Game time
09-29-2007 2:57 pm
The Trojans are coming together for their ritualistic clap session, which is a short walk-thru of several key plays, before the team boards the buses at 3:10. Arrival at Husky Stadium is set for 3:30, only a 20-minute ride thanks to a police escort.
Kickoff will be at 5:13 p.m. and the game will be nationally televised on ABC.
Following the game, the Trojans immediately board buses and head to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where they will embark on their charter flight back to LAX, with the estimated arrival at 1:45 a.m.
Because of the quick turnaround between the game and the flight, USCRipsIt.com will have a full report, complete with behind-the-scenes stories and pictures, upon touchdown in L.A. Enjoy the game.
Rain on me
09-29-2007 2:28 pm
The rain has begun to fall in Seattle, but it’s not going to cross the Trojans’ conscience if Coach Carroll has anything to do with it.
During the staff meeting this afternoon, he emphasized to his coaches to not even mention the inclement weather to the players to avoid making it a distraction or excuse.
“Don’t worry about the weather,” Carroll said, “because the weather’s not worrying about you.”
Almost time
09-29-2007 1:39 pm
The Trojans just finished their special teams meeting and offense and defense walk-thrus, during which they went through key plays for tonight’s game. Then they went to a third-floor ballroom, where they listened to a short, peppy speech by Coach Carroll and ate their pre-game meals in silence.
Now, with meetings and pre-game meal complete, the Trojans now have about 80 minutes to relax, take naps or watch TV before clap session at 3 p.m.
Interesting company
09-29-2007 1:37 pm
The coaches met for their staff meeting in a hotel ballroom, which can provide for some interesting scenery. Because the hotel rents out its ballrooms and meeting rooms to various groups, the Trojans usually share common spaces and hallways with some random parties. A few weeks ago, for example, a deaf convention met in an adjacent ballroom.
This week, the Church of Christ was having a luncheon in a nearby meeting room, while a group of Puget Sound Painters was showcasing artwork in a neighboring ballroom.
Calm, cool, collected
09-29-2007 1:36 pm
While coaches waited for their staff meeting to start, several were ribbing running backs coach Todd McNair, a Temple alum, for his alma mater’s rough start to the season.
McNair playfully responded by bringing up the glory days of yesteryear, reciting first-round draft picks who played for the Owls.
Going to work
09-29-2007 12:21 pm
Coaches have a short staff meeting at 12:30, followed by a special teams meeting at 12:45. During that meeting, the players get especially rowdy in excitement for tonight’s game before special teams coordinator Todd McNair goes through the roll call for all phases of special teams.
After that 15-minute session, the offense and defense separate for their respective walk-thrus in hotel ballrooms. Then, the Trojans reunite for their pre-game meal, which starts with a short pep talk by Coach Carroll and sees the team eat in total silence.
A busy day
09-29-2007 10:35 am
Coming up at 11 a.m., players will gather for their respective position meetings, during which the coaches go over some final adjustments with their players.
After those short meetings, the Trojans have a break until meetings at 12:45 p.m. Here’s the detailed schedule for the rest of this eventful day:
- 12:45 p.m. • Special teams meeting and offense/defense walk-thrus
- 1:15 p.m. • Pre-game meal
- 3 p.m. • Clap session
- 3:10 p.m. • Depart hotel for Husky Stadium
- 3:30 p.m. • Arrive at Husky Stadium
- 4:04 p.m. • Warm-ups begin
- 4:53 p.m. • Return to locker room
- 5:07 p.m. • USC takes the field
- 5:13 p.m. • Kickoff
- 11 p.m. • Estimated departure time from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
- 1:45 a.m. • Estimated arrival time at LAX
- 2:15 a.m. • Estimated arrival time at USC
Oh captain, my captain
09-29-2007 9:39 am
Each game, a special teams and service team captain is named, in addition to the four team captains, to recognize players who don’t usually receive acknowledgment for their mostly unheralded work.
This week, Allan Bradford is the special teams captain for his ruthless play on kickoff coverage recently. He’ll join regular captains John David Booty, Sam Baker, Keith Rivers and Lawrence Jackson for captain duties tonight.
The service team captain, though, couldn’t make the trip because he’s not eligible this year. Quarterback Mitch Mustain, who did a phenomenal job acting as Washington’s Jake Locker this week as the scout team quarterback, was named service team captain by Coach Carroll yesterday, an appropriate honor for the hard-working redshirt freshman.
Beginning of the ends
09-29-2007 9:33 am
The ends are the means for USC to stop Washington’s Jake Locker, Gary Klein of the L.A. Times writes this morning.
Rain in the forecast
09-29-2007 9:23 am
Even though it’s merely overcast right now, tonight’s looking like it could be a wet one.
Goodnight
09-28-2007 10:40 pm
Bed check passed a few minutes ago, and wake-up call isn’t until 10 a.m. Saturday, so players should get a good night’s sleep. With most of the preparation complete, game day has almost arrived.
