October 2007 Archives

Former USC wide receivers are having a long week. First Mike Williams gets cut and now Dwayne Jarrett draws the ire of Steve Smith (not the USC Steve Smith).
http://blogs.charlotte.com/panthers/2007/10/smith-has-messa.html

USC coach Pete Carroll said he spoke to Pac-10 supervisor of officials David Cutaia today about the fact Trojan opponents rank 10th in penalties the past four seasons.
``He had no explanation,'' Carroll said.
Cutaia was a referee before this season (remember he was suspended for a game after the infamous Oregon-Oklahoma game) so maybe he's one of the reasons USC opponents never got called for penalties.

John David Booty said his passes were not sailing like during last week's practices.
``It didn’t seem like it,'' Booty said. ``It had great spin and I was putting it on guys.''

Sam Baker will probably miss the game. Doctors advised him to sit a week but he wants to try to play.
Pete Carroll said Baker is unlikely to play.

One question per person, unless you are from Gaul.

Let's be clear, this is not an ``excuse'' for losing. It just never came up when USC won every game.
http://www.uscripsit.com/news/newspage.php?news_id=2069
How come the official web site does not do the ``explanations?'' By the way, Oregon did only get flagged for only one penalty, but two other Duck penalties were declined.

Does Oregon State gain anything from beating USC last year?
``Except for looking at last year’s game and seeing what both teams tried to do, besides that probably not much,'' Oregon State coach Mike Riley said.

Oregon State has not defeated USC at the Coliseum since 1960, a span of 20 straight games.
“Our kids don’t have to bear the burden of 40 years in the Coliseum. We are aware of the circumstances of our history, but we don’t dwell on it,'' Oregon State coach Mike Riley said.

Washington coach Ty Willingham recently made this comment reflecting back on the Huskies-USC game:
"How many of our starters, when we lined up against USC that night, would start for them?"

USC was picked first in the preseason Pac-10 poll. Oregon was sixth.
``I sort of smiled inwardly,'' Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said of his team's low ranking.

Assistant coach Todd McNair said he's had no problem with the performance of starting tailback Chauncey Washington this season. Washington averages 4.4 yards per carry but McNair said it’s a deceiving statistic.
``If you take out short-yard and goal-line runs, it’s about 5.6 yards,’’ McNair said. ``I’m happy with the way he’s running.’’

Remember when Pete Carroll challenged a reception with the outcome already decided against Notre Dame?
Carroll got a lot of stick from the crowd but we heard tonight the Pacific-10 Conference said Carroll's challenge was actually correct. The Big East crew in charge of replays watched the first two angles of the play, which were inconclusive.
By the time the replay crew saw a third angle, they decided the game was over anyways and did not inform the officials on the field of the reversal.

Quarterback Mark Sanchez said the past three games were invaluable, especially playing at Oregon despite the loss.
``It was the funnest time of my life,’’ Sanchez said. ``It blows my mind how much your outlook changes when you get to play. Next year I won’t be so emotional like I was against Arizona.’’

John David Booty took all the first-team reps and even survived a blow to his right hand.
"Some one came in and batted (the ball out),'' Booty said. "I was kind of glad I did get hit, to see it was OK."

Tackle Sam Baker stretched at the outset of practice and then left.

Tuesday usually features the largest crowd of spectators but there might be 50 watching practice today.
Do two losses really kill people's interest that fast?

Here's Oregon State coach Mike Riley on the status of tailback Yvenson Bernard.
``Well, we certainly like to have him. We got some good news as far as the MRI. He’s got a sprained shoulder. It’s not dislocated, so it’s really going to be a day-to-day thing. It’s pretty darn sore, I’ll tell you that. I’m sure he will want to play. If we come to the point where he won’t reinjure it or where we are putting him at risk, then we will see about Thursday. Right now, I would say it’s just day-to-day and the news is pretty good from the reports that we go.”

Linebacker Kaluka Maiava is wearing a hard cast on his arm after suffering a possible broken wrist against Oregon. Maiava said X-rays were inconclusive and he will undergo another set next week.
But he will play against Oregon State with the cast.

Who do you want to start, John David Booty or Mark Sanchez?

How quickly have things changed?
"No one's afraid of the big bad wolf anymore,'' a USC coach said this week.

Didn't Notre Dame ``jam the middle'' on the Bush Push touchdown play?

Offensive line coach Pat Ruel was candid about the run blocking Monday.
http://www.dailynews.com/usc/ci_7317032

A couple glaring things stand out on that fourth-and-1 play in the first quarter. Oregon’s defense shifted completely towards the side where the play went and no one was in front of the right guard, which meant a gaping hole existed.
USC believes Oregon got confused by the formation and accidentally shifted into the perfect spot to tackle Joe McKnight.
But offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said he regretted not calling a timeout before the play. Sarkisian said he saw Oregon’s defense shift from the sideline.
``When I look back at it, I should have called a timeout from the sideline,’’ Sarkisian said.
Ironically, the shift created a hole because no one lined up against the right guard, but Sarkisian said the play USC ran did not really allow for an audible.

"He looked really good," offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said. "The ball came out much better than the past two weeks."

Tackle Sam Baker's hamstring is torn but partially attached, and he is doubtful for the game. Baker said he wants to play.
Quarterback John David Booty practiced with the first team is on track to start.
Offensive guard Chilo Rachal was sick and did not practice.

The only opponent 100-yard rushing performances against USC in the 2006 and 2007 seasons have come in losses in the state of Oregon.
Oregon State's Clinton Polk gained 100 yards in last year's victory while Oregon's Jonathan Stewart gained 103 yards last weekend.

BCS guru Jerry Palm projects USC playing Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. That means Palm expects USC to win all of its remaining games.

Pete Carroll was asked about USC's last touchdown drive, when the Trojans quickly marched down the field.
``We went into no-huddle mode and so did Oregon,'' Carroll said. ``You can't just do it all the time. It depends on how the game and how it's going.''

USC's strength of schedule skyrocketed to No. 90 following the Oregon game, up 19 places from the week before, under the BCS formula used from 1999-2003.

Pete Carroll talked about how he regretted playing John David Booty in the second half against Stanford and also lamented the need for conservative playcalling with Mark Sanchez.
http://www.dailynews.com/usc/ci_7308582

Here"s the grades.

USC ranks 96th in the nation with six interceptions and two of those were by defensive end Kyle Moore.
``We’re playing really good pass defense but not getting the ball,’’ USC coach Pete Carroll said. ``The only issue I can add is not hitting the quarterback enough. We still have 21 sacks. But this group has played the same the past two years (with few interceptions).''

Here's an interesting quote on the limited use of Stafon Johnson.
``He doesn’t feel 100 percent. I was disappointed he didn’t get involved more,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said. ``That happens when you rotate guys.''
And a revised look at the Stanford game when John David Booty broke his finger.
``We made a mistake with John, not knowing the situation. I wish I could have assessed that better at the time,'' Carroll said. ``Maybe we would have put Mark (Sanchez) in and played it closer to the vest.''

Sam Baker underwent an MRI today on his hip and sore hamstring but he is currently questionable. Linebacker Kaluka Maiava sprained his thumb and wide receiver Brad Walker sprained his ankle.

Some quick thoughts of Pete Carroll.
``It's different. We haven't been in this situation in a long time. It doesn't change anything. You don't do anything different. You coach like crazy.
``We were talking as a staff today about how many good defensive schemes there are in this conference and skill guys who can make plays. Everybody is getting everybody (in the Pac-10).''

The main focus for a couple weeks is whether John David Booty or Mark Sanchez should play quarterback.
But the bigger problem all season is the stubborn refusal to shake up the tailback rotation.
Does USC really deserve to be higher than 19th in the BCS rankings when it continues to settle for 4.4 yards per carry from the starting spot?
I put this question to Pete Carroll last Monday and he said he was happy with the current rotation for the rest of the season (some of you mistakenly thought this was because Stafon Johnson was hurt but the answer also applied to when Johnson is 100 percent).
I'm guessing most defensive coordinators who face USC are thrilled Joe McKnight was developed too slowly and Allen Bradford remained on the bench. All summer, we referred to the need to stretch defenses and it rarely happened from the tailback spot.
And that's the biggest reason USC sits 19th. It's a CD (coaches' decision).

