January 2007 Archives

If you count Donovan Warren, USC has about 13 commitments right now. There's only about five players left the Trojans are recruiting, which means this could be a smaller-than-expected class, considering the number of scholarships made available in the past month through academics and transfers.

In the first week of workouts, tailback Chauncey Washington and offensive tackle Thomas Herring each lost seven pounds. Washington is under 230 pounds while Herring weighs 328.

UCLA dropped out of the running for Long Beach Poly cornerback Donovan Warren today, leaving USC and Michigan as his final two choices. Warren, who wants to go to a BCS school, is expected to commit to USC. A player USC hoped to get late, Verbum Dei defensive end Justin Edison, committed to UCLA.

USC coach Pete Carroll visits wide receiver Deonte Thompson of Belle Glade, Fla., and takes one more stab at convincing offensive guard James Wilson of Ponte Vedra, Fla., to honor his original commitment to the Trojans.

Visitors to Dedeaux Field will notice the wooden fence was torn down and replaced with a padded chain-link fence. However, in an effort to improve the atmosphere, new coach Chad Kreuter did not put padding on the fence by the parking structure or the tennis courts, to allow fans a chance to watch games from the outfield.

Freshman offensive tackle Martin Coleman, who should still be a senior at Edison High, weighs 312 pounds.

USC coach Pete Carroll is scheduled to visit with Marvin Austin, the No. 1-ranked defensive tackle in the country, today. But we also hear Carroll might visit tight end Mike Ragone, who committed to Notre Dame almost nine months ago.

Fullback Brandon Hancock is leaning against returning for a sixth season. Hancock said he does not want to jeopardize his future health and recently met with a surgeon who is a family friend but will seek one more opinion regarding his past knee injuries before making an final decision not to return.
Last week the NCAA approved a sixth year for Hancock. USC already has his scholarship for next season because Hancock was going to pay for the fall semester himself.

USC women's basketball player Brynn Cameron is shooting between 700-1,000 jump shots per day, working out with a personal trainer and fully recovered from last year's hip injury. Cameron was cleared to begin working out New Year's Day and is on track to play against next season.
It will be quite a comeback after she gave birth to Cole Cameron Leinart last October. Cameron's already attended several USC women's basketball games. Perhaps more impressively, she completed classes at USC last semester despite giving birth and could graduate on time.

Safety Kevin Ellison underwent knee surgery Jan. 2 after tests revealed a hole in the bone when he hyperextended it during the season.
Ellison is wearing a full-leg brace for two more weeks and said he is unsure if he will participate in spring practice.

It seemed odd recently when linebacker Keith Rivers held a press conference to announce he would return for his senior season when he had no intention of going pro. Apparently, Rivers was advised holding the press conference would help raise his profile for next season and increase pre-season buzz.

Over the past few years, USC's offense always featured a player that broke down a defense with one play. Reggie Bush is the perfect example, but LenDale White, Mike Williams and Dwayne Jarrett are other examples.
Perhaps the biggest question going into next season is whether USC even has a player like that anymore? Former offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin said USC's losses this season weren't much different than games the previous two years, except the Trojans no longer had Bush to rescue them.
Now you can say the same about Jarrett. Click here to see who I would have to pick for the best big-play candidate next season then feel free to list your own candidate.

USC did not have any recruits in this weekend while UCLA hosted just one, Verbum Dei defensive end Justin Edison, who already committed to Oregon State.

New Orleans Saints assistant coach John Morton interviewed for the vacancy on the coaching staff following Lane Kiffin's departure to the Raiders. Morton, 37, was interviewed to be the Trojans' wide receivers coach. He is the offensive assistant/passing game assistant for the Saints and also worked for the Oakland Raiders.

A natural hire for the current opening on the coaching staff would be former USC wide receivers coach Kirby Wilson. However, Wilson was recently hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Matt Leinart at a trendy Hollywood club on Friday night minus Paris Hilton, Britney Spears or Tara Reid.

If you want to rent the Galen Center for an evening, say a birthday party for 10,000 of your closest friends, it will cost you $30,000. That's $15,000 for the arena and $15,000 for staff.

Recruits are being shown drawings of the new football complex to be built behind Heritage Hall. The new complex will house offices, a weight room, locker room and an outdoor plaza. I'm just wondering if it will be called the Peter C. Carroll Center.

We hear Oaks Christian cornerback Anthony Gildon still favors Oregon but USC is closing fast.

We hear the current options for the opening on the coaching staff are to either hire a veteran offensive coordinator to assist Steve Sarkisian or to hire a wide receivers coach.

