How similar have USC’s Big Ten road games looked the past 2 seasons? The Trojans rarely deliver a knockout punch and let teams come back with no problem. It’s been a pattern. USC is 2-5 in Big Ten road games and one of those victories was over UCLA at the Rose Bowl, hardly a Big Ten team/atmosphere. This seems to be a character issue that … Continue reading If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column

Fox analyst Joel Klatt was not expecting USC to lose to Illinois last weekend. “I legitimately thought USC had a good chance to go in there and beat (Illinois) pretty soundly,” Klatt said. But the question now is whether Klatt remembers what he said about USC in July when he said the Illinois game was a key to the season. “If you lose to Illinois, … Continue reading Sometimes It’s Important To Remember What People Actually Say About USC

USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn was feeling ill Wednesday night and did not meet with the media after practice. If he is sick, no problem. But . . . was he well enough to coach practice? To instruct his players? If so, he should have been able to answer some questions, as much as he might not want to following a loss. If he wants … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Some Questions Go Unanswered

Another defensive tackle who didn’t play against Illinois was Floyd Boucard. He played in the first four games and was a media favorite. Again, he wasn’t on the injury report and the rotation seemed to be smaller for a game that actually mattered. It’s going to be interesting to see if some of these guys play much against Michigan. He had five tackles in the … Continue reading USC Notes: Smaller Rotation Vs. Illinois

QUARTERBACK Jayden Maiava threw his first interception of the season and faced some real pressure. But he played well enough to win the game if he had some help on defense. Grade: B RUNNING BACK After some impressive flashes against inferior competition, I thought the backs looked pretty average against Illinois. GRADE: C WIDE RECEIVER Makai Lemon had a great game (as usual) and the … Continue reading Morning Buzz: USC-Illinois Report Card

Sometimes, the official stats are wrong about who plays and who doesn’t play. But the official stats from Illinois say defensive tackle Jide Abasiri did not play Saturday. It appears true because USC’s stats show him playing in only four games this season. Why does it matter? He is still listed as a starter on USC’s depth chart and was not listed in the injury … Continue reading USC Notes: Under The Radar Lineup Switch