FOOTBALL

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

Are you going to brave the heat at the Coliseum on Saturday?

The high is supposed to be 98 degrees.

USC is allowing fans to bring clear water bottles up to 20 oz. into the Coliseum on Saturday. Refillable bottles are also allowed but must be empty. Free water cups will be available at all concession stands and bags of ice will be available.

Of course, all these measures were announced after UCLA said it would permit fans to bring factory-sealed water bottles (32 oz. or less) & empty beverage containers (32 oz. or less; no glass).

•So where will this game rank among hottest USC games ever at the Coliseum?

Most recently, there was the 2017 USC-Central Michigan game, which was 99 degrees.

The game that really sticks in my mind is the 1998 season-opener when USC faced Purdue. Temperatures on the field were 110-plus degrees. Some USC band members, a cheerleader and a number of fans fainted from the heat.

USC’s Antuan Simmons blocks Travis Dorsch of Purdue’s field-goal attempt in the second quarter in 1998. No. 99 is Ennis Davis. No. 4 is Mark Cusano. No. 55 is Chris Claiborne. No. 52 is Shamsud-Din Abdul-Shaheed. And in the back, No. 8 is Rashard Cook.

More people remember the heat than the fact Drew Brees made his first college start for Purdue.

Drew Brees (15) made his first college start at the Coliseum.

Maybe the players should wear pith helmets like Notre Dame did in 1953 vs. USC. It was 84 degrees on Nov. 29, 1953.

•Former USC offensive lineman Maximus Gibbs has transferred to Jackson State.

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK

The Mini Gourmet, 1210 E. Yorba Linda Blvd., Placentia

It’s known for breakfast and being a former haunt of Tommy Lasorda. But a word of warning: It closes at 1:30 p.m.

•And now for some history:

Ernie Zampese rushed for 85 yards, passed for 60 and scored 2 TDs in his first start of the 1956 season vs. Washington State.

•The passing of Ernie Zampese reminded me of the San Diego Chargers coaching staff in 1980. Head coach Don Coryell was a former USC assistant. Offensive coordinator Joe Gibbs was a former USC assistant. Offensive line coach Dave Levy was a long-time USC assistant coach. Zampese was the wide receivers coach and a former USC player.

“(Zampese) used to overrule Joe Gibbs (on play calls) and he was always right,” Levy told me this week. “If Joe waited at all to call a play, Ernie would step in and call one.

“Ernie had a good sense of humor and he was smart.”

•Levy is 89 years old and every time I speak to him it’s a joy. When he was freshman football coach at UCLA in 1955, his locker was between John Wooden and Red Sanders. He was John McKay’s right-hand man from 1960-75.

Coryell lasted only one season with John McKay at USC (1960). He left because he used to get frustrated with McKay’s constant changing of the game plan during the week.

“Coryell was misunderstood,” Levy said. “On TV, he always looked upset and had a scowl on his face but in the seven-and-a-half years I worked for him I never heard him say a harsh word to be assistant.”

USC coaches in 1960: John McKay, Ray George, Norm Pollom, Mel Hein, Charles Hall, Don Coryell, Marv Goux and Dave Levy.

If you want to know the many accomplishments of this group, I wrote it here.

•I told Levy I recently drove past the former Sheraton-Town House Hotel, where USC used to stay in the 1960’s the night before games.

After USC lost to Notre Dame, 51-0, in 1966 at the Coliseum, John McKay had little desire to go to the Town House on Wilshire Blvd., where he would go after home games to talk to boosters.

McKay stayed in the locker room for so long after the game that stadium staff informed him they were turning out the lights. When McKay and Levy walked up the tunnel, there were no fans around. Or even wives, who had cars.

Instead of trying to get a taxi or going back to USC, McKay and Levy walked to the Town House via Vermont Ave. That’s about 4.5 miles. By the time the pair got to the hotel, there were about 15 boosters left to hear McKay speak.