The fact Reggie Bush's claimed he was being extorted does pose a certain risk for the tailback. If Bush was not completely honest with the FBI, it would be a crime. Among recent figures who faced criminal charges in similar circumstances were Martha Stewart and Scooter Libby.

There's a lot of focus on the Reggie Bush investigation right now. But what does it mean? The existence of tapes does not necessarily hurt USC because the university could challenge the veracity of them if the NCAA used it to punish the football program. Not to mention that taping conversations like that is illegal.
Even if the tapes are correct, without USC's knowledge or complicity, it would be hard to hold the university liable. That doesn't mean USC is off the hook regarding the chance of getting stripped of a national championship, but we're referring more to probation for the program.

Also up near the top was Oregon State coach Mike Riley.

If you heard me at the Long Beach Trojan Club last night, you already know I said that Jeff Fisher of the Tennessee Titans and Jack Del Rio of the Jacksonville Jaguars (both former USC players) were high atop a list of potential replacements if Pete Carroll accepted a job with the Miami Dolphins.
Getting either coach out of their NFL contracts might be a problem but a year from now, they might not even be coaching their current teams.

My favorite USC linebacker, Matt Grootegoed, is set to play for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League next season.

There's been several questions about who will become USC's recruiting coordinator? There's a quick two-word answer to this question: Who cares?
Recruiting coordinators fill an administrative role. Players don't come to USC because of a recruiting coordinator. Did Reggie Bush or Matt Leinart ever mention the recruiting coordinators as the key to their decisions?
Players come because USC is winning and Pete Carroll is the coach. Last time I checked, that was still the case.

Raiders coach Lane Kiffin's opening statement: ``I'll bring an explosive, powerful offense to this franchise. . . .They will play happy and they will play hard.''

Sounds like new Raiders coach Lane Kiffin's first hire from USC will probably be video assistant Yogi Roth.

Former Nebraska kicker Jordan Congdon met with USC coach Pete Carroll on Monday with the intention of walking on to the team next season and possibly earning a scholarship.
``He's deciding about transferring and giving us strong consideration,’’ Carroll said. ``He’s trying to get into school as a walk-on.’'

Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain did not contact USC or send a release form to the Trojans when it was thought he would transfer to another school. Mustain re-enrolled at Arkansas last week.

Here's some quotes on what Pete Carroll thinks of Lane Kiffin's new job:

If you have the NFL Network, at 1 p.m. you can watch Lane Kiffin's press conference as the Raiders' new coach.

There's obviously a lot of fans thrilled at the departure of Lane Kiffin, but what will be different following his departure?
New play-caller Steve Sarkisian wanted to take Kiffin to Oakland if he accepted the Raiders job and the two were always in-sync while working together the past two years. The pair spoke frequently before Sarkisian was rehired in 2005, to the dismay of former offensive coordinator Norm Chow. And Sarkisian enjoyed veto power over Kiffin's playcalling along with Pete Carroll the past two seasons.
The offense will now be a Carroll-Sarkisian effort instead of a three-headed monster. But it would be foolish to think massive changes will be enacted next season.

USC assistant head coach Steve Sarkisian will call plays for the Trojans next season with Lane Kiffin going to the Raiders.
Sarkisian will be granted complete control of the offense following the Raiders’ surprising hire of Kiffin, who is only 31-years-old and never coached in the NFL.
``(Sarkisian) is going to assume all of the responsibility,’’ USC coach Pete Carroll said. ``He will be in charge of the offense. He’s going to take over all of it.''

We hear Lane Kiffin disappeared after Sunday's recruiting lunch and was not at USC today, thus the opportunity to go meet the Raiders.

ESPN reports Lane Kiffin is the new Raiders coach. Start posting your comments now.

Add another talent to Pete Carroll's arsenal: Foresight.
A year ago, Carroll advised DeWayne Walker to take a job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and turn down the UCLA defensive coordinator's job. If Walker took the Bucs job, USC likely defeats UCLA and goes to the national championship. And he might be out of a job. USC assistant Greg Burns took the Tampa Bay job instead and got fired after one season.

We forgot to mention that Florida promised James Wilson he would start, a promise not offered by USC.

Losing James Wilson does not necessarily mean USC will have less offensive linemen as part of its recruiting class. Although he is a defensive end, Michael Reardon of Orange Lutheran might switch to offense for college football.

Why did offensive lineman James Wilson decommit and go to Florida? We hear Wilson became disenchanted at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl when all the USC recruits were on the West team while he played on the East team with the Florida recruits (the Gators had five commits playing).
Another influential person was Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, who also considered USC a year ago. Tebow helped convince Wilson to change his mind and the rest is history.

