Lincoln Riley on wide receiver Zacariah Branch: “He’s in a better place than he was last week, but he’s not able to do everything yet.” Riley has not said yet if Branch will play vs. Notre Dame. He also has not divulged Branch’s injury. Branch has returned punts in practice this week. “He’s going to need to continue to make some jumps here to be … Continue reading USC Notes: Will Zacariah Branch Play This Week?

There’s been some suggestions if USC’s defense continues to struggle, Alex Grinch should be fired before the season is over. The problem with that scenario is who replaces Grinch? Donte Williams can’t even seem to handle the cornerbacks. Roy Manning has never been more than a linebackers or cornerbacks coach. Shaun Nua has never been more than a defensive line coach. Brian Odom is a … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: The Cupboard Isn’t Stocked Full For Coaching Move

During the USC-Stanford, USC analyst Kliff Kingsbury was shown talking to Caleb Williams on the sideline. I tweeted Kingsbury is not supposed to be talking to Williams, because he is only an analyst, but no one really worries about that rule. But a source in the athletic dept. told me a school tried to turn Kingsbury in for the rules violation. Has anyone seen Kingsbury … Continue reading USC Notes: Stat Of The Day

USC and Notre Dame look similar to me in one way: Neither is well-coached at the moment. You can joke it’s the 10 vs. 10 Bowl because both teams have had issues with 10 men on the field but it’s a sign that neither is exactly hitting a home run in the coaching dept. this season. That wasn’t supposed to be the case with USC. … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: One Thing In Common With Notre Dame

USC coach Lincoln Riley made a plea for the defense after today’s practice. “There’s a lot of good things happening on this defense. “A lot of people in the media had their mind up. That the first second there was any adversity this year, oh my God, should have done this and they should have made this change and it’s not true. “You’re going through … Continue reading Lincoln Riley Defends Defense

I remain fascinated by what Alex Grinch does on defense. Or rather, what the players don’t do? Is the defense’s shortcomings his doing? “I watched the Arizona game and his defense is a hodgepodge,” a Pac-12 coach said. “It’s just a bunch of guys running around. They don’t look like they know what they are doing.” She hired Jason Cappadoro as Deputy Athletic Director, Chief … Continue reading USC Notes: Is It The System Or The Players?