One more to go

Well, USC might have to settle for one trip to the Rose Bowl this season, as a 6-5 UCLA team is the only thing standing between USC and Glendale on January 8th. The Trojans dominated from the start, going up 21-3 before Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn and the Irish knew what hit them. Charlie Weis sent out his team for 6 fourth downs, of which they only made two, which really set the tempo for the game. Notre Dame had a hard time adjusting to USC's speed, and may have figured out things in the second quarter, but the Trojans pulled away in the fourth. Quinn made the game close, 37-24 with about 3 minutes remaining, before DE Brian Cushing returned an onside kick attempt 42 yards to the house for USC's first kickoff return since Reggie Bush did it against UCLA in 2003. John David Booty started off on fire, leading the Trojans to touchdowns on their first three drives, but looked a little stagnant after we went up 21-3, as on three consecutive drives, the Trojans had a punt blocked and threw two interceptions. But with a few halftime adjustments, USC was able to pull away to move one game from the big one. Booty really took advantage of Dwayne Jarrett's height and the mismatch with the Irish secondary, hooking up for three touchdowns. The defense was solid even in giving up 24 points, they made Quinn earn each touchdown and really clamped down in the red zone. Any rushing attempt Notre Dame tried inside the 5 was shut down for a loss, forcing Quinn to go to the air for the touchdown. It wasn't a 31 point blowout of the Ty Willingham era, but it still was a statement heading into the season finale. Time for the game balls...

Offense: WR Dwayne Jarrett really stepped up today, catching 7 passes for 132 yards and 3 touchdowns. Booty would have got it, as he really tore apart the Notre Dame secondary, but those two picks, even though they didn't result in points, should not have happened. Honorable mention to C.J. Gable, who had over 100 yards rushing.

Defense: LB Dallas Sartz may have heard a lot of critics this year, starting in front of a lot of talented linebackers, but he came up in his final game in the Coliseum, making 8 tackles and recording a sack and playing all around solid defense out there. The secondary deserves huge props as well, containing the Notre Dame receivers as well as limiting Quinn to 22-45 passing.

Special Teams: Desmond Reed turned the tide of the game with his huge 40 yard punt return, which resulted in Jarrett's second touchdown of the game. There was no way Reed was going to fair catch that one, especially after the grass incident in South Bend last year.

And I had USC (-7.5) 31, Notre Dame 24. Off on the spread again...

Season-to-date:
W-L - 10-1
Against the spread: 5-5-1 (well, blowouts are good, right?)

And my top 25...

1. Ohio State (12-0)
2. Michigan (11-1)
3. Southern California (10-1)
4. Florida (11-1)
5. Louisville (10-1)
6. Boise State (12-0)
7. Louisiana State (10-2)
8. Wisconsin (11-1)
9. Oklahoma (10-2)
10. Arkansas (10-2)
11. Notre Dame (10-2)
12. Auburn (10-2)
13. Rutgers (10-1)
14. Virginia Tech (10-2)
15. Wake Forest (10-2)
    
16. West Virginia (9-2)
    
17. Hawaii (10-2)
18. Brigham Young (10-2)
19. Texas (9-3)
    
20. Tennessee (8-3)
21. California (8-3)
22. Nebraska (9-3)
23. Georgia Tech (9-3)
24. Texas A&M (9-3)
25. Boston College (9-3)
    

Yeah, Hawaii at #17 is primed for the upset... USC will be #2 if they beat UCLA... What a coaching job by Bob Stoops, getting the Sooners back in the Big 12 Championship after losing QB Rhett Bomar and RB Adrian Peterson... And what a collapse by Texas, losing their last two games to fall from the BCS to either the Cotton Bowl or the Holiday Bowl... ACC Championship Game: Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech, ugh... SEC Championship Game: Florida vs. Arkansas, go Hogs!... LSU, coulda, woulda, shoulda, best two loss team in the land... Boise State, BCS bound, now go represent the WAC in the Fiesta Bowl... Notre Dame to the Sugar Bowl, looking to extend their bowl losing streak...

The Rose Bowl!

Weird, how we've been so successful over the past four years that most of the student section doesn't give a crap about the Rose Bowl. Me, I'm excited for it, for a team that lost two Heisman winners and several All-Americans to win at least a share of the Pac-10 championship and get into another BCS game, it shows how great this year's team is too. Our team goal is always to shoot for the Rose Bowl, regardless of where the National Championship is being played, and I agree with the team's aspirations. I won't be upset if we don't make the big game, though I do feel like we deserve it, but Michigan, Florida, Notre Dame, Arkansas, and West Virginia all have valid points on why they should be in Glendale on January 8th. Right now, we have to worry about Notre Dame, who has rolled over every service academy in the United States, and comes into the Coliseum with their own National Championship hopes. I believe they are pretty much guaranteed to go to a BCS game as well with 10 regular season victories, but after yesterday's game was for a berth in the Rose Bowl, this game may reduce the teams in contention to meet Ohio State in the BCS Championship game.

But back to the Cal game. Our first half offense was nonexistent, especially in the red zone, where we had to settle for two field goals, and could not capitalize on two Nate Longshore turnovers. But our defense, save for the lone touchdown drive we gave up, was solid all night. To hold an offensive team like the Bears to one touchdown was really encouraging to see. We only sacked Longshore once, forcing a fumble, but we did not give him many open targets to throw to, forcing him to go 17-38 with two interceptions. One of his big play options, DeSean Jackson, seemed to be out of it after taking a monster hit from Kevin Ellison on the first drive of the game, though he did turn a 35 yard gain out of a missed tackle, and was not able to return many punts after P Greg Woidneck punted the ball 20 yards and out of bounds on most of his second half punts. Marshawn Lynch did have a solid game, but not a breakout one. He did give the crowd a scare when he scampered 60 yards to the end zone late in the fourth quarter, but it was called back after his knee touched the turf. The Bears defense did their part for most of the game, save for the 4th and 2 touchdown, as they did hold us to three field goals before our fourth quarter burst. Speaking of field goals, what about David Buehler! His 49 yard field goal, the first attempt of his career, changed the momentum of the game, as the crowd was dead when we decided to go for the long kick. But when he nailed it, it was all Trojans after that. Our defense really shut down the Bears after that, forcing three three-and-outs leading to our two touchdown drives. John David Booty really took over the game from that point, hitting Dwayne Jarrett on a post route for our first touchdown, and not overthrowing a wide open Steve Smith on a 4th and 2 conversion which punched our ticket to the Rose Bowl. It was a fun game to watch, and I'm really looking forward to Notre Dame in 6 days (as well as finding a ticket...). Well, now for the game balls...

Offense: Well, Booty had the touchdown numbers, but RB C.J. Gable was really our offense last night, running for 91 yards on 19 carries, catching a pass for 35 yards, and returning a kickoff 33 yards, having a mini-Reggie Bush night out there. Now if he could only return punts as well...

Defense: I'm not sure if I want to cop out and give 11 game balls today, but I think DE Lawrence Jackson deserves another one, with his 6 tackles (1.5 for loss), sack, and forced fumble, but it was the things that don't end up in the box score that earned him this ball, pressuring Longshore into quick decisions that usually didn't work.

Special Teams: K David Buehler. Don't make me explain this to you.

Well, I'll take 23-9 and a loss over 34-31 and a win....