Here's quote from defensive end Lawrence Jackson after the game.
``I’m pretty sure in the last five years, we didn’t do things well enough to win but came out with a victory,’’ defensive end Lawrence Jackson said. ``It’s not like that anymore.’’

Here's my ballot for the AP Top 25.

Perhaps the most impressive stat in Pete Carroll's tenure continued Saturday. Even though USC lost, Carroll's still lost by double digits only one time in seven seasons (Notre Dame, 2001) and that was by 11 points.

Quarterback John David Booty on criticism he and Mark Sanchez face from unhappy fans.
``It’s a difficult job. A lot of people don’t understand it. The game’s hard,’’ Booty said. ``I don’t know what everyone wants Mark or myself to be. We hate to lose. He hates to lose.’’

The Caesar Dynasty 2002-2005 A.D.

Sam Baker reinjured his hamstring and said his hip also bothered him. He is unsure if he will play next week.

Here's where John David Booty and Mark Sanchez currenty stand in the stat dept:

Caesar: ``When you give teams the ball it's so hard to win, especially with a team that's as loaded as Oregon is. We couldn't really get anything going and defensively they were a lot better than I anticipated.''

Mike Bellotti on USC: ``They are as talented as any football team in the United States.''

Rey Maualuga: ``"It may be over but that's always a place for a new start. We start new on Monday when everybody comes to practice and we get things going with a chance for a new thing ... I might be wrong, but we'll
see. Things are going to change. ... Hopefully you'll see a smile on my face next time you talk to me."

Caesar was also upset over the holding call on Drew Radovich that erased Joe McKnight's touchdown run and felt it was a bad call.

Pete Carroll said he ran outside with Joe McKnight on the first series because he thought Oregon would jam the middle with its defense.

USC obviously did not have the faith to open the playbook with Mark Sanchez and John David Booty did not have enough control on his passes to play.
That's the dilemma the Trojans faced and without a go-to tailback, which further limited its offensive options.

USC might need to show some faith in Mark Sanchez and become less conservative in the second half.

Joe McKnight's lost more yards (31) than any tailback this season, which makes the 4th and 1 call curious at best.

It's sunny and 55 degrees, unless you're in the shade and then it feels about 45. The game is so big up here there are no cars on the roads outside Autzen Stadium.
It's not a late-arriving crowd.

The Sugar, Rose and Sun bowls are in attendance today.

USC coach Pete Carroll offered a glimpse of his true feelings toward Autzen Stadium, which he rarely admits before playing an opponent.
``It’s a fun place to win,’’ he said. ``I like winning up there.’’

It's an early game, so time to get those picks out there. As a tiebreaker, pick the score of the Arsenal-Liverpool game or select the number of timeouts USC calls during the first quarter.

Here's some more answers. It's the game of the year tomorrow and Caesar is 2-2 in his past four Pac-10 road games. With that in mind, today's game is brought to you by Roman Meal, which will be brought to Eugene to provide sustenance for the legions.

Here's the next batch of answers. This batch is brought to you by the CIA, which is trying to figure out a way to force all of you to watch TrojanTV.

This is the first batch of answers today. I tried to include the questions to see if it makes it easier to read. So far, I haven't been asked about referring to Pete Carroll as Caesar for the third straight week. Hail Caesar!

One of Pete Carroll's worst memories in the Pacific-10 Conference was a trip to Eugene, Ore., in 2001, when fans taunted the Trojans coming out of the locker room and there were some near-altercations.
He even considered bringing video cameras the following season to record any incidents with the crowd. t's been six years, but once again this week, Carroll reminded the Trojans to be prepared for Oregon fans during one of his team talks.
"The last couple games with Nebraska and Notre Dame, the fans weren't ruthless and supported their team," USC defensive end Lawrence Jackson said. "This is a college town and you expect it to be rowdy."

USC was only the second team that used its backup quarterback to beat Notre Dame. Michigan was the other. And it happened to be the largest margin of victory for both.
I asked a coach who watched film of USC and Notre Dame how many Irish defensive starters (their good side of the ball) could start at USC? ``0.''

Offensive tackle Drew Radovich (sore back) said he thinks he will start unless his back locks up Saturday morning. Radovich said his back is not nearly as bad as during training camp and he's confident he can play.
Sam Baker and Chilo Rachal are ready to play.

As expected, Mark Sanchez will start over John David Booty. Drew Radovich sat out again with his sore back but still might start.

While USC picks a quarterback, Oregon needs to pick a uniform for Saturday's game.
That’s usually a Thursday decision,'' Ducks coach Mike Bellotti said. ``Somebody told me last week that there are 384 combinations so I have the pinwheel chart on the wall. I just throw a dart at it.”

We've previously mentioned Notre Dame recruits wavering and showing interest in USC, but it's debatable if the Trojans would be interested in QB Dayne Christ right now because junior Matt Barkley of Mater Dei appears to heavily favor USC.
A Pac-10 recruiting coordinator told me Barkley is the best junior or senior QB prospect on the West Coast.

With so much talk about the USC-Oregon game, it's easy to overlook the Raiders play the Titans. The big question is who will acknowledge who first? Lane Kiffin or Norm Chow. The easy answer is neither since they have not spoken in several years. Heck, they weren't speaking when they worked together at USC.

It's been two days since we answered questions, so there must be a host of unanswered queries. One question per person please.

Here's my post-practice report and the tackling of another sacred cow.
http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=51083@kcbs.dayport.com

Tailback Broderick Green said he would redshirt this season after consulting with his family and coaches. Green said his injured foot felt fine but it was decided he should sit out this season and play the next four years.

Stafon Johnson admitted his sprained foot was "killing him'' when he played against Notre Dame. Johnson said he feels better but is still around 80-85 percent.

John David Booty enjoyed a better than expected practice and surprised Pete Carroll. But he still has swelling in his finger and the ball sometimes sails because of the injury.
Mark Sanchez looks on track to start (no promises!).
Sam Baker practiced and will play. Drew Radovich sat out with a sore back. Joe McKnight got hit in the back but is OK.

This is the first time two 10 teams played at Autzen Stadium. Oregon was 11th when it played No. 6-ranked Cal last month.
USC is 1-5 against Oregon when the Ducks are ranked higher in the AP poll. However, Caesar owns the lone victory, a 44-33 win as No. 15 USC defeated No. 14 Oregon in 2002.

All-American offensive tackle Sam Baker said he's going to try to play against Oregon even though the coaches consider him questionable right now.

Former Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn briefly wore a USC jersey after losing a bet on last week's game with Rodney Peete. According to the Associated Press, when Quinn finished an interview, ``he quickly ripped off the jersey and slam dunked it into a nearby garbage can.
``A few minutes later, Browns linebacker Willie McGinest, a former USC All-American, confronted Quinn in front of his locker. McGinest wanted to know what Quinn had done with the jersey.
"You acting up?" McGinest said.
"I didn't make the bet with you," Quinn said.''

Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron is trying to avoid a silver anniversary milestone. The last time the Rebels (2-6, 0-5) didn't have a conference victory was 1982. Ole Miss has three SEC games remaining: a trip to Auburn next Saturday, a home game against LSU and the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State in Starkville.

Two weeks ago, LSU was No. 1 in the BSC computer rankings; then they lost to Kentucky. Last week, South Florida had the best computer ranking and lost to Rutgers. This week, the computers' top school is Boston College. The Eagles play at Virginia Tech Thursday night.

Does USC need to change its defensive scheme for Oregon?
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_7263203

Forward Davon Jefferson, out with a sprained knee, said he does not expect to play in Sunday's basketball scrimmage.

Former wide receiver Johnnie Morton came to practice and gave advice to wide receiver Ronald Johnson afterward. At least we know Morton's OK now following his 38-second career as a mixed-martial arts fighter and . . . you know the rest.

Despite the fires, the air was not different around USC and players said there was no problem practicing.

Lots of compliments for John David Booty today as he had his best day of practice according to Pete Carroll but he would not start today if USC played a game.
Booty's velocity remains an issue, Carroll said.
"He's not throwing at his best but he was pretty good."

Offensive guard Chilo Rachal slammed his helmet to the ground in disgust and left practice.
Pete Carroll said Rachal "threw a fit" because of his injured leg. Pat Ruel said he has fluid in his calf. Both say Rachal will play.

Here's the last bit of answers from the Lightning Round.

