October 2009 Archives

``I can't remember a game where a team pushed us around the field like that.''
-- USC safety Josh Pinkard

For those new to the blog, USC football is broken into two periods.
2002-2005: Domination was born with national title appearances a common occurrence.
2006-09: No national titles. No title-game appearances. No experienced offensive coordinators.

Oregon fans mobbed the field after the game but many of them also wanted to take a picture with USC tailback Joe McKnight, who quietly stood on the field and surveyed the wreckage.
McKnight, to his credit, politely obliged some of the requests as he headed to the locker room.

This was the worst loss in the Pete Carroll era. USC's worst previous loss was by 11 points (26-15 to Notre Dame in 2001).
``I could never imagine this in my career at USC,'' safety Will Harris said.

Oregon's 391 yards rushing was the most since USC surrendered 486 in the 1977 Bluebonnet Bowl to Texas A&M. And USC won that game 47-28.
For the record, Oregon's 613 yards in offense just missed the all-time opponent record of 623 set by Notre Dame in 1946.

Good night now.

The defensive disaster continues.

LaMichael James shreds the defense again on two straight runs to score. I'm trying to remember when USC's defense looked this inept in all phases.

Jordan Congdon's 39-yard FG narrows the gap. Now it's the defense's turn to respond.

Looks like few solutions were found on the opening drive as Morgan Flint's 35-yard FG gives the Ducks a 10-point lead.

The defense is a shambles. Pete Carroll better come up with second-half adjustments.

USC's defense is officially lost as Jeremiah Masoli runs rampant on several plays and then throws a 13-yard TD to Jamere Holland (yes, that Jamere Holland).

The Trojans march right back and score with Damian Williams' 16-yard reception the big play. Williams then catches a 6-yard TD.

USC's defense is still in a funk as it could not tackle tailback LaMichael James, who had a 33 yard run and an 11 yard run. Andre Crenshaw scores on a 1-yard run with 8:39 left in the second quarter.

That fumble leads to a TD as Matt Barkley throws a 20-yard pass to Damian Williams and a 3-yard TD pass to Ronald Johnson to tie the game.

That sore topic this week becomes relevant early as Malcolm Smith strips the ball from Jeff Maehl and Will Harris recoveres. USC forced its 18th fumble and recovered its seventh.

Does USC miss Anthony McCoy? Blake Ayles dropped a pass over the middle on third-and-13 from the Trojans' 25.

The Ducks go no-huddle and QB Jeremiah Masoli makes some clutch passes and runs as they go 3 for 3 on third-down conversions. Masoli scores on a 3-yard run.

Thanks to that kickoff return, the Ducks tie the game on Morgan Flint's 32-yard FG.

USC's kickoff team is struggling again, allowing a 77-yard return on the Ducks' first possession.

USC moved impressively downfield and then the playcalling got conservative at the 10-yard line with a run up the middle and screen to Damian Williams netting 0 yards. Jordan Congdon kicked a 27-yard FG.

Oregon is wearing green helmets, green jerseys with yellow numbers and black pants today.

Oregon students welcomed Matt Barkley with boos when he walked out by himself for warmups.

There was a downpour for about 30 minutes that made things soggy but now the sun is out.

Oregon charged NFL scouts $70 to sit in the pressbox. Scouts usually watch games for free.

There's a break in the clouds and conditions are a little grey but currently pretty good in Eugene.

Phil Knight said tonight's game will be close but Oregon will win during his appearance on ESPN's GameDay.

The stage is set for a wild night in Eugene.

Good thing the Gauntlet (or whatever it's called now) seems to be in mothballs. USC lost to UCLA in women's soccer Friday night and finished behind UCLA at the Pac-10 cross country championships Friday in Long Beach. That's on top of UCLA defeating USC in women's volleyball in the teams' first meeting.

According to the Wall Street Journal's Accuscore predictor, Oregon will defeat USC, 24-23.

Time to select the score. I'll start off things: USC 31, Oregon 28.

Tomorrow's forecast for Eugene is showers with a high of 58 degrees. However the night forecast says there will be a ``slight chance of showers.''

Pete Carroll did an interview with XX Sports Radio in San Diego this week and discussed Mark Sanchez eating a hot on the sidelines.
``We work on a lot of stuff when we're here in the program try to get your act together so you can perform, play your best, represent and all that stuff, but I never covered the hot dog on the sideline thing and that's my fault.
``I don't know how that slipped by me. You can eat a lot of stuff on the sidelines, but when you eat a hot dog you never forget about it.''

Safety Taylor Mays currently leads USC with 49 tackles.
``It's nice to make tackles but I need to keep people out of the end zone. Some of it falls on me. Some doesn't.''

Casey Matthews, the younger brother of Clay Matthews, leads Oregon in tackles with 44. Pete Carroll said earlier in the week he did not offer him a scholarship. But Matthews was also not interested in USC. Remember three years, his older brother was not playing much for the Trojans. And Casey Matthews wanted to go somewhere where he would play.
The Ducks also feature DE Kenny Rowe, the brother of former USC safety Alfred Rowe. Kenny Rowe leads Oregon with seven sacks.

Former USC wide receiver Jamere Holland's caught seven passes for 105 yards and carried once for three yards for Oregon this season.

The SEC's athletic directors voted unanimously that violations of the rule that ``requires that coaches, assistant coaches, players, support personnel and others associated with the institution's athletics program refrain from public criticism of officials,'' be enforced by suspensions and fines, effective immediately.

USC's defensive stats changed significantly in the past two games.

First 5 games

Points allowed 8.6
Passing yards 173.8
Rushing yards 64.8

Past 2 games

Points allowed 31.5
Passing yards 307
Rushing yards 117.5

Defensive tackle Christian Tupou regained his starting job for the Oregon game.

USC's defense is under scrutiny as the Trojans face Oregon on Saturday.

D.J. Shoemate will start again at fullback but Stanley Havili will play and is cleared for contact.

As we mentioned earlier tonight on twitter, Anthony McCoy (sprained ankle) will not make the trip to Oregon.
``I'll watch the game on TV,'' McCoy said. ``It just didn't get right.''

Here's what Kevin O'Neill had to say about his departure from Arizona.
``I don't feel bad about the way things happened at all,'' O'Neill said. ``I'll say I left Arizona and never said a bad word about anything. I let everybody (else) do all the talking. Arizona is a great place. Lute Olson is a Hall of Famer. I love the city of Tucson. My son is graduating from Arizona in a month and a half.
``I don't feel anything different playing Arizona than Washington State or any of those other places. Would I like to beat Arizona twice? Sure. I'd like to beat UCLA twice and Arizona State twice, too. I'm proud to be the coach at USC. To me, things worked out really well. I don't have anything bad to say at all.''

Dwight Lewis said he still talks to Tim Floyd, who is presumably living in his house in Mississippi.
``I'm pretty sure he's enjoying his land with his wife,'' Lewis said.
Asked if he knew if Floyd wanted to return to coaching, Lewis said: ``You'd have to ask him that.''

Back to the answers.

Kevin O'Neill has four of his top seven players out of practice with injuries.
Alex Stepheson has general stiffness resulting in trying to block a shot in practice. Donte Smith tweaked his ankle, but he's expected to practice today. Nikola Vucevic has a sore calve muscle, and Marcus Simmons is nursing a shoulder injury. Beside that, the Trojans are perfectly healthy. O'Neill didn't believe any of the injuries were serious.

Remember practice reports are filed first on twitter.com/InsideUSC.

Here's basketball coach Kevin O'Neill at today's Pac-10 media day:

Answers, answers, answers.

Here's my Pac-10 ballot.
1. Washington
2. California
3. UCLA
4. Arizona
5. Oregon
6. Arizona State
7. Oregon State
8. Stanford
9. USC
10. Washington State

The USC men's basketball team is ranked ninth in the pre-season Pac-10 poll that just came out this morning. Only Stanford is ranked lower. Cal is picked to win it. I'll have more from first-year coach Kevin O'Neill later... Here's the poll.

Maryland and South Carolina will wear special camouflage-decorated uniforms for their Nov. 14 games with Virginia Techand Florida, respectively.

Now that Petecarol won its first race in Kentucky, how long before someone names a horse Lanekifin, the first horse that will blame the jockey after it loses.

Time to answer some questions on a wonderful Thursday, brought to you by Roman Meal bread, the perfect sustenance during those unexpectedly close games.

Jeremy Bates talks about Matt Barkley's throwing motion and Mike Morgan remember his first career start last year against Oregon.

USC's forced 17 fumbles this season. That is the same amount that last year's defense forced for the entire season. So the defense is knocking the loose, if not recovering it often.

USC forward Nikola Vucevic sat out the end of Wednesday's practice with a bruised calf. He also missed the final minutes of Sunday's scrimmage with the injury. Vucevic said he does not know if he will practice tomorrow.