With heralded recruit O.J. Mayo on his way, ESPN wants USC to headline an eight-team, three-game tournament in Anaheim next season. The Trojans would play the prime-time game each night. The tournament field is not set yet.

The twin towers from Stoneridge Prep -- 6-10 Mamadou Diarra and 7-0 Boubacar Sylla -- attended the USC-Arizona State basketball game. Diarra said in June he would come to USC but still has not officially committed. Sylla also likes USC.
There is one problem, however. Even though they are close friends, they are not expected to attend the same school.

Former USC defensive line coach Jethro Franklin was hired by the Houston Texans, a week after being fired by Tampa Bay.

USC received a scare near the end of tonight's basketball game against Arizona State when Gabe Pruitt sprained his ankle.
Pruitt said he "tweaked'' and did not think it was serious but more will be known Monday.

If you are having trouble making comments, please send an email describing the problems to the web site's technical director, Josh Kleinbaum, at josh.kleinbaum@dailynews.com. Hopefully, this will get things straightened out.

Another recruiting weekend for USC, but the traditional Saturday night stop to Papadakis Taverna restaurant in San Pedro no longer is part of the official visit.
Following last year’s controversy right before the 2005 Rose Bowl, when a Texas newspaper wrote about a potential NCAA violation, the athletic dept. decided to no longer schedule recruiting dinners at the restaurant. No violation was reported but USC made the policy change anyways.

``He decided to stay in college and become a college head coach,’’ USC coach Pete Carroll said. ``It’s in his best interest to stay in the college game. Next time around he might think differently, but right now he loves ’SC and wants to stay with it. It wasn’t the right time to (leave).’’

Steve Sarkisian was offered the Raiders job and turned it down despite the club sending two reps down to convince him otherwise today.
So what happened, considering Sarkisian said recently he wanted the job. Sources said the Raiders owner Al Davis was pleased with the offensive personnel and Sarkisian wanted to make wholesale changes.
And we also hear former Raiders coach Norv Turner advised his former assistant not to take the job.

USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian claims he was never offered the Raiders job.

"I was presented with a tremendous opportunity and experience of
interviewing with Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders for their head
coach position. I thank them for their interest in me. While the
job was never offered to me, at this time in my career I've told them
I want to stay at USC. I strongly believe that the Raiders job is a
great opportunity for whomever their next head coach is going to be.
"My goal is to be a head football coach in college and USC is the
best place for me to attain that goal. I'm extremely fortunate to
work at such a great university for a head coach in Pete Carroll who
allows me to strive and achieve at the highest level."

Dwayne Jarrett selects ``representation,'' as they say in sports these days.

USC will play at Arizona State on Thanksgiving. In a twist, the Pac-10 will have every school will play its archrival on Dec. 1, except for Washington-Washington State, which is Nov. 24.
The ASU game will kickoff at 5 p.m. (Los Angeles time) and be on ESPN. The USC-UCLA game kicks off at 1:30 p.m. The USC-Notre Dame game kicks off at 12:30 (PDT).

Backup punter Taylor Odegard said he will not return to the team next season so he can concentrate on academics and his career plans. It’s not an insignificant departure because if starter Greg Woidneck gets hurt, USC currently does not have a reserve punter.

If I actually listened, I would know a lot sooner than now that radio show host Petros Papadakis talked about our chance meeting at USC on Wednesday night. http://www.570klac.com/cc-common/podcast.html
Scroll to the ``1/18 PMS Hr 1'' show link and listen at about the 8-minute mark.

A basketball recruit that intrigues USC right now is Compton junior center Edgar Garibay, who is 6-10 and averages 13 points and 11 rebounds. He's been at recent home games and is not just accompanying Compton star guard Demar Derozan, a junior who already got offered a scholarship by the Trojans.

Mater Dei forward Taylor King, who signed with Duke, was in the USC locker room after the Trojans' victory over Arizona. Is King already having second thoughts?
``He's just here with some friends,'' a source said.

Sophomore forward Keith Wilkinson was informed before the UCLA game he would be on scholarship for the rest of his career. When he came to USC, Wilkinson was told his scholarship status would be evaluated on a year-by-year basis, but his recent play convinced Tim Floyd to keep him on scholarship all four years.
``Coach Floyd told me he doesn’t want me playing any less harder because of this,’’ Wilkinson said. ``I always wanted to be a Trojan all four years.''
At one point, Floyd advised Wilkinson to take a full class load in the summers in case his scholarship got pulled so he could try to get his degree in three years.