Oregon coach Mike Bellotti on USC's quarterbacks: "I don't see any difference in the quarterbacks. The guys do the offense a little differently but both run the offense well.
"There's enough bootleg potential to keep the defenses honest."

Wasn't it a great idea to ask questions on a Monday?

Here's the first part of the answers:

Oregon is favored over USC this week by three points. The last time the Trojans were an underdog in the regular season was against Auburn in 2003 (four points). The last time USC was an underdog in a Pac-10 game was in 2001 against UCLA (three points).
USC was also an underdog in last year's Rose Bowl against Michigan (1.5 points).

Apparently not every starting spot is open to competition.
http://www.dailynews.com/usc/ci_7253511

Pete Carroll said he needs to see how John David Booty's finger responds after he throws tomorrow. Last week, he was unable to do much after throwing because it increased swelling.
``If it’s this week or next week, (Booty) should make a turn soon,’’ Carroll said. ``It can’t be healed yet. Maybe he can withstand it, I don’t know.’’

Mark Sanchez said he thinks playing at Notre Dame gives him the necessary experience if he ends up playing at Autzen Stadium.
"This past week was a great experience with a tough crowd, at least in the first quarter, when I called a couple timeouts," Sanchez said.

Six players returned to practice, mostly offensive linemen although Sam Baker remains questionable.
John David Booty will throw tomorrow but said he wants to start. Mark Sanchez remains with the first group in practice.

We mentioned after the Notre Dame game that a mannequin put up more resistance than Irish coach Charlie Weis. Here's a quote from USC coach Pete Carroll that seems to back up what we said.
``They didn't do anything to stop what we were doing,'' he said.

I will answer questions posted by 11 p.m. tonight.

Now you can test the accuracy of computer rankings. The Sagarin ratings ``predictor'' say Oregon will hand USC the biggest loss of the Pete Carroll era on Saturday.

This is USC's sixth trip to Eugene in the past eight meetings between the schools because the Pac-10 used to play an unbalanced schedule thanks to certain rivalries (USC-Cal, Oregon-Washington) that schools did not want skipped for two years.
Of course, Arizona State might complain that six of the past nine meetings were at the Coliseum.

Here's the grades.

USC's exhibition season is over.
http://www.dailynews.com/usc/ci_7244899

USC coach Pete Carroll said he might make a quicker decision this week about who starts at quarterback because he is becoming more familiar with the way John David Booty's broken finger responds.
``We’ve got to see what’s different as John works to prepare,’’ Carroll said. ``We’ve got a better sense now how to handle it. We might decide sooner than last week.
``We’ll look at it every possible way,’’ he said. ``Practice reps, game reps. It could be an easy decision either way.’’

The legions are letting down Caesar on special teams. There will be probably be changes on the punt return team this week following three penalties against Notre Dame.
``It's too costly,'' Carroll said. ``Those are things we can fix.''

Sunday night, USC coach Pete Carroll talked about Stafon Johnson's ability to make plays and then said, ``It's taken seven games but we finally figured out how we want to use guys. We've searched to find the right mix.''

Pete Carroll said USC actually had seven sacks on film, not five. He said Alex Morrow and Fili Moala were not credited with sacks.

BCS guru Jerry Palm computes USC's strength of schedule to be the 109th-best in the nation, using the formula used by the BCS from 1999-2003. Palm estimates by the time USC finishes the tough part of its schedule, the Trojans could move up No. 54.

Offensive guard Jeff Byers gave Butch Lewis a big endorsement after the game.
``He's going to be an All-American one day,'' Byers said.

USC tailback Joe McKnight seemed to forget USC entered the game ranked 14th in the BCS poll.
``We are the best team and still are the best team no matter who is at quarterback for us,’’ McKnight said.

Here's my latest ballot for the AP.

A mannequin on the sideline would offer more resistance than Charlie Weis did. His playcalling was unimaginative and uninspired. Two years ago, he at least kept Pete Carroll off-balance with his creativity. Saturday, he did everything but wave a white flag. The fans are too bored to care.
And I heard after the game from an Irish source that some Notre Dame recruits are now contacting USC.

USC’s 38-point victory over Notre Dame was the Irish’s second-worst home loss in history. The worst loss was a 40-0 loss to Oklahoma in 1956.

As USC coach Pete Carroll departed the field, the Notre Dame fans chanted, ``F--- Pete Carroll.'' They should have performed a similar cheer for Charlie Weis when he left.

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis after the game.
``I'll gladly take the hits for our program, but USC is a good football team . . . we're at different ends of the spectrum at this point. They are where we want to be. And I will work till the ends of the earth until that ends up happening.''

John David Booty's broken finger was still swollen after the game and USC coach Pete Carroll said he was unsure if Booty would be healthy against Oregon. Carroll did say Booty should be the starter when he is 100 percent.
``He's been our starter all year long,'' Carroll said.
Mark Sanchez said he wants to start against Oregon.
``I don't want to let it go,'' he said.
Booty said he thinks he should start.
``If you ask me, yeah, I do,'' he said.

How did UCLA lose to these guys?

Charlie Weis is challenging that 45-14 drubbing Ty Willingham took in 2003 from a USC team with a slightly better cast. But what's surprising is the lack of booing from Notre Dame fans, or maybe they are all booed out from the first seven games.

We can already see next week's big topic around USC: Who will start at quarterback?

Today's officials are from the Pac-10. The replay crew is from the Big East.

I can't ever remember empty seats in the Notre Dame student section but there are some noticeable seats available 13 minutes to kickoff.

Notre Dame won't win any awards today with its uniforms. The bright yellow pants are embarassing looking down on the field.
Hopefully, they look better on TV.

It's warm and sunny at Notre Dame as the Trojans arrived at the stadium.

Pete Carroll tries to ignore all the tradition associated with playing at Notre Dame following his 2001 trip when he showed the Trojans many of the landmarks.
``I really did it to please a lot of people,'' Carroll said. ``I just made a mistake. If you let that become a factor it would cook us.''

Just for everyone's curiousity, the term used on the radio was ``Cuatro-Espalda.'' But a Spanish-language play-by-play man tells me the correct term would be ``Mariscal del campo.''
My original point was why are these phrases being used on the radio?

Here's the rest of the answers to the Open Forum.

We'll have the rest of the open forum by 5 p.m.

Notre Dame's cornerbacks sound weak against the run but safety Tom Zbikowski got mostly compliments from USC's evaluation.
He's an aggresive blitzer, likes contact and is good at fighting off blocks.

Notre Dame starts a true freshman, Kerry Neal, at outside linebacker. Even the Trojans' scouting report contains virtually no information on him.

What a refreshing Open Forum. Less than seven Mitch Mustain questions. And not too many Notre Dame-USC questions. Is this year's game that much of a dud? How do you expect Caesar to march into Hibernia with his legions minus the support of the masses?
Today's Open Forum is brought to you by Roman Meal, which is banned by Charlie Weis, who prefers Wonder Bread, because it's a wonder he could let Notre Dame slide so far.
Note: Questions not answered here will be answered later today.

USC took plenty of players to Notre Dame. Freshmen wide receiver Brandon Carswell and tailback Broderick Green were included even though Carswell is redshirting and Green is just coming back from injury. Senior fullback Jody Adewale, who misses practices Mondays and Tuesdays because he is going to class to obtain his master’s degree, also made the trip.

Is USC overrated?
http://www.dailynews.com/usc/ci_7219782

Sometimes, so many ludicrous things happen during a week, we forget some items. Last week, we were told that the USC radio broadcast claimed to use a Spanish term for quarterback to refer to Mark Sanchez. As awful as that sounds, we were told by some who actually listened they couldn't even get their translation right.
Apparently the term they used translated to ``Mr. Four Back'' instead of ``Mr. Quarterback.' This is the type of insight you would expect from a 1950's broadcast.

USC graduate assistant Demetrice Martin, who played at Michigan State, said he would look for Notre Dame quarterback coach Ron Powlus, who played for the Irish in the mid-90s.
``I had two (interceptions) in a game against him,’’ Martin said. ``I’ll let him know about it before the game.’’

Some dilemmas here. Notre Dame is awful. USC . . . well the Trojans struggled the past three games. Close game? Blowout?
Bonus points for predicting carries for each tailback.

