USC coach Clay Helton was his usual self tonight. “I see a team that plays with tremendous effort and tremendous competitiveness,” Helton said. “The thing that stands out is the need for more consistent play.” And then this: “At the end of the day, I believe in this team. I believe we have the men to compete for a Pac-12 championship.” What does that really … Continue reading Sunday Night With Clay Helton

Some things to consider the rest of the season: Lynn Swann gave Clay Helton and his coordinators new contracts after last season. What is Helton’s buyout? That has not been disclosed. Swann has shown no inclination to be anything other than a figurehead at this point. He might be unhappy with the football team but doing something about it seems like a foreign move for … Continue reading How Does USC Move Forward?

Here is what USC tailback Aca’Cedric Ware said after the Texas loss. “We gotta practice better. Period. Practice this week was kind of lazy, kind of slow. I feel like if we practice harder, we’re going to play harder. We gotta work on stuff like that.” How is practice slow and lazy the week of a huge, nationally televised game? Especially coming off a loss … Continue reading USC Practiced `Lazy’ Week Of Big Game

What an utter joke. Who is defending Clay Helton now? What was the game plan? Can USC run block? Did it even want to run? Can Clancy Pendergast even defend the middle of the field? Can John Baxter coach special teams? What a disaster. But don’t expect Lynn Swann to do anything. He acts like a figurehead. Porter Gustin is ejected for targeting. JT Daniels … Continue reading Discuss The USC-Texas Game

This is quite a game to select a winner. It’s difficult to find a reason to like Texas: Its defense has one sack in two games; the Longhorns lost to Maryland; beat Tulsa by a touchdown and have nothing going for them outside of playing at home today. I think USC is better than Texas. I just don’t know if USC’s coaches will find a … Continue reading Morning Buzz: Pick The USC-Texas Score And My Winner

I spoke to some former USC players for this article on the memories of the 2006 USC-Texas BCS title game. Excerpt: ““It still hurts. Everything was on the line. It was for a three-peat. It’s kind of a bummer,” USC linebacker Oscar Lua said. Full story here Continue reading USC-Texas Rose Bowl: `It Still Hurts’