USC will improve its basketball schedule and play in the Jimmy V Classic basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City next year. With O.J. Mayo arriving, the Trojans want to raise their national profile.

Defensive end Jeff Schweiger, who transferred to San Jose State, was always more of an old-school type player. He wasn't interested in getting attention, didn't particularly enjoy the high profile USC enjoyed and preferred to be anonymous.
``I just like to play football,'' Schweiger once told me. ``I don't care about all the other stuff. I'm not interested in that.''

Freshman offensive tackle Martin Coleman, who is already enrolled at USC, is off crutches and walking fine as he recovers from a fractured lower tibia last month. Coleman said he is undergoing rehabilitation at USC but not able to participate in Winter workouts.

It's quite a night at USC when I accidentally run into Petros Papadakis on campus and I get a ride in his non-descript Lincoln (Not quite the beautfiul big black cat quality). We can see the blood pressure rising on the Internet at the thought of us being together. The only person missing was Pete Carroll, the ``prince of the city.''

Former USC offensive coordinator Hue Jackson was recently hired by the Atlanta Falcons as offensive coordinator. But he won't be calling plays because that job rests with new Falcons coach Bob Petrino.

Wide receiver Travon Patterson said he is reconsidering running track because he might be joined by cornerback Vincent Joseph. The pair ran on the relay team at Long Beach Poly and would join wide receiver Jamere Holland. Tailback Emmanuel Moody is also thinking of joining the track team.

We also hear that USC assistant coach Steve Sarkisian was not on that initial list of candidates to replace Pete Carroll. This is consistent with the idea that assistant coaches are not considered ready for the USC job.

USC guard Daniel Hackett might set an NCAA record this week when he wears his third different number of the season. Hackett wore No. 11 until last Saturday when the number was retired in a ceremony honoring former USC great Bill Sharman.
So Hackett switched to No. 25 for the UCLA game. But he said he must switch again because Paul Westphal is getting that number retired too. Hopefully, whatever number Hackett wears this week is not scheduled to be retired. Maybe someone can check that.

We hear former USC defensive backs coach Greg Burns contacted some Pac-10 schools for job opportunities following last week's decision by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to dismiss him and former USC defensive line coach Jethro Franklin.

Former USC kicker Troy Van Blarcom, who was academically disqualified last month, is taking classes at two junior colleges in Orange County as he attempts to bring his grades up to continue his career somewhere. It's not known yet if Van Blarcom will return to USC.

I can readily attest to the powerful personal skills of Pete Carroll and his interviewing prowess was one reason he went from long shot to USC football coach. But two NFL sources claim last week's Costa Rican confab with the Miami Dolphins did not go well despite the four-plus hours spent in Central America, and was a reason things ended abruptly last week.

Minnesota hired Denver Broncos assistant Tim Brewster according to reports, which means Lane Kiffin will be back calling plays next season.

In 1946, Ohio State visited USC in what was billed as "The Howard Harding Jones Memorial Game." The Pigskin Review game program announced that fundraising was underway for funds to construct the proposed Howard Jones Memorial Field House; an architect's drawing of the proposed structure, which, among other things, would "house a memorial trophy room in addition to being the scene of Trojan basketball games," was included.
If USC considered naming an arena after Jones, maybe it can keep the football practice field (and sign) in his name too.
By the way, Jones played himself in the 1940 movie, ``Knute Rockne: All-American.''

Tailback Emmanuel Moody said he might run track this spring, which would make him a possible relay partner with wide receiver Jamere Holland. The third leg could be wide receiver Travon Patterson, but he is concentrating on football and is not expected to run track.

Another tradition took a hit last week, as workers quietly removed the large cement sign above the doors to the practice field that said, ``Howard Jones Field'' and replaced it with a different sign that says ``Brian Kennedy-Howard Jones Field.''
The main practice field is Howard Jones Field and the side field installed about 10 years ago is named after Kennedy, a loyal booster. Kennedy's name is now etched in cement signs on three different places outside the practice field while Jones gets one mention.
Jones merely won four national championships and compiled a record of 125-36-13 from 1925-40. But what's he done lately? He doesn't even get first billing any more as players walk through the doors for practice every day.

Long Beach Poly defensive back Donovan Warren will announce on Feb. 1 whether he will attend USC or UCLA. Our sources say it's currently 60-40 in USC's favor.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired former USC assistants Jethro Franklin and Greg Burns after just one season.

Look who is favored on this odds list to win the 2008 BCS championship.

The talk of USC playing Syracuse in a home-and-home series in football is being lined up for the 2008 and 2010 seasons.

