FOOTBALL

USC Saturday Buzz: Don’t Predict How Injury Affects Team

We are going to see what develops with USC at the center position following the season-ending injury to Kilian O’Connor but one thing I learned long ago is you cannot assume how it will affect the team.

Way back in 2001, USC suffered a blow in the fifth game of the season when defensive tackle Bernard Riley tore his ACL. It was viewed as a devastating injury but the USC coaches were unfazed.

They simply replaced Riley with a freshman named Mike Patterson, who eventually became an All-American. I’m not predicting anything this year for the center position but we don’t know yet how it will turn out. We’ll have to wait and see.

  • By the way, what is the deal with Lincoln Riley not even saying why type of injury O’Connor suffered? He is not coming back this season so what is he giving away to an opposing team by saying it’s a knee injury?

It’s just natural coach paranoia at work.

  • Remember I wrote that one of the annual rites of training camp is when players say they are closer than ever. Here’s an early nominee.

“I feel like we a brotherhood for real,” USC cornerback Jontez Williams told the Big Ten Network this week.

65 thoughts on “USC Saturday Buzz: Don’t Predict How Injury Affects Team”

  2. Scott, your comments amaze me at times. You do know as an experienced journalist that a person’s medical records are private and protected by federal law. MG, please give Scott a course in medical law. If Connor does not want his medical history known for any reason, that is his right. Why do you need to know a reason why he is injured? It might be strictly personal. The Mike Patterson information was good; so, find out who will be Connor’s replacement; now, that would be useful news. Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962

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    1. when I wrote this item, I thought, “Is anyone going to be dumb enough to claim it’s a HIPAA violation?”
      Congrats, Dan (the Company Man). I should have guessed it would be you.
      The HIPAA act applies to healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses. It does not apply to . . . wait for it . . . football coaches!
      I’ll file this under a couple of your other whoppers, like when you alone thought you discovered the start date of training camp and when you thought Grant Govel was going pro after getting drafted in the 16th round.

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      2. KAM: Search Assist

        HIPAA does not apply to football coaches because they are not considered covered entities or business associates under the law, as they typically do not handle protected health information (PHI) or bill insurance electronically.

        DON: Scott CRUSHES the Rah Rah!

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      3. By golly if that doesn’t sound like the real Scott Wolf, but it seems unusual he’d jump in at this point

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  3. KAM: I would imagine any football team has a brotherhood element to it, just maybe not with everybody

    DON: Of course it is easier to feel the brotherhood when you are winning

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  4. KAM: It is true that when a man goes down the replacement might turn out to be a Mike Patterson or Lou Gehrig

    DON: But that’s not the way to bet

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    1. I have an idea: No one understand the center position better than the quarterback —move Jayden Maiava to center. Bring in Jonas Williams as QB.

      #SwitchTanookHinesToLeftTackle

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  6. KAM: Putting up a picture filled with “Beat TCU” proves that Mr. Wolf has some meanness in him

    DON: But not much. We don’t know the guy, however this SC negativity has to be his idea of a gag

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    1. Whenever I see a dig in a Scott column [and there is a guaranteed minimum of one — with no guaranteed maximum] I always picture Scott smiling at the reaction he’s gonna get.

      #RecallThePhotoOfClayHeltonW/MouthWideOpen

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      1. I would like to point out that Lincoln didn’t wear ski pants on the sidelines at Oklahoma….

        #…HeWoreRegularPants

        #[ThereIsHopeFor2026]

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  9. maybe Riley and Co should recruit more OL so depth isn’t an issue, losing one player off your OL should not be a disaster, then again, Riley doesn’t take OL recruiting seriously, so……………

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  10. fantastic insight, wolfman! yet, with humility to acknowledge that even you, the greatest journalist SC ever produced, doesn’t know the outcome of an injury! many of your detractors on this blog blab with a shocking degree of certitude, without ever displaying a particle of wolf-like humility!!

    insofar as the sudden concern for HIPPA privacy, numerous outlets have reported the injury was a broken leg. wolfman is completely correct, there is no logical reason to hold back this info. it is rather bizarre for Lil’ Lord Riley to refuse to state the obvious, it only serves to show his lack of confidence and timid nature. i guess not making playoffs despite a cornucopia of talent can do that to ya.

    #BarneyFifeOfBig10Coachers

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    2. Wolf is better than Malamud ? Jares ? Bisheff ? Florence ? Chuck, stop it, you’re killing me with your comedy.

      From AI, and we know they are NEVER WRONG

      Scott Wolf is a USC alumnus, which absolutely puts him on the list of sportswriters who graduated from the university.

      However, whether he fits the “great” category is a subject of heavy debate among Trojan fans

      The Scott Wolf Legacy

      • The Beat Titan: Wolf is undoubtedly one of the most prolific and long-standing USC beat writers in history. He has covered Trojan football and basketball continuously since 1996, writing for the Los Angeles Daily News, The Orange County Register, Sports Illustrated, and his own independent, highly trafficked InsideUSC Blog
      • The Style: Unlike classic praise-heavy sportswriters, Wolf is famous for a highly cynical, relentless, and investigative approach. He is an ultimate insider who frequently breaks massive, uncomfortable news—such as exposing former coach Steve Sarkisian’s substance issues or getting banned/suspended by the USC athletic department for breaking strict team injury policies.
      • The Friction: Because he refuses to act as a cheerleader for his alma mater, he has a polarizing relationship with the university and the fan base. While some fans find him overly negative, his defenders argue his independent, objective digging makes him an elite beat reporter.