Season-to-date:
W-L - 9-1
Against the spread: 5-4-1

And my Top 25

1. Ohio State (12-0)
2. Michigan (11-1)
3. Southern California (9-1)
4. Florida (10-1)
5. Notre Dame (10-1)
6. Arkansas (10-1)
7. West Virginia (9-1)
8. Boise State (11-0)
9. Louisville (9-1)
10. Wisconsin (11-1)
11. Texas (9-2)
12. Louisiana State (9-2)
13. Oklahoma (8-2)
    
14. Georgia Tech (8-2)
15. Auburn (9-2)
16. Rutgers (9-1)
17. Boston College (9-2)
18. Virginia Tech (8-2)
19. Hawaii (9-2)
20. Brigham Young (9-2)
21. Wake Forest (9-2)
22. Tennessee (8-3)
23. California (8-3)
    
24. Nebraska (8-3)
25. Clemson (8-3)

Though I have Michigan still at #2, it's because I think they are currently the 2nd best team in the country, but I don't think they should be in the National Championship. In my eyes, Ohio State should not have to beat Michigan twice to win the championship, and if Michigan beats the Buckeyes later, we'd have a moot point with each team having a victory over each other. And I think that it should be a requirement that a team must be a conference champion to make the National Championship game. As of right now, I don't know who Ohio State will be playing. If USC wins out, beating Notre Dame and UCLA, we deserve to be in the discussion. Assuming Florida beats Florida State and Arkansas pulls off a semi-upset over LSU, the winner of the SEC championship also can make a case. An 11-1 Notre Dame team, regardless of their schedule, will always have shot to play for a National Championship. West Virginia still has to take care of Rutgers in the last week of the season before being mentioned as #2. And Michigan still can lay claim to be the #2 team in the nation, but have they missed their opportunity? But in two weeks, the picture will either clear up, or still be as cloudy as it is today.

And Hawaii deserves to be in the top 25. Eight wins in a row, regardless of their opposition (hey look at Notre Dame...) should get some national attention. The ACC is in a mess. So is the Pac-10, with Arizona coming on strong following wins over California and Oregon(!). But three things are set as of right now. Hawaii is going to the Hawaii Bowl. Ohio State is going to the National Champion. And USC is in its rightful place as the Pac-10 champion.

Another solid win

Well, another good win by USC last week, beating the Oregon Ducks 35-10. That game sets up this week's one as a winner takes the Rose Bowl game, where the winner is assured of at least a berth in the Rose Bowl with both Cal and USC going in with one loss in the conference. But back to the Oregon game for now. With all of the upsets happening last week, it was great for us to come out and blow out a team like the Ducks and show that we are close to the top of the one loss teams. Texas, Auburn, West Virginia, and Cal, all top 10 teams, lost last week, allowing us to jump from #7 to #3 in the BCS polls with Ohio State and Michigan playing tomorrow, with the winner pretty much guaranteed a spot in the National Championship Game. Our offense still wasn't as sharp as possible, with us throwing three interceptions, though we were able to pretty much move the ball at will en route to scoring 35 points. Our defense was good, but not great, though we did play off of Oregon's strength as a spread team, giving up short plays all the way down the field until they reached the Red Zone, which nullified their ability to spread the ball. They were only able to score one touchdown in the red zone, and that was on a controversial fourth down play that resulted in a reversal of the reversal of the original call. I still don't get why it took the refs so long to figure out what happened. I'm with Coach Carroll on this one, I didn't mind the touchdown as much as I was bothered by the length of the stoppage of the game. Lawrence Jackson finally had a breakout game, collecting 10 tackles and three sacks, showing the form that made him a preseason All-American pick.

But now here's our season, and essentially Cal's season too. The winner of this week's game will at worst go to the Rose Bowl as the Pac-10 Champion. The loser gets relegated to the Holiday Bowl or worse. The Trojans' five year BCS bowl streak is on the line, while the Bears look to get into the Rose Bowl for this first time since 1959 (I think). Right now, I can't see USC losing this one, though it may be a close game. Nate Longshore's confidence may have taken a hit in the Arizona game, when he threw three picks. But I am weary of their running backs, Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett, and their burner at wideout, Desean Jackson. I think we should shut down the run like we always do, but with Jackson, if we punt the ball to him once, we are in trouble. We can't give him the entire field to work with. I'd take 30 yard punts over a very good chance of Jackson taking one back to the house. He's also a very good receiver, though I think one solid shot from Taylor Mays (geez I miss Scott Ware) may make him think twice about coming over the middle. And I'm not too worried about their defense. One of their cornerbacks has 8 interceptions on the year, Daymien Hughes (can't spell his name...), but their other corner will be really tested by Steve Smith and Patrick Turner, though Dwayne Jarrett does need to have a solid day for us to win this one. My verdict? USC (-5.5) 34, Cal 31

Last week I had USC (-8) winning 28-21. Doh...

Season-to-date:
W-L - 8-1
Against the spread: 5-3-1 (I don't mind my streak ending with a 25 point win...)

My top 25 (before West Virginia's win last night)

1. Ohio State (11-0)
2. Michigan (11-0)
3. Southern California (8-1)
4. Florida (9-1)
5. Notre Dame (9-1)
   
6. Arkansas (9-1)
7. Rutgers (9-0)
8. West Virginia (8-1)
9. Boise State (10-0)
10. Louisville (8-1)
    
11. Wisconsin (10-1)
12. Texas (9-2)
13. Louisiana State (8-2)
14. Wake Forest (9-1)
    
15. Oklahoma (8-2)
16. Georgia Tech (8-2)
17. Auburn (9-2)
18. California (8-2)
19. Boston College (8-2)
20. Hawaii (8-2)
21. Virginia Tech (8-2)
22. Brigham Young (8-2)
    
23. Tennessee (7-3)
24. Maryland (8-2)
25. Nebraska (8-3)
    

That was a fun game

Well, I wanted a 49-0 win, but 42-0 will do just fine. It's great to get a shutout, even if its against a team like Stanford who is in a down year. This was USC's first shutout in two years, since we beat Washington 38-0. But it was great to see the offense do their thing in the first half, with QB John David Booty engineering four touchdown drives, and another that was cut short due to a non pass interference call. In the third quarter, both offenses stalled, but Stanford had a chance to put points up on the board, but that just ended up with their field goal being blocked and returned 71 yards by CB Terrell Thomas for USC's first non-offensive touchdown of the year. And QB Mark Sanchez scored his first collegiate touchdown on a quarterback keeper in the fourth quarter. But Stanford QB T.C. Ostrander had a much more difficult time, getting hit on almost every pass and getting cracked whenever he tucked the ball and ran with it. The Trojan defense was solid against the run, allowing only 30 yards on 30 rushes, or one yard per carry. And they actually caused turnovers today, going to either even or +1 on the year in turnover margin. The first was on a fumble on a kick return, on which the Trojans scored on the next play on a Steve Smith touchdown catch. One interception led to a turnover on downs, while the other occurred at the end of the first half. Overall, this Stanford game was the perfect remedy after last week's loss, though the Trojans start their November home stand with a dangerous Oregon team. Duck QB Dennis Dixon had some trouble passing the ball, but their running game is sure to cause problems, especially with their misdirection games. Coach Pete Carroll best leave LB Rey Maualuga and his overpursuit on the bench for this one. Now for the game balls:

Offense: QB John David Booty continues to be accurate and efficient in the pass game, going 12-21 for 203 yards and 3 touchdowns, all of which came in the first half. He's showing great understanding of the offense and after falling behind 33-10 against Oregon State, he has really been making the right decisions out there. Just don't have him throw any more slant passes that will be batted down at the line of scrimmage.