USC guard Daniel Hackett said UCLA brought a lot of attitude into today's game.
"There was a lot of chippy stuff. A lot of dirty talk,'' Hackett said. "We'll take care of that when we go back to their place."

A last-second loss but the atmosphere and noise inside the Galen Center finally lived up to the years of promise.
USC guard Lodrick Stewart said it was the loudest game he's played in.

There's a large billboard in memory of USC kicker Mario Danelo at the end of the Harbor Freeway. An overflow crowd attended his funeral services today, including Pete Carroll and the football team, former USC linebacker Matt Grootegoed and Danelo's coach at San Pedro High, Mike Walsh.

USC student-athletes will be selling Ryan Francis memory bands throughout the Galen Center during tomorrow's basketball game against UCLA. All proceeds from the sale of the bands will benefit Challengers Boys' and Girls' Club of Los Angeles in Ryan’s memory.

We hear that if Pete Carroll had actually taken the Miami Dolphins job, former USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow would not be included on a list of potential candidates.

USC's public relations people were apologizing this week for their poor handling of Pete Carroll's return to Los Angeles with the media, but it was nothing compared to today's awful Galaxy press conference regarding David Beckham.
There was no sound for part of Beckham's satellite interview from Spain and the Galaxy front office had no idea what number Beckham would wear and is not even offering his jersey yet (Beckham gets 50 percent of those sales and is losing money as we speak).
Maybe the Galaxy should watch Cold Pizza on ESPN, where Beckham said he would wear No. 23.

Freshman tailback Stafon Johnson's shoulder surgery is not exactly minor. Johnson said he is not allowed to participate in any contact drills for three months, which means he is expected to miss spring practice.
That means Johnson will not be able to make an impression in the spring and move up the depth chart. He said he originally dislocated the shoulder in training camp and estimates he did it seven more times during the season.
It's impressive to note he did not use it as an excuse this year and also refrained from complaining about being on the scout team and never threatened to transfer during the season.

Former USC basketball player Roy Smiley was shot twice last week at a Seattle club during a party for a record company. The wounds were considered superficial and Smiley said he was released from the hospital a few hours after the incident. Smiley said he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and police did not find the shooter.

Pete Carroll on the wide receiving corps: ``This is a tremendous opportunity for Patrick Turner, David Ausberry, Travon Patterson, Jamere Holland and Vidal Hazelton. Those guys are cranked up now that their chance has come. That is what they came here to do. The opportunity is there.''

One of our UCLA spies tells us some of the Bruin players have a victory party planned for Saturday night after the Bruins play USC.

Pete Carroll on Dwayne Jarrett's departure: ``We won't ever look back. When our guys have left in the past, we spent no time on what we were losing. It's always about the opportunity for the guys and what they're going to do about it.''

The Raiders are interviewing former USC quarterback Jim Fassel today. Whether it's as the head coach or perhaps as an advisor to help out the eventual coach, say Steve Sarkisian, is not determined due to the unorthodox ways of owner Al Davis.

Freshman tailback Stafon Johnson underwent surgery to tighten up his previously dislocated left shoulder.

Linebacker Keith Rivers wants to talk to the media tomorrow. We hear he's not turning pro, for what it's worth.

Tailback Michael Coleman is academically ineligible but has applied for reinstatement to the university. USC coach Pete Carroll said as far as he knows, Coleman plans to remain at USC.

Pete Carroll credited yours truly today with helping him realize he wanted to stay at USC because of countless conversations on whether college football presented enough of a challenge for him.
``You were absolutely right. I did get frustrated with the challenge of it all,'' Carroll said. ``I was at the brink of it. I was thinking a million times (Monday) about how you always said it to me. And I realized it was enough. I made the decision to return right before I talked to you guys.''

Dwayne Jarrett broke down in tears during his announcement that he was leaving for the NFL. Jarrett cited the need for a new challenge as the reason for leaving.

USC coach Pete Carroll received a message to speak to Jeff Schweiger's family. It is assumed Schweiger intends to transfer but nothing is official.

Tailback Chauncey Washington said he will return for his senior season and will not turn pro.

In lieu of flowers, the Danelo family has asked that donations be
made as follows:
Checks should be made out to the "USC Athletic Department in care of
the Mario Danelo Endowed Football Scholarship Fund," and sent to Don
Winston, USC Athletic Department, 3501 Watt Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0602.
The donations will go towards endowing a football scholarship that
will be awarded to a USC football player who initially walked onto
the team and then earned an athletic scholarship.

USC offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin will interview for the Minnesota job on Friday.

