BASKETBALL, FOOTBALL

If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column

Sometimes, USC freshman Evan Mobley looks a little soft, a little too languid.

But Mobley lived up his billing Thursday night — after a slow start — and carried USC past Utah.

“It was a long game, a hard game. That’s what March Madness — the postseason — is,” Mobley said. “There (are) going to be a lot of big shots, a lot of overtimes, hard games. So, you’ve just got to push through, stay tough and stay focused.”

For all the hype with Mobley, there have been times he disappeared in games this season, including the first half Thursday when he got two fouls.

But if USC is going to make an NCAA Tournament run, Mobley needs to play like he did in the overtime periods Thursday night. The biggest problem is some other players think they should take the big shots in crunch time instead of Mobley.

Andy Enfield doesn’t like to make post players the focal point of the offense but Mobley needs to be featured more.

  • The law of averages suggests USC could beat Colorado. The Trojans have lost six straight to the Buffaloes.

“We’re going to have to play well to beat (USC),” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “We’re going to have to play better than we played tonight — I can promise you that — and I really believe that we will.”

  • USC will face Colorado on Friday in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals at 8:30 p.m. PT on ESPN, which means most of us can watch it.
  • Some USC football players tell me that their nickname for new strength coach Robert Stiner is “Proud Boy” because of his large beard and many arm tattoos.

And now for some history:

  • Let’s start off in 1980.
  • Do you remember the Probation Bowl?

In 1980, the Pac-10 ruled USC, UCLA, Oregon, Oregon State and Arizona State were ineligible for the league title and postseason games because of “violations of conference rules and standards in the areas of unearned credits, falsified transcripts and the unwarranted intrusion of athletic department interests into the academic processes of the respective universities.”

A group of four USC students and one UCLA student decided to call that year’s USC-UCLA game “The Probation Bowl” and began selling T-shirts for $5. The shirts said “1980 Probation Bowl: USC vs. UCLA” and featured a football behind bars.

Soon, the phrase caught fire and the T-shirts were mentioned in the L.A. Times and Sports Illustrated. The students sold more than 4,500 shirts before the game.

Naturally, USC tried to ruin the feel-good story. It’s official vendor started selling “Probation Bowl” shirts and the students were actually arrested for selling their shirts in Exposition Park before a game.

“I think it was very low for the Coliseum to plagiarize our T-shirt idea and then arrange to have a student group arrested for selling T-shirts,” said student Marjorie Mowry.

USC football players Hoby Brenner, James Hunter, Ronnie Lott, Keith Van Horne, Dennis Smith and Speedy Hart at the UCLA game bonfire rally in 1980.

UCLA won the game, 20-17. I’ll have more on the game in the Friday Football Supplement newsletter.

Ronnie Lott attempts to tackle Freeman McNeil in the 1980 Crosstown Rivalry.
  • As if losing wasn’t enough, USC tailback Marcus Allen suffered an eye injury in the game and went to Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital that night. Allen stayed several days in the hospital and was forced to wear patches over both eyes.

Allen missed the Notre Dame game, but USC ended up winning, 20-3.

  • USC coach John Robinson was unbeaten for 28 straight games from 1978-80 (26-0-2) until the No. 2-ranked Trojans were upset by Washington, 20-10, at the Coliseum on Nov. 7, 1980.
  • In 1969, USC coach John McKay offered some recruiting observations, including the idea that a recruit’s reputation was inflated as soon as they committed to USC.

“You put a USC uniform on someone and everybody suddenly considers him better than anyone else,” McKay said. “It’s something USC has had to live with for 40 years and will continue to live with.”

Then he said something that is relevant to the Clay Helton era.

“The average fan thinks we go only after the stars,” he said. “But there are some good players on poor teams that don’t get the notoriety of the stars. We’re interested in what they’ll be after they get here.”

  • When USC baseball manager Rod Dedeaux approached his 900th career victory in 1970, he said, “I can remember every one of them. But I can remember even better every one of those 352 losses.

“We shouldn’t have lost those, but then Emmet Ashford (an American league umpire) must have blown half of them.”

“It is going to be a real personal milestone,” Dedeaux added. “But there is one thing I’ve got to ask . . . ‘Where the hell is that thousandth victory?’ ”

Dedeaux finished with 1,332 career victories when he retired in 1986.

