April 2011 Archives

For all the remarks made throughout last season by Lane Kiffin about USC's lack of talent and surviving post-glory days, nine players were drafted by NFL teams. And a 10th -- center Kris O'Dowd -- was supposed to be picked.
I'm not suggesting this draft class is anything close to a couple years ago. But it's not exactly talent that justifies an 8-5 record when you're producing twice as many pro picks as Auburn, Florida and Oklahoma.

Here's how USC compared to some other college football powers:

School, draft picks
USC 9
LSU 6
Alabama 5
Ohio State 5
TCU 5
Auburn 4
Florida 4
Oklahoma 4
Texas 4
Oregon 1

Two mainstays of USC's offensive line -- Kris O'Dowd and Butch Lewis -- did not get drafted. It sounds as if injuries were a factor and O'Dowd did not have the strongest Senior Bowl. When the NFL lockout ends, they should quickly with NFL teams as free agents.
Lane Kiffin would sure like them back.

USC tailback Allen Bradford will join a running backs group at Tampa Bay that includes former Oregon tailback LeGarrette Blount and former Stanford player Erik Lorig.

Wide receiver Ronald Johnson on facing Pete Carroll twice a year:
``That will be fun, just to be able to talk to him after the game or before the game, and once I get on the field, forget about it and have to go and beat his team. That's my thing. I'm going to come into the NFL with a chip on my shoulder and lead my team to a Super Bowl.''

USC wide receiver Ronald Johnson on whether he liked his new coach, San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh:
``We all respected him. He's a great coach and he had his players doing the right things on the field, and off the field, and he's a great coach and I can't wait to play for him.''

Here's where the USC players went in the draft:

OT Tyron Smith (Dallas, 9th)
DT Jurrell Casey (Tennessee, 77)
CB Shareece Wright (San Diego, 89)
TE Jordan Cameron (Cleveland, 102)
WR Ronald Johnson (San Francisco, 182)
TB Allen Bradford (Tampa Bay, 187)
FB Stanley Havili (Philadelphia, 240)
WR David Ausberry (Oakland, 241)
LB Malcolm Smith (Seattle, 242)

Here's Cleveland Browns GM Tom Heckert on Jordan Cameron:
``He played a lot. I mean he had 16 catches, but he played an awful lot. He really did. You see him do it. He obviously doesn't catch the ball every time he's on the field, but we made a cut-up just to have the thing and there's like 500 plays. This guy played offense for them."

Pete Carroll drafted Stanford cornerback Richard Sherman in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. In 2009, Sherman intercepted a Matt Barkley pass and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown. Carroll famously blamed the wide receiver on the play and didn't credit Sherman (or blame Barkley).
Maybe he changed his mind.

Ronald Johnson goes to the 49ers and Allen Bradford to the Buccaneers in the sixth round. Will Kris O'Dowd be the next player taken?

Tight end Jordan Cameron goes to the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round.

After getting drafted by the Titans, Jurrell Casey was asked by the Tennessee media about Lane Kiffin.
``He is a good guy,'' Casey said. ``He had to do what he had to do to get the team on track and some people don't like that because of the approach he takes. The approach he takes is the way we have to do to get his team on board. It is just the way he coaches. Some coaches are nice coaches and some coaches like to get down dirty and greedy. I just liked him because he got me better as an individual person, talking to him and making sure I stayed focused on what I got to do.''

USC defensive tackle Jurrell Casey on being drafted in the third round by Tennessee.
``You know I've had to sit back and be patient. I didn't know where I was going to end up going. I was just going to let the cards play out and they came and got me in the third round, so that is where I'm going to go and that is what I'm going to do. I'm just going to go out there and prove that I should be able to play.''

USC cornerback Shareece Wright spoke tonight about being drafted by the Chargers in the third round.
``It was my dream to play for San Diego,'' Wright said. ``I couldn't ask for a better place to start my NFL career. Anything they ask of me whether it's for me to play that nickel spot or play man-to-man on the outside or flying down the field on kickoffs or gunner on special teams, I did it all in my college career.''

Does the Todd McNair decision mean USC's appeal is coming any day? Or does it mean the decision might not come for two months because McNair's hearing was in November and USC's was in January.

When did USC decide that it needed to follow Oregon or anyone else for that matter? The Ducks practice in the morning. Lane Kiffin switched practices to the morning. The Ducks wear day-glo socks. Kiffin wants to switch to black socks.
Oregon did go to the BCS title game last season but does USC ever need to concern itself with another program? This must be the Kiffin philosophy finally showing itself as Year 2 beckons.