Defense: The entire defense came up today, pitching a shutout and giving up only 30 rushing yards, but I'm giving the game ball to CB Terrell Thomas, who returned the blocked field goal for his first career touchdown and also had a sack and interception.

Special Teams: Um, these guys also came up huge today. LB Clay Matthews forced a fumble on a kick return, which was recovered by CB Shareece Wright. And DT Sedrick Ellis blocked the field goal to keep the Cardinal off the board, which was returned by Thomas. I guess I'll let you make the decision here. The only problem I had today was the the Desmond Reed experience. Man we need someone else fielding punts out there. And no kick returns today. That doesn't happen much...

As I said before, I wanted, or had, USC (-29) winning 49-0. This was USC's first time covering the spread since the Arkansas game. Go figure...

Season-to-date:
W-L - 7-1
Against the spread: 5-2-1 (4 in a row, not bad)

And this week's top 25:

1. Ohio State (10-0)
2. Michigan (10-0)
3. Louisville (8-0)
4. Texas (8-1)
5. Auburn (9-1)
6. Florida (8-1)
7. Notre Dame (8-1)
8. California (8-1)
9. Southern California (7-1)
10. West Virginia (7-1)
11. Arkansas (8-1)
12. Boise State (9-0)
13. Louisiana State (6-2)
14. Rutgers (7-0)
15. Wisconsin (9-1)
16. Tennesse (7-2)
17. Oklahoma (7-2)
18. Wake Forest (8-1)
19. Georgia Tech (7-2)
20. Oregon (7-2)
21. Texas A&M (8-2)
22. Boston College (7-2)
23. Hawaii (7-2)
24. Virginia Tech (7-2)
    
25. Oregon State (6-3)

Even with sloppy wins, Ohio State and Michigan are so far ahead of everyone else right now that they remain 1-2 in my poll. Louisville jumps to #3 over Texas only because they are undefeated right now. 5-9 could be in any order right now, and with USC playing Cal and ND in a couple of weeks, the order may not matter. I dropped West Virginia so far because they haven't played anyone yet. If Louisville had lost, I wouldn't have dropped them as much, because they at least have a win over a Miami team that was still feared at the time. Even with their strong win today, I still have LSU behind Arkansas and Boise. I have Arkansas ahead as they are the only undefeated team in the SEC, though that may change next week when they play Tennesse. And Boise is only ranked ahead because I can't have a two loss team ahead of an undefeated one, and I will jump Rutgers over LSU if they beat (hopefully) Louisville next week. Clemson and Tulsa drop out with losses, making way for Virginia Tech and Oregon State in my poll.

Well it finally happened....

We got caught. Oregon State blitzed us early in the third quarter and we did not have enough time to catch up. Texas fell behind to Texas Tech by 21 in the first quarter, but they had three quarters to come back to win 35-31. The Trojans fell behind 33-10 in the middle of the third, and the Trojan Nation was in stunned silence. It was worse when we did not get any points on the board from the 10 yard line with four minutes left. But at the time it seemed like the right move to go for a touchdown, but at the end, a Mario Danelo field goal would have given us the win. It seemed like an unusual move, Pete Carroll usually doesn't chase points, and any points at that point of the game was better than nothing. But it was really encouraging to see the team tighten up to rally for 21 straight points to close the game to 2 points, but at the end, we could not finish the deal. I think it was good for us to finally lose. We do not have the pressure of trying to remain undefeated for the rest of the year, and I think it will really loosen the team up. I think its the same thing with the Cal game three years ago, after that, the offense scored 40 or more points for 8 straight games and the team made the Rose Bowl and won the AP national championship, which also carried over for the next two seasons. I really hope the coaches will loosen their grip on the team and just let them have some fun. Stanford seems like a great place to start, but could also be a mini trap game with Oregon, Cal, Notre Dame, and UCLA to finish up the season, but I hope USC wins that game 49-0. I can't say that I'm pissed about the loss, I'm glad that we didn't get blown out and were able to come within a two point conversion of overtime, and John David Booty really grew up in the second half. His only interception was a killer, but it wasn't the worst pass he's thrown, and Steve Smith will be making money on Sundays next year, with his 10 reception, 257 (!) yard game to go along with 2 touchdowns was really clutch. I guess something in the Northwest sets him off. After having a solid game two weeks ago, Chauncey Washington really disappointed with his two fumbles, but did atone for it a little bit by converting on our first two pointer. And the defense really wasn't that bad after the first touchdown drive by the Beavers. The defense gave up only one more touchdown (the other was on a punt return) and held Oregon State to six field goal tries. Too bad they also have the Lou Groza winner Alexis Serna on their team, who drilled a 53 yarder which was also a difference in the game. But its over now, the 38 game regular season win streak, the 27 game Pac-10 win streak, and so much more. But I'm not upset. I'm proud of the team. For a rebuilding team, they showed a lot of guts to regroup and rally together, and it took 4 turnovers on the road to defeat us, and with all that, we still lost by only two points. I know there's no such thing as moral victories, and I don't think this was one of them, but the second half shows a lot of promise for the team in the remainder of the year. We still have a shot at the Rose Bowl, though we'd have to beat Oregon, Cal, and UCLA to do it, as Notre Dame is not a conference opponent, so if it fell out that way, we'd finish 10-2 with a 8-1 record in conference (tied for first with Cal), but we'd hold the tiebreaker over Cal with a head to head victory. Not bad at all for a rebuilding year. Even in defeat, I'll give out the game balls:

Offense: Steve Smith may have had the big explosion, but I really admired QB John David Booty's poise and leadership to rally for the three late touchdowns. And for passing for 406 yards. His one interception was on a bad pass, but Dwayne Jarrett still had a shot to catch it, or at least prevent it from being intercepted.

Defense: LB Dallas Sartz hasn't played the best football this year, but he came up huge today, making 8 tackles, including 3 for loss, and 3 sacks which forced the Beavers to punt or go for long field goals in the second half which kept the game in striking distance for the Trojans.

Special Teams: Nothing really stood out again, especially with the bad punt coverage on the return, but for now I'll give it to DE Lawrence Jackson, who came up with his second blocked field goal of the year in the first quarter, which kept the game tied.

As for the season picks, I had USC (-10.5) 28, Oregon State 20. So much for that...

Season-to-date:
W-L - 6-1
Against the spread: 4-2-1

And my current Top 25:

1. Ohio State (9-0)
2. Michigan (9-0)
3. West Virginia (7-0)
4. Texas (8-1)
5. Louisville (7-0)
6. Auburn (8-1)
7. Florida (7-1)
8. Tennessee (7-1)
9. Notre Dame (7-1)
10. California (7-1)
11. Southern California (6-1)
12. Arkansas (7-1)
13. Boise State (8-0)
14. Rutgers (7-0)
15. Wisconsin (8-1)
16. Louisiana State (6-2)
17. Boston College (7-1)
18. Oklahoma (6-2)
19. Texas A&M (8-1)
20. Clemson (7-2)
    
21. Georgia Tech (6-2)
22. Wake Forest (7-1)
23. Oregon (6-2)
24. Tulsa (7-1)
25. Hawaii (6-2)
    

Yeah, it's a little late...