Anthony McCoy (sprained ankle) did not practice again today. Joe McKnight tweaked his knee but should be OK. Damian Williams (bruised glut muscle) rested again but is expected to play. Drew McAllister is out with a severe hip flexor. Stanley Havili (shoulder) looks like he will play.

Sunday's rankings will be announced between 4:15-5 p.m. (PST).

I think three reasons can trace USC's decline in scoring in Pac-10 games from 2002-05 to 2006-08.
1. Norm Chow. 2. Reggie Bush. 3. The decrease in takeaways.

Here's some stats from the Morning Buzz:
USC's takeaways decreased the past four seasons. The Trojans averaged 38 per year in Carroll's first five seasons. But in the next three seasons (2006-08), USC averaged only 26.
USC's offense scored 30 or more points in 27 of 32 Pac-10 games between 2002-05 but did it only 11 of 31 times from 2006-09.

With Anthony McCoy nursing a sore ankle, here's some of his biggest competitors for the Mackey Award.

Did anyone bet on PeteCarol in the fourth race today in Lexington, Ky.?
UPDATED: Someone added the horse would lose if the race took place in the state of Oregon.

Pete Carroll is facing competition from Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, who said of his quarterback, redshirt freshman Andrew Luck:

``I think Andrew is the best quarterback in the country. I've not seen a better one.''

Here's the efficiency ratings for the top three Pac-10 QBs.

Matt Barkley 148.73 (Fr.)
Andrew Luck 148.47 (Rs. Fr.)
Nick Foles 147.55 (Soph.)

Here's my first ballot for the AP basketball preseason poll.

Remember Monday we linked to the NBC Notre Dame blog reporting that the Irish might have won the recruiting battle even though it lost to USC?
One excerpt: ``Left tackle Seantrel Henderson? Now it's a two-team battle with Ohio State.''

For what it is worth, Henderson, perhaps the No. 1 lineman in the nation, will visit USC on the weekend of Nov. 14, when the Trojans play Stanford.

Lane Kiffin obviously did not write this tweet. Pete Carroll maybe. But not Lane Kiffin.
``Looking forward to another great practice today and a huge game saturday...also a huge shout-out to Lil Wayne for boosting our street cred!''

A survey of 95 of the 119 college presidents in the Football Bowl Subdivision by the Knight Commission found that coaches' salaries are, ``the greatest impediment to sustainability.''
A whopping 85 percent of presidents said that ``compensation was excessive for football and basketball coaches.''

Here's my preseason All-American ballot for the Associated Press team.
F -- Kyle Singler, Duke
F -- Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
C -- Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech
G -- John Wall, Kentucky
G -- Manny Harris, Michigan State

We again ask the question whether it was wise to burn freshman wide receiver De'von Flournoy's redshirt year?

USC's lack of takeaways is probably a factor for the declining number of 30-point Pac-10 games we cited in an earlier post today. Although Reggie Bush might be a factor, it's worth noting that USC's takeaways declined over the same period the Trojans struggled to score 30 or more points (2006-09).

USC's forced 17 fumbles but recovered only six, a stat that frustrates Pete Carroll.
``We're fortunate to be where we are (record wise) with this turnover thing,'' Carroll said.

Damian Williams rested because of a bruised glut muscle. Anthony McCoy remains day-to-day with his sprained ankle in a boot. Wide receiver Brice Butler (sore back) should be back tomorrow. David Ausberry underwent an MRI today on his strained calf with no definite date on his return.

Is the Crosstown Rivalry not what it used to be? Is a night game that big a turn off?

This email came to season-ticket holders from the USC ticket office.

``An extremely limited quantity of tickets for the USC vs. UCLA (11/28, 7pm) game are available. As a Season Ticketholder we are extending you the offer to purchase up to FOUR additional tickets for this game. This exclusive on sale will begin on Wednesday, October 27 at 8am. Tickets will be sold on a first come first served basis. Ticket price is $80.''

Obviously, tomorrow is not the 27th.

Here's Oregon coach Chip Kelly's press conference quotes.

Here's Pete Carroll's press conference quotes.

USC's scored 30 or more points in 11 of its past 31 Pac-10 games (2006-08).
The Trojans scored 30 or more points in 27 of 32 Pac-10 games between 2002-05.

This an actual ``officially licensed'' T-shirt by Oregon. It says ``Welcome to Autzen. Where teams go to RIP.''

I'm happy to report I will be voting for the Associated Press top 25 basketball poll this season. The first poll will be released Wednesday.

Neuroscientists at USC and American University suggest curveballs do not break. Here's a demo.

For a mere $200, you can have a pair of Nike's USC basketball shoes.

The long-range forecast for Eugene is highs in the mid- to lower-50s with a chance of showers.

According to the Gold Sheet, Pete Carroll is 7-15 against the spread in his past 22 Pac-10 games. He is 2-5 against the spread this season.

Taylor Mays discusses the face-mask penalty that caused a referee to get suspended by the Pac-10.

If Anthony McCoy is unable to play against Oregon because of his sprained ankle, Rhett Ellison will start at tight end with Blake Ayles also playing.

This (NBC) Notre Dame blog thinks the Irish won the recruiting battle despite losing to USC in South Bend.

Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott is trying to act tough and be like the SEC (in our opinion) by suspending a referee for missing a face mask penalty against Taylor Mays when he hit James Rodgers in the end zone Saturday night.
Pete Carroll said he was against a suspension.
``It was definitely a penalty that should have been called,'' Carroll said. ``There's more than one guy out there. That's too bad that one guy takes the hit.''

USC plays Penn State again in Sports Illustrated's playoff bracket this week. The winner plays the winner of the Cincinnati-Oklahoma State game.

``There were a few mishaps here and there but overall we did have that confidence of knowing that once we got rolling we could put the ball wherever w wanted to put it.''
-- USC quarterback Matt Barkley

There has not been much discussion of how USC burned a timeout trying to get a play in on third-and-2 from the 45 with 2:12 left in the game. Winning masks everything but clock management and the burning of timeouts has been an issue this season. And if Pete Carroll is not careful, it will come back to haunt USC at some point.

Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin was reprimanded by the SEC today.
``This is the second reprimand for Coach Kiffin in this calendar year,'' SEC commissioner Mike Slive said. `` Coach Kiffin is on notice that for any further violations of SEC policies will subject him to additional penalties including suspension.''
Here's a couple comments from Kiffin after the 12-10 loss to Alabama.
On why he ran down the clock before the Tide's game-winning field goal.
``You run another play and you throw an interception or they throw another flag on us - I wasn't going to let the refs lose the game for us there and some magical flag appear.''
And then he said this regarding a possible reprimand like Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino the week before.
``I'm sure we'll get one of those letters that really means nothing as Bobby got last week, but Florida and Alabama live on,'' Kiffin said.

Allen Bradford was the Pac-10's offensive player of the week while Damian Williams was the special teams player of the week.

Matt Barkley is the only freshman among 15 semifinalists for the O'Brien Award.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley on the offense carrying the defense for a change this season in the Oregon State game.
``I'm happy with how we're winning now,'' Barkley said.

Sean Canfield's 329 yards passing was the first opposing QB to surpass 300 yards against USC since Nebraska's Sam Keller passed for 389 in 2007.
The last QB to beat USC that threw for more than 300 yards was Jason Gesser's 315-yard performance in Washington State's overtime win back in 2002.
Here's a list of the past 10 QB's that surpassed 300 yards but all in losing efforts.

And now time for those post-Oregon State football questions. One per person please.

It's been too long without the ultimate forum, non-football questions. One per person please.

Here's the grades on the high-scoring affair at the Coliseum.

Oregon poses completely different challenges to USC than Notre Dame or Oregon State, according to Pete Carroll.

``We faced two really good big-time quarterbacks and they got going. And then they ran the ball. They can beat anybody.''
-- Pete Carroll on Oregon State

USC coach Pete Carroll said Anthony McCoy's sprained ankle was not the more severe high-ankle sprain that sidelines for players for a lengthy amount of time. However, he did not know how long McCoy would be out yet.

USC coach Pete Carroll after watching the game films Sunday.
``Oregon State kept hanging and stayed with us,'' he said. ``They had a really big night on offense. The quarterback and receivers tore it up. It's really two quarterbacks that played great football (back to back).
``Those are areas we have to be concerned about (with our defense).''

Alex Stepheson scored 13 points and Nikola Vucevic seven to lead the Gold team to a 36-20 win in USC's Cardinal and Gold Scrimmage. The game was just two 10-minute halves. Point guard Donte Smith (ankle) did not play.

Pete Carroll did like what he saw from the offense Saturday.
``The thing I'm very pleased about is to see the offense operate,'' Carroll said. ``We can operate now in a big-time fashion. We're a nice-looking team right now.''

Quarterback Matt Barkley's stats after playing six games:
97-161, 1,540 yards, 7 TDs, 5 interceptions.

