“He does some things that make your jaw drop.”
— USC guard Dwight Lewis on freshman DeMar DeRozan

A couple highly regarded out-of-state prospects visit USC this weekend. Linebackers Jarvis Jones of Columbus, Ga., and Frankie Telfort of Miami, Fla., will attend the Washington game.
Jones (6-foot-3, 226 pounds) is rated the 44th-best player in the nation by Rivals.com and second-best athlete in the country at the position. Telfort (5-11, 197) is rated the fourth-best outside linebacker in the nation and 69th-best player overall.

Safety Kevin Ellison injured his knee and the extent of the injury is not known.
“I don’t know what happened. My knee hurts right now,” Ellison said.
Ellison is getting an MRI tonight to determine the extent of the injury.

“It’s easy to say you’re trying too hard but it isn’t always easy to stop it. If we catch a few balls and the running game to the tight-end side was a little better, we’d come out really good.”
— offensive line coach Pat Ruel

The USC Alumni Association just sent out an email that offered a $5 discount on pictures of something at homecoming. Now if we only knew how much they cost and what the picture is for?

“November 1 – University Park Campus
Join us on campus at 11:30 a.m. for the ultimate Trojan Family get-together before the Trojans take on the Huskies at 3:30. Come to the Alumni Association booth at Tommy Trojan to get your souvenir Kodak photo ($5 discount to alumni with membership card), spin the Prize Wheel, pick up great giveaways, enter our Trojan Tradition raffle and learn about the many benefits of your lifelong membership in the USC Alumni Association.”

A reader sent in an email to express his frustration with the idea that inexperience is a reason for QB inconsistency.
“I didn’t see it when Chad Henne took Michigan to the Rose Bowl as a freshman . . . and a just-out-of-high school freshman. Or (Texas quarterback) Colt McCoy, a true freshman who did have the value of spring training.”

USC was picked third in the Pac-10 basketball preseason poll.
Continue reading “USC No. 3” »

USC safety Taylor Mays had two impressive hits on Arizona tailback Keola Antolin and knocked Antolin out of the game in the second quarter, probably one of the biggest moments in the contest.
But there appeared to be a source for his motivation.
“I like to hit guys hard so if Lauren Conrad and I ever go on a date, she will feel protected,” Mays said.

Yesterday we focused on how Pete Carroll called the Pac-10 about how few penalties USC opponents received this season. The flip side of that is the Trojans average 73 yards in penalties per game, which is the second-highest mark in the conference.

USC ranks ninth in the Pac-10 in red-zone offense, scoring 78 percent of the time. Even Washington State, which scores 79 percent of the time, is ahead of the Trojans.