What a day for the Pac-12. Utah-UCLA is canceled. Cal-Arizona State is canceled. And the conference apologized to Stanford (and apparently QB Davis Mills) because a player had a false positive. Remember all those breathless media reports about the testing procedure of Quidel Corp.? Maybe their CEO should apologize to Stanford. My take: If Utah actually plays USC next week, it will be the Utes’ … Continue reading The Pac-12 Season Is Reeling

I suspect USC will cure some of its ills when it plays Arizona, who hasn’t beaten the Trojans since 2012. I’ve criticized defensive coordinator Todd Orlando through the week, but you know who flew under the radar? Cornerbacks coach Donte Williams. There could have been some pass interference calls in the game and an NFL coach told me the corners “were misaligned a lot.” But … Continue reading If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column

I hear USC received a few complaints this week after some fans objected to a decal on the back of the helmets featuring a logo for Black Lives Matter. The decals were difficult to spot on TV so I’m not sure if the fans were eagle-eyed or heard about the decals elsewhere. You can see the small decal on the back of the helmet in … Continue reading An Eagle-Eyed Complaint From Some USC Fans

Can you imagine last January telling USC that Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon and Washington would be removed from its schedule? A lot of fans think the Pac-12 gives USC short shrift, and in some cases in does, but man did it rig the schedule this season or what? USC didn’t even have to play well last weekend to beat the best team on its schedule. … Continue reading The Daily: Is This Season Foolproof For Clay Helton?

It was really strange watching Kedon Slovis struggle and flutter some of his passes Saturday. But I’ve heard Slovis was throwing passes like that during the previous month of practices. Is it possible there is some lingering effect from the injury Slovis suffered in the Holiday Bowl? USC certainly hasn’t said anything about his health. But he definitely didn’t look the same on all his … Continue reading Thursday Reader Forum: What Explains Kedon Slovis’ Uneven Start?

I’ve heard from a USC player there was little-to-no emotion in the locker room before the Arizona State game. This surprises me because USC and other Pac-12 teams have not played a game. for 11 months. And there was no emotion? Not Todd Orlando’s yelling/square jaw routine fired anyone up? Maybe that explains why USC played the way it did. Time to fire more hype … Continue reading Maybe This Explains Why USC Played Flat Against ASU