USC athletic director Mike Garrett on Pete Carroll talking to the Dolphins.
``I'm not really worried about it.''

Pete Carroll just met the media. A quick recap.
``I did hear (the Miami Dolphins) out and thought it was in my interest to at least listen,'' he said. ``It had all the elements I've always talked about (for an NFL job). The head coach will have the entire say in terms of hiring and personnel. He did not talk about offering the job at all.
``I thought it was worth listening to.''
Carroll did not say if owner Wayne Huizenga would call back but said he would take the phone call. Their initial meeting lasted four hours.
Carroll said, ``I absolutely expect to stay here.'' But he did not say he would turn down the job if offered. He said his actions would speak volumes about what he thinks.

Dwayne Jarrett will address the media tomorrow about his future plans.
``He's interested in getting together tomorrow to clear the air,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said. ``He's compelled by the opportunity and would seem positioned the way his season ended to make the most of his opportunity.''

Pete Carroll is scheduled to arrive at USC this afternoon if his flight returns in time from Costa Rica.
Apparently he's not taking Wayne Huizenga's private jet back to the states.

Here's the final ballot of the season for the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

By all accounts, Steve Sarkisian's interview in Oakland today went well and he was still there tonight. Sarkisian is expected to hear back from the Raiders in a few days, possibly for a follow-up interview.

Wide receiver Damian Williams officially enrolled at USC, and attended the team meeting. Williams transferred from Arkansas, where he caught 19 passes for 235 yards with two touchdowns last season. He must sit out next season and have three seasons of eligibility.

Pete Carroll was not the only one who was not on campus today. Wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett did not show up for today's team meeting.

There are four TV stations set up outside Heritage Hall for today's team meeting, but several coaches are not there, including Pete Carroll. Other assistants are at the NCAA coaches' convention and quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian is interviewing with the Raiders.

Where do you think USC belongs (and why) in the top 25 polls released tonight after the BCS title game?
Are they ahead of undefeated Boise State? Or LSU? Or Louisville? Should the Trojans be No. 2?

USC announced that Pete Carroll will not attend today's team meeting and will return to campus tomorrow. Officially, the meeting covers academics and winter conditioning, which technically means his presence is not required. However, Carroll always attended those meetings in the past.
Maybe he's tired after interviewing for the Dolphins job with Wayne Huizenga on Sunday. USC did not have any comment today on the Dolphins interview.

USC released a statement obtained last night from Pete Carroll regarding Mario Danelo.
"We'll miss Mario terribly. He was a wonderful kid and well liked by everyone. We'll be there to help his family in every way we can and we'll always be there for them.
``Mario was a great young man and he'll always be remembered by everyone that way."

Take a stab at tonight's BCS title game between Ohio State-Florida. First person with correct score and valid email wins a USC media guide. I'll start first by taking the Gators 31-28.

We received independent confirmation from Florida that Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga's private jet arrived in Costa Rica this morning and left tonight. It's the same jet Huizenga's used to interview other candidates for the Dolphins job.

In the previous entry we mentioned that USC coach Pete Carroll was on vacation in Costa Rica. Now the website profootballtalk.com reports that Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga's private jet is also in Costa Rica.

The reason USC coach Pete Carroll did not comment yesterday about the death of kicker Mario Danelo is because he went on vacation to Costa Rica, according to athletic dept. officials.

Last week, USC Pete Carroll called Sid Hartman, a columnist who is a local institution in Minneapolis, and asked for some help endorsing Lane Kiffin for the the Minnesota job. There are about 15 candidates and Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Christ and Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables are considered the frontrunner.

Several readers emailed about the initial Mario Danelo item. Several sources called last night after news of the tragedy broke, including two within the USC football program and another person at the scene, and said Danelo's death was an apparent suicide. It was not intended to upset the family and our prayers our with them.
We have taken the item down because the cause of death is still undetermined.

Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is considered a frontrunner for the position.

A source within the Raiders organization said owner Al Davis is serious about USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. Sometimes Davis flies candidates in and doesn't really intend to hire them or is really considering them for an assistant coaching position.
``He's really considering him and might want to get him before he's too big to take the Raiders job,'' the source said.

Point Fermin Park in San Pedro might be familiar to any fans of the movie ``Chinatown,’’ where Jack Nicholson’s character goes up on the cliffs to watch water being secretly dumped by the City of Los Angeles.
John Papadakis, the owner of Papadakis Taverna in San Pedro, said the park is one of the windiest points in Southern California and is a popular spot for hang gliders.
``It’s a Bermuda Triangle type of a place. Many people have gone over those cliffs,’’ he said. ``There have been murder cases, based on people going over a cliff there. Things happen there. It’s where nature meets man.’’

