USC practiced at Southwestern College and was not in full pads. There was a full-pad practice Monday. Tailback Markese Stepp was not dressed. A rumor going around in San Diego was that former USC assistant Joe Barry could be a candidate for the defensive coordinator’s job. Barry is currently the assistant head coach and linebackers coach for the Rams. So unless the Rams are making … Continue reading Holiday Bowl Report

You probably saw on twitter that there was some kind of problem with USC and Oregon coaches regarding the recruitment of star linebacker Justin Flowe and an accusation that USC did not recruit African-American linebackers. I’m not linking to any of that because I haven’t heard any direct comments about Flowe’s recruitment. But I can comment on this: Several high school coaches in Southern California … Continue reading Is There A New Campaign Against USC In Recruiting?

First, this week’s podcast is below, which includes my pick for the Holiday Bowl. Now, I caution in the podcast about there being so many warning signs heading into the game that USC is not as serious as Iowa. I already mentioned the 40-minute practice last week. But I hear the Thursday walk-through is scheduled to take place in a hotel ball room. Say what? … Continue reading Morning Buzz: USC Really Easing Into Holiday Bowl

Clay Helton talked today about the Holiday Bowl being a springboard to next season. “When you look at our schedule, even for next year, we’re going to play teams like this,” Helton said. “This is a top 25 team, ranked 16th in the country. And when you look at our schedule for next year we could play six top 25 opponents. So the mindset we … Continue reading Something To Look Forward To Next Year