  • Last week, I mentioned USC basketball player Ken Flower was selected in 1953 to play for the College All-Stars in a 19-game tour against the Harlem Globetrotters.

Here’s more detail: On April 8, 1953, the Globetrotters played the collegiate All-Americans in front of 36,256 fans at the Coliseum, the largest crowd ever at that time to see a basketball game in the United States. The Globetrotters won, 77-72.

May be an image of 2 people and people smiling

47 thoughts on “If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column”

  1. I started a Go Fund Me page for Owns to help him purchase UCLA football season tickets so he can watch them march to National Championship. Who is with me?

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. Are we talking about the National Championship of Westwood? Oh wait, don’t they have some intramural teams on campus, so that might not be a lock.

      Liked by 2 people

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    3. Damn Ricki, thanks. Just make sure the season ducats include a 50 Yd. line enclosed private box. I don’t come cheap.

      Yes, it’s true, I do believe UCLA will reach the CFB playoffs before Clown U. I’m sure there are some Clownster’s who have noticed CK is building a pro style FB team, featuring a punishing ground game.

      Don’t forget Ricki, he who laughs last, laughs the loudest.

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      1. All right, Owns just showed up. JO, is it true they had to call out an investigative unit to search for the UCLA basketball team? But without an electron microscope they had no luck. Rumor has it that this team never got past the traditional (Wooden) first lesson on shoelaces. “Ah, come on Coach, don’t go so fast”. He who laughs first, middle, and last, laughs the loudest.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. I think you can get a 4 UCLA tickets if you spend over $25 at Ralphs. Chipster has not had a winning season since 2014. I think you might want to shoot for a 500 season before a national title. DING goes the Victory Bell. #hahahahah

        Liked by 2 people

  2. Hey owns, how about a little Beatles after that las come from ahead game. Just a little pick me up…

    “ Happiness is a warm gun (bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
    Happiness is a warm gun, momma (bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
    When I hold you in my arms (ooh, oh, yeah)
    And I feel my finger on your trigger (ooh, oh, yeah)
    I know nobody can do me no harm (ooh, oh, yeah)
    Because
    Happiness is a warm gun, yes it is (bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
    Happiness is a warm, yes it is, gun (happiness, bang, bang, shoot, shoot)”

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    1. More like

      Yes, I’m lonely
      Want to die
      Yes, I’m lonely
      Want to die
      If I ain’t dead already
      Oh, girl, you know the reason why
      In the morning
      Want to die
      In the evening
      Want to die
      If I ain’t dead already
      Oh, girl, you know the reason why
      Black cloud crossed my mind
      Blue mist round my soul
      Feel so suicidal
      Even hate my little guttie bruins
      Want to die
      Yeah, want to die
      If I ain’t dead already
      Oh, girl, you know the reason why

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      2. Here you go MG, straight from John’s mouth

        ‘Yer Blues’ is one of the many “White Album” songs written in India in spring 1968. And while their stay there was an exercise in serenity for many, John was going through something of personal crisis. His marriage to Cynthia was drawing to a close, and his relationship with Yoko Ono was just on the cusp:

        “The funny thing about the camp was that although it was very beautiful and I was meditating about eight hours a day, I was writing the most miserable songs on earth. In ‘Yer Blues’, when I wrote, ‘I’m so lonely I want to die,’ I’m not kidding. That’s how I felt. Up there trying to reach God and feeling suicidal.”

        Liked by 2 people

      4. I admire everything about those lyrics (except the reference to Dylan & Mister Jones). What’s interesting about John is that he was always searching. But he never found answers he liked. His L. A. friends said he’d always get stoned and start crying by midnight. It was his routine. Reading those quotes about John’s stay in India reminds me of Richard Burton coming apart over the end of his marriage to Elizabeth Taylor and telling his “make up” girl on the set of the Klansman, “I hate my skin, I hate my nose, I hate my face –I really hate everything about myself.”
        #John&DickMustaBeenRealBlastsToBeAround

        Liked by 1 person

    3. Dear Pisley, I’m shocked you gave the Beatles credit for their lyrics. That’s not your usual MO Pisley.

      Bruin BB will live, besides didn’t SUCC also lose to Oregon St. Just saying dickhead.