But there's no game this week anyway. Which is good, as I have a whole lot of homework to do this weekend... Last week's game was another disappointment, not because it was close, but because we led 21-0 at one point and let Arizona State tie the game in the third quarter. Nice final stand by the defense to force a Sun Devil punt (doh!) where USC, behind Chauncey Washington, ran out the clock. Hopefully the Trojans can use this bye week to figure something out to prevent close games like this. But as I've said before, I can't really complain, as long as we win, but if we continue to play like this against Oregon, Cal, or Notre Dame, there will be some complaining going on.

Season so far:
W-L - 6-0
Against the spread: 3-2-1

Here's my updated Top 25, not including West Virginia's win tonight:

1. Ohio State (7-0)
2. Michigan (7-0)
3. West Virginia (6-0)
4. Southern California (6-0)
5. Texas (6-1)
6. Louisville (6-0)
7. Florida (6-1)
8. Tennessee (5-1)
9. California (6-1)
10. Notre Dame (5-1)
11. Aubutn (6-1)
12. Clemson (6-1)
13. Georgia Tech (5-1)
14. Nebraska (6-1)
15. Boise State (6-0)
    
16. Louisiana State (5-2)
17. Oregon (5-1)
    
18. Arkansas (5-1)
19. Rutgers (6-0)
20. Wisconsin (6-1)
21. Texas A&M (6-1)
22. Oklahoma (4-2)
23. Missouri (6-1)
24. Pittsburgh (6-1)
25. Wake Forest (6-1)

I realize that I had LSU a little low last week, but after teams like Iowa, Georgia, and Va Tech racked up their second loss with LSU winning, I had to move the Tigers back up. Oklahoma remains low after losing Adrian Peterson for the rest of the season. Teams 22-25 I don't really care about any more...

Acutally getting a prediction in...

So yeah, time for another heart attack this weekend... Though the last time the Trojans played in back to back single digit victories, USC played Arizona State the next weekend and led 42-7 at halftime. But I don't see that happening this week. If Sun Devil Coac h Dirk Koetter has even seen the highlights of USC/WSU and USC/UW, he would know to have QB Rudy Carpenter to utilize a three to five step drop with quick routes to beat the Trojans. Arizona State also has a couple of running backs, led by RB Keegan Herring, who rack up gaudy numbers in the yards per rush category. If in the right scheme, Carpenter has a lot of weapons through the air, led by arguably the best tight end in the nation in Zach Miller. The difference between the Washington schools and Arizona State is that coming into their game with USC, the Huskies and Cougars were on a roll, with Washington having won three straight, and four out of five, including wins over Fresno State and Arizona, and Washington State winning four straight after dropping their road opener at Auburn. The Sun Devils come in on a two game losing streak which saw them being taken to the barn by the class of the Pac-10, being blown out at California and at home against Oregon. Arizona State started off the season on a three game winning streak, but those wins weren't that impressive, needing two fourth quarter touchdowns to pull away from Northern Arizona, blowing out a mediocre Nevada team, and just getting by Colorado.

Meanwhile, the Trojans come in having won five straight, but may be looking ahead to the bye week that awaits them after this contest. With nagging injuries to WR Dwayne Jarrett, Steve Smith, and Chris McFoy, they could use the extra week's rest before travel to Corvalis and Palo Alto. QB John David Booty has done the best he is capable of, but if he continues to lock into receivers, USC may be in for a long game. The running game has not established itself either, with Chauncey Washington and Emmanuel Moody doing their best rotating in and out and wearing down the opposing defensive line with short runs. With Jarrett, Smith, and McFoy hampered with injuries, Patrick Turner stepped up his game last week, catching 12 balls for well over 116 yards and a TD. TE Fred Davis needs to be more aggressive out there, he should try to run defenders over instead of trying to hurdle them. The speed of the defense has been neutralized in the last two games with the opposing offenses using it to their advantage. Quick three step drops allow the offense to move the ball with safe routes and prevent the Trojans from creating turnovers. Carpenter will be the most established QB compared to Cougar QB Alex Brink and Husky QB Isaiah Stanback, though he is a more traditional pocket passer that may have to rely more on five to seven step drops.

There's one song the Trojan Marching Band to play on Saturday. It's not "Fight On." It's not "Conquest." It's "All Right Now." USC has only forced one turnover in the last two games, with the one being an interception on the game's final play against Washington State. If this trend continues, the Trojans might be playing in Aloha Stadium instead of the Rose Bowl come bowl season. But for this game, ASU is 0-11 under Koetter in California. Don't look for that to change this week.

USC (-19) 23, Arizona State 7

Top 25 After Week 6

1. Ohio State (6-0)
2. Michigan (6-0)
3. Florida (6-0)
4. Southern California (5-0)
5. West Virginia (5-0)
6. Texas (5-1)
7. Louisville (5-0)
8. Tennessee (5-1)
9. California (5-1)
10. Notre Dame (5-1)
11. Clemson (5-1)
12. Georgia Tech (5-1)
13. Auburn (5-1)
14. Iowa (5-1)
15. Boise State (6-0)
16. Nebraska (5-1)
17. Georgia (5-1)
18. Virginia Tech (4-1)
19. Missouri (6-0)
20. Oregon (5-1)
21. Rutgers (5-0)
22. Arkansas (4-1)
    
23. Oklahoma (3-2)
24. Louisiana State (4-2)
25. Wisconsin (5-1)
    Dropped out: Florida State (#18), Washington (#25)
    

#3 USC 26, Washington 20

Well, I guess I can't really complain until we lose, but two weeks in a row of games like this is hard to stomach. It's like we're the St. Louis Rams out there on offense, good moving the ball until we get into the red zone where we stall and have to settle for a field goal. I know this offense is nothing like last year's one, but when we get inside the opponent's five yard line, we have to score a touchdown. We're too good not to. Granted, we needed all the points we could get, with the defense playing awesome on first and second down before leaving receivers open on third and long, but that's for the second paragraph. Coach "Big Balls Pete" Carroll made a gamble which paid off, kicking a field goal from the four with about a minute and a half remaining for the final score, but at the time, it looked like a field goal would do not good. But the bend and almost break defense allowed the Huskies to get into field goal range with about 11 seconds left, plenty of time for Washington QB Isaiah Stanback to spike the ball so their kicker could have tied the game, but with Mario Danelo's fourth field goal under his belt, the Huskies and Coach Ty Willingham were forced to go for the endzone. This led to a curious call, a pass over the middle with under ten seconds remaining and no timeouts. The play was finally called dead with 2 seconds remaining (thank goodness for the incompetent Pac-10 officials), and Stanback was not able to get off a final play. Speaking of the refs, there were a couple of phantom holding calls, and the blown presonal foul on the last drive almost killed us, as it allowed Washington to creep closer into "Hail Mary" range. As for the offense, they were good moving the ball into the endzone. QB John David Booty did a nice job spreading the ball out, though he locked into the #1 route many times in the game, which led to easy breakups by the Huskie's secondary which could have been easily picked off if they knew, like the 90,000+ in the Coliseum knew, who Booty was throwing to. While many fans may be frustrated with Booty's performance, if you compare his stats with former QB Matt Leinart's in 2003, Booty has been more effiecient, and the key stat that Booty is leading in, he's 5-0 right now while Leinart was only 4-1. The running game was solid, with Chauncey Washington picking up a handful of key first downs on the Trojans' final possession which allowed us to eat up some clock and get into field goal range. Emmanuel Moody also took advantage of some holes in the Washington defense, but he was also stopped cold several times. The receivers corp was depleted again. With WR Chris McFoy already out with an injured shoulder, and Dwayne Jarrett slowed with a bum shoulder on his own, Booty had to look to WR Steve Smith, who starred in last week's game against Washington State. But Smith went down with an injury of his own, though minor, which kept him out for most of the game. So, after a disappointing performance against the Cougars last week when he coughed up the ball and dropped a couple of passes, WR Patrick Turner stepped up as the go-to receiver for Booty, catching more than half of Booty's 23 completions for 116 yards and a touchdown, USC's only offensive TD of the game.

