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

We are now in Week 3 of this slog where USC plays simply dreadful opponents.

Is anyone enjoying it? Is this why USC plays football? What’s the point?

The excuse makers will point to the Big Ten schedule to balance the monotony of these games can’t USC do a little better? UCLA play Cal. Can’t USC play Cal or Stanford? There have been discussions but how hard did USC try?

It seems like the athletic dept., which for some reason listens to Lincoln Riley, could not close a deal with the Bay Area schools. Just like it couldn’t close with Texas Tech.

And where is the respect for fans who go to games? The first three kickoffs were Saturday at 12 p.m., a Friday night game and Saturday night at 8 p.m. You think Michigan would put up with that?

Whatever happened to het Big Ten considering having USC and UCLA play some games in Chicago for non-revenue sports to cut down on travel?

Former USC hurdler Dalilah Muhammad, who won the gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2016 Olympics, will retire following the conclusion of the women’s 400m hurdles at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships this weekend.

If Lane Kiffin had a quarterback and the quarterback’s father came down to talk to his son during the game, Kiffin would hate it. But he played stage dad last night at his son Knox’s high school game.

.@Lane_Kiffin talking with his son, Knox, after a few drives. The cubs are down 32-14 here in Memorial Stadium pic.twitter.com/pB0XrQ4oPE
— Gia Picarella (@GiaPicarella) September 11, 2026

And now for some history:

Maybe players should go back to wearing pith helmets for protection on the sideline like Notre Dame did against USC in 1953. It was 84 degrees but that was a big adjustment for the Irish in November.

Interceptions seem to be harder to come by in the 21st Century.

USC safety Artimus Parker had 20 career interceptions, the most in USC history. He was a consensus All-American in 1973. Safety Charles Phillips was an All-American in 1974. He had 13 career interceptions. He intercepted three passes in the 1974 USC-Notre Dame game. Phillips was a second round pick of the Oakland Raiders.

Can you imagine the hype a USC safety would receive today if they had those numbers? The sad part is where the media fanboys try to list USC’s all-time safeties, they rarely even mention Parker or Young.

Whittier College has brought back football. In the 1950’s, the Poets had George Allen and Don Coryell as head coaches.

Coryell left Whittier to become an assistant in 1960 at USC.

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

“Coryell was misunderstood,” fellow USC assistant coach Dave 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.”

Levy and Coryell were both on the 1960 USC staff and then Levy eventually joined Coryell with the San Diego Chargers.

Controversies used to be simpler. In 1959, the administration decreed it would not allow female song leaders.

“The total administration does not feel that songleaders contribute to the dignity of the university nor do they lend themselves to better signing on the part of the rooting sections at our athletic contests,” said a statement from dean of students Robert J. Downey.

“It is the desire of the administration, always, to have our students, especially our young ladies, presented in the best possible light.”

Female song leaders, or song girls, made their debut in 1967 when USC coach Bob Boyd convinced the administration to let him have the cheerleaders at basketball games. The rest is history.

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