I’ve talked about Lincoln Riley having a strange demeanor this season, whether reading a weird prepared statement after a game or berating officials every week. Now another example: He banned reporter Luca Evans from covering USC for 2 weeks for the following injustices: Keep in mind the story Evans wrote that led to the suspension was a positive piece on tailback Quentin Joyner overcoming his … Continue reading Lincoln Riley Bans Reporter For Two Weeks

Kenny Dillingham is expected to call plays against USC this Saturday. And former Notre Dame QB Drew Pyne practiced with the first team today so his leg must be feeling better. Pyne faced USC at the Coliseum last season but looked awful last week against Fresno State when he completed 5 of 13 passes for 52 yards and two interceptions. Why is Dillingham calling plays? … Continue reading Arizona State Seeks To Shake Up Offense

USC coaches have emphasized using a lot of players the first three games, especially with all of the contests decided by at least 28 points. But who hasn’t played? Freshman cornerback Maliki Crawford has not played in a game this season. So he’s redshirting. Neither has sophomore cornerback Fabian Ross or Alabama-transfer cornerback Tre’Quon Fegans. Freshman defensive tackle Deijon Laffitte has not played either the … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Some Below-The-Radar Players

The Big Noon game vs. Colorado kicks off at 9 a.m., which is far from ideal. But USC’s approval was required for the early start, so Lincoln Riley had to OK it. The inconvenience of the early start is offset by the massive exposure of Fox’s biggest game of the week, so that was a consideration for USC. Continue reading USC Approved Early Game

TV can’t get enough of Colorado right now and Fox decided Monday morning to make the USC-Colorado game on Sept. 30 its Big Noon game. That’s Big Noon ET. So it’s really 9 a.m. PT and 10 a.m. in Boulder, where the game will be played. This means three of Colorado’s first five games will kick off in this time slot. Deion Sanders said Monday … Continue reading USC-Colorado Will Kick Off At 9 a.m. PT

The first four games on USC’s schedule feature teams with a 3-10 record. The team some analysts tried to plug early as respectable — San Jose State — lost to Toledo on Saturday. Is an easy opening month of games going to benefit USC in the long run? Lincoln Riley probably doesn’t care as long as he gets victories. But the schedule has an odd … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: This Easy Early Schedule Will Be Masterstroke Or Backfire