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      1. I see where Palm is predicting the ruins play in one of the playin games…

        So we’re all going to be able to see another come from ahead sow classic choka-choka-choka job….💋

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Mobley was outstanding. My 13 year old figured out how to get the live feed on the iphone (thanks Larry Scott) and we were able to watch the OTs, and hear Walton say that Mobley “has the best off hand of any big man he has ever seen. ” (I would say that Kareem seemed ambidextrous, at least with the hook shot). Unfortunate we won’t see Evan next year, but hopefully he has a few more good games left this season.

    Liked by 2 people

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      3. Acid helps, too….but then you’ve got about 6 hours of imagining you’re a Roman Tribune after the game ends…….

        Liked by 2 people

    3. I had the same experience 67- my 12 year old helped me see the game as well. I’m afraid that my son will be more intelligent than myself ( don’t tell him) it was a good performance for Isiah Mobley/ Isiah White as well. I’m perplexed by the fact that it was Evan Mobley dominance for the first time ever and why couldn’t we have seen it earlier in the season. He’s phenomenal! I’m hoping that we finally get the Buffs after loosing the last 6 games in a row- I want to win this damn tournament. Have a wonderful weekend 67!

      Liked by 2 people

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    6. Trojan 1967,

      Try this, I do this, I turn on the TV and slient it. I then grab an ol’ AM radio and tune in 790 AM and listen to the SC broadcast. it works for me.

      Liked by 3 people

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  5. Daily Trojan transcript of Carol Folt conversation with Robert Stiner:
    Carol: You CANNOT identify with the Proud Boys & work here!
    Robert: I don’t identify with the proud boys.
    Carol: Then why do some people call you a Proud Boy?
    Robert: Who?
    Carol: I have no idea ….but it better stop!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Michael, please lay off Carol. Don’t post any factual information that is negative towards her. There is a poster on TOS by the name of AimeeDee who will get really upset with you if you post anything bad about her highness.

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. Okay, I promise…….but it’ll be really hard…….
        #….APledgeIMayHaveToBreak….
        #…LaterToday

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      2. How could Folt be hired for that position? She is too short to look over the table, she smoke way too much ganji, she is a sexual pervert by looking at men’s asses, she is socialist, and she is riding the coat tails of SC. Get rid of her.

        Liked by 2 people

  6. Scott, you need to watch more basketball. I’m not sure you understand the game. The usc offense plays inside out and does feature big men with high-lows and action off screens. USC struggles when post guys are doubled and our guards cant shoot.

    Know what you’re talking about.

    Liked by 2 people

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  7. I’ll give BruinRob his due because every time UCLA gets their heads kicked in he shows up hear and takes the abuse head-on, unlike Tebowlina, who pulls a Claude Raines and disappears. On a lighter note, comedian Jimmy Dore exposed a woke twitter clown by the name of Brooklyn Dad, who is a paid shill of the Democratic Party, to go after anyone who defies the WokeTards in the country. There are many corporates who sponsor this clown, including google and the UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA, who gave this idol $1,200. Let me get this straight, the UC is hemorrhaging money through the nose with all their WOKE spending and crying baby shoes about it, but they have money to pay some guy in Brooklyn with mustard all over his shirt to tweet about conservatives? Amazing.

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. You don’t understand, trojnfn4 — we aren’t supposed to be communicating with each other anymore. No amount of money is too much to spend if it keeps people from communicating with each other.
      #StayOnIt,U.C.!
      #It’sAllGood

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. …and the old videos tend to be frontal attacks on NASA……
        #…LikeThatRepresentsAnAllPurposeDefenseOfUCLA…
        #…smdh

        Liked by 1 person

    3. Hey 4, wait just a minute, let’s not forget, last Sunday Bruin Baseball pounded Mighty SUCC 10 – 1.

      I’m reliably informed the the game wasn’t as close as the score indicates.

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      1. I’m worried, pt. Hope we rise to the occasion. I want to hear BurrowTrump shout “Thanks,Enfield!” tonight!

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  9. Scooter,

    Your logic about SC is due a win against colorado does not hold water. Look at what Sc did to the ruins 42 straight times, They took the ruins behind the woodshed and beat them42 staight times in basketball. I am sure so ugly ruin fan thought the same thing after the 30th beating. SC fans sais the same thing about nd and ugly when they won those games in a row. The way you beat a time is by preperation, and being better.

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    1. Then PT, UCLA turned around and defeated Clown U 54 straight times – a Div. 1 NCAA record that still stands.

      #FactsMatter ~ Dear Pisley

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