Special guest, Seattle style
09-28-2007 10:38 pm
Former All-American USC linebacker and current Seattle Seahawks star Lofa Tatupu was hanging out with his former teammates at the team hotel tonight.
Not wasting a single moment
09-28-2007 9:04 pm
As the special teams players waited for the offense and defense meetings to end, kicker David Buehler simulated a long snap by tossing a football underhanded to punter Greg Woidneck, who practiced catching the snap and dropping the ball to his foot.
Business complete, for the night
09-28-2007 8:59 pm
The Trojans have finished their meetings for the night and are now eating a snack — a full buffet of meats, breads, vegetables, fruits and Gatorades.
Players and coaches can now attend a chapel or mass in hotel meeting rooms before bed check at 10:30 p.m.
At your service
09-28-2007 8:15 pm
USCRipsIt.com now has an RSS feed! You can subscribe by clicking on the RSS icon on the right side of this blog page.
Keep on truckin'
09-28-2007 8:13 pm
After a 26-hour drive, USC’s equipment truck finally made it to Husky Stadium. The truck left Wednesday afternoon and drove straight through the night, arriving in Seattle on Thursday afternoon.
The Trojans’ equipment truck left USC on Wednesday and drove 26 consecutive hours before arriving in Seattle on Thursday afternoon.
Good talks
09-28-2007 8:08 pm
After about an hour-long walk-thru, Coach Carroll called his team to the middle of the Husky Stadium field and gave a brief speech. He told the players that at 3-0, the Trojans are a quarter of the way into the season, and it’s not time to ease up.
“Can you win a game in the first quarter?” Carroll rhetorically asked his players. “Can you win a season in the first quarter?”
After Carroll’s talk, head strength and conditioning coach Chris Carlisle gave a usually motivating talk, focusing on a Civil War battle to inspire the Trojans.
Coach Carroll briefly talked to his players following Friday’s walk-thru at Husky Stadium.
Using a story from a Civil War battle, head strength and conditioning coach Chris Carlisle gave an inspirational speech to the Trojans at the end of the walk-thru at Husky Stadium on Friday afternoon.
A numbers game
09-28-2007 7:59 pm
Besides the FieldTurf, there’s another key difference between the fields at the Coliseum and Husky Stadium.
The numbers, used heavily as landmarks for receivers and tight ends for lining up on certain plays, are NFL dimensions, meaning they’re closer to the center of the field than normal college numbers.
Coach Carroll emphasized the fact to his team after the walk-thru so that the Trojans are aware of the adjustments they’ll have to make for alignments during Saturday night’s game.
The numbers marking every 10 yards at Husky Stadium are NFL dimensions. College numbers (going where the double hash marks are painted on the field) are closer to the sidelines.
Sitting high above
09-28-2007 7:53 pm
Trojan coaches should have a good perspective come game time Saturday night. The coaches’ box is very high above the Husky Stadium field, offering a Playstation-esque view of the players:
What a view
09-28-2007 7:51 pm
Husky Stadium is one of the most scenic stadiums in the Pac-10, if not the country. See why:
Playing games
09-28-2007 7:49 pm
During the walk-thru used to acclimate the team to its new surroundings, the Trojans played catch, juggled a soccer ball, or just hung out on the field.
Several players juggled a soccer ball during the walk-thru at Husky Stadium on Friday afternoon.
And this game went to overtime
09-28-2007 7:44 pm
The traditional road game offensive-vs.-defensive line football game came down to, of all things, a kick in overtime.
The teams tied in regulation of the walking-only football game that’s played during the walk-thru, with the boundaries going the length (or width) of the field and 20 yards wide. On the first kick of overtime, offensive lineman Alex Parsons made an extra point to give the offense the lead. Then, under intense pressure, defensive end Lawrence Jackson missed his try, handing the victory to the offense and moving the O-linemen to 2-0 on the season.
The offensive linemen celebrate a touchdown during their traditional walking-only game of football during the walk-thru at Husky Stadium on Friday afternoon.
Defensive end Lawrence Jackson missed his kick in overtime, giving the offensive linemen their second win of the season.
Traveling in Seattle
09-28-2007 7:34 pm
A police escort directed the three team buses through Seattle rush hour traffic, and in seemingly record time, the Trojans pulled into Washington’s campus and pulled up to Husky Stadium around 5:15 p.m.
The USC locker room, though, is in the adjoining Bank of America Arena, Washington’s basketball stadium. The walk from the locker room to the Husky Stadium field goes down a long, descending hallway.
The visiting team locker room is actually in Washington’s Bank of America Arena, just steps from the basketball court.
Linebacker Rey Maualuga (right) enters the field at Husky Stadium after walking down the tunnel from the visiting team locker room.
Back to business
09-28-2007 7:30 pm
The Trojans are gathering now for their normal Friday special teams meeting in a ballroom on the fourth floor of the hotel. The offense and defense meetings follow, and the team meeting is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
Touching down
09-28-2007 7:23 pm
Besides the typical announcements by the flight attendant upon arrival (“don’t forget your personal belongings”), the Trojans’ flight featured an unusual request for its passengers.