The only other time Oregon State QB Sean Canfield threw three TD passes was against Idaho State in 2007.

Keeping in mind Jeremy Bates' quote in the previous post about Joe McKnight's hand injury, it was quite a chance the Trojans took having him carry the ball on the final possession of the game.

Tight end Anthony McCoy left the game with a sprained ankle. Tailback Joe McKnight cut his hand and was forced to leave the game but later returned.
``Joe's hand is beat up pretty bad,'' assistant coach Jeremy Bates said. ``There was blood and it was swollen. He'll get X-rays.''

Oregon State's 36 points were the most in the series since the first game in 1914, a 38-6 Beavers victory.
USC allowed a total of 28 points in its previous eight games at the Coliseum.

Here is this week's ballot for the Associated Press poll.

USC learned something it did not want to know about its defense but also learned a couple other things about itself Saturday night.

Tonight was a good example of Mike Riley's value as a coach. He tried the inside running game that worked so well last season and when it didn't, he adjusted and went to a spread passing attack that worked extremely well.
Tight end Joe Halahuni caught nine passes for 127 yards.
``I'm so disappointed about that,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said.

``I'd rather win a million games like that than lose 3-0.''
-- USC linebacker Chris Galippo

USC was outgained in total yards 482-429. The last time the Trojans were outgaine was last year against . . . Oregon State.

A wild one at the Coliseum tonight. Apparently the defense's performance last week was not a fluke.

Jacquizz Rodgers scores on a 1-yard as the Trojans' defense looks poruous at this point.

James Rodgers with a seven-yard TD catch as the gutty Beavers are not quitting.

Damian Williams' second punt return TD of the season, this one 63 yards, should put the game away. Right?

And Allen Bradford answers right back with a 43-yard TD run. Who predicted this?

It's a wild night at the Coliseum as Sean Canfield throws a 15-yard TD pass to Damola Adeniji. Jacquizz Rodgers' 32-yard run is the big play.

Oregon State scores on a 6-yard pass from Sean Canfield to Jacquizz Rodgers but USC comes right back as Matt Barkley hits Ronald Johnson for 38 yards before Allen Bradford scores on a 2-yard run.

Justin Kahut kicks a 33-yard FG with 5 seconds left in the half.

Matt Barkley scores on a 1-yard run after his interception is nullified and throwing another near interception. There is 2:15 left in the half.

Matt Barkley's second interception is offset by the fact he was hit late by Oregon State linebacker Keaton Kristick.

Justin Kahut shanks a 21-yard FG and it's still 14-6.

Oregon State tailback Jacquizz Rodgers went to the locker room to get X-rays on his sprained ankle.

Tailback Stafon Johnson is watching the game from the pressbox, his first game since his injury.

Matt Barkley threw a 22-yard TD pass to Ronald Johnson.

Oregon State's had the ball for 10:37. USC for 2:26.

Justin Kahut kicks another 48-yarder following Matt Barkley's interception.

Justin Kahut kicked a 48-yard field goal as the Beavers moved downfield a little easier than in their first possession. QB Sean Canfield is 6-8 for 63 yards passing.

Wes Horton forced a fumble and Everson Griffen recovered to set up an 8-yard TD pass from Matt Barkley to Anthony McCoy.

Lane Kiffin almost did Pete Carroll a favor today against Alabama. Almost.

D.J. Shoemate will start in place of Stanley Havili at fullback. Havili is not dressed for the game.

Former UCLA coach Terry Donahue is in the pressbox doing a radio broadcast. Craig James is here for ABC.

Here's how Oregon State could win.

Here's reasons why USC will win today.

Anyone think Steve Sarkisian can beat Oregon and USC in the same season?
UPDATED: The answer is no, as Oregon is routing the Huskies.

More than a year later, USC gets its chance to atone for last year's loss at Oregon State.
``It's a week of redemption,'' linebacker Chris Galippo said. ``It's time to represent and show who we are. We didn't play Trojan football.''

Oregon State defeated USC in women's soccer today, 2-1, but the women's volleyball team swept the Beavers, 3-0.

Linebacker Jeff Luc from Port St. Lucie, Fla., and committed tight end Xavier Grimble make their visits this weekend.

This is the 21st night contest between Oregon State and USC. In the night games so far, USC's record is 17-3. The Trojans have lost to the Beavers only one under the Coliseum lights: back in 1960 in John McKay's debut as Trojan head coach.
USC has played more night games against Oregon State than any other opponent. In conference play, USC's next most frequent foe under the lights is Oregon. Next Saturday's Halloween game will be the 12th Trojan/Duck night contest.

And finally, the last of the answers!

Where would Mitch Mustain and Aaron Corp get drafted?

Oregon State has not won at USC since 1960.

Finishing the post-Notre Dame questions today.

USC coach Pete Carroll said Oregon State quarterback Sean Canfield is a ``first-round draft pick.''

OK, it's time to select a score for the USC-Oregon State game. Since no one picked the correct score the past two games, the person who picks the correct score (or closest score) wins a $50 gift certificate to Chili's. A valid email must accompany your pick to be eligible for the prize.

Here's my grades for USC after six games.

It's time for a midseason analysis on USC and what lies ahead for the Trojans.

Oregon State's got plenty of local players with a chip on their shoulder because USC ignored them.

Stafon Johnson's mother, Kim Mallory, visited football practice today.
``He's doing well,'' Mallory said. ``Every day is not struggle but has challenges.''

Wide receiver Ronald Johnson will make his first start of the season in place of David Ausberry, who is bothered by a sore calf. Christian Tupou said it ``depends'' on how his knee feels if he plays but Pete Carroll said he will not start. Armond Armstead will start instead.
Josh PInkard's sore foot felt fine today and he is OK. Stanley Havili (shoulder) looks like he is out and said he is still in pain.

Alabama denied Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin's request to let his team wear its orange jerseys against the Crimson Tide. NCAA rules allow both teams to wear colored jerseys if they agree.
Alabama refused. No doubt Coach Nick Saban remembered something Kiffin said in the offseason.
Of course, Pete Carroll would have done it anyways, but Kiffin does not want to take a 15-yard penalty after the opening kickoff. He's not Carroll.

USC walk-on running back Ahmed Mokhtar, an Oregon State transfer, has switched to No. 27. He previously wore No. .34.

Practice reports are usually filed on twitter.com/insideusc.

This week's sore subject is officially the officiating.

The first time USC and Oregon State met, in 1914, the Beavers trounced Trojans, 38-6. In the next 61 meetings between the two schools, between 1916 and 1997, the Beavers scored 20 or more points only four times and never scored more than 22 points against the Trojans.
Since 1998, Oregon State has scored more than 20 points in 8 of the 10 games played. The Beavers still have not scored as many points in any game with the Trojans as they did in that first contest, 95 years ago, which was played in Tacoma, Washington.

Answers, answers, answers.

More Notre Dame game questions.

The post-ND Forum is back after a lengthy video-replay break.

Somehow, USC did not even know who Jacquizz Rodgers was two years ago, even though he was a Parade All-American.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive suspends an officiating crew and says, ``there must be accountability in our officiating program.''

Fullback Stanley Havili on his dislocated shoulder.
``It's feeling sore. I'm not going to lie to you. We'll see how it feels tomorrow.''

As expected, tailback Marc Tyler will need foot surgery. He will not be able to jog until January.

This week's BCS Standings will be announced between 4:15-5 p.m. (PST) on Sunday.

Before USC starts a quiet Heisman Trophy campaign for Matt Barkley, isn't it enough for him to be the best true freshman quarterback in USC history?

And here's where some of the pass defenses Barkley's faced rank out of 120 teams:

San Jose State, 38th
Cal, 99th
Ohio State, 37th
Notre Dame, 117th
Washington State 119th

This week's opponent, Oregon State, is 114th.

Anthony McCoy was named the Mackey Award tight end of the week.

A reader passed along this interesting post-game scene at the Rose Bowl from the Daily Bruin.

``In the press room beneath the Rose Bowl there are four big plasma screen televisions. One of these televisions was showing the thrilling game between USC and Notre Dame Saturday afternoon. Media that gathered in the press room had clustered to watch the dramatic finish.
``At that moment UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel walked into the room, sunburned and exasperated after his team's 45-26 defeat to rival Cal.
``Almost no one moved. Necks remained craned toward the USC game until a frustrated Neuheisel spoke sharply. ``Would everyone like to watch the end of that ball game?" Neuheisel asked. "I am more than willing to wait."
``There was a hint of bitterness in Neuheisel's voice, a slight sign of the wounded pride of UCLA football.''

Remember to follow us at twitter.com/InsideUSC.

Jeff Byers, Taylor Mays and Chris Galippo (our midseason MVP) were named to the Sporting News' midseason All-American team.

And now to tackle the post-Notre Dame questions.