•In 1956, Danny Thomas was the Master of Cermonies at the Trojan Club Banquet at the Biltmore Hotel, which drew a crowd of 600. This was back when USC wanted Trojan Clubs.

“My daughter Margie insists that I say I’m here through the courtesy of Kappa Alpha Theta (sorority),” Thomas said. “She’s been named Miss Charge Account of 1956. Does SC really have a prom every other week?”

Margie, of course, became better known as Marlo Thomas and landed “That Girl” in 1966.

•Linebacker Marcus Cotton was an imposing presence from 1984-87. He wasn’t an All-American but that’s a travesty compared to some of the fake Internet All-American teams that USC players have made the past 10 years and therefore earned All-American status.

•In the 1940’s, USC and UCLA basketball staged doubleheaders at the Olympic Auditorium. The first game would start at 8 p.m. The second game? Around 10 p.m. if you were lucky. See the billboard for the Los Angeles Daily News and Hollywood Citizen News on the upper left?

Bill Sharman battles Cal at the Olympic Auditorium in 1949.

•USC has been so bad at card stunts the past 40 years it’s almost embarrassing to point out that the Trojans are the first school to perform card stunts as this picture shows from 1922.

After last week’s tribute to George Tirebiter, here’s one more photo of the king.

A couple weeks ago, I ran a photo of the 1986 USC song girls. A reader asked for another photo from the Golden Age, so here are the 1982-83 song girls.

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

    1. Yep. Nice work, Scott. Levy deserves recognition. What an absolutely brilliant football mind —sure wish he got a chance to head coach the Trojans at some point….
      #I’dTradeTollnerOutForLevyInASplitSecond

      Liked by 2 people

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      2. Okay…. but we can’t allow that fact to get in the way of helping Ed get some closure on this, 67…..
        #Let’sJustAgreeIt’sDecember&PutThisThingToBed

        Liked by 1 person

      5. I hope I’m not the only one who thinks it’s funny that a tebow comment comes right after your “all’s right with the world” joke….

        Liked by 1 person

      8. You have to remember July and August were added to the calendar after Scott started this blog. July was named after Marlo Thomas’s cat and August was a good name for a month. Before that September was the seventh month and October was the eighth month. The scientists only guess the age of the earth based on two things 1. A real old coin dated about a billion years ago and 2. The rings on a tree in Auburn which was runner up for a good name for a month.

        Liked by 1 person

    3. Nothing about what a knockout Marlo was?!! Hot damn, she was pretty!! (Even if it did take a nose job.) 😉

      Love to see her taking the torch from pop, on the great work St Jude has always, and continues to do for children & their families.

      Liked by 3 people

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  4. My first game as a freshman at USC was really hot – September 1984. Believe it was +/- 100 degrees and 42-7 win vs. Utah State. Only confident memory is that TB Zep Lee had about a 90 yard TD run, but didn’t play much thereafter, sitting behind Fred Crutcher and Ryan Knight.

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    1. Aaron Emanuel and Ryan Knight were two of the most overrated running backs in the History of USC. Both highly decorated coming out of high school, and both ran like stiffs. Emanuel was built like Tarzan, but played like Jane.

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      1. True, but I remember both for each having a memorable performance vs. UCLA. I remember Knight ran for about 150 yards in upsetting a good Rose Bowl UCLA team in ’85 (UCLA clobbered Iowa, I think) in the Rose Bowl a month later. Emanuel likewise had 100+ tough yards against a great UCLA team (tons of NFL guys, Aikman, Lake, Norton, etc.) in ’88. Those yards were needed to hold off Aikman as Rodney Peete had the measles.

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      1. Without a doubt Tollner’s best team…won conference and Rose Bowl. Beat #1 ranked Washington at Coliseum then laid an egg vs. UCLA next week. After the brutal heat in the first game of the year I remember losing to ND in torrential rain in the last game of the year.

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      2. Lots of talent on that 1984 team. I believe Zep Lee may have played in NFL? And there was a really good TE, I believe he went to NFL as well.

