USC coach Lane Kiffin said this morning he did not have an update on wide receiver Marqise Lee’s knee injury because the Trojans did not have their walk-through yet.  Lee is expected to play in the game.

USC tight ends coach Justin Mesa interviewed for the head-coaching position at Occidental College. Mesa’s been an assistant the past three years with USC and signals in plays from the sideline during games.

USC coach Lane Kiffin keeps getting asked if he might allow someone else call plays next season. Since he is no hiring an offensive coordinator, that leaves current offensive coordinator Kennedy Polamalu.

“A lot of coaches that call plays that I’ve been around, it’s very difficult to give up,” Polamalu said. “We have not discussed playcalling. We’ve just discussed how to use the strength of the staff.”

Kiffin said Saturday, “We’ll look at all that stuff after (the season).”

Lane and Monte Kiffin disagreed with each other about whether Georgia Tech is similar in offensive scheme to Oregon.

“It’s like playing Oregon,” Lane Kiffin said.

When Monte Kiffin was asked if Georgia Tech was similar to Oregon, he said “not really.”

When a hypnotist visited USC and Georgia Tech players a couple nights ago, Trojans wide receiver Nelson Agholor had the line of the night: “Hopefully our coaches can hypnotize these guys to get us a victory, I’m kidding.”

Or maybe the hypnotist could work a little bit on the coaches to get a victory.

It was Team Karaoke Night in El Paso as USC and Georgia Tech sang their hearts out.

Lane Kiffin said he did not feel any special feelings over the fact this will be his final game coaching with his father, USC defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin.

“I really haven’t,” Kiffin said. “It’s not like we’ve been together for 15 years. I haven’t thought much about it.”

USC wide receiver Marqise Lee hurt his knee and missed about half of Saturday’s practice but he appeared fine walking to the team buses after practice.
“Something happened early,” Lane Kiffin said.
Kiffin said he was hopeful Lee played in the Sun Bowl.

The Trojans and Yellow Jackets are scheduled to eat at the same steakhouse tonight. But USC will arrive 30 minutes later and the teams are supposed to eat together, so there won’t be any controversy about who showed up when.

USC defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said Georgia Tech’s flexbone or spread option offense is different than the wishbone offenses he faced in the 1970’s at Nebraska.

“The wishbone didn’t (have players in) motion much in those days,” Kiffin said.

Nothing USC does defensively will fool Georgia Tech, according to Kiffin.

“There’s nothing you can show them they haven’t seen,” Kiffin said.