“I was waiting a long time for the ball. When you catch a ball in a crowd, it’s instinctive. But this was one of the hardest to catch when you are waiting for so long. You have more time to think about it.”
— USC wide receiver Damian Williams on his controversial TD catch
Monthly Archives: November 2009
Surprise, Surprise
Pete Carroll said tonight he is not interested in the Notre Dame job.
McKnight Update
Tailback Joe McKnight his bruised thigh will not keep him out of the game. Pete Carroll said McKnight’s status is still up in the air for this week.
South Bend Realty
Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly was asked by ESPN radio about inquiries regarding the Notre Dame job.
“Oh yeah (laughing). Everyday it’s a flood. I get real estate cards and it’s crazy. (Things like) I want to be your new real estate agent in South Bend. I just laugh and my administrative assistant, she kinda just throws most of that stuff away because she knows I’m not interested in anything that doesn’t have a Bearcat on it.”
Off The Mark
USC’s 28 points against UCLA means the Trojans scored 30 or more points in only 2 of their 8 Pac-10 games this season. Last year, USC scored 30 or more in 4 of 9 games, so this year’s offense will not better the mark.
It also means USC failed to score 30 points or more in just 11 of 35 Pac-10 games from 2006-2009.
By comparison, USC scored 30 or more in 27 of 32 games from 2002-2005.
Upon Further Review
I was down on the field at the end of the USC-UCLA game, so I missed the telecast which showed Matt Barkley say, “scoreboard,” at about the 2:30 mark of this video.
Smith Honored
Linebacker Malcolm Smith was named Pac-10 defensive player of the week.
Holding Steady
USC is still ranked 100th in the nation in third-down conversions at 34.09 percent.
Reader Response
A reader’s comment posted on Pete Carroll’s Facebook page: “Great game Pete Carroll. But with all due respect, don’t you think it was a little disrespectful how you celebrated that last touchdown? Granted, it was a great play but couldn’t you have controlled yourself in addition to your team right after scoring to prevent that gathering of mob in the middle of the field?”
Happy Holiday
BCS guru Jerry Palm projects USC playing Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.