QUARTERBACK It was not a great day for Jayden Maiava but how much of that was the coach’s horrible playcalling? Grade: D+ RUNNING BACKS Woody Marks averaged only 4.2 yards per carry but he was still the best part of the offense (as usual). Grade: C WIDE RECEIVER Makai Lemon caught a 64-yard pass and the offense still didn’t score a TD on the series. … Continue reading USC-UCLA Report Card

Jen Cohen released the “State of Troy” newsletter for November today. No mention of the “state” of the USC-Notre Dame football series. She did say USC has to raise $68 million to reach its goal of $225 million for the athletics projects, including Dedeaux Field and the football building. Oh wait, there was a reference to USC-Notre Dame. She said the women’s basketball game last … Continue reading USC Notes: How Is The State Of Troy?

Lincoln Riley sounded like a football historian Tuesday night when talking about the USC-Notre Dame game. “When you come here, the history behind this game is so epic,” Riley said. “It just is. So I just think, No. 1, I think it would be disrespectful to not be as ready as you possibly can be.” Of course the natural follow-up question is, “If the history … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Lincoln Riley Becomes Historian

Former USC QB Sean Salisbury was on the Dan Patrick Show today and this quote was relevant to me. “Weekly I meet with Bruce Matthews . . . I talk to a lot of former players . . . They want to dominate the line of scrimmage. Until we do that at (USC) on both sides of the ball, we will not consistently beat good … Continue reading Interview Of The Night

The USC song girls are a brand. Unique among spirit groups. One of their traditions is they do not play to the cameras like normal cheerleaders. At the end of the USC-UCLA game, they were mugging for the NBC camera. That’s a big no-no. And then after the game, there was behavior (video below), which is definitely against their image. And since when does the … Continue reading USC Notes: Traditions Under Attack

Elijah Vaikona, an offensive tackle from Santa Margarita High School committed to USC, was upgraded to a four-star prospect by Rivals on Monday. Now here is the interesting part: Vaikona was not a first-team selection for the All-Trinity League team. That means in about three years, we will see if Rivals or the Trinity League coaches know more about football evaluation. At least Lincoln Riley … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Let’s See Who Evaluates Recruits Better