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- A limited number of tickets remain for Saturday's
Kansas-Oklahoma football game at Memorial Stadium due to returns from the
visitor's allotment of tickets.

Pete Carroll said doctors will let fullback Stanley Havili play against Oregon State if he can tolerate the pain from his dislocated shoulder.

Pete Carroll on why the tailback rotation's gone from three backs to two backs.

Pete Carroll said he understood why Matt Barkley would be a Heisman Trophy candidate this year.
``He's in an interesting situation, doing well and winning all the games he's played in,'' Carroll said.
By the way, KTLA-TV is running a poll if Barkley should be a Heisman candidate? At last check, 57 percent voted no.

In case anyone wonders how the BCS works, here's the details again.

Here's a question on some interesting comments from across town.

Back to the grind.

Here's quotes from Oregon State coach Mike Riley today.

Here's Pete Carroll's press conference quotes.

Whatever else Pete Carroll does at USC, one thing that stands out is a 15-2 record against Notre Dame and UCLA. That alone ensures a place in the hearts of alumni.

Former USC basketball player David Bluthenthal is back with Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel, the team he won the Euroleague title with in 2004.

Another running back question.

A question here about former USC players joining the coaching staff.

Taylor Mays was named a quarterfinalist for the Lott Trophy. Here's the full list.

This segment sponsored by Romal Meal bread, a rock-hard version of which is provided every Tuesday at Caesar's press conference.

The Football Forum continues!

The defensive line got a tongue-lashing over its personal-foul penalties.

Armond Armstead will remain at defensive tackle this week with Christian Tupou still coming back from his hyperextended knee. Pete Carroll said he tried to elevate Nick Perry to the starting lineup a couple weeks ago but Perry did not play better than Wes Horton.
``(Perry) played OK but not well enough to put Wes on the bench,'' Carroll said. ``Wes seems more consistent in run-pass situations. Nick does better in pass situations.''

Tight end Blake Ayles apologized tonight for making an obscene gesture to a pair of Notre Dame fans during warm-ups before Saturday's game.
``I just need to say sorry to the school and sorry for wearing my jersey and doing that,'' Ayles said. ``It was just me being disrespectful. I just felt bad about it.''
Pete Carroll is making Ayles perform some type of community service over the incident.

Stanley Havili remains out of practice after he dislocated his shoulder. He will have an MRI tomorrow. Alex Parsons (concussion) sat out Monday's practice. Christian Tupou (knee) said he will try to play this week.

Here's a group that wants to scrap the BCS.

Here's Jeff Sagarin's take.

I'll be a guest on tonight at 6:20 p.m. on Lee ``Hacksaw'' Hamilton's show on 1090-AM.

USC is ranked 104th in the nation in third-down conversions (31.94 percent) while UCLA is 105th (31.71).

Back to the answers.

I never got a chance to mention that the Notre Dame band, led by USC grad Ken Dye, once again put on another original halftime performance with a re-enactment of the moon landing. Dye is 2 for 2 on halftime shows in the past two years.

I will be on the Petros-Money Show (570-AM) today around 4:30 p.m.

Here's the grades for the USC-Notre Dame game.

Back to the football forum!

Matt Barkley was named the Davey O'Brien Foundation national QB of the week.

Tight end Anthony McCoy is on the Mackey Award watch list for the nation's top tight ends.

Jurrell Casey, who had 10 tackles and forced a fumble against Notre Dame, was named Pac-10 defensive player of the week.

Remember to follow us on twitter.com/InsideUSC.

Time to tackle the football forum. Finally!

In a rare moment, Pete Carroll questions the validity of the BCS rankings.

USC is No. 1 in the nation in sacks per game (4.33) and tied for second in tackles for loss (9.33).

USC fullback Stanley Havili, who injured his shoulder, will require some tests this week before any determination can be made on when he returns. Offensive lineman Alex Parsons, who suffered a concussion, is expected to play this week.

Pete Carroll watched the game films today and was adamant that Taylor Mays' two late-hit penalties were not legitimate calls.
``Taylor's were legit football plays and never should have been called,'' Carroll said.
Carroll also said tailback Joe McKnight got hit ``five steps'' out of bounds on a first quarter play but no flag was thrown.
He was also upset about Notre Dame's fake field goal, saying the Pac-10 agreed to ban such plays and require players within 15 yards of a huddle. He said game films showed a Notre Dame pretending to come out of the game and hanging around the sideline.
He conceded that Notre Dame was a nonconference game, so different rules could apply to the Pac-10 crew. And Cal ran a similar play against USC two weeks ago, so apparently the officials are allowing it in conference games too.
Carroll is hoping to speak to Pac-10 supervisor of officials Dave Cutaia tonight.
All of the personal-foul penalties were good calls, Carroll said.

USC has now tied Michigan State for the most victories against the Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Both have 13. Purdue has 11 victories in South Bend, including 10 at Notre Dame Stadium. Pitt also has 10 victories over the Irish at Notre Dame Stadium.
No one has more home victories against Notre Dame than USC, with 21. Purdue and Michigan State have 14, Michigan 11 and Pitt, 9.

That's who USC plays in Sports Illustrated's latest playoff bracket.

Time for some post-Notre Dame questions. One per person. I'll answer the original Open Forum questions tomorrow.

USC is No. 7 in today's first BCS poll. Iowa, Boise State and Cincinnati are currently ahead of the Trojans. Full standings after the jump.

For me, USC's MVP through six games is middle linebacker Chris Galippo.
We could point to performance, with his interception against Ohio State that led to a touchdown. Without that play, USC loses the game.
Then there was yesterday, when Notre Dame had a third-and-2 at the USC 28 on the first possession of the third quarter. Galippo and Jurrell Casey stopped Armando Allen for a 1-yard gain. On fourth-and-1, Galippo and Everson Griffen stopped James Aldridge for no gain.
But that's not half the story. Galippo's leadership is what makes him just as valuable this season. He frequently speaks to teammates during the game to point things out and yesterday went out of his way to make sure no one celebrated too much after Griffen's costly penalty.

Chris Galippo was named one of 16 semifinalists for the Butkus Award, which goes to the nation's top linebacker.

Finishing up the Ultimate Forum, following the trip back from Notre Dame.

I asked yesterday who had less discipline: USC's football team with its personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties or the band, which had Art Bartner screaming at them after they started harassing a Notre Dame player?
Well, the band reports the incident yesterday occurred when Notre Dame wide receiver Golden Tate bumped into a drummer and the drummer yelled an expletive at Tate. That caused Bartner to yell at the drummer. So I'm not sure if that answers the original question or not.

Matt Barkley's 380 passing yards was the third-highest total ever for a Trojan quarterback against Notre Dame, and the most ever at Notre Dame.
Anthony McCoy's 153 receiving yards was the most ever by a Trojan receiver in a game without a receiving touchdown.

Was the best thing that happened yesterday that Ohio State's chances of a rematch with USC in the Rose Bowl (if the Trojans play in the New Year's Day game) decreased following a loss to Purdue?

Here's an interesting exchange from my story on Matt Barkley and Jimmy Clausen.
In one memorable scene, Clausen chased USC defensive end Malik Jackson off the field following Jackson's roughing-the- passer penalty.
"He said, `Good job, Malik. Good job, Malik. (Dummy),' '' Jackson said. ``What could I say? I messed up.''
Jackson made sure to find Clausen after the game to return the favor.
``I said, "Good job Jimmy. You (jerk).' He just kept walking," Jackson said.

Here is this week's ballot for the Associated Press poll.

USC defensive end Malik Jackson said the rivalry was not as respectful as in recent years.

It was a wild game in South Bend, especially for the players.
``There were a lot of heart-attack symptoms,'' USC linebacker Chris Galippo said. "This is the most stressed-out game we've had.''

USC forced four fumbles Saturday but Notre Dame recovered each one.
``That drives me crazy,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said.

There was not really an explanation given for how USC allowed a player to go completely uncovered on the fake field goal in the first half that led to Notre Dame's first touchdown.
Pete Carroll said he wondered if the player actually went to the huddle as required before the snap. He also said game films probably would not show the incident to determine it.
But shouldn't a coach have noticed it and yelled or called a timeout?

USC tailback Joe McKnight was asked where the Trojans get their strength from in hostile enviroments.
``Just knowing everyone is against us, even the football team and everybody in the stands,'' McKnight said. ``Just to have them crying after the game is a good thing for everyone on the team.''

This really deserves a second viewing.
``Notre Dame is a better football team. It's that simple. If Michael Floyd was healthy, this game wouldn't be close.''
-- Lou Holtz on ESPN before the game

Tight end Anthony McCoy on his 60-yard reception that set up a touchdown.
``They all bit on a run, which is crazy,'' he said. ``Twice, they bit on that play. I was so close to scoring a touchdown. Honestly, I didn't feel anyone on me until the end.''