While the Trojan offense may have had problems putting the ball into the endzone, the defense had problems keeping the Huskies off the scoreboard. As I said before, it seemed like the defense was fired up and pretty much limited Washington to 0-3 yards combined on first and second down, but when we got them to where we wanted, in third and long situations, it seemed like DC Nick Holt sent a blitz while the secondary dropped back into a zone, which left the middle of the field open, allowing the Huskie receivers to run past the marker and settle down in the middle of the field. Granted, some of it may hve been the offensive scheme drawn up by Washington, using the plan Washington State used last week, but again, we failed to get pressure on Stanback and did not force any turnovers. This has been a big reason why we are not able to pull away from games. When the defense forces turnovers, two things happen. One is the momentum swings heavily in our favor. And two, it gives our offense great field position that allows for quick and easy scoring drives. When we hit those big three games; Oregon, California, and Notre Dame, if we can't gain extra possessions by creating turnovers, I'm afraid our offense won't be able to keep up with them.

Special teams did a better job than in past games this season. It wasn't Danelo's fault that the offense sputtered in the red zone, but he was Mr. Reliable, scoring 14 points today when we needed any kind of points with our defense unable to stop the Huskies. Troy Van Blarcom was solid as usual on kickoffs, and P Greg Woidneck also was steady in the field position battle. I stil don't understand why opposing punt returners need to try to be heroes on punts, it seems often more than not that if they don't call for a fair catch, they're going to get blasted by one of our gunners. C.J. Gable looks to have found his niche returning kicks, while Desmond Reed has probably fielded two punts all year. The special teams play of, er, forever, though was the fake field goal for our first touchdowb. I'm surprised Carroll used it in this game, though I'm probably more surprised he did it so early in the game. It seemed more appropriate to do after he sent Danelo out for his 15th field goal attempt, but it still was a special play. Third string QB and holder Michael McDonald threw his second career touchdown pass (on his second career throw) to a wide open Smith for a touchdown. A play like that usually demoralized teams in the past, but now, teams are starting to hang with us instead of fading away. A fake field goal for a touchdown usually led to a bevy of touchdowns after that, but instead it was the Mario Danelo show out there. Oh well. Time for the game balls:

Offense - Though WR Patrick Turner may be tempting with his 12 catches for 116 yards and a TD, it was all about RB Chauncey Washington and his solid running, going for 81 yards on 17 carries and pitching in with 2 receptions for 17 yards. Without his third and short conversions, we would have given Washington (the team) the ball back with more than ample time to try and score a touchdown. Turner may have the stats, but Washington (our RB) came up with the big plays when we needed them the most.

Defense - Ugh, not again. I guess I should hand one out, though with the defense not forcing any turnovers or the the secondary picking off any passes, it's really hard to pick out someone from a group that's really struggling. This unit was supposed to be our team's fallback, with an inexperienced offense, out defense should keep opposing teams to under 14 points per game. So our struggling offense has had to find ways to put up more points that the defense allows, which has been more than enough against the Washington schools. But if I really need to give one out, I guess LB Keith Rivers would get it, based on his 12 tackles, including one for loss, and two pass breakups. So basically, the guy with the best stats wins here, though it's not really saying much. Its like winning the NL West.

Special Teams - C.J. Gable really helped with the field position, and Mario Danelo may have scored 14 points today (4-4 FG, 2-2 PAT), but I'd have to give this game ball to QB Michael McDonald, who threw a touchdown to Steve Smith on a fake field goal, only because I'm still giddy about that play. And maybe because McDonald has probably the highest QB rating ever. (2-2, 24 yards, 2 TD).

Overall, another disappointing game for the Trojans. I'm not expecting to win every game against an unranked opponent by 50 points, but I expect to not have a heart attack in the final minute of every game as we conveinently lead by 6 points... Arizona State is next. You think QB Rudy Carpenter has been watching what Stanback and WSU QB Alex Brink had been doing the past couple of weeks? The Sun Devils had a bye to lick their wounds from their beatings from Cal and Oregon, so they may be prepared for the upset in the Coliseum. The only problem, ASU Coach Dirk Koetter is winless in California. Go figure...

No pick'em this week, though I did pick Washington to cover the spread (I'll show you my Yahoo! College Football Pick'em if you don't believe me), with of course USC (-19) winning, so I guess:

W-L - 5-0
Against the spread: 2-2-1

My Top 25...

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. Auburn
4. Southern California
5. Florida
6. West Virginia
7. Texas
8. Oregon
9. Louisiana State
10. Louisville
11. Notre Dame
12. Oklahoma
13. Tennessee
14. California
15. Georgia
16. Clemson
17. Georgia Tech
18. Florida State
19. Iowa
20. Virginia Tech
21. Boise State
22. Rutgers
23. Nebraska
24. Missouri
25. Washington
    

#3 USC 28, Washington State 22

Hmm, that was a close call... With injuries to their star receiver and top three fullbacks, the USC Trojans find a way to survive against the Washington State Cougars, 28-22. The USC defense had problems pressuring WSU QB Alex Brink, which gave him a lot of time to find his second and third receivers. Give credit to Cougars Coach Bill Doba, he came in with the right plan and a great attitude, not like two years ago when he gave up after an onside kickoff to start the game went awry. He also took very few risks in the game, which translated to Brink's play on the field. Wazzu committed no turnovers before Brink's final heave-ho was picked off by S Taylor Mays, and credit that to the offensive game plan, which used safe passes and misdirection plays that took advantage of the overpursuit of the quick Trojan linebackers. Doba also didn't chase points, he kicked field goals to help the Cougars keep momentum, as everytime USC scored, Wazzu responded with a score of their own, whether it be a field goal or a touchdown. They also didn't fold like most USC opponents have done in the past, as after the Trojans went up 13 points with 6 minutes left, Brink led the Cougars on a quick 2 minute touchdown drive to cut the score to the final margin. And with the game coming down to the final play, there were several key drives/plays that really helped USC escape with the win:

Midway through the third quarter, Wazzu punted the ball to USC and it was downed on the one yard line, though it appeared the Cougar's foot was on the goal line which should have resulted in a touchback. But the play was upheld, and QB John David Booty led a 9 play, 99 yard drive that took 5:14. The extra time spent on the drive took away from the time Brink had on Wazzu's final drive.

I was mostly disappointed in WR Patrick Turner's play throughout the game, coughing up the ball in the first quarter as we had the momentum after Chris McFoy's TD reception from Booty. Turner also ran short routes on third and long. But he did come up big, getting a first down on our final drive, allowing us to kill a couple of minutes while keeping the Cougar offense on the sidelines.

Putner Greg Woidneck saved a high snap and still managed to kick the ball 37 yards to the Cougars 23 yard line with 1:04 to go. Had he not saved the snap or not gotten the kick off, oh boy, I think the Pullman/TBS curse would have been in play.

