FOOTBALL

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

So last week I wrote about how actor Mickey Rooney headlined the USC-UCLA pre-game football rally in 1952.

Rooney put on a “$15,000 a week nightclub act” with other entertainers for USC students. The exact same show opened in Reno, Nev., on Christmas Day in 1952.

Fast forward to 2024. Last night, USC held the rally for the UCLA game on campus. Some local TV stations actually showed up for the event.

But Lincoln Riley was a no-show for the third straight year. There were no assistant coaches. Riley really understands the importance of the rivalry, doesn’t he? John McKay attended USC-UCLA week rallies but Riley does not.

The only player on stage was quarterback Jayden Maiava. Kudos to Maiava for showing up.

Jayden Maiava at Thursday night’s football rally.

This is where I need to mention that the 1980 rally featured USC football players Hoby Brenner, James Hunter, Ronnie Lott, Keith Van Horne, Dennis Smith and Speedy Hart.

Now I already know how some USC fans like to make excuses for everything, so someone is going to say “USC players were getting over the flu.”

If that is the case, why were there some players in the crowd at the rally on Thursday night? It’s not that players wouldn’t/couldn’t speak, it’s that the football program doesn’t deem it important to officially send more than one player.

I’m sure wide receiver Kyle Ford would speak. He spoke to the media Wednesday night about playing for UCLA last year.

There were more women’s basketball players than football players on stage . . . for a football rally!

Members of the USC women’s basketball team attended the rally.

Back in 2021, the year before Riley took over, USC had about 15 players on the stage, including Jaxson Dart and Miller Moss.

  • And now for some history:
  • Memo to Lincoln Riley: UCLA coach Red Sanders famously said: “Beating SC is not a matter of life or death, it’s more important than that.”

John McKay had his own version: ”There is nothing worse than losing to UCLA and nothing better than beating Notre Dame.”

  • Remember how newspapers used to illustrate plays? Here is Mike Garrett breaking free on a run during the 1963 Crosstown Rivalry. Pete Lubisich is a USC offensive lineman while UCLA’s John White is in pursuit.
  • USC safety Mark Carrier sacks UCLA QB Troy Aikman in the 1987 Crosstown Rivalry.
  • There’s been a lot of talk about USC losing one-score games this season. Well, in 1968 and 1969, USC was known as the Cardiac Kids. The Trojans won or tied 12 times with fourth-quarter comebacks.
  • In 1958, two USC students planted a potential time bomb under a UCLA cheerleader platform as a “prank” at the Coliseum. The students said the bomb was harmless and would only produce smoke but police said it posed a danger.

The bomb was discovered by two small children who climbed under the platform and yanked the wires loose from an alarm clock. More than 50 USC students who belonged to the Trojan Knights were involved in the prank, according to a university investigation.

Police eventually declined to file charges against the two USC students. With all the security at today’s games, imagine the uproar if something similar happened today? The game might be canceled. Of course, sneaking into the Coliseum and planting a bomb was a lot easier in the 1950’s.

Jim Lawrence
  • In 1966, after USC reserve tailback Jim Lawrence gained 89 yards and scored a TD vs. Cal in his first start, someone left a cane on the doorstep of his fraternity.

A note was left with the cane that had the name of UCLA defensive back Mark Gustafson but Gustafson did not send it.

“I thought it was a pretty good joke,” Lawrence said. “I don’t think Gustafson really sent it. Football players don’t do things like that. Besides, he’s got Stanford to worry about (this week), not us.”

Said Gustafson: “It would be awful stupid for a football player to send something like that. It’s ridiculous. If it was reverse, I wouldn’t believe a USC player did it. I’m convinced it was sent by a prankster.”

  • It was scary the Blood Bowl almost got canceled Thursday, when you consider the legacy of the game. In 1963, the Daily Trojan went so far as to publish a starting lineup for the game.

You might recognize some names like Steve Harvey, who wrote the Bottom Ten column for years; Steve Bisheff, who was a long-time Orange County Register columnist and Allan (Beast) Malamud, who wrote a legendary notes column in the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner and Los Angeles Times.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

French actress Isabelle Adjani in 1980.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Let’s go back to the 1977 USC-UCLA game. The ending is madness as USC runs a play up the middle with no timeouts left and then rushes the field-goal unit on the field as the clock ticks. Frank Jordan made his famous 38-yard FG with 2 seconds left.