One school of thought is that USC could start Mark Sanchez because it would be easier to bring John David Booty in for relief than Sanchez.
But offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian disagreed.
"I don't think either has enough experience to have an advantage if they came in second," Sarkisian said.

Vidal Hazelton gets another start opposite Patrick Turner. Terrell Thomas, who had a sore hamstring, starts at cornerback.

Offensive tackle Sam Baker will be available for emergency use.

Rey Maualuga practiced and will play, according to Pete Carroll. Chilo Rachal did not practice but will play. Terrell Thomas and Brian Cushing will also play.
Carroll said John David Booty could start but no formal decision has been made. Mark Sanchez still appears to be the starter.

We'll have a practice recap this afternoon as the team works out early before flying to Notre Dame.
Chilo Rachal is watching practice from a trainer's table.

In 1956, No. 17-ranked USC narrowly beat a 2-7 Irish team, 28-20, at the Coliseum to give the Irish their eighth loss of the year. And in 1960, in John McKay's first year, Notre Dame came to Los Angeles with eight consecutive losses, against only one win. They left with a 17-0 victory over USC.

Here's the latest video report for Channel 2 and Channel 9.
http://cbs2.com/video/?id=50692@kcbs.dayport.com

Here's the Notre Dame injury report Charlie Weis wouldn't give.
http://www.dailynews.com/usc/ci_7208689

Linebacker Rey Maualuga (hip pointer) said he felt much better and did not rule out playing despite the fact he did not practice.
``Now I’m seeing myself playing,’’ Maualuga said. ``I can’t run full speed yet. There’s some pain there. I’m not counting myself out of the game.’’
But USC Pete Carroll was much less optimistic and said Maualuga was unlikely to play.

Offensive tackle Sam Baker will test his sore hamstring tomorrow to see if he can play.
"A shoulder injury I could just play through but a hamstring you have to respect," Baker said. "That's the hard thing."

John David Booty threw again Wednesday and said his finger felt better and there was no significant swelling. Most passes were about 20 yards.
Pete Carroll said if Booty feels great Saturday he could play but it also sounds like Mark Sanchez will be the starter right now.
"There's no question John can play," Carroll said. "(But) we're preparing Mark to be the starter."

Stafon Johnson said he might not play because he has some pain in his foot but remains day-to-day.

One question per person please.

USC and Notre Dame might not sound like a marquee matchup right now, but according to Tickets Now, the average price for a ticket is a national-high $501.
Even more interesting, Tickets Now said 44 perceent of game tickets sold have been purchased by California residents.

Quarterback Mark Sanchez on his key run against Arizona.
``One of the coaches said I looked like Bambi on Ice.''

Brian Cushing started several drills yesterday with the first team but gave way to Clay Matthews, who took the majority of snaps. This is a way to preserve Cushing during the week so he his sprained ankle is not aching too much the day of the Notre Dame game.

Washington State, Arizona (and UCLA) are three jobs that the coaching grapevine thinks will open up. Ironically, Cougars coach Bill Doba is 27-27 after 54 games, the exact record as his predecessor, Mike Price.
Arizona's Mike Stoops is 14-27 (.341) versus a 12-29 (.293) before him.
Two other comparisons: Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron is 9-21, a .300 winning percentage. His predecessor, David Cutcliffe was 19-11 (.600) after 30 games. Syracuse coach Greg Robinson is 6-21 (.200) while former coach Paul Pasqualoni was 15-15 (.500).

Since 1998, the lowest-ranked team in the first BCS poll to make the national-championship game was LSU, ranked 12th in 2003. In 10 years this is only the third time six one-loss teams made the top 10 in the initial poll.
Here's a chart that shows where the BCS-title game participants were ranked in the first week's poll.

That booster who had no business being in the coaches' box against Stanford and got into an argument with an official was conspicuously absent from the sideline at the Arizona game. Maybe the program is making progress.

Here's the rushing yardage allowed by Washington's defense in its past four games. Look which team gained the least.
Ohio State: 263
UCLA: 333
USC: 224
ASU: 296

Look who wants to come back to USC.
http://www.dailynews.com/usc/ci_7198699

Defensive end Kyle Moore did not practice to rest a sore knee but should be back tomorrow.

The coaches want to see how John David Booty's finger feels tomorrow after throwing and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said he was unsure if Booty would limit the playcalling.
"I thought the ball came out really well and sometimes it didn't come out as well as I've seen from him.
"I expected nothing. I thought it went well for a day."

Butch Lewis is on track to start at left tackle with Sam Baker still trying to overcome his hamstring injury. Shareece Wright will play and Chilo Rachal returns tomorrow.
Brian Cushing is also fit. Stafon Johnson only practiced with the scout team, so he's day to day. Rey Maualuga has swelling in his hip and remains unlikely to play but Pete Carroll said he will wait to rule him out.

John David Booty threw better than expected with a glove.
"He actually threw pretty well," Pete Carroll said.
Still no decision as Booty is day to day.

Per some things Caesar said today at his press conference, USC supplied a stat comparison between this season and last season.

There's been a pretty significant shift in thinking in just two weeks. Even last year, after the Oregon State loss, the main talking point was that the national championship was still a possibility.
But the program seems to be more in survival mode right now. When Cal's upset loss to Oregon State came up in discussion and how the Bears' loss would not help USC's strength of schedule rating, a member of the program said, ``You think we're worried about a national championship?''
Actually, the USC of the previous four years would be. And all those blue-chip recruits that select USC always seem to mention a national title as a reason for coming here.
This change could be temporary, because of injuries, but the fact it exists at all is stunning when you consider USC was the No. 1-ranked team in the nation a couple weeks ago.

Charlie Weis was asked about the USC-Notre Dame game two years ago at South Bend and snuck in a reference to the Bush Push.
``You've got to give it to them. Got to give it to the coach, got to give it to the quarterback, because it was ultimately his decision. You've got to give it to the running back for helping aid them in getting in there, a heads-up play.
I can whine all I want, but it was a heck of a game. I just wish it would have ended the other way.''

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis was asked about the grass today.
``No, I don't have any comment. The only thing, and I will comment on one thing. I knew that in that game, and I remember Desmond Reed got hurt in that game, OK, and no way do you ever want a player getting hurt from another team for any reason. But this is the Midwest, and we're going to play five games in a row at home. That's where we are right now.

The current combined record of Syracuse, Ole Miss and the Raiders is 5-14. For the uninitiated, those are Pete Carroll's close friends (Greg Robinson) or former assistants (Ed Orgeron, Lane Kiffin). Maybe it's unfair to include Kiffin, in his first season but he has the best record of the trio.

We've frequently mentioned the soft coverages played by the secondary but against Arizona, USC finally used some man-to-man coverage before going solely to it in the fourth quarter.

While Mark Sanchez gains valuable experience filling in for John David Booty, imagine the decision the coaches would have if Mitch Mustain were eligible. Mustain said Monday he's not antsy to play right now.
``I have too much of the offense to learn,'' he said. ``I'm happy to watch.''

Mark Sanchez thought he was hurt at yesterday's practice.
http://www.dailynews.com/usc/ci_7188819

O.J. Mayo denied punching teammate Daniel Hackett. But not everyone agrees.
http://www.dailynews.com/usc/ci_7188818

Cornerback Shareece Wright said he thinks he can play this week while offensive guard Zack Heberer suffered a separated shoulder and will miss the game.

Not all the injury news is bad. Offensive lineman Nick Howell, who was told he would miss the season following hernia surgery, was cleared to practice Monday.
Offensive guard Chilo Rachal and tailback Stafon Johnson are also expected to play against Notre Dame.

Thomas Williams starts at middle linebacker if Rey Maualuga is hurt. Brian Cushing is expected to return but no word yet if he will start.

John David Booty said he wants to play this week and will try to throw tomorrow. He will wear a glove in practice and said his swelling went down over the weekend.
We'll see what Pete Carroll says.
Rey Maualuga gets an MRI tonight but said he felt a pop in his hip and called it one of the worst pains he's felt.
He said he could not play if a game were today.
UPDATED: Carroll said Mark Sanchez will be the No. 1 quarterback in practice tomorrow and "we'll see where we are" after Booty throws.