“Please check the seatback for your scouting reports,” the flight attendant said over the intercom when the team touched down in Seattle.
Players and coaches deplane their charter flight on the tarmac at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Immediately upon arrival at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, equipment managers and video operations staffers went to work unloading the team’s equipment from the plane.
Squeezing in
09-28-2007 7:16 pm
The flight to Seattle featured some comical seating arrangements. Because the charter plane was a Boeing 757, with three seats on either side of the aisle, players had to cram in to their rows.
Not an easy task considering the size of some of the players.
One row had Chilo Rachal (315 pounds), Everson Griffen (265 pounds) and Alatini Malu (330 pounds) stuffed in their seats, shoulder-to-shoulder and leg-to-leg.
A funny sight for all — except for the players packed into their seats.
Leaving on a jet plane
09-28-2007 7:10 pm
After a full morning of football activity, the Trojans left campus at 12:50 for their weekend business trip to Seattle. Dozens of befuddled students stared at the police-escorted caravan of three buses leaving USC for LAX.
Once arriving at LAX, the players cheerfully went through security and boarded the plane with an at ease attitude. The Delta Airlines charter flight took off at 1:40, and the Trojans were on their way to Seattle.
Center Kristofer O’Dowd boarded the Trojans’ charter flight at LAX on Friday.
The team has checked in
09-28-2007 7:03 pm
The Trojans have arrived at their hotel after the flight to Seattle and a walk-thru at Husky Stadium. They’re eating pizza dinners right now before the special teams meeting at 7:30.
The full report from the trip is coming soon.
And away they go
09-28-2007 12:30 pm
The Trojans are boarding the buses for LAX, where they’ll board their charter plane and take off around 1:30 p.m. Upon touchdown at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the team will go directly to Husky Stadium for an hour-long walk-thru to get acclimated to the stadium and, most likely, the inclement weather.
We’ll have a full report from Seattle after the Trojans check in to their hotel this evening.
Random fun fact
09-28-2007 12:29 pm
The most exciting part of the Trojans’ Delta Airlines charter to Seattle this afternoon?
Satellite televisions in the seatbacks.
When the Trojans were told the exciting news in the team meeting Thursday afternoon, the players erupted in cheers, enthused that they’ll have something to pass the time on the nearly three-hour flight to Seattle.
Pictures from Friday’s practice
09-28-2007 12:17 pm
Coach Carroll and offensive line coach Pat Ruel talk on the field before Friday’s practice.
Quarterback John David Booty lines up under center during the Trojans’ practice on Howard Jones Field on Friday.
The Trojans come together for special teams roll call, a time when they go through the depth chart for all facets of special teams and make sure all players know what roles they have.
Under overcast skies and the watchful eye of Coach Carroll (far right), John David Booty drops back during Friday’s practice at Howard Jones Field.
Special guest
09-28-2007 12:07 pm
Former USC running back LenDale White, in L.A. because the Tennessee Titans have a bye week, attended practice.
Dispatch from Howard Jones
09-28-2007 12:03 pm
The Trojans’ final practice of the week has ended, and it included, like normal, 20 minutes of every imaginable special teams situation, the offense’s scripted “First 15” plays and 15 key plays for the defense. The 45-minute practice ended, as always, with a Hail Mary jump ball, which was again won by the defense.
The team is now showering and packing up before the buses leave campus at 12:45 for LAX.
One last practice
09-28-2007 10:52 am
Under gray skies that mimic Seattle’s clouds, the Trojans have hit the field for their normal Friday practice. We’ll return afterward with a report from Howard Jones.
BREAKING NEWS: USC Athletics to Develop New Facility
09-28-2007 10:49 am
USC athletic department administrators officially announced today that plans are being developed for a new, state-of-the-art extension to Heritage Hall that will benefit the football team, along with all Trojan sports. Read the complete breaking news in the latest article from USCRipsIt.com.
Christmas songs in, um, September?
09-28-2007 10:13 am
Coach Carroll is blaring John Lennon’s “Happy Christmas” over his office stereo as he goes through final game preparations before practice at 10:45.
Preparation, behind the scenes
09-28-2007 9:38 am
The equipment team of student managers and full-time staff has been putting the Trojans’ white road jerseys on their pads this morning in preparation for tomorrow’s game. The Trojans don’t practice in pads on Friday, which allows this legwork to take place.
Thanks to the equipment staff meticulously fitting the jerseys over the pads the day before a game, the players don’t have to do it themselves and the staff can be assured all players look as neat and sharp as possible on Saturdays.
(Left to right) Student managers Andy Benitez, Brandon Buehler, David Toper and Eloy Ledesma and football equipment coordinator Tino Dominguez put the road jerseys on the Trojans’ pads Friday morning before the team leaves for Seattle.
Meeting time
09-28-2007 9:00 am
The special teams meeting is just about to start, and this meeting goes through all phases of special teams. At 9:30, Coach Carroll will briefly speak to the team before the Trojans split into offense and defense meetings. Position meetings follow before practice at 10:45 a.m.