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      3. Yes, lots of great players on ’84 team, particularly on defense in addition to Cotton (Bickett, Del Rio, McDonald all good NFL careers). QB Tim Green only threw the ball 10 times per game, so they had to be good elsewhere. Can’t recall if Mark Boyer was still the TE on the ’84 team (to your comment), but believe he played 10+ years in the NFL, mostly because he could long-snap.

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      4. The defense came up against ND, Kahlua in 1984.
        Their FG kicker won the game for them.
        I was sitting at the closed end of the Coli, about 30 yd line 20 rows up.
        Their kicker just wouldn’t miss.

        Went home drenched and threw away my mud soaked clothes.

        Liked by 1 person

      5. Joey Cormier was the “hybrid” TE on that 1984 team.
        Tollner loved him.
        Thought Joey was the next “Kellen Winslow.”

        Over time, Joey became a pretty reliable TE.
        Mark Boyer was on the team in 1984.
        Freddie Cornwell graduated in 1983 and Pat McCool graduated in 82 or 83.

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      6. Fun walking down memory lane with you guys and filling in details and names I couldn’t recall (Cormier). Hope TE becomes a featured position again. Doesn’t even have to catch a bunch of passes to be prominent as in the Tom Kelly soundtrack of my youth: “McDonald under center, Allen and White in the I….Rakshani in motion….”

        Liked by 1 person

    3. …first game for USC off probation (3 yrs out of 4).
      You guys did pretty well in 1984. Great Rose Bowl game as I recall.

      IMHO,
      Zeph Lee spent too much time dancing behind the line of scrimmage and thus rarely hit the hole with forward speed. I think that is why he was the perpetual 3rd string tailback. Freddie Crutcher was the heir-apparent at TB and had a pretty good year.

      Ryan Knight?

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  6. Say, George, that latest picture of Tirebiter does not look a bit like you. Find another photographer…

    Yeah, I too was at that 1966 SC-ND 51-0 shocker. Neuter Dame came to play and SC appeared to be in practice-mode. But sometimes bad-things turn into good-things as the next year, 1967, OJ&Company beat The Irish and went on to win the Title….

    I recall talking to Dave Levy at practice. He was aces, a true gentleman…

    No, I am not going to United Airlines Field to watch Rice boil. It’s not extreme-heat that keeps me away; what keeps me from going is people– people crunched together. As a recovering cancer guy, I continue to take this Virus-Thingie seriously.

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      1. We were so much better off to wear double masks, isolate ourselves and families, go no place, eat at home, and in essence do exactly what our current national leaders told us even though they didn’t do what they preached. The number infected only tripled through all of that and as we lost hope our leader kept dividing us more and more.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Trump ordered the lockdown, you trumpsters don’t like being reminded of that.

        Trump Extends Coronavirus Lockdown Until April 30After dangling the possibility of restarting the U.S. economy by Easter, Trump now says keeping deaths to 100,000 would be a ‘very good job.’

        MARCH 30, 2020, 4:18 AM

        Here is today’s Foreign Policy brief: Trump extends lockdown until April 30

        U.S. Social Distancing to Continue Until End of April

        Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump dangled the possibility of reopening the U.S. economy by Easter. Now he has changed his mind. At a White House Rose Garden briefing, Trump extended the current guidelines on social distancing until April 30…yada yada yada Trump tanked the economy

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    2. After campaigning almost entirely on having a plan to defeat the virus and that he would’ve done so much better than Trump in combating it, in Dec 2021 Dementia Joe admits “there is no federal solution”. Twice as many have died “on his watch” than the number that died under Trump.

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      2. Trump brought the virus on in the first place, happened on his watch, the incompetent fool had no clue how to deal with a crisis so all the deaths and negative effects of the virus are on him.

        That’s just the way it is. History will show that corona virus happened on Trump’s watch, he’s responsible for it

        Liked by 1 person

      3. This idiot Trump either put his trousers on backwards or he’s wearing Hillary’s pants

        LMFAO!

