FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: Let’s Call It A Lost Weekend

What a weekend . . . to forget!

Let’s review: USC held yet another football practice at the Coliseum, its final workout of the spring. There were recruits and family members there. But no fans. Why not? I will keep asking this because it is a ridiculous thing to not allow the public to see one of these workouts that are not divulging anything top secret.

They let Jayden Daniels, who didn’t even play at USC, go to the scrimmage Satruday but not fans. Arizona State fans went to the their scrimmage Saturday night. UCLA fans will get to go to a scrimmage.

  • Now for all the people who think Jen Cohen is presiding over a great array of sports teams on the rise: UCLA won the women’s basketball championship. UCLA swept the baseball team in three games (I attended one of these games). Beach volleyball lost to UCLA, 3-2. Shall I continue? Lacrosse lost to Northwestern!

Not even Tim Tessalone could spin this into a positive weekend of results.

  • The lone ray of light was the women’s water polo team, which beat UCLA, 13-11, and there was also men’s volleyball beating Stanford. Men’s tennis lost to No. 1-ranked Ohio State, 4-3. A moral victory.

Here’s my mini-tennis rant: Stanford freshman Jagger Leach is one of the top two players for the Cardinal. His grandfather was the great USC tennis coach, Dick Leach. His father (Jon) and uncle (Rick) were All-Americans at USC. And Jagger went to Stanford! C’mon! Who goofed, I’ve got to know?

  • Now to baseball: USC’s vaunted pitching staff gave up 31 runs to UCLA. The Trojans’ aces (Mason Edwards, Grant Govel) gave up 8 runs in 9.2 innings.

The Trojans were competitive but just couldn’t keep the Bruins’ offense in check for an entire game. USC had a chance to win Saturday, losing 9-8, but it would have been an overachievement to win even one game.

Here is the bottom line: These losses don’t really matter if USC keeps winning the rest of the way so the Trojans can host a regional. But it did prove to the delusional that you cannot just expect good pitching to shut down good hitting at the college level. Also, it’s not easy to beat the nation’s No. 1-ranked team when your shortstop Sunday was making his first start and has not had a hit. Nothing personal about that but it just shows USC is a scrappy, overperforming team, not an All-Star team.

12 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Let’s Call It A Lost Weekend”

  2. KAM: Nostradamus Cowardly Sparrow Gabby strikes again:

    Sparrow Calypso

    April 5, 2026 at 6:42 pm

    Cannot wait to hear your comments when USC basketball beats up ucla

    DON: She is Bad Luck Schleprock. She is wrong about everything.

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    1. Not everything. I got the ‘No Hell’ part right. At least by your incessant mocking writings you better hope I am right

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      1. KAM: You are nearing the end of a meaningless existence, whipped and with no hope.

        DON: So you think you can create your own theology that spares you. But you are tortured by the doubt that creeps into your mind that you are fooling yourself.

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  3. KAM: Preachy L e s b o Megan Rapinoe is continuing to double & triple down on this stupidity: Megan Rapinoe slams the new IOC policy limiting women’s events to biological females based on s e x testing. “This committee is framing it as based in science, which it’s not,” she said.

    DON: She thinks t r a n n i e s slamming volleyballs into women players heads is “Science”.

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    1. KAM: We are much better than UCLA in Track so that should cheer us up.

      DON: I always look forward to the annual dual meet.

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  5. Scott, this was a great weekend for you because it validated your on going premise that USC sucks when compared to UGLA. Is your solution for USC to hire the UGLA coaches who are very good? Is your solution that every top recruit should automatically come to USC if we pay more NIL money in all sports? Expecting to win in every sport, every year id delusional. Let’s see if our scrappy teams can make the playoffs and be satisfied this year. Losses are disappointing but not the end of the sports world. fight on should be more than just a slogan. Dan, Class of 1962

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