Who should start at tailback?
Joe McKnight's probably not ready and Stafon Johnson should play against Notre Dame but should he start after missing two games? Hershel Dennis was merely a decoy when Pete Carroll said last week he would be the No. 2 back.
Does this mean Chauncey Washington, who averaged three yards a carry against Arizona, gets yet another start?

Time to look at the participation chart, which showed freshmen safety Marshall Jones and defensive tackle Christian Tupou did not play against Arizona. Readers here already know my feelings about the pair not redshirting.
On the bright side, freshman linebacker Malcolm Smith did play special teams.

Notre Dame is ranked 119th in rushing offense, averaging 1.02 yards per carry, which is the nation's worst mark.
Meanwhile, the best defense in USC history is ranked 86th in tackles for loss.

Notre Dame went 2-7 In 1963. The only two victories were against USC and UCLA. The Irish beat the No. 7-ranked, defending national champion USC 17-14 and came back to beat the Bruins a week later 27-12.

Someone was not too confident last week.
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_7179914

One player said last week that the coaches said Arizona's offensive line was below average, and that's a diplomatic way of putting it. But the Trojans only sacked Arizona QB Willie Tuitama once last weekend.

Here's the grades for the USC-Arizona game.

There are concerns:
``Hopefully, at the halfway mark we would know what we were doing and here we are playing with a backup quarterback,’’ USC coach Pete Carroll said. ``The normal momentum at the halfway mark is not there.
``Things happen. Everybody is losing. We better get some guys healthy to have the strength we need.’'

Here's a Pete Caroll quote from tonight:
``I don’t mind where we’re sitting now. People have to play us too.
I’ve mentioned to (the team) we’ve lost a game every season except once. We’ve had years we’ve lost games and had a lot of good things happened.''

Pete Carroll said he did not know if Rey Maualuga or Sam Baker would be back this week. He expects Stafon Johnson to return but does not know if John David Booty will be able to throw on Tuesday, when the Trojans practice in pads.

Michael Thomas of Arizona had 12 receptions for 83 yards and no touchdowns. He becomes the fifth player with 12 or more catches against USC. Curiously, none of the five had a receiving touchdown against the Trojans. In fact, three of these five did not even gain 100 yards.
Here's the top five: (Two of which came against Caesar).

We almost forgot. Two representatives from the Sugar Bowl attended the game. They left early.

According to Jerry Palm, through yesterday, USC's strengh of schedule record, using the formula in effect with the BCS from 1999 to 2003, would rank it 107th out of 120 Division 1-A teams, one place behind Kansas. Ranked 120th: Hawaii.

USC was ranked 14th in the first BCS standings. The key was being ranked 23rd in the computer polls. Did anyone ever think USC would be ranked below Kansas in a BCS poll?
By the way, we hear that during the USC radio broadcast it was stated an undefeated South Florida would not make the championship game. South Florida was ranked No. 1 in the computer polls and No. 2 in the BCS.

Idaho, Nebraska, Washington State, Washington, and Stanford all lost yesterday. Those are the teams USC played this season besides 2-5 Arizona. It's one reason USC is 35th in the Sagarin rankings, which are one of the computer polls used by the BCS.
Jerry Palm estimates USC will be between 13th-14th when today's BCS rankings are released.

Here's the AP Top 25 ballot with a new No. 1.

In the span of three games, USC has played more like a team from the Paul Hackett-era than one with Pete Carroll's trademark swagger.
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_7173116

Here's a revealing quote from USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian that speaks volumes about things right now.
``People have to learn this is the way it’s going to be for awhile,’’ Sarkisian said. ``This isn’t Matt (Leinart), Reggie (Bush), LenDale (White) and Dwayne (Jarrett).
``None of them are going to be easy now. We have to play tight football games. Field position is a big deal now. We never talked about that before.
``We’re going to be a in a dogfight. We’re learning. We’re a different football team. The punter matters now.’’

Here's Lou Holtz's quote today about USC. Holtz is a bit of an enigma. He doesn't like USC but he's also friends with Pete Carroll.
``I don't see a team that would scare me to play them...Oregon would scare me to play, I'd be scared to death to play California and even Arizona State but not Southern Cal, not right now, and I'm not sure the problems they have can be corrected within a week or two.''

Here's how Mark Sanchez's debut compares to Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and John David Booty. Impressively, none of those three threw an interception in their first game.
UPDATED: These stats were supplied to all media by USC sports information office. I posted them because I figured the readers would be interested. But as usual, I see the first commenters could not simply process the information. Will they get mad at USC now?

Freshman Joe McKnight lost 20 yards rushing today. But he averaged 5.8 yards a carry with that 59-yard run. My point all along was that McKnight deserved at least 10 carries in a game to see what he could do. USC might be 6-0 right now if he broke one of those runs against Stanford.

``It was ugly. It was bloody and it was a mess there for awhile.''
-- USC quarterback Mark Sanchez

It might be coachspeak but Pete Carroll tried to play down the idea John David Booty could return next week.
``It is a broken finger,'' Carroll said. ``We can see the chip in the X-rays. It's something that is supposed to last about two, three weeks and Mark did a good job to play, so going into the week he is the starter.''
Other injuries: Zack Heberer is believed to have torn something in his shoulder and will undergo an MRI tomorrow. Sam Baker pulled his hamstring. Rey Maualuga suffered a hip pointer.
UPDATED: Kevin Ellison might have broken his nose and Heberer's officially a bruised shoulder until tests are performed.

Caesar after the game: ``Really good day for us and a great day for everyone here at the Coliseum.''

It's the third quarter and it's not pretty. Discuss.

The boo birds are back after a questionable decision to run on third down in the second quarter. That follows an equally bad idea to run on third down on the game's first series.

In a new Game Day feature, readers are encouraged to select the year today's halftime show. Some of you are so adept, you might know the year.
Some safe options are 1971, 1973, 1978 and 1985.

Hey, it took longer today. I had to field questions about the fat booster and Julius Caesar syndrome. We've increased our ad rates with Roman Meal due to the high volume of Caesar references.

This is a tough one. For bonus points, you can also select USC's turnover ratio for tomorrow.

I have to give credit to the players when it comes to sarcasm. Last night Joe McKnight told Brian Cushing, ``This isn't New Jersey where 250-pound guys can play receiver.''
To which Cushing responded, ``You're one step from the (scout) team.''

Here's the first part of the Open Forum answers. I couldn't do all the answers at once because I was too distraught over last week. The rest will be posted later today.

USC defensive end Lawrence Jackson responds to suggestions there is not enough vocal leadership on the team.
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_7154297

USC stages its Midnight Madness tonight at the Galen Center but the center of attention, O.J. Mayo, said he does intend to perform any dunks.
``I don't think so,'' Mayo said.
Maybe the crowd will change his mind. Personally, I'd rather watch Brynn Cameron shoot 3-pointers anyways.

With some problems at running back, what about freshman Marc Tyler? Well, he's not 100 percent either. Tyler actually aggravated his leg (which he fractured last year) and missed more than a day's practice this week. He is on track to redshirt.

Kicker David Buehler had another field-goal blocked Thursday, his third of the week. Last week, a blocking breakdown led to his extra point being blocked and made the difference in Stanford’s 24-23 upset.

Stafon Johnson said his foot is actually sprained and bruised, which is a revised diagnosis. He did not recover as much as he hoped this week and said he would leave it up to the coaches if he plays. Pete Carroll said he would talk to Johnson, but it appears right now unlikely he will play.

Pete Carroll kept talking about Mark Sanchez's desire to throw deep passes after practice.
"He has a huge arm, he can throw a mile and wants to air it out,'' Carroll said. "He's always looking to make a big play. He is a big-minded guy. He's got to take some shots."

Matt Spanos missed most of the practice but said he will play. Jeff Byers said his sore thumb is a minor injury.
Pete Carroll said he hasn't decided who will start.

John David Booty can play if needed even though Mark Sanchez will start. Pete Carroll said if Sanchez comes out for a prolonged period of time Booty will replace him.
If he needs to come out for equipment, Mike McDonald will come in.

Jeff Byers is playing center but not snapping because his right hand is bandaged. He is handing the ball to Mark Sanchez.

Saturday's game against Arizona is an announced sellout. The first Los Angeles sellout of a USC/Arizona game since 12,000 crammed into Bovard Field on October 14, 1922.
But how many empty seats will there be for this ``sellout?'' The Stanford game had large areas of empty seats and that was when the Trojans were ranked No. 1 in some polls.

