Another thing about training camp and now the week before the first game is the establishment of tailback MarShawn Lloyd. He showed in glimpses of the spring game that he was the best tailback and, frankly, was a reason Raleek Brown got moved to slotback, although that will never be said publicly. Lloyd is more of a breakaway threat than Austin Jones, who actually thrived … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Running Back Rotation Settling
Someone told me they thought Arizona would be USC’s toughest game in the first six contests. My response: USC might score 60 points against Arizona’s defense (Johnny Nansen). I suspect going to Arizona State will be tougher than playing Arizona in the Coliseum. There are always surprises during the season but on paper, Arizona has a problematic secondary. The Wildcats took a cornerback transfer from … Continue reading What Is USC’s Toughest Of The Worst Games?
USC coach Lincoln Riley has a habit of loving every freshman in training camp. I’ve been curious when he would speak about wide receiver Makai Lemon, because five-star Zacariah Branch tends to get most of the publicity for the new receivers. “He’s had an awesome camp,” Riley said. “We’ve been able to move him around position wise. He’s handled it well mentally, stayed healthy. He’s … Continue reading USC Notes: A Freshman WR Finally Gets A Mention
I identified the offensive line as an area of inconsistency during training camp. Here’s another one: The secondary. “They have good days and not-so-good days,” a source said. The safeties are basically the same trio from last season: Caleb Bullock, Bryson Shaw and Max Williams. So we know what we have there. It’s the cornerback position that has been a bigger point of contention. The … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Another Area Of Contention
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is a guest this week on the John Ourand-Andrew Marchand podcast. It doesn’t come out until Wednesday. But this preview concerns Yormark calling Kliavkoff after taking Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State. A collegial conversation? “George was fantastic.” The Pac-12 needed a wartime consigliere. Instead it got a collegial guy who banked $3.5 million for a few years’ work and oversaw … Continue reading George Kliavkoff Seems To Be Feeling Fine
USC being ranked No. 6 in the AP poll is significant from a historical perspective: Since 2004, every national champ was ranked in the AP preseason poll’s top 7 except Auburn (2010) and Florida State (2013). I actually think No. 6 is a bit high for USC but the polls agreed on it. Continue reading USC Notes: History Suggests Poll Ranking Important
InsideUSC with Scott Wolf 