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      1. for once i agree with an AI work-up, wolfman is definitely an elite reporter!!

        #MyLogicIsUndeniable

        VIKI from the movie I Robot (not the book)

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      2. KAM: And in this era of journalists as Fan Boys, Scott Wolf has resisted the Siren Song to sell out for access, money and acceptance.

        DON: Malamud , Jares , Bisheff and Florence all came out of an earlier era where journalists were objective muckrakers instead of rah rah kiss ups. 

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      3. I bet Mal Florence, Mel Durslag and Bud Furillo are watching over Scott…protecting him from people who think like “Ken”……

        Liked by 1 person

  13. KAM: Some guy around Lake Tahoe is drilling holes in trees’ roots and filling them with poison, kiling them

    DON: It’s like everything has been reduced down to, “I can do this if I want to’

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    2. It’s all going on in a small, identified area —and it’s been going on for some time. When asked why they’re not making use of a surveillance drone, sheriffs explained “this is very unpleasant… we take this very seriously… we know this is very destructive, we are very sorry we don’t know who is doing this, it would be very helpful if the guilty party stopped.”

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    3. We’ve been seeing a LOT of people over the past few years who think, “I can do this if I want to.”

      One great example is rioters who block streets or freeways! They’re stupid enough to think the First Amendment gives them the right to hold people against their will. It does not.

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      1. 100%! [But they don’t get prosecuted for statutory nuisance — which is non-temporary blockage of public space]…..

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  14. Scott, I recognize that you are a gossip columnist and not a true journalist and that you probably never worked for an employer who had to follow laws, but a coach is part of an employer management team and as such cannot divulge personal information like health without the permission of the employee. It is also forbidden to divulge health information under the Americans with Disabilities Act. I am not a lawyer, but I have supervised employees, and I would never divulge information in an employees file just to satisfy fan curiosity. As for the start of training date, it was posted on the school website until it was changed after the Big Ten meetings created a scheduling conflict. So, now in your high and mighty need to know, the school is not allowed to change dates. Same with Grant Govel, based on his ability to get drafted there was a pretty good chance that he would turn pro. The fact that he didn’t doesn’t negate the fact that he could have after we saw the results of the draft. Are you really this deperate to be right. What a fragile ego. If MG or someone else on this post knows the law far better than you or I, I would accept the fact that I was wrong, but accepting from you is ridiculous. Do some great journalism instead of pure cynicism, and your fragile ego will be satisfied. Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962

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    1. Dan, Dan, Dan (the thick Company Man).

      Football coaches all over the country give injury updates on a daily basis. The Big Ten requires game day injury reports for the public. Oh no, it’s a HIPAA violation! Remember last year USC got fined for playing someone that was listed as “out.” Lincoln Riley just prefers to not reveal injuries. It has nothing to do with HIPAA. You need to get a grip because you are losing it.

      Please stop twisting facts. You say I was bothered because USC changed its start date of training date. I never wrote that. I pointed out that they never said they were changing it. Big difference.
      Also, there was not a pretty good chance a 16th round draft choice goes pro. No one really knows what will happen. But you did! Oh wait, you were wrong. Again.

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  15. Scott, Scott, Scott, there is a big difference between coaches having to divulge any players who are injured to you asking for the specific reason for the injury or illness. As I recall, you were upset because you didn’t know the reason for the injury and you were not satisfied with the fact that the injury was reported. By the way, how did you know that he was injured if the school didn’t report it. As for the start date of practice, it was changed after it was posted for we assume the reason being that the Big Ten media days occurred immediately before the start date. The fact is that it was listed and once again you want the gossip of knowing why instead of just the fact that an established date has been changed. By the way, I feel honored to be your pen pal. As a rah rah USC fan, I like your blog because you do have historical facts that you share, you have occasional knowledge about our USC teams, and most of all you are a fellow alumnus of our great university. What are your thoughts on the array of national championships that I HOPE will be accomplished this year? Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962

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    1. yahoo.com sports – Ross Dillinger ‘Senate punts on Protect College Sports Act vote until September; what’s next?’ note Sen Ashley Moody R-FL proposed amendment to pending senate bill per alignment. Be sweet if it happened i.e. bye bye ACC

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  17. KAM: The 2020s aren’t turning out like I hoped…

    DON: WNBA Commissioner announces the league is meeting to review what a woman is, after multiple former NBA stars announced plans to join the league

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      2. Sybil: A woman is (1) a female or (2) a thing a man begins to feel like at criminal arraignment [to avoid being housed with the man sitting next to him in row #1 of Division 40]…….

        Liked by 1 person

  19. KAM: The above comment about Scott Wolf’s working life was basically pretty nice

    DON: The critics forget that Wolf’s talents lie in him digging up SC ideas one after another

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    1. WE HAVE A LITTLE KID WHO THINKS THIS BLOG IS THE PLACE TO POST POLITICAL RANTS AND CALLING MEMBERS VULGAR NAMES, IF THE KID DOESN’T AGREE WITH THEIR COMMENTS

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  22. KAM: It’s another Sunday, time for a little ‘heaven-and-hell’ talk

    DON: This is my read on the situation– “Heaven for climate, hell for company”

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  23. Scott, can you block this person’s IP address? The constant threats and political rants have no place in a USC sports blog. Please, do the right thing and make this blog respectable again

    Thank You!

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