In case you missed today's notes on our website or in the paper, fullback Stanley Havili talked about the different feeling before and during the Stanford game.
``It seemed like last week intensity dropped off and the attitude of playing for USC dropped off,’’ Havili said.
The redshirt freshman said the Cardinal had nothing to do with the lethargic attitude.
``I don’t think it was because it was Stanford,’’ he said.
Havili added USC was even flat in the first half against Stanford.
``In the first half, guys weren’t feeling it,’’ Havili said. ``Everyone wasn’t there.’’

Is there something ironic about the fact everyone is holding their breath, including the coaches, that tailback Stafon Johnson comes back from his bruise foot and helps rescue the program?
``I don't look at it that way,'' Johnson said. ``Other people might be but I haven't thought about it.''

One USC coach said the Trojans did not call a soft coverage on that crucial play, but the secondary relaxed because of the circumstances.
``We weren't trying to stay off the receivers, but we got passive mentally,'' he said. ``We should have called something tighter in retrospect.''

Here's my latest video report where I discuss some sacred cows within the program.
http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=50243@kcbs.dayport.com

John David Booty said he's never thought that if he sat out this week's game against Arizona, he might lose his job if Mark Sanchez had a big game.
``I’m not worried about that,'' he said. ``I want us to play good football.''

Jeff Byers almost broke his thumb today when it got caught between two helmets on a play.

Charles Brown and Thomas Herring wore boots after spraining their ankles but should be available. Sam Baker tweaked his hamstring but is OK.
Jeff Byers might start at center because he and Mark Sanchez worked together all week with Matt Spanos nursing his hand.

John David Booty did not throw because his finger was swelled up again and it looks like Mark Sanchez will start even though Pete Carroll says no decision is final yet and he will wait at least a day.

Julius Caesar never lost to Ptolemy XII of Alexandria so Peter C. Carroll should never lose to Jim Harbaugh of Palo Alto.
Here's an article by USC professor Warren Bennis, the crony of Steven Sample, on the Julius Caesar Syndrome.
http://www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,1540,1926239,00.asp

BCS guru Jerry Palm currently projects USC playing in the Rose Bowl. That means he thinks the Trojans will win the rest of their games but the loss to Stanford would be too damaging in the computer rankings to get back into the top two.

With an anemic running game, what are USC's options at tailback right now besides Chauncey Washington?
``I'm hoping Stafon gets healthy,'' offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said. ``Allen Bradford had a nice practice. Hershel Dennis had a nice practice.''
It should be noted that Bradford's practice performances have been mentioned before but not resulted in playing time.

Apparently UCLA isn't the only school obsessed with USC. When LSU public address announcer Dan Borne announced USC's loss to the record Tiger Stadium-crowd of 92,910 just after LSU scored a touchdown to cut Florida's lead to 17-14 midway in the fourth quarter.
Players and fans went wild.
"When they announced the USC-Stanford score, the stadium came loose," LSU coach Les Miles said. "We were operating to win the game, and when that happened it was like another shot of adrenaline that just said, 'C'mon guys, let's go play.' It was a nice feel."

I'm going to guess this week I won't need to answer whether Mitch Mustain has a good release or can read a defense? But then again . . .
One question per person please.

One of the big issues for Mark Sanchez this weekend will be keeping his poise and not trying to do too much, which sometimes occurred in scrimmages.
``The biggest thing for him is his emotions. It's his first opportunity to play. Part of that comes from trying to prove himself,'' offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said. ``He doesn't need to prove anything to people. He's earned that right.''

Tailback Stafon Johnson said he is about 75-85 percent recovered from his bruised foot and would like to be around 95 percent before he plays. He said he is starting to believe he will play against Arizona.

Here's another video practice report.
http://cbs2.com/video/?id=50131@kcbs.dayport.com
UPDATED: Channel 2 fixed the technical difficulty.

Mark Sanchez threw an interception and fumbled a snap in practice but said overall he felt relaxed and ready to start his first college game.
``I feel pretty comfortable,’’ he said. ``It’s just a different feeling. I don’t like it or not like it. But every kid dreams of being a starting quarterback.’’

Joe McKnight left practice early because he felt sick. But he returned after practice and said he was OK.

John David Booty threw about 50 passes before practice, none more than 20 yards. He showed progress from the day before but clearly wasn't ready to play yet.
``It felt better than I expected but the accuracy is not what I wanted right now,'' Booty said.
Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said Booty's passes were not ``coming out like normal. But I would expect them too.''

David Buehler had two more kicks blocked in practice today.

USC coach Pete Carroll sounded less optimistic about John David Booty playing and whether it benefits his broken finger to sit out a week.
"I'm thinking long term," Carroll said. "John might be able to play but what happens next week and next week."

At 4:45 p.m., John David Booty is dressed with his helmet but not throwing at practice.

Of the four BCS computer rankings that are out, USC is 25th in Colley, 24th in Massey, 26th in Sagarin and 8th in Billingsley. The computers count for one-third of the BCS formula.

Arizona coach Mike Stoops on USC.
"We look at USC as a hungry and mad team ."

In case you missed it, here's yesterday's appearance on the Petros-Money show, where Money objects to my opening comment about wearing knee pads when he interviews Kobe Bryant.
World's largest link is after the jump.

Caesar and Co. stayed Monday night stayed at the office considerably longer than last week.

USC coaches gave John David Booty the benefit of the doubt on two of his interceptions because of mental mistakes made by fullback Stanley Havili and wide receiver David Ausberry.

Here's a theory: Last night someone at USC told me there needed to be more ``bad guys'' on the coaching staff willing to call out players.
That reminded me former offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin might have served a purpose after all. Remember last year when he took wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett to task after the Arkansas game for his lethargic play?
``We really challenged him (last) week and embarrassed him to get him going,’’ Kiffin said.

What happened to all those turnovers Pete Carroll teams used to produce? Maybe one reason for the decrease is a methodical offense places less pressure on an opponent.
Remember Reggie Bush's big touchdown runs or catches immediately put the other team on its heels and forced to them to throw the ball.
``We have not been as far ahead of teams as we were in the past,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said.

The oddsmakers were so impressed with Stanford's victory over Caesar, the Cardinal are 5.5-point underdogs to TCU in Palo Alto.

USC tries to regroup from perhaps its worst loss.
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_7122604

Freshman tailback Joe McKnight is not the only tailback stuck on the sideline. Sophomore Allen Bradford’s also been a no-show the past two weeks.
``I wasn’t frustrated,’’ Bradford said. ``I kind of look at Hershel. He’s been here for six years. It took him awhile. I can’t complain. I’m only a sophomore.’’
Bradford said he received many text messages after the game from family and friends.
``Angry and supportive,’’ Bradford said.
Bradford also said he does not want to switch positions.

Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian was asked if it was legitimate to ask if Mark Sanchez should be considered at quarterback, even if John David Booty were healthy.
``I think it’s worth asking the question,'' he said. `I don’t know if it’s to be true. John David’s proven a lot. He had an unlucky second half. There was miscommunication on passing routes on the first interception in the second half and the second interception. If he struggled all week in practices, yeah there would be competition.''

``We could easily not win any more games if we don’t cut down on the turnovers.''
-- USC coach Pete Carroll

Chilo Rachal, Brian Cushing and Kris O'Dowd all hope to return for the Notre Dame game. Stafon Johnson remains up in the air for this week but Shareece Wright said he wants to play, if he feels good enough.

Practice just started and John David Booty is not throwing. His finger appears to be in a splint.
However Joe McKnight is practicing and fumbled a punt return.

I will be appearing on the Petros-Money show today at 5:05 p.m.

Discipline.
USC committed 24 penalties in two games. When Ty Willingham beat a penalty-prone USC team during the Paul Hackett era, he made a comment that once a team gets used to penalties, it's hard to break the habit.
But discipline comes in other ways. Why are boosters allowed in the coaching area during games? The ref told a booster to ``get out of here'' after he complained about a face mask penalty. This playpen mentality even bothers many in the athletic dept. and creates an unprofessional atmosphere.
Discipline also refers to my post last Friday about the office hours being kept the week of the Stanford game.
``I had a feeling we were taking them lightly, especially with the new quarterback,'' a high-placed member of the program told me.
I was told Stanford's offense was basic and did not require as much time to analyze. It sure looked successful in the fourth quarter.
Discipline also means having the sense to hire a special teams coach. There's been way too many penalties on special teams recently and it's because the responsibilities are basically farmed out through the staff.
There's a fine line between genius and hubris. When you win, it's genius, when you lose . . .