``You know, it's just a heartbreaker, period, whether you come back from seven points or however many points we did today. It's just a tough loss.''
-- Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen

Alex Parsons suffered a concussion. Stanley Havili's shoulder popped out during the game and his status will be determined when USC gets back to Los Angeles.

``I thought we could have put them away (at 34-14. It's my fault. I should have put (the secondary) in a one-on-one situation (on Golden Tate's 45-yard touchdown pass).
``That's the one play that bothered me.'
-- USC coach Pete Carroll

USC holds on with a couple strange calls by Charlie Weis at the end of the game. One thing about today's game that was discussed in the locker room. There was a lot more trash talking than usual for a USC-Notre Dame game.
USC players attributed it to the Irish's frustration over USC's winning streak. One thing USC did not dispute was some sloppy personal foul penalties although Pete Carroll absolved the late hit call on Taylor Mays.

Offer your own analysis.

Matt Barkley's intercepted and Jimmy Clausen throws a 15-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate. USC is letting the game slip away in uncharacteristic fashion as the defense looks a far cry from its first five games.

USC's football team with its personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties or the band, which had Art Bartner screaming at them after they started harassing a Notre Dame player?

USC's defense is relaxing a little too early and the Irish score quickly on Jimmy Clausen's keeper. The extra point was blocked.

Matt Barkley completed his last 7 passes of the third quarter. And for some reason, USC ran Joe McKnight up the middle on third-and-goal at the 1, but he fumbled after he hit the ground. He then scored on a sweep.

Matt Barkley throws a nice soft pass behind the ND defense to Anthony McCoy for a 60-yard pass that sets up Allen Bradford's short TD run. Does Notre Dame have another big play in its offense?

Everson Griffen's unsportsmanlike conduct penalty helps a Notre Dame drive that culminates with a 45-yard TD pass from Jimmy Clausen to Golden Tate.

Notre Dame authorized the tearing down of the goal posts if the Irish won today.

Damian Williams catches a pass near the line of scrimmage and races 41 yards down the sideline for a TD. Could be the key play of the game.

Lou Holtz on ESPN before the game: ``Notre Dame is a better football team. it's that simple. if Michael Floyd was healthy, this game wouldn't be close.''

Not sure if it was on TV, but one of the sideline sights was Pete Carroll going 10 yards on to the field to call a time out when USC was down near the goal line in the first half.

Chris Galippo and Everson Griffen just came up huge stopping Notre Dame on a fourth-and-1 at USC's 27.

Taylor Mays led USC with six tackles in the first half. Jurrell Casey added four. Manti Te'o and Kyle McCarthy had four each for Notre Dame.

USC does have a special teams coach, doesn't it? It was hard to tell in the first half.

OK, we're blogging again. We somehow got a spot between Will Ferrell and Spike Lee down on the field and made the most of it. When the two said hello, Ferrell to Lee, ``I'm glad you're rockin' 13,'' referring to Lee's USC jersey.
The South Bend police dept. decided to bring Ferrell into the stadium because of the mob of fans outside the stadium who wanted pictures before the game.

Charlie Weis thinks this could be Notre Dame's year to end the streak.

The Wall Street Journal reports USC has an 82 percent chance of winning today's game based on probability by percentage.

Around 3,000 Notre Dame fans (and three USC fans) attended tonight's midnight rally featuring the drummers in the Notre Dame band along with students to practice all the cheers that will be used during the game.
The crowd was larger than for the 2005 midnight rally.

If USC loses Saturday, the Trojans will have two losses earlier than at any time since the 2002 season, when they started 3-2.
A victory would position the Trojans well with four of their final six games at home.

At midnight tonight (9 p.m. PDT), the drummers in the Notre Dame band and the students meet at the steps of the university's Main Building to practice all the cheers that will be used during the game.

It's time to pick the score for the USC-Notre Dame game. If you pick the exact score, you win a $50 gift certificate to Chili's (valid email must accompany score).

No. 1 USC extended its winning streak to 28 games, defeating No. 9 Notre Dame, 34- 31, in South Bend.
Facing fourth and long with the game in the balance, Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Matt Leinart found Dwayne Jarrett down the sideline that brought the Trojans to the Irish 13-yard line with under a minute to play. Leinart, with ``assistance'' from fellow Heisman winner Reggie Bush, scored the game-winning touchdown three plays later.

Here's another Pete Carroll quote from the Dan Patrick Show, this time on Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen.
``He is much more comfortable. This is by far his best. He has done so many things beyond just the regular plays. He is moving really well. He is getting out of trouble and finding guys when he is moving. He isn't a scrambler but he has shown kind of a different level of resourcefulness finding 2nd and 3rd receivers and stuff. He has made a lot of big plays by doing so. That's a little different than he has been in the past.''

USC is obviously a football school, judging by this blog's banner.

Here's a weekend tradition as Notre Dame's trumpets play inside the Golden Dome on Fridays before home football games.

Tailback Marc Tyler talks about possibly having season-ending foot surgery.

Here's another Pete Carroll quote on facing Steve Sarkisian:

``I didn't root for him one bit. But knowing what happened and knowing the impact that will have on his future and for the program, I understand that and it's a great thing for those guys.
``He has worked his butt off and almost got Notre Dame as well. He could have been off to an incredible start. He is off to a great start anyways. I understand the impact of it. I love and those guys there I wish them the very best of everything but not on my day but they got it.''

Pete Carroll talked to Dan Patrick about whether you learn more from a loss than a win.
``Sometimes. I hate to get better by losing. I like the other guys to do that but in that situation sometimes you do until you get hit right in the forehead and it shocks you a little bit. Unfortunately, we have learned that. I wish I never knew that lesson.''

We hear Matt Barkley and Jimmy Clausen were still trading phone calls to get in touch with each other after texting yesterday.

Linebacker Malcolm Smith will start against Notre Dame after missing the past two games with a sprained ankle.

C.J. Gable bruised his knee today near the end of practice and is expected to be available to play Saturday.

Tailback C.J. Gable crumpled to the ground on the kick return team during today's practice. He was down for several minutes.
``We'll find out what happened,'' Pete Carroll said. ``He banged knees (with another player). Nothing twisted. It might be a bruised knee.''
Gable's status for the game is not decided yet.

Here's a map of places to eat on Notre Dame's campus if you are going to the game this weekend.

Wide receiver Jordan Cameron will also make the trip to Notre Dame. Cameron did not make the squad for the Washington game and was dropped at the last minute for the Cal game when the coaching staff decided to take another defensive back instead.

Cornerback Brian Baucham will make the trip to Notre Dame, his first game since his motorcycle accident. He probably will not play much. USC's used safety Drew McAllister and cornerback T.J. Bryant are being used in nickel defense situations.

Jimmy Clausen traded text messages with some USC players on Wednesday.

USC will hold practice today at 11:15 a.m. before departing for South Bend.

A member of the board of trustees was all over the news last night.

USC's game at Oregon could be switched from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. if the game is deemed less attractive to ABC, which could farm it out to ESPN or ESPN2. A decision on the Halloween game will not be made until Oct. 25, according to a USC spokesperson. That means ABC wants to see if both teams keep winning before committing to it.

Pete Carroll said tailback Marc Tyler, who suffered a sprained big toe last month, is expected to return this season.
``He's still coming back,'' Carroll said. ``We have to wait our way through it. Next Tuesday they will re-evaluate it. He's probably a couple weeks away.''
Carroll said doctors have not discussed the possibility of surgery.
Linebacker Malcolm Smith (sprained ankle) is full speed although a decision on whether he or Shane Horton starts is undecided.
Defensive tackle Armond Armstead could start in place of Christian Tupou (knee). But Tupou practiced Wednesday and said he would be able to play.

Fullback D.J. Shoemate did not practice today to focus on a class project. He said he will make the trip to Notre Dame.

Post-practice updates appear at twitter.com/InsideUSC.

Matt Barkley thinks Notre Dame's aggressive defense could aid the Trojans.
``Our line's going to do a great job and we're ready for it,'' he said. ``If you can beat it, they're susceptible to a big gain.''

Here's the 12 players that made the cut for the Lombardi Award.

A lot of readers have asked when Stafon Johnson will be able to speak.
According to Dr. Reena Gupta, who will work with Johnson with speech therapy, ``it's hard to predict. It's not as simple as a bone breaking.''

So what's the big quarterback matchup this week?
Matt Barkley v. Jimmy Clausen? Colt McCoy v. Sam Bradford?
There's a few others that no one is really talking about too.

The first BCS standings will be released Sunday between 1-1:40 p.m. (PDT).

Stafon Johnson's surgeon said again today that most people would probably not survive a similar accident.
``His injury, you (usually) die,'' Dr. Ryan Osborne said. ``If it happened in a home gym, that would not add up to success.''
Osborne said he did not know if Johnson would play football again and much of that would depend on Johnson. He also did not have a timetable yet on when Johnson would be able to speak again.