It’s almost time for the road trip, almost time for game day.
Getting it started
09-28-2007 8:24 am
Friday has already kicked off a little earlier than normal with a staff meeting in the War Room. There’s plenty of business to take care of before the Trojans depart on their trip this afternoon.
For a good read...
09-28-2007 7:48 am
Kyle Moore is USC’s interception leader so far this season — as a defensive end. Read all about his interesting story.
The day ahead
09-27-2007 6:50 pm
Friday gets going with a special teams meeting at 9 a.m., a team meeting at 9:30, position meetings following, and a 45-minute walk-thru-type practice at 10:45 a.m. The timetable is exactly the same as a normal Friday for the Trojans, only several hours earlier.
The team then boards buses for LAX at 12:30 and the charter flight is scheduled to depart at 1:30 p.m. Arrival at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is set for 4:15 p.m., when the Trojans will head directly to Husky Stadium for an hour-long walk-thru.
The “Day Before” is almost here.
Happy birthday
09-27-2007 6:45 pm
We’re a little late on the well-wishes, but today marks the 25th birthday for defensive administrative assistant Pete Dalis.
Putting in overtime
09-27-2007 6:41 pm
With coach Pat Ruel looking on, offensive linemen Chilo Rachal and Drew Radovich (behind Rachal) get some extra footwork drills in after Thursday’s practice.
Preparing for rain
09-27-2007 6:38 pm
Though the forecast for Saturday night in Seattle predicts a smaller chance of rain, the kickers, snappers and punters sprayed water on some footballs and practiced kicking and snapping, just in case the showers come.
Sharing spaces
09-27-2007 6:35 pm
The kickers, punters and snappers spent about 30 minutes on the FieldTurf of Cromwell Field to further adjust themselves to the turf at Husky Stadium. The oddity of it all, though, saw the football players squeezing some reps in on the same field as the Trojan Marching Band’s afternoon practice.
Punter Billy O’Malley (25) and the rest of the specialists got some reps in on Cromwell Field’s FieldTurf, with the Trojan Marching Band playing right along.
A mere formality
09-27-2007 6:04 pm
Tailback Chauncey Washington will get the start Saturday, Coach Carroll said.
Guests of honor
09-27-2007 6:03 pm
Joe and Emily Danelo, parents of Mario, attended Thursday’s practice.
Dispatch from Howard Jones
09-27-2007 6:02 pm
Thoughts from Thursday’s practice, through the eyes of USCRipsIt.com…
- The final practice of the week featured a 60-yard desperation bomb from John David Booty to Patrick Turner for a touchdown, along with a nifty, heads-up interception by cornerback Terrell Thomas in the final team period.
- Center Matt Spanos will travel to Seattle and be available for Saturday’s game. “Matt’s ready to play,” Coach Carroll said.
- A scout from the Pittsburgh Steelers was in attendance.
- The football team from Ross Sheppard High in Edmonton, Canada attended practice. The Thunderbirds are in Southern California for an exhibition game this weekend.
BREAKING NEWS: Galippo to have surgery
09-27-2007 5:50 pm
Linebacker Chris Galippo will have back surgery Oct. 9 and will be out for the remainder of the season. The freshman, who played a significant role on special teams in the first three games of the season, went down with a disc problem in his back earlier this week.
He is expected to be granted a medical redshirt, Coach Pete Carroll said.
No Repeat Thursday
09-27-2007 4:06 pm
It’s time to head out to the field for “No Repeat” Thursday’s practice, which has players in helmets-only and should go only about 90 minutes. Thursdays claim the title "No Repeat" day because they're meant to be so sharp that the Trojans shouldn't have to do any plays over after the first try.
We’ll return after with a full report.
A no-pads practice
09-27-2007 2:40 pm
The Trojans are coming together for their daily team meeting right now, and today’s emphasis is on crispness, speed and discipline as the Trojans will practice without pads (helmets only) today.
Practice is slated to be on the field at 4 p.m.
New must-see video is up!
09-27-2007 2:23 pm
During Coach Carroll’s first season at USC in 2001, the Trojans lost a tough game on a last-second field goal at Washington, putting them at 1-4 on the year.
But that game, Carroll says, was the beginning of a turnaround that has been roaring ever since. The Trojans won five of their next six games that fall and have been 67-8 since that heartbreaking defeat in Seattle.
Hear his thoughts on that game and the ensuing resurrection of Trojan football in the newest “Carroll Unplugged” video in USCRipsIt.com’s video player.
Working in solitude
09-27-2007 1:04 pm
Today is the last full day USC coaches have at Heritage Hall before the weekend, so they’re feverishly working in the privacy of their offices right now in preparation for Saturday night’s game.
The Trojans’ charter flight departs LAX at 1:30 tomorrow afternoon, so only 24 hours remain before game-planning becomes a nomadic activity.
Media watch
09-27-2007 12:07 pm
Coach Carroll just completed his 15-minute interview on USCTrojans.com’s “Heritage Hour,” with Chris Fisher (left) and Pete Arbogast (middle) hosting the show that broadcasts from the lobby of Heritage Hall.