        OH MY SIDE HURTS FROM LAUGHING SO MUCH!

        AHA HA HA HA HA!

        TRUMP IS AN ABSOLUTE EMBARRASSMENT! A CLOWN!

        Liked by 1 person

      8. You senile limp-dick troll…..For over 18 months, Biden told the vaccine deniers to get the shot or risk death. They choose stupidity. So why in the fuck would Biden be responsible for their stupidity?….. I don’t know I even ask you any questions. We all know you lack the mental capacity to debate yourself out of a paper…..

        OK!!!…. FOR THE 5899 time, in his Elmer Fudd voice, “you voted for the guy”….beyond pathetic!

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      13. The face of your party….be embarrassed

        ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1564820941896556544%7Ctwgr%5E4fdaab0600c78ba93d594c75e91ba70bfc14c10f%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fdoj-photo-shows-trump-unflattering-time-cover-mar-a-lago-2022-8

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      14. Trump should use your outhouse next time

        https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fc8.alamy.com%2Fcomp%2FTRKE65%2Fgiant-donald-trump-effigy-sitting-on-toilet-at-carnival-of-resistance-anti-trump-protest-in-london-during-us-president-trumps-visit-in-downing-street-TRKE65.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alamy.com%2Fstock-photo%2Ftrump-effigy.html&tbnid=UqMAho4wAyrePM&vet=12ahUKEwiJwo_Mx_b5AhW4oWoFHQr8C9YQMygGegQIARAv..i&docid=nQo1adpqNxxEFM&w=1300&h=993&q=trump%20blow%20up%20doll%20on%20toilet&hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwiJwo_Mx_b5AhW4oWoFHQr8C9YQMygGegQIARAv

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      20. 67 –SOMETIMES I wish Joe WERE an electrician — there would be so many ways of getting rid of him —and they’d all look like “accidents”…..
        #…[ButThenMyJudeo/ChristianEthicKicksIn]

        Liked by 1 person

      22. If Biden WERE an electrician, I’m sure he would be more than happy to make sure, on trump’s big day, that the electric chair was functioning properly.

        I heard if you don’t put tape over the eyes they will pop out…..

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      24. I have read reports of him wearing diapers. There are also numerous pictures to support his incontinence……

        Joe might mix his words, but he isn’t marinating in feces.

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      25. And always remember he was called every name in the book because he took action and closed down travel. It had to start with someone in office, but he started the vaccine which got out rather fast for a govt project. In the end Biden looks much stupider than Trump ever did, not even close.

        Liked by 1 person

      26. Who do I think should be prez? Someone who is not King of the Toilet …or a cunt…. or a trader…..
        #SomeoneLikeScott

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      27. Choosing between Biden and Trump is like Pete Carroll choosing between Geno Smith and Drew Lock. Probably not going to turn out well in either case.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Great news, John. Congrats!
        #You’reSmartToAvoidBrushesW/Covid..
        #…OrAnyFormOfInflammation…
        #..WhichMeansAsmartDiet…
        #YouHaveThePowerToMakeYourBodyVeryInhospitableToCancer

        Liked by 2 people

    4. I took a class with Dave Levy in 81 or 82.
      An easy “football strategy” class for SID students.
      He was an awesome teacher the first few days of class.
      I dropped the class as a better class fit in with my pre-med schedule.
      I think Coach Levy would leave USC pretty soon.

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  8. DraftKings
    Pac12 Championship Odds
    Utah +225
    USC +225
    Oregon +280
    UCLA +900

    National Championship Odds
    Alabama +175
    Ohio State +300
    Georgia +400
    Clemson +1000
    Texas A&M +2500
    USC +2500
    Michigan +3500
    Notre Dame +4500
    Oklahoma +4500
    Utah +5000

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      1. Here is ucla’s version of scottie on chip kelly (though this guy writes for the la times):

        “Forty games into the most expensive experiment in UCLA football history, the evidence is incontrovertible. Kelly is guilty of fleecing the Bruins for $16.7 million since his arrival. You don’t need a degree from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management to know that this is not an acceptable return on investment. … They are not winning nearly enough games to justify another season of this madness.”