The Sporting News asked NFL players what college coach they would like to play for besides the one they did. Here's the results:
12 votes: Pete Carroll (USC)
­ 8 votes: Urban Meyer (Florida)
­ 3 votes: Mike Leach (Texas Tech), Randy Shannon (Miami)
­ 2 votes: Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech), Lane Kiffin (Tennessee), Joe Paterno (Penn State), Nick Saban (Alabama), Steve Spurrier (South Carolina)
­ 1 vote: Bobby Bowden (Florida State), Dennis Erickson (Arizona State), Chip Kelly (Oregon), Ken Niumatalolo (Navy), Bob Stoops (Oklahoma), Jeff Tedford (California), Ron Zook (Illinois)

Player comments after the jump.
Carson Palmer on why he picked Urban Meyer: "If I went there, they'd have to change a little bit because I'm not going to be able to do the things (Tim) Tebow can do."

Stafon Johnson looked upbeat and in good shape this morning at his press conference at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Johnson smiled and gave a thumbs up to several people in the crowd.
During the press conference, he wrote on a piece of paper a message, which his mother, Kim Mallory, read. It ended with, ``Fight On! Beat the Irish.''

USC assistant coach Todd McNair flew to Detroit last week to watch defensive end William Gholston. He is listed as committed to Michigan State by some recruiting services but that is considered a shaky situation. Another thing to consider is that Gholston's mother attended USC.

USC freshman tight end James Boyd said he would play basketball this season. Coach Kevin O'Neill said Tuesday he had not spoken to Boyd in a couple months and was unsure of his plans.
Boyd is about two weeks away from returning to football practice after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery last month.

Aaron Corp was not happy about being the No. 3 QB on Tuesday.

Here's the quotes from USC basketball coach Kevin O'Neill.

Quarterback Matt Barkley enjoyed the rain at today's football practice as it prepared the Trojans for going to Notre Dame this week.
``It will be interesting if it does snow,'' Barkley said. ``Rain isn't so bad. Wind is the worst for a quarterback.''

USC basketball coach Kevin O'Neill compared himself to former coach Tim Floyd today.
``I'm a different guy than Tim (Floyd). These guys will tell you that. I'm a little bit of a different guy than a lot of people. My wife will tell you that.''

USC tailback Stafon Johnson will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow.

Here's Charlie Weis' press conference quotes.

Here's Pete Carroll's press conference quotes.

Does Washington's decision to drop a home-and-home series with BYU mean Steve Sarkisian is not following the ``always compete'' philosophy anymore?

Notre Dame's best wide receiver, Michael Floyd, will be in uniform for practice today, Charlie Weis said. Floyd broke his collarbone Sept. 19. But he will not be available to play until Nov. 14.

LSU and Ole Miss set attendance records on Saturday during their games with Florida and Alabama respectively.

We hear that UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel buzzed the field in his helicopter last Friday night at Kaiser High School in Fontana. School officials were reportedly so upset they discussed not letting him on the field for the game.

At this rate, the coaches might have Garrett Green ahead of Aaron Corp by November.

It's good to see everyone is focused on important things during Notre Dame week.

Jerry Palm does his own power rankings and has Alabama, Virginia Tech, Florida, Iowa, and Texas in his top five. USC is 13th.

Here's more from Pete Carroll on why he elevated quarterback Mitch Mustain.

With all but one computer ranking available, BCS guru Jerry Palm's rankings are: Florida, Alabama, Texas, Virginia Tech, Boise St., USC, LSU and Ohio State.
The sixth computer will not be available until next week, when the official BCS numbers are released for the first time this season. The computers rank USC anywhere from 8th-15th. The Trojans are doing better in the human polls.

Here's Pete Carroll and Mitch Mustain's rise to No. 2.
``Mitch took more reps and (quarterbacks coach) Jeremy (Bates) moved him up on the way he's looked,'' Carroll said. ``Mitch has done really well throwing a lot more consistently.''

Cornerback Brian Baucham practiced for the first time since being in a motorcycle accident on the 110 freeway and Carroll said he could play against Notre Dame. Baucham lost most of the skin on his left big toe after he slid about 150 feet on the freeway after getting bumped by a car.
``He just came out and practiced,'' Carroll said. ``He's resilient.''

Pete Carroll said Jordan Congdon would remain the kicker this week while Jake Harfman handles punts and kickoffs. C.J. Gable and Curtis McNeal will return kickoffs although Ronald Johnson keeps asking to also do it.

Mitch Mustain beat out Aaron Corp for the No. 2 spot.

The bye week helped USC in some top 25 polls but not in one ranking: The Trojans dropped to 113th in third-down conversions with a success rate of 29 percent.

Rushing touchdowns allowed this season:

Oklahoma 0
Texas 1
Iowa 3
USC 3
UCLA 5

Notre Dame comes into the game Saturday ranked No. 25 by AP. Previously, the lowest ``ranked'' Irish team the Trojans had played was in 1958, when the South Bend team was ranked 18th by AP. Notre Dame has been unranked five times when facing Pete Carroll.

Remember to follow us on twitter.com/InsideUSC.

Back to the non-football answers.

Following up on a previous post, the Denver Broncos defeated the New England Patriots on Sunday. So who do they miss less? Jay Cutler or Jeremy Bates?

The Pac-10 just followed up by naming Washington linebacker Mason Foster the conference's defensive player of the week.

Here's a picture taken off the telecast of the key play, Mason Foster's interception for a TD, in the Arizona-Washington game on Saturday night.
The Pac-10 video replay official ruled the ball did not touch the ground.
But the play also highlights the awful coverage Fox Sports provides on college football. Here's a link to the key moment. Note how Fox showed the key replay angle only one time and the announcers never question whether the ball hit the ground.

USC is a 10.5-point favorite over Notre Dame.

USC players note a difference in quarterback Matt Barkley.

With the Boston Red Sox eliminated, at least we don't have to worry about Pete Carroll having divided loyalties with his beloved Dodgers.

Since Notre Dame beat Pete Carroll's first team by 11 points in 2001 (Carroll's only double-digit loss at USC), the Trojans' margins of victory against the Irish have been 31, 31, 31, 3, 20, 38, and 35 points.
The 2001 game was also the last time USC scored less than 20 points against Notre Dame.

USC would play TCU in the first round of Sports Illustrated's playoff bracket.

Back to the ultimate forum (no football).

USC moved up to No. 6 in the AP poll without playing. The Trojans remain No. 7 in the Harris Poll.
And Idaho got a point in the AP poll! When did that happen last?

Time to answer the Ultimate Forum questions. For some of the older readers, no football questions here.

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

Pete Carroll talks about this week's featured opponent, Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen.

Former USC tailback Broderick Green scored a touchdown in Arkansas' upset of Auburn while former USC tailback Emmanuel Moody rushed six times for 42 yards in No. 1-ranked Florida's victory over No. 4-ranked LSU.

Washington's 36-33 victory over Arizona leaves Oregon as the only undefeated team in the Pac-10. USC plays at Oregon on Oct. 31.

Here's a much-less publicized Pete Carroll disciple that is succeeding this season. Lowly New Mexico State defeated Utah State today to improve to 3-3 in former USC assistant coach DeWayne Walker's first year with the Aggies.

With Stanford losing to Oregon State, Oregon and Arizona are currently the undefeated teams in the Pac-10. But the Wildcats are playing Washington tonight. So it could be one undefeated team by the end of the night.

Between today and next Saturday, UCLA will play as many home games as USC's played all season.
Of course, USC decided to move its game with Arizona to the end of the season, which helps explain why the Trojans played only two home games.

USC's scored only 17 points in the third quarter this season. By contrast the Trojans scored 47 points in the first quarter, 41 in the second and 39 in the fourth.

The Denver Broncos are 4-0. Who do they miss more? Jay Cutler or Jeremy Bates?

UCLA swept USC in three games last night in women's volleyball. More importantly, is anyone going to keep score anymore now that Lexus abandoned its ``Lexus Gauntlet'' trophy?
Is it now just the Gauntlet? Maybe Pete Carroll can start sponsoring it via twitter. Or the schools can split the cost of the award with USC assuming 75 percent due to state budget cuts.

``Everything that we see from them is kind of like what Washington did to us last week."
-- Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen on ESPN GameDay today.

USC coach Pete Carroll attended Friday night's game between Serra High School and Taft High School to watch Trojans commits Robert Woods and D.J. Morgan.
Woods led Serra with six catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. He also intercepted two passes. Morgan rushed for 117 yards in 19 carries and two touchdowns. Serra won 26-20.

It sounds like former USC player/assistant coach Mike Sanford's tenure at UNLV could end at any time. Boosters have reportedly already agreed to a contract buyout if the school makes a move.