On the air
09-27-2007 11:37 am
Coach Carroll is a few minutes away from his weekly appearance on “The Heritage Hour,” the daily hour-long radio show that you can listen to live or taped on USCTrojans.com.
You can live USC football
09-27-2007 10:42 am
Do you know where USCRipsIt.com will be this weekend?
Edited "Do You Love It?" video has been posted
09-27-2007 9:18 am
A cleaner version of the “Do You Love It?” video has been added to USCRipsIt.com’s video player. Though the movie clips still contain some adult language, all other questionable language has been edited out. This special video, shown in a closed-door team meeting during fall training camp, will now remain up on USCRipsIt.com indefinitely.
Mario Danelo tribute video is up
09-27-2007 9:12 am
ESPN’s College GameDay ran an especially touching story on Mario Danelo’s impact on the Trojans during the pre-game show before the USC-Nebraska game on Sept. 15. USCRipsIt.com has posted the poignant six-minute feature in the video player.
For a good read...
09-27-2007 9:04 am
Taylor Mays grew up minutes from Washington’s campus, so Saturday will be a homecoming for the safety. Read all about his story in yesterday’s OC Register.
Photogenic
09-26-2007 7:20 pm
Long after players and coaches had left the field, Coach Carroll ran to the far end of Howard Jones practice field to do a five-minute photo shoot for a special feature that will appear in the November issue of Los Angeles Magazine.
Pulitzer Prize-winning writer J.R. Moehringer, who followed Carroll around from sunrise to sunset and beyond for 10 consecutive days this month, is writing the extensive article that will hit the stands in a few weeks.
Coach Carroll goes through a photo shoot for an article that will be published in the November issue of Los Angeles Magazine.
A practice in the life of John David Booty
09-26-2007 7:10 pm
Quarterback John David Booty slings a pass down the left sideline during practice Wednesday.
With the sun shining bright in his face, Booty lines up under center during service team period.
As linebacker Keith Rivers approaches, Booty makes a throw to the right sideline during 7-on-7 drills Wednesday.
Doing the most he can
09-26-2007 7:06 pm
As his teammates go through a regular Wednesday practice, running back Broderick Green does cardio work on an exercise bike on the sideline as he heals from foot surgery.
Twin towers
09-26-2007 7:02 pm
Wide receiver Ronald Johnson spends some extra time on the field after practice playing catch.
Listen in
09-26-2007 6:57 pm
Following Wednesday's practice, Coach Carroll asked something of his players that he rarely asks.
He requested they take a knee.
As his players attentively kneeled down around him on the practice field, Carroll gave an uncommon post-practice speech about this week’s opponent and the importance of playing disciplined, well-executed football come Saturday. The rarity of this pep talk was that these types of speeches usually come in the team meeting before practice.
“I just felt it was a good thing to do,” Carroll said.
Coach Carroll gave a rare post-practice talk about the opponent and the importance for the Trojans to play disciplined. [Photos by Chris Grosskopf]
Making some noise
09-26-2007 6:43 pm
During practice on the Wednesdays before a road game, the football team hires a company to play piped-in crowd noise, and today’s racket was again deafening.
It was also much more realistic than previous weeks, as the company actually recorded sounds from last Saturday’s game at the Coliseum for the newest crowd noise tracks.
Dispatch from Howard Jones
09-26-2007 6:37 pm
Thoughts from Wednesday’s practice, through the eyes of USCRipsIt.com…
- John David Booty was markedly accurate throughout the day Wednesday, completing both long and short passes with a stunning sharpness.
- On the other hand, though, the defensive pass rush was downright overpowering, pressuring the quarterback all practice.
- The offense won Turnover Wednesday again, as it didn’t give the ball away once during the team periods.
- Coach Carroll praised Shareece Wright, who will start at cornerback in place of the injured Cary Harris, for a “great week of practice.”
- A Philadelphia Eagles scout was in attendance.
Turnover Wednesday, here we go
09-26-2007 4:09 pm
Turnover Wednesday has begun, and players are in half pads today. Wednesdays before road games also mean it’s noise day, as artificial crowd noise is played over speakers throughout practice.
We’ll return in a few hours with a full report from Howard Jones.
The playbook cover
09-26-2007 3:54 pm
Here’s this week’s offensive playbook cover, featuring a Trojan helmet, Husky Stadium in the background and USC’s slogan, “Do you love it?”
Random fact
09-26-2007 3:52 pm
Saturday marks the incredible six-year anniversary of USC’s last home loss, a 21-16 loss to Stanford at the Coliseum.
The coach of the Cardinal?
Tyrone Willingham. Who’s now the coach at Washington. The team the Trojans play Saturday.
But if there’s anything that knocks this coincidence train off its tracks is the fact that USC and Washington are playing at Washington on this momentous Saturday.
Overcoming obstacles
09-26-2007 3:18 pm
You heard about Sourena Vasseghi last week when he spoke to the Trojans following a practice. You can see a video of that inspirational speech on USCRipsIt.com today.
