It was also a tough weekend for Caesar-crony Jurgen Klinsmann, as Bayern Munich lost to Hannover, 1-0.

Pete Carroll on the linebackers against Oregon State: “They had a rough time.”
Continue reading “Answer Monday, Part II” »

If you haven’t asked a question, go to Thursday’s posts and ask in the Open Forum.
Continue reading “Answer Monday!” »

Mark Sanchez sounds a lot like Larry Smith.

Instead of fretting a loss to Oregon State, perhaps USC fans should instead look back at the number of times the Trojans could have lost but didn’t simply because of Reggie Bush.
The Stanford game in the 2004 unbeaten season is a prime example, with Bush’s 33-yard zig-zagging punt return setting up the winning touchdown in a 31-28 victory. He also scored a touchdown on a 17-yard run in the first half.
That same year, USC held off UCLA 29-24 with Bush gaining 204 yards and touchdown runs of 65-and-81 yards.
USC coach Pete Carroll did not deny Bush erased a lot of shortcomings on Sunday night.
“We were so dynamic offensively it made up for problems,” Carroll said. “A lot of it was Reggie.”

Rey Maualuga stopped by the football offices to visit Pete Carroll tonight wearing a big brace on his sprained knee. He sprained the medial-collateral ligament. There is no swelling and he can squat without problems. He will undergo an MRI today.
“We don’t know yet (if he will play this week),” Carroll said.

USC quarterback Mark Sanchez said many of the things that went wrong against Oregon State are not serious errors.
`There are a lot of mistakes we can clean up with one practice,” Sanchez said.

Safety Taylor Mays said he is scheduled to get another x-ray for his bruised chest but feels fine.
“I’m straight. I got hit in the chest and coughed up blood,” Mays said. “I’m all right. I can breathe now.”

The decision to make Garrett Green the backup quarterback rewarded a consummate team player, but was it also a sign of hubris? Did USC become so confident that it felt it could make a stunning decision on the depth chart just because it was flying so high that it did not matter? It was just Oregon State, after all.
But what would really have happened if Mark Sanchez got hurt with USC trailing 21-0? We’ll never know.

Some questions as USC starts preparing for Oregon.

1. Can Mark Sanchez lead USC to a comeback victory?
2. Was the defensive front seven overrated by the “experts?”
3. Is the offensive line suddenly a question mark again?
4. Does Stafon Johnson deserve more playing time?