Who is your favorite commenter on this site?

If Sanchez starts this week and perhaps next and lights it up, will the coaches have any problem putting Booty back in when his finger has healed?

What is your least favorite question to answer?

What has the coaching staff done to fire up the players?

Scott,
What exactly is the problem that they think that Joe McKnight is not ready, I mean hand him the ball or give it to him on a toss sweep or put him in motion and throw him the ball downfield is there something we don't know about that is holding this guy back? Or the coaches back from using him?

Thanks,
Rex

Are the tough contact practices Carroll prefers the same with other top teams in the nation? I don't see the same influx of injuries with teams like Florida, Ohio State or LSU. Is it just bad luck or can it be corrected with better field mechanics?

Hey Scott:

I asked this question last week, but it went unanswered:

How long is the PAC-10 locked into its bowl committments? There is no New Year's Day bowl game for the second place team, who is relegated to the Holiday Bowl. Other conferences get, at least, their second place team in New Year's bowl games such as the Capital One Bowl, Gator Bowl, etc. Is there any chance that the PAC-10 could secure a Cotton Bowl birth for the No. 2 team, and then shift the current bowl games down one slot (i.e., Holiday is for No. 3 team, Sun Bowl is for No. 4 team, etc.)? Any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

What does the first team defense think of the job Mitch Mustain manages to do against them in practice? Are they impressed by him? Do they respect him? What are their views?

What is your response to
Lonnie White article, (USC's downfall was years in the making)in the L.A. Times Mon. 10/8 ?

What is your response to
Lonnie White's article, (USC's downfall was years in the making)in the L.A. Times Mon. 10/8 ?

Scott:

Is it true Damian Williams is practicing with the team again? Has he fully recovered?

It seems that coaches are better at trash talking to each other in practice and trying to fire the players up during drills with all that rah-rah stuff than actually coaching and teaching the players how to play and execute and attention to detail. Agree?

Who was the genius that called the wrong play against Cal, in 2003, and cost USC a possible BCS-NC?

How much input does Carroll have regarding the offensive game plan for each week and the in-game offensive play calling?

Hey Scott,

When Norm Chow was around, even though he was considered a qb guru, we still always had a dedicated quarterbacks coach as a full-time coach, as well as Chow, as an offensive coordinator. Now that Chow is gone, Sarkisian fills both of those roles. Is there any thought that part of the troubles we've had at qb could come from the qbs possibly receiving less coaching? Thanks in advance,

The King of LA

If John Robinson has coached the 2006 Rose Bowl game against Texas, with the exact same team, do you think USC would have won?

Would it not be a good idea for the coaches to have Booty and Sanchez spend an entire day observing Mustain in practice to learn how to play error-free football?

What player do you think needs to play more in order for this team to get back on track?

Which player should be playing less?

Has there been any talk about closing more practices?

Scott,

Do you think that John Redcorn fixed the Stanford-USC game?

Going into this season, everyone thought this years OL was a cut above last years. After 5 games and considering the defensive talent we faced in “06” was tougher, what do you think?

I thought Dennis looked good. Will Dennis get more reps at tailback?

Ronald Johnson was the #2 CB coming outta high school, why is he solely playing WR (is it his choice? coaches?) when USC is DESPARATE for help at CB??? Mozique McCurtis' terrible coverage against Stanford on the last TD showed how bad USC needs solid CBs.

I know you want one question, but I have another and I don't care if you answer just one or both - but RoJo honestly looks like the number one WR for USC at times with Ausberry #2 - is RoJo going to get more playing time?

Why is Petros so anti-USC? Is he just riling up the locals? Never seems to have a nice thing to say about M Leinart or R Bush. Sounds bitter because his era is viewed as such a dissapointment in USC tradition. BTW, I hate when he's broadcasting on FSN.

What is with Patrick Turner's shaded face mask? Any chance that could be affecting his hand-eye coordination after the 1st quarter of a late afternoon game?

Ronald Johnson was the #2 CB coming outta high school and USC is desparate for quality CB help, why not move him on the other side of the ball - he hardly gets playing time at WR even though he looks like the best one out there sometimes? Why do you think USC wouldn't move Bradford to safety and Ellison to CB then?

We clearly need a lot of help at the CB position, Mozique McCurtis' terrible coverage on the last TD against Stanford proved that much. Should have been an easy strip for an incomplete pass - all McCurtis had to do was put his arm in between Bradford's and pull away.

What or who is responsible for your hatred of USC and why did you get your degree from the University? I would think that you would want to get away from such a vile place - at least that is what I take away from your articles - and concentrate on something that would be positive and worth reading.

Please update us on the match fitness of Kris O'Dowd, Brian Cusing, Gary Neville and Nemanja Vidic.