And now you can learn even more about him and his poignant philosophies on life in the newest feature from USCRipsIt.com.
Nice meeting U.
09-26-2007 2:34 pm
The Trojans’ special teams meeting today focused on kickoff and punt return, and now the entire team is gathering for the daily team meeting. Practice is on the field at 3:45.
A special piece of work
09-26-2007 12:52 pm
It’s Christmas in September for the USC football office.
A special frame featuring paintings and signed mini helmets from all seven of USC’s Heisman Trophy winners was donated to Trojan football today by Bob Salka, an athletic department supporter and Trojan fan who hasn’t missed a USC game — home or away — since 1979.
Trojan fan Bob Salka, who hasn’t missed any USC games since 1979, donated this special frame containing signed helmets and paintings of all of the Trojans’ seven Heisman winners.
Hear it later
09-26-2007 12:07 pm
Coach Carroll is currently on the phone taping an interview with radio host Petros Papdakis that’ll air this afternoon on AM-570.
Equipping for the future
09-26-2007 11:49 am
The Trojans don’t leave for Seattle until Friday at 1:30 p.m. Their equipment, though, gets a big head start.
The equipment staff and volunteer student managers have been loading the USC-festooned moving truck all morning with crates of video equipment, medical equipment, football equipment and, of course, the sideline exercise bike.
The truck is scheduled to leave at 1 p.m. today to embark on the roughly 1,150-mile trip to Seattle that’ll take about 24 hours of driving time.
The USC equipment staff loads the truck with crates of gear for the 1,150-mile road trip to Seattle that starts this afternoon.
The appropriately decorated moving truck that will carry all of USC’s equipment to Seattle loads up between Heritage Hall and Loker Track Stadium on Wednesday morning.
Equipment staffers and volunteer student managers fill the USC truck with a crate of equipment in preparation for the road trip to Seattle that begins this afternoon.
Davis named Tight End of the Week
09-26-2007 10:54 am
Fred Davis was named John Mackey Tight End of the Week, the Nassau County Sports Commission announced this morning. Davis, a senior from Toledo, Ohio, had nine catches for 124 yards and touchdowns in USC’s 47-14 win Saturday.
The John Mackey Tight End of the Week honor, a tribute distinct and different from the annual John Mackey Award, was started in 2004 to bring national attention to individual play by the tight end.
New video is up!
09-26-2007 10:09 am
Motivational speaker Sourena Vasseghi addressed the team at last Thursday’s practice, and you can now see a cool video of his touching talk to the Trojans in the video player on USCRipsIt.com.
The day has kicked off
09-26-2007 9:16 am
It’s Turnover Wednesday, and the staff meeting has just started. It’s the second-to-last full day in L.A. before the Trojans leave for Seattle midday Friday, so the time crunch is beginning to hit.
It's getting closer to game day.
For a good read...
09-26-2007 9:12 am
Check out this story about quarterback Mitch Mustain from today’s Daily Trojan.
Trojans around the League
09-25-2007 6:33 pm
Check out how all the Trojan alumni did in the NFL over the weekend in the latest article from USCRipsIt.com.
The scenes of Competition Tuesday
09-25-2007 6:23 pm
On a fade route into the end zone, wideout Sean Calcagnie reaches for a reception as cornerback Daniel Harper defends.
Wide receiver Scott Stephens goes up for a catch against cornerback Jim Abbott (19) during practice Tuesday.
Safety Will Harris (right) drills Chase McWhorter during tackling drills at Tuesday’s practice.
Dispatch from Howard Jones
09-25-2007 6:17 pm
Thoughts from Tuesday’s practice, through the eyes of USCRipsIt.com…
- Competition Tuesday was in full effect, as the Trojans were hitting hard throughout the practice, even during the normally low-key tackle drills at the start of the two-hour session. Coaches and players even got some extra jawing in during stretching and warm-ups.
- The offense triumphed in the final team period, with 14 plays won against 10 victorious plays for the defense.
- Mitch Mustain continued to run the service-team quarterback, though this week he adds a new dimension to his repertoire as he has to mimic the running capabilities of Washington quarterback Jake Locker.
- All-American punter Tom Malone attended practice.
Going to practice
09-25-2007 4:01 pm
Today’s full-pads practice has just started, and the Trojans will go until about 5:45 on this Competition Tuesday. We’ll return afterwards with a full report from the field.
Let the competition begin
09-25-2007 3:52 pm
Today marks Competition Tuesday, and the on-field battles are the fiercest between opposing position groups. On Tuesdays, the linebackers and running backs are notorious for competing the hardest — and loudest.
Throughout a Tuesday, linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. and running backs coach Todd McNair playfully jaw at each other about whose position group will win at that afternoon’s practice. Then on the field, Nortona and McNair continue to talk, and their players even get into the action. Today’s smack-talking, though, reached a new level of entertainment.
ESPN has been airing commercials this week to advertise this Saturday’s nationally televised game between USC and Washington with the tagline, “Tailback U lives here.” Needless to say, it has given McNair some extra fodder for his trash talk with Norton.