I didn't mention WR Steve Smith, as he was clutch the entire game. Without him, those three plays wouldn't even have mattered. He was the lone highlight of the game for us. The running game struggled behind our offensive line, which failed to create many holes, though RB Emmanuel Moody busted out on a 48 yard run on our 99 yard drive, but that was probably due more to his elusiveness than the O-line. Fred Davis caught a few passes in the flat, but for some reason, decided to hurdle the Cougar DBs instead of running over them, resulting in short gains instead of first downs. Can't really complain about Booty's play, though, for the most part he threw the ball where it needed to go, right into the hands of Smith, who finished with 11 catches for 186 yards and 2 touchdowns. The USC defense failed to get pressure on Brink the entire game, and everytime he threw it deep, it seemed like one of the players in the secondary seemed to get pass interference. Also, our special teams stinks. At least we could catch the ball last year, we had two fumbles in this game and were lucky to recover both. FB Mike Brittingham recovered a ball RB/S Allen Bradford fumbled and appeared to be recovered by Wazzu. And RB Desmond Reed muffed a punt that was called dead before anyone recovered it. We're USC, can't we find better people to handle these duties? That was Reed's second fumble on a punt return, and it's not like he's had any big returns yet. All he's done so far is call for a fair catch, and he's already screwed that up twice. And what is Bradford doing on kick returns? CB Cary Harris may have had trouble sniffing out the 2o yard line, but at least he cleanly caught the ball on every kickoff. Geez, can't Coach Pete Carroll recruit a player that can focus all of his attention on returning kicks? Oh well, now for the game balls:

Offense - WR Steve Smith. No question, though Booty gets some consideration for being smart enough to throw it to him on both fourth down conversions. Smith finished with 11 catches for 186 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dwayne Jarrett who? Though it was disappointing to lose Chris McFoy to injury.

Defense - I'm really inclined to not hand a game ball out to the defense. No one really stepped up. Even Rey Maualuga seemed out of place in the game. Yeah, sorry defense, but when you give up 418 yards to Washington State, that's not cutting it.

Special Teams - Again the return game is struggling, and K Mario Danelo is relegated to PAT duty, and K Troy Van Blarcom's booming kickoffs were nullified by our pourous defense, so the game ball goes to P Greg Woidneck, who had four punts for an average of 44.7 yards, including the last one that pushed the Cougars back to their 23 yard line instead of letting a high snap float over his head.

Well, can't complain too much, a win is a win. Next game is against the rejuvenated Washington Huskies, who are 4-1 with wins against Fresno State and UCLA. If Isaiah Stanbeck figures out how to mimic Vince Young, we might be in trouble. The defense needs to be dominant again, and our offense needs to get on track and stay healthy. And with a 12:30 game, will the diehard USC student be out there after a late night of drinking?

Season pick'em: Yeah, I chose USC (-17) 24, Washington State 6...

W-L - 4-0
Against the spread: 1-2-1 (ouch...)

Double post time....

So yeah, no recap of last week's game between USC and Nebraska, partly because I was dead tired after the game last week, but mostly because we didn't have internet last week... But yeah, here's the long awaited recap:

#4 USC 28, #19 Nebraska 10

In a reversal of tales from last season, it seems the USC defense is finally returning to form from the 2004 season, while the offense struggles to find some consistency. The defense had little trouble stopping Nebraska coach Bill Callahan's unusual keep away offense, especially with their success with the West Coast offense in their first two games. Callahan had Marlon Lucky try to test DT Chris Barrett, filling in for the injured DT Sedrick Ellis, but all that did was lead to several third-and-longs that the swarming defense was able to stop. They almost had a goal line staind at the beginning of the fourth quarter, if not for an uncalled illegal block in the back. The offense capitalized on a mismatch between WR Dwayne Jarrett and the shorter Cornhusker CBs, as Jarrett exploded for 11 catches for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns. QB John David Booty looked sharp in his second career start, going 25-36 for 257 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions. The run game, however, had problems getting on track after FB Ryan Powdrell went down with a horrific ankle injury early in the first quarter. USC's foursome of backs could only muster 68 rushing yards. The special teamers could not get the blocks needed to lead to any big, or even decent returns on kickoffs and punts, as Cary Harris did not advance the ball past the 20 on kickoffs and Desmond Reed was forced to call for several fair catches on punts. The kicking game was still solid, led by K Troy Van Blarcom, who's booming kicks have really forced the opposing team into poor field poistion. K Mario Danelo was perfect on 4 point after attempts, while P Greg Woidneck had another solid game. This game didn't end up being a blowout most USC fans are accustomed to, but it was still a solid win over a good Nebraska team, and I expect a great game next year in Lincoln.

Game balls:
Offense - Dwayne Jarrett: 11 catches, 136 yards, 2 TD, really responded to being called out by offensive coordinator Lane Kiffen
Defense - Rey Maualuga: 11 tackles (1 for loss)
Special Teams - Troy Van Blarcom, his big kicks help win the field position battle. Danelo only kicked four PATs, while no one on the return team has really stepped up.

Hmm, season pick'em, I'll be honest, I picked USC (-18) to win 42-14, so
W-L - 2-0
Agsinst the spread - 1-0-1 (the spread was 18 points... so it ends up as a push)

And now for today's game:

#3 USC 20, Arizona 3

20 points! Only 20 points!?! Well, I'm not that surprised after watching the entire game, but if I had just read the box score on ESPN.com, I'd be very surprised. But the offense was really lackluster after losing WR Dwayne Jarrett to an apparent shoulder injury and having another FB, Stanley Havili, go down to injury, with him expected to miss about 4 weeks. QB John David Booty threw his first interception on the year, but thanks to the tremendous USC defense, they held the Wildcats to a field goal try on the ensuing drive that was blocked by DE Lawrence Jackson. But the offense, save for Emmanuel Moody, had a difficult time getting anything going agsinst a solid Arizona team. But while the USC offense struggled to move the ball, getting a first down seemed a monumental task for the Arizona offense against the Trojans' defense. QB Willie Tuitama could not escape the quick corp of linebackers, as the defense gathered 5 sacks and forced him to throw an interception. Tuitama has not been himself this season, or at least has not played like he did against UCLA last year. Arizona finished with negaitve 16 yards rushing, limiting their offense to the passing game, which the Trojans also limited. The 3 points is the fewest allowed by USC since October 2004, when USC shutout Washington 38-0. I'm expecting at least one shutout this year, nothing is more satisfying than keeping your opponent off the board. My prediction; we will shutout Oregon State and Stanford. While the final score looks less impressive than last week's final, I'd rather win every game by a similar score than how we won games last year. Sure, it's less sexy and exciting, but it takes a real team to shut down the opposing offense week after week.

Game balls:
Offense - Emmanuel Moody - 21 rush, 130 yards, TD; he was our workhorse today, and he made several key third down conversions by breaking tackles and reaching for the marker. I'm excited to see what the future holds for him.
Defense - Can I give out 11+ balls to whoever saw the field on defense today? If not, I'd have to give it to Rey Maualuga again. He got 5 tackles, including two for loss, a key sack when Arizona was marching down the field between the third and fourth quarters, and a beautiful interceptions, somehow keeping the ball off the turf. Nothing against Oscar Lua, who is a fine MLB and would start at any other Pac-10 school, but Maualuga is the man, and is looking to become like the guy who last wore #58, Lofa Tatupu.
Special Teams - Had Mario Danelo made that 26 yarder to put us up 13-0, he would have received this ball. But after missing the chip shot, Arizona went down the field and put up their only points of the game on the ensuing drive. Missed opportunites hurt today, but luckily the Wildcats could not take advantage of them. I'd have to give the ball again to Troy Van Blarcom. With no return game and good, but not great play from P Greg Woidneck, Van Blarcom's ability to place the ball in the endzone is huge. One of the few times he didn't send the ball team, Syndric Steptoe took the ball past the 40.