The whole USC team (and others) rushed the field after the kick despite the game not being over.

Like last week’s 1981 USC-UCLA game, ABC does a beautiful job after the game capturing the celebration with the USC fans. That doesn’t happen on telecasts today.

USC trailed UCLA, 10-0, but scored 26 straight points to take a 26-10 lead in the third quarter. UCLA QB Rick Bashore, playing with a broken rib and collapsed lung, then led three scoring drives to give UCLA a 27-26 lead with 2:51 to play.

Trojans quarterback Rob Hertel drove the Trojans to the UCLA 21-yard line and Frank Jordan kicked a 38-yard field goal with two seconds left, which prevented the Bruins, who had won five straight, from going to the Rose Bowl. USC won, 29-27.

Less remembered than the field goal is a controversial pass interference penalty that kept the winning drive alive. On third-and-10 at midfield with a minute left, Hertel threw a pass to WR Kevin Williams.

UCLA safety Johnny Lynn touched the ball but head linesman F.E. Conley ruled Lynn interfered with Williams.

“I was coming across the field and a guy was holding the back of the pads,” Williams said. “I didn’t think the referee saw it but fortunately he did. It was definitely pass interference.”

Lynn disagreed: “I didn’t think I touched him. I dove out in front of the ball and my right hand hit it. Then I hit the ground.”

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

    1. I have to admit that is a bad look by Riley. He seems indifferent to how others see him. It is amazing to view this esp. considering his past work for OK….did he treat games against TX, KS St. & OK St. as he does against Brl-Air Tech and ‘the princess’?

      This morning’s LATimes BFL reporter Sam Farmer cites possible impending sacking of CHI Bears head coach Matt Eberflus and have a reunion of Caleb Williams with….wait for it….Lincoln Riley

      Victories will silence a great deal of animus ‘but’

      ‘Perception is reality l’ That old adage is soooo true.

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      1. Well, the Bears are that dumb, we can only hope at this point that they continue to be dumb and hire Riley away

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      1. PT: A Manuel Special from El Tepeyac vs. a bean and cheese from Taco Lita. Take El Tepeyac and give up the points.

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  3. UCLA coach Red Sanders famously said: “Beating SC is not a matter of life or death, it’s more important than that.”

    John McKay had his own version: ”There is nothing worse than losing to UCLA and nothing better than beating Notre Dame.”

    Lincoln Riley ” Where’s my driver ? Has anyone seen my driver ? “

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    1. And Red Sanders even more famously said “football is a great game. You oughta come out this fall and see a few games.” Those were (supposedly) his last words, spoken to a hooker in a hotel room just before dropping dead of a heart attack.

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      2. Sanders was a character. But, he could coach. Give me Red Sanders and George Patten and others who knew what they were doing but had flaws.

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  4. More bad news for Cowardly Gabby, Lawyer John and Inquisitive Libtard:https://x.com/catturd2/status/1859985943475966464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1859985943475966464%7Ctwgr%5E4ebe480da6754790de4f97552e3a3d9b07924fcf%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdisqus.com%2Fembed%2Fcomments%2F%3Fbase%3Ddefaultf%3Dpj-instapunditt_i%3D1-686098t_u%3Dhttps3A2F2Finstapundit.com2F6860982Ft_e%3DTHE20NEW20SPACE20RACE3A20NASA20is20stacking20the20Artemis20II20rocket2C20implying20a20simple20heat20shield20fix.2020Tht_d%3DInstapundit20C2BB20Blog20Archive20C2BB20THE20NEW20SPACE20RACE3A20NASA20is20stacking20the20Artemis20II20rocket2C20implying20a20simple20heat20shield20fix.20Tht_t%3DTHE20NEW20SPACE20RACE3A20NASA20is20stacking20the20Artemis20II20rocket2C20implying20a20simple20heat20shield20fix.2020Tht_cs_o%3Ddefaultversion%3Debd3bed34ae3ee660f5521290afa665f

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    1. There was no law broken and they knew it was never going to survive an appeal. It served its purpose…to be able to refer to him as a “convicted felon” throughout the campaign. But it didn’t work.

      People such as the Village Idiot claimed “the country doesn’t want a convicted felon as the President”. But what people really did not want was four more years of what Biden-Harris gave us.