USC special teams coach Sam Anno expressed his grief about kicker Mario Danelo tonight.
``It’s extremely sad,’’ Anno said. ``No. 1, because of the person that Mario was and the kind of guy he was. And also because of the kind of player he was, he worked hard at his craft and succeeded.
``I’ll never forget the first game this season when Arkansas tried to burn him with three timeouts and he still nailed a 44-yarder. That was Mario in a nutshell.’’

Mario Danelo's roommate, USC wide receiver Chris McFoy, was shocked by tonight's news.
``It was unexpected,’’ McFoy said. ``He’s a funny guy. A warm, loving guy. It’s a shock something like this would happen.’’

This statement was just released by USC sports information director Tim Tessalone, speaking on behalf of USC head football coach Pete Carroll, who is out of town:
"We're stunned to hear about this tragedy. This is a great loss. Mario was a wonderful young man of high character and he was one heck of a kicker. He was a key ingredient in our success these past few years. The thoughts and prayers of the entire Trojan Family go out to the Danelo family on this sad, sad day."

About 40 firefighters responded to the scene after the USC kicker's body was found about 200 yards west of the Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro. Fire crews then assisted police down the 120-foot cliff where the body was located.

The body of USC kicker Mario Danelo was found Saturday at the bottom of Point Fermin Park cliffs in San Pedro.

USC quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian said he will interview for the Raiders job in the next few days.
``It's a nice opporunity,'' Sarkisian said. ``Obviously it's very flattering to be considered. Regardless of your age, everyone has aspirations to move onward and upward. When you have oppornitunties, you try to take advantage of them.
``If it doesn't work out I have a great job.''

A local columnist wrote this week that Pete Carroll's greatest accomplishment at USC was winning this year's Rose Bowl, considering the talent the Trojans lost from last season.
Many would say losing last year's Rose Bowl with Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and LenDale White was an even greater accomplishment.

USC recruit Marc Tyler won the Arena Football League's Ironman of the Year Award tonight. Tyler, who broke his leg in the playoffs, is the third USC recruit in the four-year history of the award to win, joining Jeff Byers and Brian Cushing.
The fact the award is presented by AFL commissioner Dave Baker, the father of USC offensive tackle Sam Baker, surely has nothing to do with that fact.

At least in David Letterman's Top Ten Signs You're Watching Too Much College Football.
Reason No. 1. ``In bed, your wife says, "Get a Trojan" -- you come back with USC Kicker Mario Danelo.''
Unless you are kicking extra points in the Rose Bowl, of course.

It's officially the Petros and Money show on 570-AM, whoever Money is. Former UCLA quarterback Wayne Cook and Joe Grande were casualties in the change.

570-AM will announce in about 30 minutes that Petros Papadakis will return to the airwaves on Monday with his sports-talk radio show.
Papadakis is expected to be on from 4-7 p.m.

Who was the first USC quarterback to pass for 300 yards?

USC's decision to air it out against Michigan was not as unique as it seemed, at least according to offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin.
"Notre Dame was very similar," Kiffin said. "We said we were going to go down with Dwayne (Jarrett) and Steve (Smith)."

USC coach Pete Carroll is almost universally recognized as being better suited for college football than the NFL because of his enthusiasm. But one person disagrees with that assessment: Carroll.
``I'm not the one who says that,'' Carroll said. ``Everyone else says that. I'm a ball coach.''

The 2007 Rose Bowl Game was only the third time USC had two 100-yard receivers in a bowl game. The other two: the 2005 Orange Bowl game (Jarrett and Smith), and the 1963 Rose Bowl (Willie Brown and Hal Bedsole).

Two years ago, Nick Saban stood on the USC sideline and spoke to Pete Carroll before the Trojans played Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.
Saban had just taken the Miami Dolphins job and asked Carroll about life in the NFL.
"He obviously assessed lifestyles and obviously had concerns about the NFL," Carroll said. "He decided it wasn't for him."

John David Booty’s 391 passing yards put him in a tie for eighth on the all-time list of USC passing performances. He is tied with Brad Otton’s total in the 1996 Rose Bowl against Northwestern. The total of 391 yards is a bowl game passing record for the Trojans. Booty now has 11 200-yard passing games, one behind Otton’s 12. The USC QB’s with more: Matt Leinart, 36; Carson Palmer, 31; Rob Johnson, 21; Rodney Peete, 19; Todd Marinovich, 13.