This is something that bugs me more than the average person, but looking at the participation chart, safety Marshall Jones and defensive tackle Christian Tupou did not play against Stanford. Nice decision to burn their redshirt year two weeks ago.

Almost forgot to post the grades for an awful game.

It's time to make a decision on freshman tailback Joe McKnight. Either play him or consign to the bench for the season. Actually, it was a joke to give him two carries and decide that was it against Stanford. If he's that bad to only deserve two carries, USC made a terrible recruiting decision.
He's not Reggie Bush but with Stafon Johnson hurt, USC desperately needed something else against Stanford besides Chauncey Washington. Pete Carroll said the situations were not right for McKnight. The same thing was said the week before. Sounds like excuses worthy of a losing team.

Pete Carroll claimed injuries in the Washington game also changed the Trojans’ season, specifically the play where center Kris O’Dowd and guard Chilo Rachal suffered knee injuries on the same play.
``At three weeks, we were fine and then something hit the fan,’’ he said. ``It’s obvious we haven’t recovered since all our guys got hurt. That’s what it felt like. When two guys went down on one play, we haven’t bee the same since.’’

Here's why Pete Carroll is unhappy. USC is ranked No. 106 in turnover margin.
http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2007&div=4&rpt=IA_teamturnoverm

USC coach Pete Carroll said he congratulated Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh after the game.
``I just caught him on the way off the field,'' Carroll said.

Pete Carroll's upset about turnovers. Big surprise.
``It’s real clear we’ve fallen out of line with the philosophy of the program for years by turning the ball over,’’ he said. ``I’m not getting it done, I need to make it clear that every decision we make is about the ball.
``I’ve got to get back to that philosophy. If not, we won’t have a clue what’s going on.’’

Pete Carroll said quarterbacks always get blamed when a team loses but even John David Booty's interceptions are more than just his fault.
``There’s a lot of things that go into it but I’m not going into it,'' he said. ``It’s real easy to point it all at the quarterback. I’m not going to do that.''
He also knows USC fans turned on him and the Trojans.
``I was in the NFL for 16 years. It went week to week,'' he said. ``I totally understand it. It turns in the wink of an eye.''

USC coach Pete Carroll said tonight he would not consider replacing John David Booty with Mark Sanchez this week, unless Booty's broken finger prevents him from playing.
``I'm not doing that,'' he said regarding a change. ``That's not what I would be thinking. It's not a one-guy deal. It isn't just because of the thrower (that we had four interceptions). There's a lot of things we can work on to be more efficient.''

Here's one: How does it feel to get outcoached by a punk?

John David Booty is listed as ``probable'' against Arizona.

Another good question from the Stanford loss is what happened to Stanley Havili? I've heard fans tell me all season that USC is using the fullback like the Norm Chow-era but Havili got just three touches. He caught two passes for 11 yards and rushed one time for seven yards.

Several players digested the loss at Hollywood hot spot Les Deux, a favorite hangout of Matt Leinart and his crowd. At least the evening was not a total loss (pun intended).

USC's four victories are against teams currently sporting a 9-14 record.

At least on this morning's USC radio show, host David Newbury said Jeff Schilling pitches against Jeff Weaver today in the Red Sox-Angels game. Or maybe he meant Curt Schilling vs. Jered Weaver.

Here"s this week's ballot for the Associated Press top 25 poll.

Not much attention was placed on the play that helped give Stanford its victory: David Buehler's blocked extra point. USC usually places Alatini Malu at guard for kicks but Malu was ailing and replaced by freshman Zach Heberer for the extra point. Heberer also made his first career start.
``We had one blocked in practice too this week,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said.

Last week's decision to move LSU ahead of USC in the top 25 poll turned out to be pretty good despite all the critics.

How embarrassing was this loss? USC was a 39-point favorite, which means it’s officially the biggest upset by point spread in history, eclipsing Syracuse’s victory over Louisville last month when the Orangemen were 37.5-point underdogs.
Hail Caesar!

All fans in the Rose Bowl, UCLA and Notre Dame, cheered wildly when Stanford scored the TD and again when USC's loss was final.
Charlie Weis' son, Charlie Jr., informed him of the USC loss on the sideline.
``It didn't hurt my feelings,'' Weis said.

Stanford was only outscored 141-51 in its three other Pac-10 games. Caesar's got some explaining to do.

Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard called his own play on the 4th-and-20 completion where it looked like Keith Burns returned as USC's defensive coordinator.
``Coach called a play but I couldn’t hear it because it was so loud,’’ Pritchard said. ``Don’t tell him I said this, but I called my own play. I think it was similar if I heard him right. I saw the coverage I wanted and Sherm made a great play.’’

USC led 23-17 with about four minutes left and John David Booty nursing a broken fingertip. The Trojans then called three straight pass plays from their own 46 instead of running down the game clock.
Do all the Lane Kiffin-haters still think the playcalling's changed tremendously this season?

`That’s football,’’ quarterback Joh David Booty said. ``Everybody here’s expectations are so high. Believe me on the inside I was booing too.''

John David Booty cracked the tip of his middle finger on his throwing hand in the second quarter and will need to wear a splint this week. No surgery but USC is not saying if he will miss a game.

Fire away on this charade of a game.

The poor first half was offset by band director Art Bartner regurgitating his annual halftime show for Stanford, recycled every two years since at least 1981, although I'm sure many of you out there saw it before that too.

I stand corrected. Being on Versus was a shrewd move. It prevented much of the nation from watching an embarassing display capped by Chauncey Washington getting stopped on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line. If you're at home, quite a few USC fans booed the Trojans off the field until others tried to drown it out.

A tipped pass, two drops from Patrick Turner, a high pass, a Vidal Hazelton drop and Desmond Reed tackled by the Stanford punter. Looks a lot like a Washington hangover.

Cary Harris will play today after getting cleared.

Three people offered me tickets and foot traffic is light outside the Coliseum right now. If you're bored, this might be an easy game to attend.

Let's see if someone gets the right score. If there is a tie, the tiebreaker will be how many punt returns are actually returned, a tricky question since Joe McKnight is expected to return some punts.

It's safe to say you can judge an opponent by what time the lights go out in the football office. And the week of the Idaho and Stanford games, the lights went out earlier than Nebraska and Washington State.

We hear Stanford's two-back offense is pretty basic and has not changed much since the UCLA game. And without quarterback T.C. Ostrander, it becomes even less complex. That's probably a relief for USC, worn out after worrying about Washington's Jake Locker during last week's preparation.

Here's my first video report for CBS-KCAL on this weekend's USC game.
http://cbs2.com/video/?id=49788@kcbs.dayport.com

I'm so glad I did an Open Forum for a second straight week. It allowed me to answer some of the same questions about Mitch Mustain and 75 percent of the other open forums. I've lumped all Mitch answers at the top to make it easier for all of you.
Today's Open Forum is brought to you by Versus, the only network that could unearth Ron Thulin and Kelly Stouffer on a USC broadcast. But hey, at least they're not stooping to being on TrojanTV.
OK, time to go. Roman Meal is taking the week off. All hail Peter Caesar Carroll!

With all the cornerback injuries, during coaches' meetings the past couple weeks they considered moving freshman wide receiver Brandon Carswell to cornerback.
``If in an emergency we needed someone the last couple weeks, we looked at it, but it’s not permanently,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said.
Carswell is scheduled to redshirt barring any more major injuries in the secondary.

It's too bad the Mater Dei-Corona Centennial is not televised.
Centennial's Ryan Bass has rushed for 305 yards in 41 carries with 9:38 remaining but Mater Dei leads 44-38.
Matt Barkley, who is very interested in USC, passed for 313 yards so far. There's been 1,100 yards of total offense.
Barkley just completed a 37-yard pass on third-and-11 from the Centennial 42, with six minutes left. He then threw a touchdown pass to give Mater Dei a 51-37 lead and has 366 yards passing with 5:07 left.
It's over, as Mater Dei wins 51-37 in a game with 1,274 yards offense.

