USC received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after C.J. Gable’s 33-yard run in the second quarter. Pete Carroll said officials threw a flag because several players, including Rey Maualuga and David Ausberry, ran on the field to celebrate.
They also did it after the second touchdown, but the officials were not sure if the players were on the field for the extra point, so no penalty was called.
Monthly Archives: August 2008
Sunday Night With Caesar
Here’s some thoughts from USC coach Pete Carroll tonight.
“There’s still plenty of stuff that happened we could fix,” Carroll said. “Everybody thought we could not do (what we did) with the distractions of the second game (Ohio State) and that was not the case. Now we get the benefit of enjoying the second game.”
Hazelton Update
Wide receiver Vidal Hazelton remains bothered by a sprained ankle.
“He’s still hobbling,” USC coach Pete Carroll said. “He’ll need all week to get well.”
Road Trip
How many of you went to Virginia? I gave the campus and stadium high marks, especially the unique columns and the grassy knoll where students were allowed to watch behind the end zone (without a barrier. Imagine that at the Coliseum).
It seemed like even the highest seats were reasonably close to the field.
I also was impressed by the way 64,000 made it to the stadium without traffic or people crowding each other, even during Wahoo Walk, the Cavs’ version of Trojan Walk.
What did you experience?
Maryland, No Maryland
There was an article last week in the Washington Post that said Pete Carroll and Al Groh were considered for the Maryland job in 1991 but Carroll withdrew. Carroll said Saturday he never was a candidate for the job.
Poll Delay
With Labor Day games, the AP Top 25 will be released Tuesday, so we’ll see if USC’s rout of Virginia causes any movement.
Quote Of The Day
“(Our wide receivers) played well, that’s a difference from last year.”
— USC coach Pete Carroll
Mays v. Thomas
Cornerback Kevin Thomas, who redshirted last season, intercepted a pass that safety Taylor Mays also had a chance to intercept.
“I’m gonna get (Thomas),” Mays joked. “I’m going to beat him up. I had the ball in my hands and he muscled it away from me. I need to work on my biceps.”
Crowd Control
In another tradition, USC sent the home fans to the exits in the third quarter, a scene repeated at Auburn, Arkansas and Nebraska in recent years.
“All these season-opening road games, by the third or fourth quarter, you hear our fans and the fight song,” defensive end Clay Matthews said.
Pre-Game Meeting
Here’s a noteworthy passage from my USC-Virginia game story.
“Several USC players said they were surprised when Virginia showed up on the field during the Trojans’ Friday evening walk-through inside the stadium.
“You could see them eyeing us,” linebacker Rey Maualuga said. “It was like a sign of disrespect. I think they wanted to prove something to us.”
Apparently, there was a misunderstanding over when each team was scheduled to arrive, but it allowed this parting shot from Maualuga.
“ I thought that was like a JV team so that they could make us think they weren’t that big,” he said.
Full story here.