McNair has repeated the phrase dozens of time throughout the day, and even began yelling it during the team meeting to incite Norton and his troops. The sage Norton had just a few words in reply.
“This is L.B. U,” Norton playfully screamed.
National news
09-25-2007 3:39 pm
For the third week in a row, John David Booty and the Trojans will be highlighted in an ad in Friday’s USA Today.
Meetings, meetings, meetings
09-25-2007 3:23 pm
The special teams and team meetings have just ended, and now players are in their respective position meetings as game plan mode for Saturday’s contest has hit full stride.
During today’s punt team meeting, coach Rocky Seto took the players through film of Washington’s punt return unit while the gunners (the players who line up wide on the punt team) went with graduate assistant Demetrice Martin to watch their own film.
Then Coach Carroll addressed the team with an introductory scouting report for Washington before the players broke for position meetings. Practice is just around the corner.
Coach Carroll on...
09-25-2007 2:12 pm
Coach Carroll's words regarding Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and his outburst Saturday:
“I got to see that on television yesterday. I don’t know about the article, but whatever it was, Coach Gundy got real fired up. I’m sure it was extremely important that he got to speak his piece about it and I totally support him — he’s protecting his kids and he’s protecting the game.
"I thought it was awesome. I wanted to bring attention to it today in my press conference. I thought it was cool that he did that and I know that he did the right thing because it came from his heart.”
Having some fun
09-25-2007 1:03 pm
Always one to joke, Coach Carroll began his weekly press conference this afternoon by parodying the weekend blowup of Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. While approaching his seat at the press conference, Carroll scowled while holding a newspaper before he threw it down in phony anger.
The reporters in the room chuckled at the prank as a huge smile came across Carroll’s face. He then dove into his 20-minute press conference, talking about the Washington game this Saturday, USC’s run defense and even last night’s Monday Night Football game between Reggie Bush’s New Orleans Saints and LenDale White’s Tennessee Titans.
“We were having a ball watching that game,” Carroll said.
Meet the press
09-25-2007 12:00 pm
Tuesdays mean it’s media day for Coach Carroll, and the onslaught began with a conference call at 10:40 a.m. with reporters from around the Pac-10. Now, it’s time for his press conference with L.A. reporters, which you can watch live by subscribing to USCTrojans.com.
We’ll return after with a short report from Carroll’s weekly presser.
The newest (tallest) Trojan
09-25-2007 10:31 am
Junior offensive tackle Andrew Weiss has been added as a walk-on to the roster. Weiss, a transfer from UC San Diego and Pasadena City College, is a remarkable 6-9, 225 pounds, making him the tallest player for the Trojans.
Staff meeting
09-25-2007 9:54 am
Coaches are congregating now in the “War Room” for their morning staff meeting. The day is well underway.
Welcome to Competition Tuesday
09-25-2007 8:42 am
The energy around USC football is unusually high today, as coaches are bouncing around from office to office before the staff meeting at 9.
But why is there so much excitement today?
It’s Competition Tuesday, the day each week when your blood gets flowing a little more and your heart beats a little faster.
USC's Marshall School of Business
09-24-2007 7:37 pm
As part of a series of occasional features on academics at USC, today USCRipsIt.com is showcasing the Marshall School of Business. Check out the latest article and be sure to watch the interview with Dean Jim Ellis in the video player.
Pictures from Monday's practice
09-24-2007 6:19 pm
On a bright, sunny day at USC, the Trojans practiced on the artificial turf of Cromwell Field to get acquainted with the FieldTurf in preparation for Saturday’s game.
The Trojans practiced on Cromwell Field on Monday, with the offense and defense splitting up for service period in the middle of practice.
John David Booty throws a pass to wide receiver Patrick Turner during Monday’s practice.
Dispatch from Monday's practice
09-24-2007 5:55 pm
Thoughts from Monday’s practice, through the eyes of USCRipsIt.com…
- In a snappy 45-minute practice, the Trojans went through individual drills, punt return team drills, 15 plays of service team and 15 plays of team. During the team period, the 1s went against the 1s and the 2s went against the 2s, giving players the best competition in their first practice of the week.
- During punt return drills, passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach John Morton spent time working with wideout Vidal Hazelton, who would face away from Morton and have to rapidly turn around and catch a ball from the coach, all in an effort to improve his reflexes and reaction time.
- The Trojans practiced on the FieldTurf of Cromwell Field to get the Trojans used to the artificial grass at Washington’s Husky Stadium. Though the grass is equivalent, Washington’s weather probably won’t be the same as what USC practiced in on Monday — a perfect Southern California afternoon with a nice breeze and clear blue skies.
Practice is up
09-24-2007 4:29 pm
Monday’s speedy 45-minute practice is about to start, so we’ll return shortly with a report.
"Tell the Truth" Monday
09-24-2007 3:41 pm
The first team meeting of the week just ended, and now players are in position meetings. During the team meeting, Coach Carroll addressed the team about Saturday’s win before the Trojans watched highlights from the game.