Pete Carroll would not officially say Tiny Malu starts against Stanford and said Zach Heberer had a good week of practice. Both are expected to play.

Tailback C.J. Gable said he will undergo surgery on his groin tomorrow. He will miss the rest of the season.

Lawyer Carmen Trutanich, who represented many USC football players, is considering running for Los Angeles City Attorney. The election is scheduled for 2009.

Tailback Broderick Green is expected to start running and maybe doing some light work in about two weeks.

Cary Harris said he wants to play. Pete Carroll said he wants him to play but will make a game-time decision by doctors.
Stafon Johnson did some light running. He appears doubtful but Carroll said he would not rule him out.

Now you can plan your future Sundays around the BCS announcements, which begin Oct. 14 and will be shown on Fox. That's the main Fox, not the dumbed down cable outlets.

John David Booty after watching the Washington films.
``It really wasn't that bad,'' he said. ``It wasn't my night. I never really played in the Northwest. I put it behind me I moved on. Nothing technically was wrong. It just wasn't going my way that night.''

USC and Stanford do not agree on the all-time series record between the schools.
It all started because Stanford switched to rugby, a step followed by USC after the 1910 season. USC managed to lose to Stanford three times in rugby, games that are considered by Stanford as part of the USC-Stanford football record. The two schools did not play American Rules Football again until 1918, a game which Stanford does NOT count as part of the overall record.
Maybe this is why John McKay referred to Stanford as the "Radcliffe of the West."

Maybe this is why former USC coach John McKay disliked Stanford. McKay played running back for Oregon and in a 1948 game at Stanford, he and his teammates (including legendary QB Norm Van Brocklin) were delayed entry by a guard at a gate on the way into the stadium.
Oregon coach Jim Aiken decked the guard and waved his team through.

USC's 457 yards against Nebraska do not seem quite as impressive today. The Huskers allowd a combined 1,482 yards to the Trojans, Ball State and Iowa State in their past three games.

Cornerback Cary Harris practiced with no contact but was not cleared for the game yet. He will be evaluated before the game and it is uncertain right now if he will play.

Cornerback Mozique McCurtis did not practice because of knee injury that flares up now and then. But he is expected to start against Stanford.

Here's a C.J. Gable quote.
"I was still doing good. I averaged 11 yards a carry but they were trying to save me. I'm just going to get ready for next year and I won't have to deal with it.''

Tailback C.J. Gable will undergo surgery but no date is scheduled and he will miss the rest of the season.

We talked a University of San Diego player who played for current Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh.
"He's crazy, he really," the player said. "But he does know a lot about football and knows what he's doing. But he's different."

One question per person please.

USC sophomore tailback C.J. Gable does not like surgery, but he is scheduled to undergo an operation as soon as this week on his chronically strained groin and will be sidelined for the rest of the season.
``I don’t like surgery period,’’ Gable said Tuesday. ``I don’t want to do it.’’
However, Gable is scheduled to have surgery performed by doctors who performed abdominal surgery on former USC tailback Sultan McCullough during the 2001 season.
Gable was told he could play the rest of the season in pain, but he could redshirt this season if he undergoes surgery.

USC forward Davon Jefferson hyperextended his right knee when he landed awkwardly after a dunk in a pickup game and will be sidelined at least a week.
``They said it's nothing bad,'' Jefferson said. ``I got an MRI and I'm not supposed to do anything for a week.''

USC coach Pete Carroll went back to the Stanford game films today to look for something on backup quarterback, Tavita Pritchard, who will start in place of T.C. Ostrander, who suffered a seizure last weekend.
``We found his plays against San Jose State and took a look at him,’’ Carroll said. ``He is a real good athlete.''
Pritchard is the nephew of former Washington State quarterback Jack Thompson, who was known as the `The Throwin' Samoan.''

Quarterback John David Booty met with former quarterback Matt Leinart on the USC campus Monday night.
``We talked about 20 minutes and hung out,’’ Booty said. ``We talked about the whole situation he’s going through now and mine. How he’s felt and how I’ve felt after this game where things didn’t go the way I wanted to. It just didn’t happen last weekend.’’

We wrote last week linebacker Brian Cushing would probably be sidelined until the Notre Dame game. Here's what Cushing said today about the bone bruise in his ankle.
``I’m probably not going to play but absolutely, I’ll be ready for Notre Dame,'' he said.

C.J. Gable is seeing doctors right now along with several others. Allen Bradford enjoyed a long run and Clay Matthews blocked two kicks in practice.
Cary Harris practiced but without contact.

Pete Carroll spoke at his press conference about C.J. Gable's groin injury.
``There's a chance that it's the best decision to operate on him,'' Carroll said. ``He's going to have to get it operated on one way or another and it might be the best situation to do it now and get him back for spring football. Otherwise he'd have to do it at the end of the season and he's not 100 percent.''

Not surprisingly, Jim Harbaugh did not elaborate Tuesday on his comments last spring that Pete Carroll would leave after this season.

Tavita Pritchard will start at QB for Stanford after starter T.C. Ostrander experienced seizures.
"I'm excited for his opportunity to be able to play," Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said. "He is very athletic, good arm, throws the ball accurately."

If you clicked on the Morning Buzz link below, you probably saw a John McKay quote about Stanford following a victory in 1972.
``I'd like to have beaten them by 2,000 points,'' McKay said. ``They have no class. They're the worst winners we've ever come up against.''
Well, here's a priceless cartoon from the following year, which shows USC leading Stanford, 1,992-0, and McKay telling Pat Haden if the Trojans score on the final play, ``We go for two.''
Download file
Image courtesy of USC football historian Mike Glenn.

Pete Carroll said he laughs off Jim Harbaugh's comments.
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_7057412

Matt Leinart came by USC tonight but did not stop at Howard Jones Field. However he did run into John David Booty while picking up his son, Cole, for the night.
According to Yahoo Sports, Leinart snapped at Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley during Sunday's game with the Steelers and told him to get out of his face and also glared at Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt.
``I just want them to ride or die with me," Leinart told Yahoo. "If I'm the franchise quarterback, play me and let me stumble, because I'll fight through it, and that will help me and our team in the long run. I know coaches want to win now, and I guess they have their reasons. But I don't understand it, and this switching back and forth is almost worse than getting benched."

Quarterback Mitch Mustain experienced a rough end to Monday's practice. He fumbled a snap and then on the last play, scrambled for the end zone but fumbled the ball, setting off a scramble before it was recovered by the defense.
``I was gone (for a touchdown),'' he said. ``I had it. I went to put the ball away and it hit my hip.''

Shareece Wright said he does not expect to play this week.

Travon Patterson needs foot surgery and will miss the rest of the season.

Kris O'Dowd said he will be out 2-4 weeks with a discolated knee and undergo surgery for torn cartilage tomorrow.
Chilo Rachal said he is day-to-day but wore a knee brace for his sprained knee.
Stafon Johnson remains in a boot with a deep foot bruise but said he will be back by Wednesday, hopefully.
UPDATED: Pete Carroll said Rachal will be out three weeks.

Or not going deep. USC's had problems this season with deep passes and it's something Coach Pete Carroll is just hoping happens soon. Especially when you consider lowly Stanford is the next opponent.
``We've got to carry out the execution from the practices to the games,'' Carroll said. ``I'm hoping we're going to make some connections.''

USC's game against Arizona at the Coliseum on Oct. 13 will kick off at 12:30 p.m. and be on Channel 7. An actual day game!
That was the last kickoff to be decided, which means no more of those dreaded night games on Fox (or those memorable post-game shows).

What happened to highly regarded freshman tailback Joe McKnight, who barely played after supposedly working his way into the offense last week. McKnight had no carries and had one incomplete pass thrown to him?
``We just didn’t get into a rhythm of playing with him,’’ USC coach Pete Carroll said.

USC might be No. 2 in the AP poll, but at least it won. Oklahoma’s loss at Colorado last Saturday marked the fourth time in the last five Sooner setbacks that the game was decided on the game’s final play.
2007 at Colorado (CU field goal)
2007 Fiesta Bowl (Boise State two-point conversion)
2006 at Oregon (blocked Oklahoma field goal attempt)
2005 at Texas Tech (TTU touchdown).

The site monitor informs me some of you are beginning to use profanity in the comments section. This will result in being banned from commenting.