre Heidari-K (Bakersfield, CA)
• Jason Peacock-OL (JUCO-Citrus..Glendora, CA)
• Charles Burks-DE (Huntington Beach, CA)
• David Garness-OL (JUCO-CC of San Francisco..San Francisco, CA)
• Kent Turene-MLB (Lauderdale Lakes, FL)
• Maurice Couch-DT (JUCO-Garden City..Garden City, KS)

                             'Late' Enrollees...

• QB-Max Wittek (Santa Ana, CA)
• DB-DeAnthony Thomas (Los Angeles, CA)
• DT-Antwaun Woods (Woodland Hills, CA)
• OLB-Tre Madden (Mission Viejo, CA)
• DE-Jalen Grimble (Las Vegas, NV)
• DE-Greg Townsend (Beverly Hills, CA)
• S- Marquis Lee (Gardena, CA)
• WR-George Farmer (Gardena, CA)
• WR-Victor Blackwell (Santa Ana, CA)
• OLB-Jason Gibson (Gardena, CA)
• RB-Amir Carlisle (Sunnyvale, CA)
• OL-Cyrus Kouandjio (Hyattsville, MD-We WILL land him, I believe Playing Time will be the deciding factor)
• OL-Marcus Martin (Los Angeles, CA)
• OLB-Corey Waller (Long Beach, CA)
• Surprise recruit who we wont hear about until later in the process.

Keys to the Game: Washington State

The keys to this game is to just play Trojan Football. Washington State is a terrible team, and we should win by at least 40. The offense needs to click, and the defense needs to hold them under 14 not only because they should not score over that, but because they need the confidence. Washington will be a tough game, if we struggle against little Washington State who struggled with a FCS team this year. Barkley needs to be on point, and the line needs to cut down some penalties, which last time I checked USC was leading the race for penalties/penalty yards. The defense needs to step up, get sacks, turnovers and really get their confidence up before Washington. The run game will be key, as obviously Barkley can not do it all. Tyler/Bradford/Baxter is a deadly combo and if used right, they can easily rush for over 80 yards a piece.

Predictions:

• Barkley throws 3TD's with no picks.
• Ronald Johnson catches two of the TD's the other goes to Rhett Ellison
• Robert Woods has a big day
• Bradford leads the team in rushing
• Baxter scores a touchdown
• Tyler Scores a touchdown
• One Interception by one of the safeties.

Score Prediction:       USC- 41
                          Wash St.-  6

Recruiting Updates:

• Former SEC Freshman All-American Aaron Douglas who transferred from Tennessee when Kiffin left, has USC and Arkansas in his top 2.
• Number 1 player in the nation and Defensive Tackle Tim Jernigan will visit Nov. 27th for the Notre Dame game.
• Greg Townsend, 5 star Defensive End has USC in his top 3 schools with TCU, and Washington.
• Defensive Tackle, and Commit Antwaun Woods will not be taking trips and is 100% Committed to USC.
• George Farmer may decide sooner then January when he is supposed to announce at the Under Armour game.
• 8th Grader David Sills (Trojan Commit for 2015) who is the starting QB for his High School team threw 3TD's in his last game.

Kicking off 2010

    It has been a very rough start for the 2010 season with new coach Lane Kiffin, and a very young secondary. This team has no identity yet, and is still searching for who it is. When the offense shines, the defense struggles, and vice-versa. Matt Barkley has improved big time so far throwing for 9TD's and 2INT's in 3 games so far this year, when he had a total of 15TD's and 14INT's all of last year. The offensive line struggled early with holding calls, and false starts, but has since found its rhythm it seems going into the Pac-10 opener at Washington State. The secondary has been an are of concern only returning Shareece Wright. TJ McDonald (Safety), Jawanza Starling (Safety), and Nickell Robey (True Freshman) have all been assigned the starting spots. Robey struggled the first game at Hawaii, which was his first ever college game, and it seemed as if they picked on him, however he has since molded nicely to the college game and seems to really be finding his place on this team. Standing only 5'8 Nickell with certainly be a force come later in the Pac-10 schedule. TJ McDonald has been the surprise. TJ has 1INT so far and has led the team in tackles a few times this year. He had a great performance against Virginia registering 14tackles and an INT. Jawanza Starling also has been stepping up. He looked rough the first few games, but his tackling has been getting much better, and even had an INT against Minnesota. The Washington State game will be key to work out any last kinks this team has before the real meat of the schedule hits.