My theory is that the USC coaches have built such a dynasty with such high expectations, that they are now protecting that egg, and thus coach like they're afraid to lose rather than coaching to win.
Do you lend any credence to my theory that they are coaching not to lose? If you look at tape of the '02, '03, '04 seasons (with Chow, I know) both the offensive and defensive play calls were MUCH more aggressive than they are now. The only possible explanation I have been able to come up with is that the coaches have built the program so high, that they are afraid to lose it.
Your thoughts?

Do you think that out of state recruits are given playing time because Coach Carroll does not want to jeopardize landing out of state recruits in the future? Do you think that is why McKnight has been forced to play this season when he is obviously not ready to play? And is that why Booty is given such a long leash?

Pete Carrol talks all the time about the importance of the football and how every job is always open to competition. Why then does he continue to defend Booty, who has 6 turnovers in the last two games? If it were a running back who fumbled 6 times in two games, I find it hard to believe that he wouldn't be sitting.

You made a comment in your video that this defense has been overrated and that prognosticators obviously didn't look at the secondary while making their predictions about our defense.

How could you say that when most of those people expected USC to have a healthy Pinkard, Thomas, and Harris for the season?

I know Bradford has looked pretty ineffective running the ball this year…but with all the injuries and USC doing a horrible job of running the ball on Saturday…where was Alan Bradford? Did I answer my own questions?

Thanks!

I know Bradford has looked pretty ineffective running the ball this year…but with all the injuries and USC doing a horrible job of running the ball on Saturday…where was Alan Bradford? Did I answer my own question?

Thanks!

I asked you before, I will ask you again. Why 6-0 ASU is not in your poll? Granted that they beat 4-2 Colorado and destroyed Stanford 41-3 (something, ranked Trojans couldn't do), what does ASU have to do get a vote?

Can you share with us the AP voting process? When do you have to submit your vote? Do they ever review a certain vote? Under what circumstances voting right may get revoked?

Scott,

Does Pete finally realize that scaring all his assistants away after the 2004 season was a bad idea?

Why isn't Sarkisian in the press box where he can get a better look at what's going on?

Scott, after the most shocking loss in our history, has there been a discernable difference in the players' attitudes this week? or are they shrugging it off as a fluke?

FIGHT ON

Scott,
Is there any chance we will see brandon carswell get some playing time? since we havent had anyone open the field i would think a playmaker like carswell could help us alot

Scott,
Is there any chance we will see brandon carswell get some playing time? since we havent had anyone open the field i would think a playmaker like carswell could help us alot

Scott,
Is there any chance we will see brandon carswell get some playing time? since we havent had anyone open the field i would think a playmaker like carswell could help us alot

sc04>desparate=a college student that can't spell worth a flip.
annnberg and petinbigtongue are a couple of moronic idiots.
sc04>desperate?

Scott,

How did they let Moody go we should of kept him from leaving I think we let him go before he reached his full potential? I believe the coaches thought that Mcknight was going to give us the explosive plays that Moody did for us last year. Moody was clutch in almost every game. What were the coaches thinking?

Sorry to violate the 1 question rule…but what do you think about the fans that booed the USC players and coaches as they walked off the field leading the game at halftime…classless fans or justified in their criticism of an underachieving team?

Thanks Wolfie!

Petros hates USC, particularly Leinart and Bush because they would not appear on his defunct 1540am radio show a couple of years back. Now that Petros appears on NBC and some other broadcasts, he is simply seeking revenge - ie now he's "big time" and can rant and rave against ML and RB on a major network. I think he secretly feels the same way about PC. Seems as pathetic as his screaming radio shows are. To think that 3 or 4 years ago I was a fan of his, sort of..

Scooter:
I read that on the Friday night before gameday the players are given the option of attending a mass or chapel service in the hotel before bed check.
What approx. % of players attend these services and do you know who the officiants are home and away?

The number of big time injuries that SC has sustained in the Carroll era is interesting to me. Polamalu, Grootegood, Pinkard (twice), and Cushing, just to name a few. Is it just bad luck, or is there something more to it?

Who was the fat guy yelling about the face mask penality that had already been called and then laughing at the referee when the ref said something to him on the kickoff at the end of the Stanford game. I hope he isn't part of the coaching staff.

Since it appears to be that Sanchez will be starting this Saturday, how much do you think that will effect Arizona's gameplan considering that there isn't anything they can use to scout Sanchez with?

Which former SC QBs does Mustain's style of play most resemble? Can he be compared to Palmer or Leinart in any way, or does he bring something completely different altogether?

Scott,

Are you a reporter or a critic?

Why do you disrespect Pete Carroll so much?

Do you want Pete to do better, or to be fired?