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Actually —you can see this hiring disaster more clearly if you never stepped one foot inside the Anderson School of Management….
        #…EVERYTHINGHavingToDoW/$$BecomesClearerThatWay….

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Don’t know much about betting, but are there odds on a team NOT to win the National Title? Essentially shorting that team?

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  9. Chalk up another failure for that idiot Trump, his truth social site has tanked and is headed for bankruptcy just like all of Trump’s other failed business ventures.

    Trump’s Truth Social HEADING TOWARD BANKRUPTCY as …

    The twice-impeached, disgraced former President Donald Trump’s social media outfit, Truth Social, is facing financial catastrophe after the 

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    1. This site is the closest I’ve ever been to being on “social media”. So don’t really give a rat’s ass about Truth Social.

      Much bigger things going on in the world and many of them are the result of the current administration’s failures.

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      1. I like the way tebow chose to end that last sentence: “…is facing financial catastrophe after the……”
        #”the”……..?
        #wtf?

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      2. Tebow should speech write for Joe….
        #…OfCourseJoeTalksThatWayAnyway….
        #”inshurerecxtionists….insurerectionists….insurgenerections!”

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      4. Failure???? trump lost 11 million jobs….biggest failure in modern history…..hey!!!!….you voted for the guy…not once but twice

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      5. Why do you keep avoiding our get-together…..make it happen or you’re a fucking coward….little bitch with a cunt

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      6. So Cal,
        I wanted someone in the audience to say: No, Joe…. we don’t know the “thing”…..as a matter of fact we all consider the word “thing” to be a grand category error…

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      7. Gabby,
        Guess what? The argument now ongoing on this board was had by me and my tech support guy last night. He actually taught me a couple of things. I think I taught him a couple of things. Luckily, [cuz he’s younger and fitter] he didn’t threaten to kick my ass every time I disagreed with him —we just ate pizza and drank.

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      9. That’s because your tech guy actually has a brain, MG.

        Biden talks about MAGA supporters being such a threat to our democracy, but we have a perfect example of the type of violent pieces of garbage they have on Dementia Joe’s side. Anyone with any sense saw the way they boarded up DC & other cities, just in case they named Trump the winner.

        It’s especially funny in this case, cuz she’s still too dumb to see above that Tebow is the one who brought it up above. Let’s see if she acts as childishly with your posts as she does mine. I doubt it. She’s really got a thing for me and should seek psychiatric help.

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      10. Slo troll: “Anyone with any sense saw the way they boarded up DC & other cities, just in case they named Trump the winner”

        who in the fuck was going to name trump the winner…. NO ONE!!! you senile sack of shit….another laughable comment from the blog dunce……Hey, you voted for the soon-to-be indicted trader!

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      11. The way things are going, Gabby, I won’t be the least surprised if we soon see a Washington Post headline proclaiming, “Trump Indicted as Trader!”

        Liked by 1 person

      12. It wouldn’t surprise me either, Michael. Biden wouldn’t be the first to do it. History is full of tyrants who do such things to their opponents.

        Putin is killing off his naysayers as we type.

        Former Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych, had former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko thrown in jail on corruption charges.

        Maduro had opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez thrown in jail in February, 2014, then sentenced 1.5 years later to 14 years in prison on charges of inciting violence at an opposition rally during which he called for calm demonstrations.

        In Myanmar the party of Aung San Suu Kyi easily won a parliamentary majority in 1990, but it would take decades before she was able to lead the government. Instead, the ruling military junta acted as though the election had not taken place, and the 1991 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize found herself under house arrest on and off for years.

        Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un has seen it fit to execute several high-level North Korean officials, including the deputy premier for education and Kim Jong-un’s own uncle — then the second-ranking party official Jang Song-thaek, who was accused of plotting to overthrow the government via a military coup.

        Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, allegedly directed the detention of opposition leaders in 2011, two years after they opposed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 2009 election in which Ahmadinejad won the presidency.

        In Uganda, Museveni, who has now begun his fifth term in office, has been accused of winning the election via voter fraud. Kizza Besigye, has been beset by legal challenges thrown at him ever since he became Museveni’s primary political opponent. Besigye was placed under house arrest leading up to the 2016 election, preventing him from holding political rallies. As votes were rolling in, he was arrested yet again. Then, after losing the election, Besigye was charged with treason.

        In Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe ordered the arrest of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai before the results of the 2008 election had come in. Tsvangirai was reportedly tortured while under arrest, as were his supporters.

        Former President Mubarak had ruled Egypt for well over two decades when he jailed opposition leader and then-presidential candidate Ayman Nour after a 2005 election in which Mubarak won 88.5 percent of the vote.

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      13. So Cal

        If you had brains and self control you’d let those two fools just engage themselves.

        They’re being paid to troll sites with their pap and you encourage them. You really didn’t go to the Univ did you?

        Liked by 1 person

      14. You nailed it! Slo cal has a limited amount of gray matter. He takes the bait every time, comical. Then claims victory over his own stupidity.

        Early prediction; USC 52- Cal 10

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    2. Why did I see you on there then, you troll everywhere don’t you. The thing about failure is that without trying you have no shot at either failure or success. Trump has had enough success to make you look like the total loser you come out to be. Gabby on the other hand does a good job arguing his position. You just plain suck at it.

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      1. You give her too much credit.

        10% of the time she might have some reasonable points. But 90% of the time childish stuff about outhouses, classless comments about my wife, or remarks about Trump’s incontinence. Or even worse, let’s meet up because you post things that make me cry.

        Now that she admitted she plays for the other team, I kind of get it. They tend to be very emotional and let’s face it, Trump lost because people voted with emotion, not results.

        And even if she admitted to taking it up the back side, I refrain from making light of that because I’ve always believed in “Live & Let Live”. What people do behind closed doors is between them and God. I don’t use it in a vulgar way to attack her. (Other than “she/her” that is, since he really does have meltdowns the way many women do.) LOL

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      2. Slo cal….. after all my posts in this blog…. you have yet to realize one glaring fact….I treat all the regulars on the blog with respect except for you, and at times Scott. How many times have you cried about others giving me “too much credit” and you receiving NONE!…. ask yourself why!

        You claim to be a stable genius, read between the lines. If I have to explain it to you, then you probably wouldn’t comprehend.

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      5. I was trying to have fun with the “trader”/”traitor” distinction…. but I can see nobody’s joining in the merriment…
        #VeryWell…
        #”SupremeCourtUpholdsTrump”Trader”Conviction…
        #JusticeRoberts:”ThePleadingsWereCloseEnough!”

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      6. Hey, MG… So, to make you better about the lack of a response. I’ll go on record, auto-correction made the choice and I didn’t proofread, my bad. You knew what I meant. If you want to be petty and juvenile about it, expect an in-kind return.

        If I was challenging everyone’s grammar, spelling, and word choice, that wouldn’t leave me anytime to slap slo cal around.

        #Traitor (feel better)

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      7. I noticed it, Michael but figured it was a typo. But seeing how you made a point of putting it in quotes, I should have known it wasn’t. 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

      9. Crap. I wasn’t trying to cheap shot anybody in particular—nobody got it.
        #IFeltSoLonely&Misunderstood

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  10. Cotton did earn 1st team All-America honors from the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), but USC never recognized that selection. For a long time NEA was designated a consensus selector by the NCAA, but was on its last legs by the 1980’s. There are about 20 players in Trojan history who have been named 1st team All-Americans that USC does not recognize. Marcus Cotton is the most deserving of official USC recognition since he was honored by a national syndicated news service that was a one-time NCAA consensus selector. Scottie, use your pulpit for good and push for Cotton to get his much deserved credit.