USC kicker Jordan Congdon is 5 for 5 between 20-29 yards and 1-3 between 40-49 yards. Should Jake Harfman get a shot outside 40 yards? Or just 45 yards?

Another quote from ESPN analyst Beano Cook on Notre Dame and quarterback JImmy Clausen.
``I'm not a Notre Dame fan. But the kid is incredible.''

Earlier in the week we mentioned that USC not allowed a passing touchdown this season.
That is a span of 20 quarters. Meanwhile, No. 12-ranked Iowa has not allowed a rushing touchdown in 33 quarters, dating back to its Nov. 8 game against Penn State.

Idaho is 4-1 and 2-0 against Mountain West opponents. Holt won five games in two years at Idaho.

Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o has spoken to the media twice since he arrived in South Bend. In late August and on Wednesday night.
Maybe Notre Dame chose that strategy after watching his ESPN appearance on signing day. And maybe it's why he did not come to USC. Even Jeremy Bates talks once a week.

Cornerback Torrin Harris, who is redshirting, had a big week with two interceptions, stripping the ball from a player and blocking a field goal this week. He came to USC at the urging of close family friend Demetrice Martin, who coached at USC as a graduate assistant but was at Mt. SAC last season.
Martin is currently the secondary coach at Washington and if he were hired there earlier, Harris might be playing for the Huskies.

When Malcolm Jones committed to UCLA yesterday, he became the second younger brother of a USC player to commit to the Bruins. The other is Tevin McDonald, the brother of USC freshman safety T.J. McDonald. What happened with Tevin McDonald and USC? The Trojans never offered him a scholarship.

Meet the first Red Sox-Dodger fan (and Giants).

Here's the scrimmage stats from this morning, highlighted by freshman cornerback Torrin Harris intercepting a Matt Barkley pass and returning it 100 yards for a TD. Harris intercepted Barkley twice this week.

ESPN analyst Beano Cook likes Notre Dame. And quarterback Jimmy Clausen even more.
``I think they are going to beat USC,'' Cook said. ``The kid is remarkable.''

Linebacker Jarvis Jones will return to Georgia today and attend a college football game over the weekend while Pete Carroll attended a high school game Thursday night.

Former USC safety Kevin Ellison is here today. Ellison even recited this blog's address off the top of his head.

Armond Armstead said he felt better than expected so he participated in individual drills during practice today. He was supposed to return next week. Armstead said he definitely will play against Notre Dame.

Item: The Gator Bowl will join the SEC bowl lineup beginning in the 2010 season, giving the SEC three New Year's Day matchups against the Big Ten in Florida.
Comment: How many New Year's Day bowls does the Pac-10 have again?

Here's a class that Aaron Corp, Mitch Mustain and C.J. Gable should probably sign up for next semester.

EXSC 310: Sociopsychological Aspects of Sport and Physical Activity (4 units)
Examination of the individual in a social environment related to sport
and physical activity; personality, motivation, attitude, and group
behavior viewed in physical activity contexts.

Here's some courses from USC course catalog. Personally, I'd sign up for those Chad Kreuter lectures.

PHED 165: Varsity Athletics (1 unit, max 4)
Participation in the University's intercollegiate programs as sanctioned and governed by the PAC-10 conference and/or the NCAA. Graded CR/NC.

Section Type Time Days Registered Instructor Location Syllabus Info
50070D Lecture TBA TBA 17 of 50 Chad Kreuter,
Kyle Ross OFFICE
50071D Lecture TBA TBA 36 of 90 Peter Carroll,
John Mosbach OFFICE
50072D Lecture TBA TBA 2 of 100 Kevin O'Neill,
Jason Pappas

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis is unhappy with the Irish's AP poll ranking and says they are 11 seconds away from being undefeated.

Just to address a frequent question yet again, we're hearing again this week that quarterback Aaron Corp is telling people he will not transfer after the season.

Leon Clarke, who led USC in receiving in 1954 and 1955, died this week. He was 76. Full statement after the jump.

Former USC tailback Emmanuel Moody is Florida's second-leading rusher this season with 188 yards although he's carried only 18 times in four games. Moody's averaging 10.4 yards per carry.

It's time to ask a question to USC coach Pete Carroll. If you asked a question last week and it was not selected, you may resubmit it. Deadline is 9 p.m. tonight.

Malcolm Jones, the younger brother of USC safety Marshall Jones, committed to UCLA today. What happened with USC? The Trojans told him they wanted him to play fullback. Or even linebacker. But Jones wants to play tailback in college.

Pete Carroll said he did not regret playing freshman wide receiver De'von Flournoy instead of redshirting him, even though Flournoy's played sparingly in the first five games.
``We'll need him, there's still a lot of games left,'' Carroll said. ``He's going to play.''

In 1977, No. 7 Alabama upset No. 1 USC, 21-20, at the Coliseum. The game featured eight College Football Hall of Famers including Crimson Tide coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and linebacker Woodrow Lowe as well as USC running back Charles White and coach John Robinson.
USC fullback Lynn Cain scored with 38 seconds remaining but the subsequent two-point conversion attempt for the win fell short, sealing the Tide victory

Tennessee played at least seven true freshmen in every game this season, including 11 against Western Kentucky and 10 vs. Auburn.

USC quarterback Mitch Mustain considers playing another sport.

Pete Carroll said today that cornerbacks Torrin Harris and Byron Moore would redshirt this season.

Freshman James Boyd, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery last month, said he will return in two weeks.

USC center Kris O'Dowd said Cal's crowd did not compare to Ohio State.
``If you want to compare Ohio State to Cal, it's a big difference. It was louder at Ohio State.''

Pete Carroll on Notre Dame: ``They're better than last year. The quarterback is playing great. They've looked good against schools that are traditionally well-known for football.''

The Big Ten Conference is offering a chance to win a trip for two to the 2010 Rose Bowl on BigTenFanCamp.com. Maybe that's how the conference should pick its team for the Rose Bowl too.

Does anyone think Chris Galippo has not completely replaced Rey Maualuga after five games?

ESPN columnist Pat Forde takes a shot at Pete Carroll today by pretending to offer an apology as Carroll in this column.
``USC coach Pete Carroll (9): `So, it was very cool that we killed California -- but Washington is winless since beating us, which isn't overly cool. And even though I'd like to remind everyone that our quarterback and All-America safety didn't play in that game, and I'd like to change the subject by tweeting a very cool Song of the Day, or tell you how totally cool life is in SoCal, I am here to say I'm sorry for that uncool coaching job in Seattle.' ''

Interesting that the tailback-by-committee rotation plan, criticized by so many, suddenly got dumped last weekend. It was refreshing to see two tailbacks flourish with each getting at least 11 carries.
Of course it does not bode well for C.J. Gable, who expected to play and suddenly finds a two-back rotation when he is the third back.

With no one selecting the right score for the Cal-USC game, we will offer the Chili's gift certificate for the next game.

Since USC barely utilizes three wide receivers right now, who gets squeezed when Ronald Johnson returns next week? David Ausberry? Brice Butler?
And with only three receivers really getting serious time, why didn't De'von Flournoy redshirt?

C.J. Gable said he does not intend to speak to the coaches about his playing time and Pete Carroll talks about who he was yelling at on the sideline during the Cal game.

Wide receiver Scott Stephens tore knee ligaments against Cal and will miss the rest of the season. It's a loss because Stephens was named special teams player of the game against Washington.

Defensive end Nick Perry bruised his knee today for the third time this season.

Former USC wide receiver Mike Williams on campus today.

How many doctors does it take to treat a concussion?

Here's a statement Florida released this afternoon: ``Tebow's primary Medical Team consisted of Dr. Pete Indelicato, University of Florida Athletic Association Team Physician; Dr. Jay Clugston, University of Florida Athletic Association Team Physician and
Anthony Pass, Head Athletic Trainer, University of Florida Football
Team.
``In addition, Dr. Patrick Jacobs, Shands at the University of Florida
Neurosurgeon, Dr. Bayard Miller, Shands at the University of Florida
Neurologist and Dr. Mickey Collins, Assistant Director of the Sports
Medicine Concussion Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical
Center served as consultants.''

Of course when former USC quarterback Matt Leinart suffered a hernia, a specialist was flown down from Vancouver, British Columbia. When other players suffered similar injuries, a phone call was made instead.

Tailback Marc Tyler said he will not be able to return for the Notre Dame game. Tyler, who injured his toe last month, jogged Monday and said he felt OK but he needs to go see a specialist before he will know when he can return.

``We aren't anywhere near finished. There's still a lot we want to accomplish.''
-- USC tailback Allen Bradford

Matt Barkley's worst pass was a badly underthrown deep ball that Cal defensive back Brett Johnson easily intercepted but Barkley said he got hit on the play.
``It was a duck,'' Barkley said. ``I got hit just as I released it.''

Notre Dame unveiled a bronze statue of legendary coach Knute Rockne last week. It will make a nice bookend to the legendary Art Bartner statue USC can unveil next year.