Season pick'em, again, I failed to post my pregame prediction, but here's what it was: USC (-22.5) 35, Arizona 10

W-L - 3-0
Against the spread: 1-1-1 (looks kinda like I'm picking for the Daily Trojan...)

Other thoughts from today: Michigan State Coug'd it today, allowing Brady Quinn and #12 Notre dame to salvage their season with a come from behind 40-37 victory. After the first quarter, it looked like the Fighing Irish were going to get blown out for the second straight week, but the defense tightned up and Quinn threw for 5 touchdowns to put his name back in Heisman contention....No undefeated team looked really special today. #1 Ohio State
used two fourth quarter interception returned for touchdowns to pad their win against #24 Penn State. #2 Auburn started off sluggish before pulling away from perennial Bottom 10 team Buffalo. #4 West Virginia was held under 40 points for the first time this season, but managed to gut out a 27-10 win against an inspired East Carolina team. #5 Florida almost sleepwalked through a 26-7 victory over Kentucky. #8 Louisville lacked its offensive fire power against Kansas State without QB Brian Brohm and RB Michael Bush, taking it 24-6. #9 Georgia was on upset alert for 59:14 of the game before backup QB Joe Cox led the Bulldogs to two fourth quarter TDs to upend winless Colorado 14-13. #11 Virginia Tech trailed going into the fourth against Cincinnati before pulling away, 29-13. #25 Boise State survived a five TD game from Hawaii QB Colt Brennan to win, 41-34 on the blue turf....UCLA was upset by Washington, 29-19 after staking out to a 16-0 lead midway through the second quarter....Who wants to be the best team in the ACC? Miami and Florida State are no longer the class of the conference, and Boston College lost a head scratcher to North Carolina State. Clemson is an extra point away from potentially being undefeated.

Up next for USC, a date with the Washington State Cougars in Pullman, Washington on TBS. The importance of the location and TV channel? Here's a hint, it was the last time Pete Carroll and the Trojans lost outside of California (2003 game was in Berekely, 2006 Rose Bowl in Pasadena). Give up? On October 10th, 2002, Ryan Killeen missed a PAT with four minutes left in the fourth quarter to give USC a four point lead, and later missed a 52 yard field goal in overtime as #17 Washington State beat the #18 Trojans 30-27 in overtime. And the game was shown on TBS... Go figure...

Ugh, what a boring weekend

I mean, no USC game, nothing to do other than work (time and a half, woot!), and the OSU/Texas game wasn't very exciting, unless you are a Buckeyes fan. Anyway, next weekend has an awesome slate of games, most of which I won't be able to watch. But I will be at College Gameday to see Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, and Kirk Herbstreit, even if I have to wake up at 5:30 to be there at 6:30 (and get one of those awesome GameDay helmets). This will be their fourth visit to Los Angeles, all to see USC play (duh), with the Trojans being victorious each time, and I've been to all of them. The first was between #1 USC and #7 California, the first game against Cal since they beat us the year before in triple O/T. The Trojans won the game, 23-17, on a 1st and goal stand with less than a minute remaining. After we stopped QB Aaron Rodgers on fourth down, the Coliseum erputed, and it was the loudest I have ever heard the crowd. The second trip was later in 2004, when #1 USC hosted Notre Dame, pre-Charlie Weis, which meant another 31 point blowout. It was Thanskgiving weekend, so no one was there, and I got a Gameday helmet, heh. The Fighting Irish kept the game close in the first half, but the Trojans finally saw through the rain to turn it on in the second half to cruise to ao 41-10 victory, with Matt Leinart throwing for a record 5 touchdowns. The third visit was for #1 USC against #11 UCLA, who had they not been blown out against Arizona 52-14, I would have been worried for this game. USC cruised, breaking the scoreboard in the process, 66-19, in the final home game for Leinart, Reggie Bush, LenDale White, and a host of others. I'm not making a prediction for this game yet, I'm saving that for Friday. But back to the point, there's a lot of great games this weekend. Here's the list:
#11 Michigan @ #2 Notre Dame
#6 Louisana State @ #3 Auburn
#19 Nebraska @ #4 Southern Calif0rnia
#7 Florida @ #13 Tennessee
#17 Miami (Florida) @ #12 Louisville
#15 Oklahoma @ #18 Oregon
#24 Texas Tech @ #20 Texas Christian
There's going to be a lot of moving and shaking in the polls after this week. Might catch the Manning Bowl later, if I'm not doing anything else... I can't really get into football anymore. I halfheartedly signed up for three fantasy football teams, but I don't feel into it anymore. I guess I'm out of that phase in my life, kinda like with poker I guess. Oh well, enough of senoritis and back to homework, I guess.

#6 USC 50, Arkansas 14

So much for rebuilding. Six different Trojans scored touchdowns, including career firsts for four of them, and Mario Danelo chipped in three field goals as USC wore down Arkansas, 50-14 in front of a record Fayetteville crowd. John David Booty looked sharp in his first game as starter, throwing for three TDs as it seemed co-offensive coordinators Lane Kiffen and Steve Sarkisian slowly broke Booty into the game with short, safe routes and a lot of running plays. Booty did not have many mistakes, and did not throw an interception while finding eight different receivers in the game. Dwyane Jarrett and Steve Smith made their share of catches, but they were mostly used as decoys to free up Fred Davis, Patrick Turner, and Ryan Powdrell, who caught his first TD as a Trojan. The running game was solid as Coach Pete Carroll rotated several running backs to keep fresh legs in the game, which became more and more effective as the Razorback defense tired as the game progessed. C.J. Gable scored USC's first touchdown of the night, which was also his first touchdown as a Trojan, and Emmanuel Moody and Allen Bradford also had their first USC scores in garbage time. It was encouraging to see Chauncey Washington and Desmond Reed receive carries as well, after injuries should have kept them out of the game. The only problem on the offense was T Kyle Williams, who was flagged for several penalties for false starts or illegal formation. But the defense was very effective in stopping the Razorbacks and coming up with opportunistic turnovers, forcing three fumbles and recovering two, including one on the third play of the game. USC also intercepted three passes as the defense showed off their speed and awareness. Though Arkansas scored two touchdowns, the USC made them earn their points, forcing them to score on long drives. Arkansas freshman QB Mitch Mustain looked to have created a QB controversy in Fayetteville, but Robert Johnson, though ineffective, should hold on to his job for at least next week's game. The Trojans special teams were indeed special, but I use the term in a positive light today. K Troy Van Blarcom booted 9 of his 10 kickoffs for touchbacks, which helped the Trojans with field position. PK Mario Danelo had 3 field goals, including a career long 44 yarder at the end of the half when the game was still in doubt. P Greg Woidneck had all three of his punts land inside the 20 yard line. All in all, it was an impressive debut for the new look Trojans, who should face a stiff test from Nebraska in two weeks.

Game balls:
Offense - John David Booty: 24-35, 261 yards, 3 TD
Defense - The entire defensive unit did their job, no one player stood out, but with a defense this good, that's not a problem Carroll has to worry about
Special Teams - Hard to choose here, as Danelo put points on the board while the game was still close, but Van Blarcom's kicks really helped with field position, which became huge when the defense came up with turnovers in Razorback territory.