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  11. One more day. Will LR show what firepower USC has or will he dial it down and save some surprises? I am hoping he lights it up and let all the upcoming DC’s stress over what to do to stop it.

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    1. First and second quarter offensive fireworks to score 28 or more by the half. Second half, he dials it down. Rice shouldn’t have the speed, size, or talent to compete.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. If there is “competition” for even a quarter something’s wrong, 67…
        #USCShouldScoreOnEveryFirstQuarterDrive….
        #RiceIsn’tStrongInANYDepartment

        Liked by 1 person

  12. My guess for the final score is 48-24. I think that USC will give up some big plays and that the offense will have spurts and lack the consistency it needs for total domination. Rice might be a little better than everyone thinks, as they had some injuries last year that are cleared up.

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    1. 48-24 would be okay [it is the first time these guys have played together] …but we need to repeat that score vs. Stanford if we’re going anywhere this year….

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      1. Granted Rice is a warm up and certain wrinkles will have to ironed out. I have to think that what we are going to see is going to be to good to be true. Stanford will be a real game, and that could be when USC really comes together, the team will be playing like a unit, and our defense will be really up and prepared. Yes, I have high expectations, haven’t had any in years so give me that.

        Liked by 3 people

      2. If Rice scores in double figures, it will be because the third team USC defense is playing most of the game. Rice is in the running for one of the worst 15 or so teams in D1. They lost 56-0 to TX last year, and 44-7 to Houston.

        Riley and Grinch will need to be moving guys in and out, it will be 105 degrees on the playing field.

        Liked by 2 people

      4. Michael, the days of clay’s teams winning by 4 TDs fewer than they should are over. I was thinking over just how different the spring scrimmage was this year compared to back in the day with clay. Night and day.

        With clay, confusion reigned supreme, with the clay waddling back and forth on the sidelines, waving his hands, nobody listening to him, guys running on the field halfway, then running off. With Riley, he was standing with his assistants on the sideline, evaluating each play, no running up and down the sidelines. The team listened, the guys on the sidelines were engaged, and except for a targeting penalty against the OU CB transfer, there was a lot of discipline.

        #BrandNewTeam

        Liked by 2 people

      5. Night and day is a nice way of putting it. Discipline and belief make all the difference in the world.
        #SomeFamiliarFacesButItWillBeAWholeNEWTeam

        Liked by 2 people

  13. Wouldn’t someone figure out that forcing Players to compete at 3:00 PM in 100 degree heat is just one more reason they will unionize for better working conditions? USC should tell the Pac-12 Network to shove it and kickoff at 7:30.

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    1. Nice concept …but what happens to the people at the Coli waiting for 3pm kickoff?
      #Oh,YouMeantTellPac12NetworkToShoveOffALONGTimeAgo…
      #Yeah,I’mWithYouOnThat100%

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  16. Reilly shows off all his offensive fireworks in the first game. He doesn’t hold back. I predict that we score at least 35 points by halftime. Look for some long passes to our speedy receivers and some isolation plays for people like Dye, Brown, and Bryant. I think Grinch will also show some blitz packages and try to demoralize Rice early. LA is an entertainment town and Reilly knows it. He will use this game to try to create some real excitement for the program which will help ticket sales, attendance, and recruiting. Final score: 63 to 10.

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  17. “Air Coryell.”

    Dan Fouts–U Oregon
    Charlie Joiner (Houston?)
    John Jefferson (JJ)–ASU
    Kellen Winslow

    I think Bambi–Lance Alworth–had retired by the time Air Coryell was launched.

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      1. Jury is out until I see our offensive line. Nothing works without them. We have very little depth. It’s basically a new roster, like SC.

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      2. The single tailback for Air Coryell and the SD Chargers was none other than Chuck Muncie!

        What an offense–Fouts, Joiner, Winslow, Muncie

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