Fans at the Galen Center are still trying to find their seats in the upper deck.
There are no signs in the upper deck telling you what section you're sitting in. There are signs on the concourse that indicate, for example, that sections 216-217 are upstairs, but once you get upstairs, there's no indication as to which one is 216 and which one is 217. There is an AT&T plaque up above the entrance to one of the sections, however, which is easy to find.

Here's the grades for the Rose Bowl:

With its Rose Bowl victory, USC's won at least 11 games for five straight seasons.
Nebraska (1993-97), Florida State (1996-2000) and Oklahoma (2000-2004) are the only other teams to match that feat.

Some rumors surfaced last week linking freshman tailback Stafon Johnson to Washington because the Huskies heavily recruited him but Johnson claims he is not transferring.
"All this is rumors," Johnson said. "I'm not thinking about that.
"I get asked about it all the time. People mention Georgia or Washington because those schools were high on my list during recruiting."

Boise State beat Oklahoma on a Statue of Liberty play in the Fiesta Bowl, but fans with long memories might remember USC ran a Statue of Liberty play against San Jose State in Pete Carroll's first season.

Pete Carroll on the 3-3 halftime score at the Rose Bowl, after watching film of the half Tuesday night.
``We were pretty patient in the first half and waited forever to get going,'' he said. ``I’m surprised people kept watching it.''

Although all eight Michigan-USC Rose Bowls have been sell-outs, because of the reduced stadium capacity, Monday’s attendance was the second lowest for such a match-up; only the 1948 Rose Bowl had a smaller turnout (93,000). Monday’s crowd was the “smallest� for a USC-Michigan game since 77,005 wandered into Michigan Stadium for the 1957 Trojan-Wolverine contest.

USC coach Pete Carroll said he would speak to tailback Chauncey Washington about his small role (2 carries) in the Rose Bowl.
"I will talk to him tonight," Carroll said. "He would have liked to have gotten involved in it more."
UPDATED: Carroll is also expected to discuss Washington's comments after the game that he is not sure if he will return next season or turn pro.
``There may be a couple guys who finalize their thoughts,'' Carroll said.

Would USC be playing in the BCS title game if the Trojans abandoned the running game and threw 27 of 29 plays against UCLA?
Their rushing total against the Bruins was almost identical to yesterday's Rose Bowl, so if a change in philosophy was made a game sooner, would the results be different?

USC tailback Chauncey Washington said Monday he changed his mind is now considering turning pro.
Washington previously said he would return for his senior season.
``I don’t know if I will be back,’’ Washington said. ``We’ll see.’’
Washington said he wanted to get an evaluation from the NFL before making his decision. He was more emphatic about getting only two carries after USC coach Pete Carroll said all week he was finally healthy.
``I don’t get it,’’ Washington said. ``I didn’t understand what the coaches were thinking.’’
``Chauncey was OK, we felt like C.J. Gable gave us the best chance,'' offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin said.

USC coach Pete Carroll lashed out at critics of offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin after the game.
I think the criticism of him has been totally unwarranted and is residue of this past thought that no one else could do it,'' Carroll said. ``Lane and (Steve Sarkisian) are so far ahead of the curve. They’ve done a great job. They deserve a lot of credit. We’re lucky to have them.''

Reporters asked Pete Carroll after the game about the NFL openings in Arizona and Atlanta following today's firings of Dennis Green and Jim Mora, Jr.
``There’s been no contact,'' Carroll said. ``There’s nothing going on with any of those things. Could I have had more fun tonight? No. I absolutely plan on being back here.''

The key decision of the Rose Bowl occurred after USC got stuffed on two running plays in the first series of the third quarter. After that, USC threw passes on 27 of 29 plays with the other plays quarterback sneaks. The decision was made at halftime because USC coach Pete Carroll wanted to wait two quarters to see if the Trojans could run the ball.
``If we go down, we're going to go down with John David (Booty), Dwayne (Jarrett) and Steve (Smith),'' offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin said.

Feel free to post your thoughts on the Rose Bowl.

I'm not sure about this sideline pass shortage regarding Reggie Bush, since I see all the usual suspects on the field right now who normally show up at games.
At least USC grad George Lucas, the grand marshal of the Rose Parade, showed up with a kid wearing a counterfeit USC jersey that has "Bush" printed on the back.
Not too impressed by Michigan crowd, by the way, which is definitely smaller than USC.
But the band is kicking butt, of course.

USC coach Pete Carroll knows if the Trojans fail to beat Michigan today, there will be a downpour of criticism, especially after last month's loss to UCLA.
``That’s how it goes in football,’’ Carroll said. ``Look how all the old opinions came back with UCLA because they lost (the Emerald Bowl).’’