Season pick'em
W-L - 1-0
Against the spread - 1-0

Next week: The Trojans have a bye. Next game is September 16th against Arkansas.
Games to watch:
Penn State @ Notre Dame
Arizona @ Louisiana State
Minnesota @ California
Georgia @ South Carolina
Ohio State @ Texas
Oregon @ Fresno State

Senior year, What to do?

Well, there's three things I want to address. First, let's get the business out of the way:

It's college football time, and here's my football preview.

#6 USC Trojans @ Arkansas Razorbacks

The Trojans start off yet another football season on the road, now for the fourth straight year, USC will play away from the Coliseum. In 2003, USC also played on an SEC field against #6 Auburn, winning in Matt Leinart's debut, 23-0. In 2004, the Trojans started off their AP National Championship defense against a pesky Virginia Tech team, fueled by three Reggie Bush touchdowns to win 24-13 on a hostile FedEx Field. The 2005 season started off in paradise for USC, with the Trojans saying Aloha to Hawaii, 63-17. And it all comes around again, starting off anew for the USC football team; new quarterback, new running backs, but the holdovers from last year will look to help hold the team together. Top returnees include All-American WR Dwyane Jarrett, All-American DE Lawrence Jackson, and All-Pac 10 C Ryan Kalil.

This season, the Trojans will look to go from being possibly the greatest offensive team in NCAA history to breaking in an entirely new backfield. Redshirt junior John David Booty finally takes the helm in Troy, holding off back problems in Spring practice ans redshirt QB Mark Sanchez. Booty saw a lot of mop up time in blowouts last year, but still seems to lack the confidence Leinart started off with in Auburn three years ago. But like Leinart, Booty will have a dependable set of receivers to throw to, which should help him transition into a solid QB. Joining him will be senior FB Ryan Powdrell, a converted linebacker who impressed in scrimmages with his running and receiving out of the backfield. The Trojans hoped to have senior FB Brandon Hancock play, but he is lost for the season with a knee injury. Another similarity to the 2003 Auburn game is the new set of running backs, mostly freshmen, that Coach Pete Carroll will rely upon. Of the handful of players vying for the job, Carroll selected freshman RB C.J. Cable to start, but promised playing time to Stafon Johnson, Allen Bradford, and Emmanuel Moody. Projected starter redshirt junior RB Chauncey Washington, finally academically eligible to play, has been hampered by an injury, but should receive some touches. Should Booty get comfortable in the pocket, he has a lot of options to throw to. Jarrett and senior WR Steve Smith return as well as former starter senior WR Chris McFoy. Sophomore WR Patrick Turner and freshmen WR Vidal Hazelton and Travon Patterson have also developed into solid receivers. TE Fred Davis has finally found his niche in the offense, and TE Dale Thompson and Jimmy Miller are solid blockers. Despite losing three starters on the line (Deuce Lutui, Winston Justice, Fred Matua), this offensive line may be just as good or even better than last year. C Ryan Kalil returns as the anchor, and T Sam Baker will also help keep Booty upright and create holes for the running backs. G Jeff Byers will return to the starting lineup after missing all last year with an injury, while look for G Chico Rachal and T Kyle Williams to emerge at the other line positions.

While the defense may have been the weak point last year, and extra year of experience has helped mold the unit into one of the best, especially the front seven. The defensive line is led by DE Jackson and DT Sedrick Ellis. Look for DE Jeff Schweiger and DT Fili Moala or a couple of freshmen to join them on the line. With Carroll looking to play a modified 3-4 defense, where the fourth linebacker plays a down lineman called the "elephant", he is taking advantage of the talented corp of linebackers on the team. LB Brian Cushing has adapted well to the new hybrid position as Carroll tries to take advantage of his speed. The projected starting linebackers are WLB Dallas Sartz, MLB Rey Maualuga, and SLB Keith Rivers, but expect to see Oscar Lua, Thomas Williams, Cushing, Kaluka Maiava, Luther Brown, and Clay Matthews to receive playing time. The secondary is led by S Josh Pinkard, who was forced to play CB after injuries took out several players early in the season. S Kevin Ellison should play opposite of Pinkard, while CB Kevin Thomas and Cary Harris will play the receivers.

Special teams were horrible last year, ranking almost dead last in net punt yardage and return yards allowed, though it did not play a major role in the loss to Texas. K Mario Danelo returns to kick field goals and PATs, where he was solid last year, though his leg was never really tested. K Troy Van Blarcom has to fight off fransfer K David Buehler, who bombed kickoffs deep into the endzone in the open scrimmage, which would help nullify our bad kick coverage. P Taylor Odegard looked to have the job after Tom Malone graduated, but he hasn't impressed many, while P Greg Woidneck has entered the fray. RB Desmond Reed, coming off a devistating leg injury in the Notre Dame game, is expected to field punts, while Steve Smith may join Reed on kick returns.

As for Arkansas, they are pretty much the same team that rolled into the Coliseum last year and got rolled out 70-17 after being blitzed for 28 points in the first quarter. The difference will be the motivation the Razorbacks bring to the game, and the confidence of playing at home. QB Robert Johnson will look for 6-6 WR Marcus Monk, while Arkansas will rely on their running game to wear down the Trojans defense and keep the game close. The current spread is USC (-9), and while I think it should be a close game, USC should cover and have the game in hand by the time the fourth quarter starts.

USC 23, Arkansas 10

Ok, now that's out of the way, I've been watching Scrubs on DVD. A lot. I watched season 2 last weekend, and just powered through six episodes of season 3 tonight (hey, what else am I supposed to do on a Friday night. Actually that's kind of item 3...). I don't know what makes the show so good, maybe I'm relating to it in a way I haven't figured out yet, though I totally get how J.D. feels when he goes out with Turk and Carla and Elliot and Sean, always feeling like the odd one out, always that awkard feeling, always being paired off with the "other" single guy. Well, since I'm on that topic, girls are hard to understand. One moment they want to hang out, and the next minute, you haven't spoken to one in a couple of months. Which I'm fine with. I don't need to worry about someone else in my life right now, well, that's probably less of a choice then the way life is, but oh well. I'm being killed as it is by Gandhi Puvvada, but that's my fault, too, taking EE 454L and EE 457 in the same semester. And being the nice guy that I am, working nights at DEN is killing me, too. I'd rather work the morning shifts on Tuesdays and Thursdays and not have to be in Olin Hall until 9:30. But none of the other returning workers want to do it, and with the amount of new workers we have this semester, it would have been difficult for the supervisors to have to monitor the netops, who are supposed to be monitoring all of the camops (Yeah, that's complicated, oh well.). But back to the girl thing, I guess it's ok not to have one, though I'm a senior, and well, yeah... I guess it's just that one who got away.

And being a senior, I still don't know what the hell I want to do after I graduate. Graduate school? I still don't know if I was accepted into the accelerated degree program, probably not. I don't have any connections in the job industry, though I did get a call today, but haven't been able to return the call because the person won't pick up her phone. Maybe just go back to Hawaii and waste the rest of my life away. I'm not sure yet. I guess the only thing I look forward to every week is the weekend to spend alone, watching Scrubs or playing Madden '06 (not '07...) or writing on the blog, predicting the week's scores (for SC only, unless we have a bye week, then the most intriguing game). Damn, I just realized I don't like my blog title, hope I can change it. Probably get an update after the game tomorrow...

Current want list:
1. Arrested Development Season 3
2. Scrubs Season 4
3. USC @ Stanford tickets
4. A hug? (from anyone but Marc Inamasu, and I prefer it be a girl...)