Blog

Renewing old ties
05-07-2008 6:03 p.m.


Defensive end Lawrence Jackson (left) and offensive tackle Kyle Williams (right) go head-to-head at the Seattle Seahawks' minicamp over the weekend. It's old hat for Jackson and Williams, who practiced against each other at USC from 2004 to 2006. (AP Photo)

Slowing down
05-07-2008 12:48 p.m.

USCRipsIt will be slowing down for the next few days as we’re on the road to take care of some technical business pertaining to the website, aiming to constantly improve our product. In the coming week, though, we’ll have some more cool mic’d up videos and a feature on the Trojans’ high number of graduates at next week’s commencement ceremonies.

Clarification
05-07-2008 12:47 p.m.

The new wall tribute showing the Sports Illustrated covers the Trojans have appeared on (see blog entry from earlier today) features only the 66 SI covers that the USC football team and its players have been on. In total, Trojan athletes from all sports have appeared on 119 covers in the magazine's 54-year history.

Forward thinking
05-07-2008 11:13 a.m.

Each spring, director of football operations Dennis Slutak travels to the site of USC’s early-season out-of-conference game to do the legwork for the team’s trip there that fall. This week, Slutak traveled to Charlottesville, Va., to arrange for the team’s journey to play Virginia this fall.

Find out what it takes to plan and prepare for the Trojans’ cross-country road trip to play at Virginia this August in the newest feature from USCRipsIt. Also, be sure to check out the pictures from the advance trip, as USCRipsIt continues to take you behind the scenes with Trojan football.

Jinx this
05-07-2008 10:40 a.m.

The USC football office received a nifty tribute during the last week, as one wall in the lobby area now features all the Sports Illustrated covers the Trojans have appeared on, 66 in all at this point:

Final exam
05-07-2008 8:50 a.m.

Today marks the start of finals for USC, so players will be wrapping up their spring semester classes by next Wednesday. To help the athletes prepare for their exams, players don’t have mandatory workouts in the weight room during finals week. Even so, many players will get in a quick workout between tests and study sessions.

Good news
05-07-2008 8:06 a.m.

USC and the Coliseum are extremely close to finalizing a long-term lease agreement, according to today’s L.A. Times.

The Charlottesville story
05-06-2008 2:59 p.m.

Coming Wednesday, we’ll have a complete behind-the-scenes look at USC’s advance logistical scouting trip to Charlottesville, Va. Loaded with cool pictures and interesting stories from the journey, this insider feature will be published around midday Wednesday.

Cross-town victors
05-06-2008 2:46 p.m.

USC officially won the Lexus Gauntlet for the fourth time in seven years after victories in women’s track and field, women’s rowing and men’s golf during the last week. After a surprisingly wide 67.5-to-42.5-point margin, the Trojans will be presented with the annual cross-town rivalry trophy at a to-be-determined on-campus ceremony.

Singing praises
05-06-2008 9:34 a.m.

Keith Rivers is already making a big first impression with the Cincinnati Bengals.

“He showed things that are innate,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said of Rivers in the Cincinnati Inquirer. Every time he was not in a meeting, he was upstairs watching tape on his own.

“He already gets it.”

Business meetings
05-06-2008 9:32 a.m.

Most coaches are still on the road recruiting, but offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is taking a hiatus from the high school circuit to go to the Pac-10 Football Meetings in the Phoenix area today and Wednesday. Attended by the athletic director and a high-raking coach from each Pac-10 school, the annual meetings feature discussions on pertinent business and, of course, a round of golf for the group.

Live from Charlottesville
05-05-2008 10:21 p.m.

Day 1 of USC’s logistical scouting trip is in the books, as director of football operations Dennis Slutak and executive assistant Morgon Fraser just completed a full slate of preparatory duties in Charlottesville, Va. During a pinball-like productive day today, the pair laid a majority of the foundation for the Trojans’ trip to play at Virginia in August, as the duo finalized the logistics with the team hotel, pre-game Friday practice location, food accommodations throughout the trip and Virginia’s Scott Stadium on game day.

There’s still some work to be done Tuesday, including a trip to the bus company and a visit to Virginia’s campus (properly known as “the grounds” here) to make final arrangements for USC’s road trip to kick off the 2008 season.

We’ll have the full report from the two-day exploratory excursion Wednesday, but in the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at Scott Stadium, the site of the first USC football game of the 2008 campaign:

The dirty south
05-05-2008 8:41 a.m.

We’re on a layover in Atlanta en route to Charlottesville, Va., this morning, and it seems fitting to give a shout-out to one of Atlanta’s newest residents, former USC tackle Sam Baker, who went to the Falcons with the 21st pick of last weekend’s draft. Though we’re guessing he won’t be wearing No. 1, here’s a picture of Baker at the Falcons’ introductory press conference, along with quarterback Matt Ryan of Boston College.

Baker and the rest of the Falcons report for a minicamp Saturday. To follow Baker’s progress, check out the Falcons’ website, one of the best-looking team homepages in the country.

Heading east
05-04-2008 8:39 p.m.

USCRipsIt will be in Charlottesville, Va., on Monday and Tuesday, traveling alongside director of football operations Dennis Slutak as he prepares for the Trojans’ road trip to Virginia in August. Our blogging will be limited during the next two days, but come Wednesday, we’ll have a bursting-at-the-seams, behind-the-scenes report from Virginia, giving you an inside look at USC’s first game of 2008.

In J.D.’s own words
05-04-2008 8:38 p.m.

John David Booty just completed his rookie minicamp with the Minnesota Vikings, and you can see his opening thoughts from Friday here. Here’s a glimpse at what he said, regarding USC’s competitive practices and how that has prepared him for the NFL:

“That’s all it was about every day was competing and giving it your best because Tuesday through Thursday was harder than any game you would play on Saturday and it seems like they have that same mentality here.  They want you to go so hard during the week that come Sundays the game is easier than it was all week during practice.  For me that is something I am used to and I like that pace and tempo and it gets you ready to go out and play your best.”