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      1. So Cal: This is not the end of the Trump case. The Court merely granted the defense the right to file a dismissal and the right of the DA to oppose it. The troubling part is if the motion is denied, a likely scenario, the DA wants the sentencing delayed to 2029, after Trump’s Presidency and the Court seems inclined to grant that request. That is unprecedented and will compromise Trump’s appeal rights because you generally can not appeal until after sentencing and that what the DA wants – four more years of calling Trump a felon even though anybody with any legal experience knows this was a sham case that will likely be overturned on appeal.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Great memories in these photos, though they highlight just how much the university and college life have changed.

    Folt et. al. never realized that the donors they so desperately need despise what the university has become. Good news she is fired. Now, will they hire someone better?

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      1. It’s not going to happen (woke) that ship has sailed even at USC. It’s also the reason there’ll be a parting of the ways btwn Folt and trustees. Rick Caruso chose to entrust USC to such as Folt and she has shown it can be do ne without her.

        Worst stunt was her dikat to be housed in Santa Monica rather than San Marino

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  8. Scooter,

    Can people from this blog coach the team. I noiminate Michael Guriano as head coach, sparrow as db coach Plow as o cordinator, myself as or oline coach, The captain that played on the 67-68 team as the lber coach, trojan 67 as db coach, gabbby as the rb coach (yes, a loudmouth for being aggessive) an budda as dcordinator. We could do alot better than Riley and his bunch

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  10. ‘You get back what you put into it,’ so I’m treating this SC-SUCLA game as one of the best ‘entertainment events’ of the year

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    1. The $$$ have become a double-edged sword, as Riley is too expensive to fire. She also poured tons of $$$ into a bunch of silly initiatives.

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  12. Total of 19 points btwn a 10 – 0 and 5 – 5….Moss was a gamer but, even blaming Riley for lousy clock mgmt./plays….Miller was unable to ‘seal’ the win(s). Maiava is confident and doesn’t have the record Moss would have carried into these last 3 weeks.

    Good article in today’s SCNG beat reporter by Luca Evans per safety Kamari Ramsey. Be interesting watching tomorrow’s game from NYC @ Yankee Stadium….’the princess’ vs Army 4 pm PST kickoff. The Irish have as usual, the smoothest schedule of ANY top tier ranked program….couple that with their ‘no CCG for us’ to ‘impact’ their record nah’ blank em’

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    2. There is big money in spewing lies every night to gullible libtards like Cowardly Gabby, Lawyer John and Inquisitive Libtard.Evil NBC /Comcast must be broken up by the New Sheriff in Town..

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      1. If Comcast spins off MSNBC she won’t be making much, neither will Joy Reid or any of the other liars on that network

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  14. Plowhorse,

    Very true about El Tepyeacs. This is a true story, i was with two other high school guys that i knew. One Friday night when i was around 19 years old decided to go out on a night in the town. We decided to each drink a tall 6 pack of Bud and then we went to Tommy’s and I had a double cheeseburger with exta onions and extra chili. After that, my best friend and i went to El Teypeacs without the other guy and my best friend orders the Manuel Special for me. He said he will pay for it but if i don’t finish it he would call me a n***** ditch digger for the rest of my life. I was not going to allow him that privilage so i ate the entire burrito in 2 and 1/2 hours by myself. I think i was full after that night.

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    1. The Manuel Special is great! La Barca on Vermont, just south of the 10 Fwy, has their own version, El Coloso. I like them both, but the wife only likes La Barca’s.

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      2. Wow! A Trojan who hasn’t heard of La Barca, just a few blocks north of campus on Vermont? Great place to wait out traffic after a game. Or sober up before getting on the freeway. 😉

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  15. Paul Hackett: Year 1 Five losses. Year 2 Six Losses. Year 3 Seven losses. FIRED.

    Lincoln Riley: Year 1 Three losses. Year 2 Four Losses. Year 3 At least 5 losses, possibly 6 or 7 losses.

    Hope we get the same ultimate result after Year 3.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. NIL U,

      Maybe this probation thing blows up, or he gets hired for the Chicago Bears. But I don’t think SC will pay $70 mil for him to leave. they will have to wait for another 4-5 years to then get rid of him unless a booster will be willing to donate $100 million to buy him out, buy out some of the coaches, and to rehire a new staff.

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      1. If the probation has any teeth in Riley’s contract, then they could negotiate a limited buyout that would save face for both.

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