Kelly

Throughout the Pete Carroll era the mantra has always been about finishing strong (being a fourth quarter team). This season it appears that the defense gives a strong first three quarters and then gets outplayed in the fourth quarter (this has happened against Idaho, Nebraska, Washington and Stanford). What has changed? Is it poor conditioning, poor leadership or poor discipline (maybe all three)?

If it were to be discovered that Reggie Bush did in fact receive the benefits from Dumb and Dumber (Lloyd Lake and Michael Michaels) but no one from USC was involved in it, would there (or could there) be legal recourse taken by the university against Bush since his actions could conceivably cost a national title and other games?

Scott:

With January fast approaching, and that being date our hero Mitch Mustain becomes fully eligible, this raises several important questions:

1) Is January considered the formal coronation for when our hero Mitch Mustain is named King of Troy, or will there be a charade, purely out of sympathy, on the part of the coaches to allow the other candidates to assume they have a chance with someone whose destiny it is to lead the Trojans to victory?

2) Since you attend practice every day, do you ever catch our hero Mitch Mustain laughing when he sees the other quarterbacks "play" the game that he has so obviously mastered and conquered, while they think they are even worthy of being on the same field as the future king?

3) Since the T-shirts the students made saying "Bootylicous" never caught on, do you think the marketing department is well aware that Mustainland is the most marketable name in the history of sports? Who wouldn't want to be a part of the Kingdom of Mustainland?

4) Will Mustainland generate more revenue than the Kingdom of Brunei?

5) With the loss to Stanford, is not not safe to say this season is a complete failure, so we should already look forward to next year when our hero Mitch Mustain will not only win the national championship for us, but start the process of becoming the first ever THREE time Heisman Trophy winner? Is that not just a mere formality?

6) Will our hero Mitch Mustain be known as the King of Troy or will we all be known as the residents of Mustainland?

So now that you are the official biographer of our hero Mitch Mustain, have you come up with the full title for "Mitch and Me"? Will it be "Mitch and Me: My Adventures in Mustainland" or are you thinking of another title to fully capture the greatness and popularity that encompasses our hero Mitch Mustain on a daily basis on campus with the student body and the homes of alumni the world over?

Fight on!

Do you agree that you, like Carroll, have a Julius Caesar Syndrome?

In his quest to dominate all aspects of the program, has Pete crossed the line where he is now doing more harm than good? Have you ever asked him if he considered the benefits of throttling back on the control?

When Stanford scored the final touchdown in the game Saturday I know Mozique was guarding the player on Stanford who caught the ball. However I saw Mozique come running off the sidelines to replace a different cornerback. Mozique looked confused on play which resulted in the touchdown. I could have sworn that number 28 Terrell Thomas was the cornerback that came out. Is this what happened? Was Mozique put in the game just for this play? Did Terrell Thomas come out of the game?

How is Mustain when it comes to taking snaps (dependable, quick, etc.)?

If Coach Carroll suggested you get a speech therapist, would you?

Do you feel Pete’s even-keel approach, that every game is the same as any other, is not the approach to take for Pac-10 games against highly emotional rivals, i.e. Harbaugh and UCLA?

Scott,

I read your comment from Stanely Havili, and that obviously concerns me. I have to know though...how much would you attribute USC's lack of attitude on the lack of leadership from the players? Are there any guys on the team who are not affraid to step up, be the leader and tell everyone to follow them onto the field and mimic their play/intensity?

As a fan, I have no idea how the players act when the lights aren't on them...so maybe this is one of the reasons for their current lack of intensity/preparation? Thanks!

Who has better leadership qualities and more rapport with the players, Booty or Sanchez? Do you expect the change in QB will have a positive impact on the psyche of the team?

HI WOLFIE:
IF THE SEASON WERE OVER NOW, AND IF THE DECISION WERE UP TO YOU, AND YOU HAD THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE TROJANS AT HEART, WHICH ASSISTANT COACHES WOULD YOU RETAIN FOR NEXT YEAR? THANX.

Hey Scott, I was going to ask whether Mitch Mustain has a good release or can read a defense, but have decided to leave that for another week, so you can have time to think about it a bit more!

So my question for THIS week is, what kind of velocity does Mustain have in his throws? And what is he like when it comes to throwing between zone coverages as opposed to spots?

Thanks for the forum, Scott. Definitely the highlight of the Trojan football world.

How do you think the return of Cush would affect the quality of the defense?

How does the football program use the assets and resources of the university at large to better its football players?

I've seen several game day specials over the last few weeks (and last few years) showing how schools like OSU, Florida, and Oregon use various academic research programs to make their football players faster, stronger, and have more endurance.

Does USC have any such programs for its players?