Five out of the six computer rankings employed by the BCS number crunchers are available and LSU is No. 1 in all five. Alabama is second overall, according to the computers, which, collectively, rank Florida and Texas eighth and ninth, respectively.
Combining the computer information with the coaches and Harris polls, BCS guru Jerry Palm sees the top seven as Alabama, LSU, Florida, and Texas, followed by Boise St., Virginia Tech, and USC.
Upcoming USC opponent, and one-time pick of Lou Holtz and Beano Cook to play in the BCS championship game, Notre Dame, checks in at 28th in the Palm BCS rankings.

There are only 13 undefeated teams left in the NCAA Football Subdivision.

The first BCS standings will be released on Oct. 18.

USC's defensive performance does not surprise a key member of the unit, whjch leads last year's group in one important stat.

USC's moved up two spots nationally in third-down efficiency and is now 112th out of 120 teams in the NCAA rankings.
``Our third-down numbers are going to elevate (eventually),'' USC coach Pete Carroll said.

Washington athletic director Scott Woodward's asked the Pac-10 to review some of the controversial calls in the Notre Dame game, which featured a Pac-10 officiating crew and Big East replay booth. Why is this significant? Because USC will find itself in a similar situation in two weeks when it goes to South Bend.

USC leads the Pac-10 with 21 sacks and made 11 in the past two games. Freshman defensive end Nick Perry is the individual sack leader in the Pac-10 with six, more than any USC player had last season.

Since last week, wide receiver Ronald Johnson and defensive end Armond Armstead have known they could return to practice tomorrow. But tailback Marc Tyler (toe) could also return this week. Tyler would like to be available for the Notre Dame game.

USC is No. 1 in the overall Sagarin ratings, including the "Predictor" index. But USC is only No. 4 in the Sagarin ratings that are actually used in the BCS Formula. The rating used in the BCS standings cannot take into account ``margin of victory.''

USC's defense has not allowed a touchdown pass in five games.

Taylor Mays was also named the Lott Trophy Player of the Week.

Taylor Mays and Damian Williams were named Pac-10 Players of the Week. Mays on defense and Williams on special teams.

USC is ranked No. 1 in the Sagarin Ratings. Oregon is No. 5, one spot ahead of Boise State, who defeated the Ducks in the season opener.

Time for questions in the post-Cal bye week. One question per person.

Here are the grades for the USC-California game.

Matt Barkley reacts to Pete Carroll's comments about him playing as well as any other USC QB and talks about the game slowing down for him.

Matt Barkley shrugged off the noise level at Memorial Stadium as a non-issue especially after he survived Ohio State's crowd three weeks earlier.
``No, the crowd was not a factor at all and it usually never is,'' Barkley said. ``I didn't have any problem with the cadence or with hearing myself. I thought our crowd was awesome over there in the corner giving our chants. Even on third downs, the crowd wasn't a factor.''

Pete Carroll said he planned to play third-string tailback C.J. Gable until second-string tailback Allen Bradford started the game strong.
``We really had anticipated C.J. playing more but when Allen got going, we just stayed with him.'' Carroll said.

Pete Carroll said Sunday night that quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates suggested putting backup quarterback Aaron Corp in at the end of the Cal game but Carroll decided against it.
``I just thought (Matt Barkley) should finish it,'' Carroll said. ``He needs to play and be out there when the game is winding down.''

Linebacker Chris Galippo broke up three passes against Cal.

Matt Barkley said last night that USC's offense has not added any plays since the spring. It simply called plays against Cal that were not utilized in the first four games.

Sports Illustrated's playoff bracket doesn't make a great case for a playoff when it has USC playing Ohio State (again!) in the first round. Full bracket after the jump.

Here's a recap of last night's game.

Why was Matt Barkley in at the end of a 30-3 victory over California? It's not like he is 100 percent healthy. Or has not been injured before.

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

Shane and Wes Horton became USC's first brothers to start a game since Don and Craig Gibson started the final seven games of the 1990 season.

USC's third-down conversions rose slightly to 29 percent on the season. Ironically, the opponent's third-down conversion rate is . . . 29 percent!

Because Caesar gushed about Matt Barkley tonight and said he is playing as well as anybody he's coached, here's his season stats:
Barkley has completed 63 of 107 passes for 958 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions and is completing 58.9 percent of his passes.

True freshman safety Jawanza Starling made a tackle tonight, so it means he will not be redshirting this season.

Here's perhaps the most complimentary quote from Pete Carroll on any player.
``You can talk all you want about him being young but he is a real football player,'' Carroll said. ``He is playing as good of football as anybody we have ever had, already.''
Naturally, he was speaking about quarterback Matt Barkley.

``Give USC credit, they are a great football team, no question about it. Their defense is one of the best in the country. You have to give them a lot of credit for how they played.
``But there were chances out there for us to make plays today and we didn't make them. There were a lot of missed opportunities. We have to play more consistently.''

Here's Matt Barkley on tonight's offensive performance.
``I think they've had faith the whole time, but they've decided to open up the playbook now,'' he said. ``I'm confident the coaches believe in me and they do. We'll open up the playbook when we need to.''

``This was a game where you were going to tell if Matt (Barkley) was comfortable and could run the offense. There isn't any doubt.''
-- USC coach Pete Carroll

The defense was the unquestioned star.

Jordan Congdon's 25-yard FG comes after a big 26-yard reception from Blake Ayles, who has been quiet the past few weeks. Jeff Tedford's not doing his big-game reputation any favors so far.

After letting Cal go downfield on the opening drive, the defnse has effectively shut the Bears down since. Jahvid Best's got only 18 yards in five carries and Kevin Riley is 5-14 for 85 yards with an interception.

The Trojans have raced out to a big lead with Joe McKnight's 38-yard TD and Damian Williams' 66-yard punt return. That was Taylor Mays' first interception since the infamous Stanford game in 2007.
USC's an improved 2 for 5 on third down, although running twice on third and fourth and two seemed questionable.

Matt Barkley's arm looks strong in pre-game warmups and Cal is wearing its yellow jerseys.

Does the loser of today's game head to the Holiday Bowl? Or worse?

Here's why each team could win:

The Wall Street Journal gives USC a 53-percent chance to win today's game against California based on the average of 10,000 game simulations and rounded to one decimal point.

It's worth revisiting this Jahvid Best quote from earlier in the week.

On whether there's a different feeling on campus this week with the upcoming game against USC on Saturday
"I go to class and come to practice, so I don't even know. It's Berkeley; everybody's focused on school down there [on campus]."

USC's offense vs. Cal's defense will be the key to Saturday's game. Can the Trojans' inconsistent offense put up points consistently to win?
``It will be crucial,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said of the matchup.

Here's the Pac-10's statement on Oregon's possible appeal of the suspension of tailback LeGarrette Blount.

USC tailback Stafon Johnson was transferred from California Hospital in Los Angeles to another hospital last night.
Katreena Salgado, director of public affairs at California Hospital, said Johnson was transferred for ``insurance purposes.'' She said he was in stable condition when he left the hospital.

Here's this week's reader question that we submitted to USC coach Pete Carroll.

Time to pick the score for the USC-Cal game. If you pick the correct score, the winner receives a $50 gift certificate from Chili's. You must have a valid email to accompany your entry and cannot pick a score already selected.
Chili's will have a tailgate area near the Fan Fest at tomorrow's game and is holding a contest to win a trip to the bowl game of your choice.

Armond Armstead gets some good news and the travel squad changes for the Cal game.

The offense examines its struggles as it heads into a tough road stretch in October.

Pete Carroll said tailback Stafon Johnson's physical condition improved Thursday.
``It's amazing how he is dealing with it,'' Carroll said. ``He's up and around and getting out of bed. He looks like he is OK, to tell you the truth.''
Johnson underwent more than seven hours of surgery Monday after accidentally dropping a weight bar on his neck.

Aaron Corp held off a challenge from Mitch Mustain and will remain the No. 2 QB against Cal. Nick Perry practiced again and will play though he is still limping a bit. Malcolm Smith said he can play but Shane Horton starts at LB. Wes Horton starts over Perry at DE.

We'll have a post-practice report on twitter.com/InsideUSC.

This segment once again brought to you by Romal Meal bread.

Remember to follow us at twitter.com/InsideUSC.

Lots of good questions in the forum this week.

Questions, questions, questions.

USC offensive lineman Jeff Byers is a semifinalist for the William Campbell Award, which is a scholar-athlete honor. You must have at least a 3.2 GPA and ``outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.''
Florida's Tim Tebow and Texas' Colt McCoy are also semifinalists.

More on playcalling.

Questions about the Washington kickoff time and Norm Chow in this segment.

Time to answer football questions!

The travel squad for the Cal game will include every wide receiver thanks to some injuries that made for less tough decisions on who to bring.