How happy is Clay Helton that he didn’t play Notre Dame? He is 1-4 against the Irish and would have been heavy underdogs to beat this season. Even Paul Hackett was 1-2 against Notre Dame. Among Helton’s many transgressions is letting this rivalry become one-sided. Since Notre Dame isn’t incompetent for Helton, this game has been a big problem. Helton’s lone victory over Notre Dame … Continue reading USC Saturday Buzz: A Rivalry Suffers Under Clay Helton

Entering the 1969 football season, USC’s defensive line became known as the “The Wild Bunch” based on the now-classic Western movie that came out that year. The Wild Bunch consisted of defensive ends Jimmy Gunn and Charles Weaver, tackles Al Cowlings and Tody Smith along with middle guards Willard ‘Bubba’ Scott and Tony Terry. But USC coach John McKay wasn’t thrilled with the group entering … Continue reading Some Christmas Night History

Xavion Alford, a reserve safety at Texas, announced this morning he would transfer to USC. Alford made four tackles this season and was No. 3 on the Texas depth chart. He is a true freshman. USC needs safeties because Talanoa Hufanga and Isaiah Pola-Mao could both turn pro and Alford makes sense because he already knew USC defensive coordinator Todd Orlando and safeties coach Craig … Continue reading USC Lands Texas Transfer

It’s Christmas and maybe USC’s loss last week was a present of sorts for those who want better for the football program. Those who have standards. Those who see things clearly. Not the willfully blind who pretend everything is getting better. For the first five games, there was some dissatisfaction over the unimpressive performances but it got muffled because USC actually won the games. However, … Continue reading If It’s Christmas, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column

It’s Christmas Eve, an easy time to get distracted, which is perfect from USC’s point of view. So just remember it was less than a week ago in the Pac-12 title game that USC displayed all the usual weaknesses that characterize the Helton Era. USC has a dilemma. It wants fans to be engaged but only in support of the program. It has some daunting … Continue reading USC Dilemma: How To Excite Apathetic Fans?

I don’t want to hear some end-of-season propaganda from Mike Bohn in a puff-piece interview. But I would like Bohn to explain how despite all the changes he made to the football program, the team looked as a sloppy in 2020 as it did last year and consistently played down to the level of competition? That’s a real topic. I don’t want to hear about … Continue reading When Do We Get A Real Answer From USC Football?