USC Morning Buzz: A Forgotten Tradition?

If you like tradition, you know the Coliseum torch is usually lit during the Olympics. Especially when Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Olympics. Well, guess what. The torch wasn’t lit Friday. In fact, it wasn’t lit for other days either. I know it was lit Wednesday, at least. But it feels like it got lit when someone felt like doing it. Why does someone from … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: A Forgotten Tradition?

A Crosstown Rivalry On Olympic Medal Winner

No sooner had Rai Benjamin won the gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles, did the battle to claim begin. Benjamin spent two years at UCLA, transferred to USC for one season, graduated from USC and has worked as a volunteer coach with the USC track team. So that means he counts twice when colleges tally their Olympic medal winners. If UCLA has a ceremony for … Continue reading A Crosstown Rivalry On Olympic Medal Winner

USC Sunday Buzz: Big Assist From Oregon State

I’m hearing the first week of practices confirmed that linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and safety Akili Arnold are going to be vital pieces of the defense. “They manage to flash in practices every day, which they should because they were top Pac-12 players last year,” a USC coach said. It’s true that the defense is always ahead of the offense the first week of training camp … Continue reading USC Sunday Buzz: Big Assist From Oregon State

USC Saturday Buzz: Will They Really Be Special Teams?

Even though the NCAA eased restrictions on the numbers of on-field coaches, Lincoln Riley has not hired a special teams coach. Instead, he is continuing to use special teams analyst Ryan Dougherty, worked with Riley at Oklahoma (2017-21) and then came to USC last season. So Riley is going with what he is comfortable with. We’ll see how that works out but Riley was raving … Continue reading USC Saturday Buzz: Will They Really Be Special Teams?

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

With track and field currently dominating the Olympics, I can’t help but think about what is going to happen in 2028. Specifically, if you watch the daytime track and field sessions at the Stade de France in Paris, everyone looks very comfortable even on hot days because the stadium has a roof that provides shade for the fans. There will be no such luck for … Continue reading If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column