It’s “Tell the Truth” Monday, and practice is up at 4:30 this afternoon.
Yoshida's story
09-24-2007 3:34 pm
For the first time in his collegiate career, walk-on Brent Yoshida saw plenty of the field Saturday night as he played extensively on the kickoff coverage team. Read all about his story in the newest article from USCRipsIt.com.
For a good read...
09-24-2007 1:49 pm
The Trojans are even getting pub in the Wall Street Journal.
Back to football
09-24-2007 1:48 pm
Adding a new twist, the Trojan Marching Band welcomed Coach Carroll to Monday Morning Quarterback to start off the hour-long film and Q&A session at the Galen Center.
During his talk, Carroll highlighted several players for their performances Saturday, including Thomas Williams (“he’s a real leader on special teams”), Shareece Wright (“he’s a real heads-up player”), Keith Rivers (“Keith had a fantastic game”) and Allan Bradford (“we really like him. He has great hands and can obviously find the end zone”).
The Q&A segment featured questions ranging from injuries to Joe McKnight to the content of Carroll’s halftime speeches.
Now it’s back to work for Carroll, as the coaching staff has gathered for a meeting before the special teams meeting at 2:15.
Going to Galen
09-24-2007 12:07 pm
It’s time for Coach Carroll to head over to the Galen Center for this week’s Monday Morning Quarterback. We’ll return afterwards with a report.
Oh yeah, life goes on
09-24-2007 11:55 am
Just before Coach Carroll leaves for Monday Morning Quarterback, he’s doing a conference call with reporters from Washington. John Mellencamp’s “Jack and Diane” is blasting over his office stereo, though for Carroll, that thrill of living isn't gone.
Change those stats
09-24-2007 11:06 am
USC’s Sports Information staff has reviewed the second play of the Trojans' second series Saturday and has made an adjustment to the stats. The play was originally called a backwards pass from John David Booty to Patrick Turner (signifying a rushing play), but upon further analysis, the call has been switched to a forward pass.
This alteration changes the final stats from Saturday’s game in three ways:
- Booty is now 29-of-36 for 289 yards. Incidentally, Booty completed 18 of his first 20 passes.
- Turner now has seven receptions for 74 yards.
- USC’s rushing total drops from 207 yards on 35 carries to 197 on 34 carries.
This also means Booty is the first USC quarterback to have a pass completion on a Monday since Carson Palmer did it in 2002 against Auburn at the Coliseum.
See the highlights
09-24-2007 10:41 am
A short highlight video from Saturday’s game has been posted in the USCRipsIt.com video player.
Good news for the out-of-town Trojans
09-24-2007 10:35 am
Saturday’s game at Washington will air nationally on ABC, with Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit providing the commentary.
Fun fact
09-24-2007 10:18 am
To honor its 1960 national championship team, Washington will wear throwback uniforms Saturday against USC. The jerseys will be dark blue, the same color the Huskies wore for much of their history because purple fabric was mostly unavailable then.
Interestingly enough, the first time Washington wore purple jerseys was in the 1972 season opener against Pacific, a game that featured Pete Carroll at safety for the Tigers.
Students can go to Monday Morning QB for free
09-24-2007 9:16 am
Students with a USC ID can now attend Coach Carroll’s Monday Morning Quarterback sessions at the Galen Center at no charge. During these 45-minute events that start at 12:15 on Mondays, Carroll breaks down film from the previous game and does a Q&A with the audience.
Tidbits you might not know from Saturday’s game
09-24-2007 8:54 am
Wide receiver Brent Yoshida, who had previously not played in a game, started on the kickoff team Saturday and covered on all kickoffs.
USC went 8-for-11 on third downs.
Though his longest went for only 25 yards, John David Booty averaged 10.0 yards per completion.
Three out of the Trojans’ six touchdowns Saturday were scored by a freshman or sophomore.
Keith Rivers' 14 tackles were the most in a game by a Trojan since Lofa Tatupu's 14 against Oregon State in 2003.
Fred Davis' 124 receiving yards were the most ever in a game by a USC tight end (his nine receptions were one shy of the USC game record for tight ends, 10 by John Allred in 1996 against Houston).
To get the full stats from Saturday's game, go here.
Like what you saw?
09-24-2007 8:33 am
You can essentially make your own ESPN Classic channel, whenever you want it.
If you’d like to see a rebroadcast of Saturday’s game, with radio commentary from Pete Arbogast and Paul McDonald, you can get it in full on USCTrojans.com, whenever you want to watch it.
Subscribe now at USCTrojans.com for only $9.95 a month to get replays of all the games, special video features, the daily Heritage Hour radio show and much more.
Film study
09-24-2007 8:06 am
It’s Monday morning, about 8 a.m., and the football office is quiet.
Snapper Will Collins is an exception.
The senior long snapper is watching film from Saturday night’s game, examining his snaps with an eye of scrutiny and noticing even the smallest of glitches.
“There’s a lot to improve on this week,” said Collins, in his fourth season as the starter.
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