The NCAA announced today that former USC assistant coach Todd McNair lost his appeal. Does this mean USC will also lose its appeal? I would say it's not a great sign but also emphasize that the NCAA separated McNair's case from USC. If you read the NCAA original report, it is clear they did not have a great deal of respect for McNair.
He was charged with unethical conduct by the NCAA by providing false and misleading statements about his knowledge of a call between himself and Lloyd Lake five years ago.
But there was also a part of the NCAA report where McNair took a USC tutor to a party in San Diego of a former NFL player, where he initially became aware of the one of the would-be sports marketers' relationship with Reggie Bush.
``According to the assistant football coach, the associate was a tutor in the athletics department and he contemplated hiring her to assist him in "starting an independent record label." [Note: No such enterprise was ever started]

As feared, we hear that USC coach Lane Kiffin intends to switch to black socks for the 2011 season.after the Trojans wore them for the first time during Saturday's scrimmage. Kiffin is going to end a USC tradition that goes hand-in-hand with black cleats and no names on the back of jerseys. No big deal.
Why the change? They are popular with the players. And we're hearing Kiffin is using things like the decision of recruit De'Anthony Thomas switching from USC to Oregon (and its day-glo socks against Auburn) as a reason to change things up.
Somehow Pete Carroll managed to win 10-or-more games an unprecendented seven straight seasons with the burden of white socks. At least when Kiffin loses next season, you won't hear, ``it was the socks'' as an excuse. (Photo/John McGillen)

``I think I have the potential to be a Pro Bowler and a Hall of Famer.''
-- USC offensive tackle Tyron Smith after getting drafted by the Dallas Cowboys

Tyron Smith is the first USC offensive lineman selected in the first round since John Michels in 1996. He is the highest-selected offensive lineman since Tony Boselli was the No. 2 pick in 1995.

Here's a picture of Tyron Smith with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at the NFL Draft in New York City.

No surprise in the first round as Tyron Smith goes to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 9. Good for Smith, who went to New York, unlike Jake Locker, who was selected ahead of him.

The NFL Draft starts at 5 p.m. (PDT). Can Tyron Smith go anywhere besides the Dallas Cowboys or Detroit Lions? The mock drafts don't seem to think so.
And who will Caesar draft? Why not trade up for Jake Locker, his favorite college player?

The offensive struggles and Coliseum hot dogs are the topics in this segment.

More questions and more answers.

Here's a look at USC's draft prospects, what round they might go and which teams are interested in them.

While pondering the color of USC's socks, time for some answers.

And here's the final spring attendance numbers for the SEC:

Alabama: 92,310
Arkansas: 42,000
Auburn: 53,209
Florida: 51,000
Georgia: 43,177
Kentucky: 4,000
LSU: 25,032
Ole Miss: 28,000
Miss. State: 36,357
South Carolina: 29,451
Tennessee: 35,891
Vanderbilt: 7,500

TOTAL: 447,927 (37,327 average)

2010: 430,228 (35,852 average)
2009: 455,232 (37,936 average) [SEC Record]
2008: 373,232 (31,103 average)
2007: 293,739 (24,478 average)

USC offensive lineman Tyron Smith headlines today's draft for the Trojans, but will Jurrell Casey and Jordan Cameron sneak into a higher spot than expected?

The Christmas Bowl or Los Angeles Bowl would match BYU against the Pac-12's No. 8 team. That's a surefire draw. Here's more details.

When Pete Carroll attended last weekend's USC-Washington baseball game, he sat with agent Scott Boras, his college classmate from Pacific. Boras' son, Shane, is on the USC baseball team.

Kristin Cavallari, who starred in the shows ``Laguna Beach'' and ``The Hills'' got engaged to Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. So what is the USC connection?
I met Cavallari in 2005 during one of her visits to USC when she dated Matt Leinart. And Cutler? He's good friends with former USC offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates, who was his position coach in Denver.

Neither team exactly performed with flying colors at their spring scrimmages. Interesting that in the chart I ran Monday, USC receives no money from student fees while UCLA gets more than four percent of its budget. And still doesn't pay coaches. But UCLA probably still wears white socks.

In 2009, Lane Kiffin let Tennessee wear black jerseys in a game.
"It's a players' game, and our players had been begging for them for a while,'' Kiffin said after that game.
What happens if USC players want to wear black jerseys with their black socks?

USC sprinter Quincy Watts, an Olympic gold medalist, leads a group of 10 inductees into the USC-UCLA Hall of Fame for track and field on the eve of Sunday's dual meet. The Trojan men and women swept the past two dual meets.

Patrick Hall started spring as a safety. He is now a cornerback. I don't see Hayes Pullard sitting on the bench if Chris Galippo is healthy, which means he might have to flop over to the strongside linebacker position.
In case you forgot Ed Orgeron is recruiting coordinator (and we never thought you did), there are now 13 defensive linemen on scholarship. And scholarship reductions won't affect tight end, which has five players on scholarship.

The left guard, right guard and right tackle positions look extremely suspect. Aundrey Walker and Cyrus Hobbi will get more chances to start than any freshmen offensive linemen in the past 15 years.
George Uko looks like he won a defensive tackle spot and Marshall Jones beat out his more-discussed competition at strong safety. It's also curious that Jesse Scroggins, despite clearly being the No. 2 QB in spring practice, does not have that title on the depth chart.

Here's a good PDF of the just-released depth chart to print out.

Perhaps our pressure paid off as Lane Kiffin just released a depth chart. He only needed three days since spring practice ended.

This spring showed USC's defense often at its best, whether or not the offense posed much of a challenge. But the bigger question is how the defense will perform in the Pac-12. Not against the Minnesotas of the world, but the spread offenses that you need to stop to win titles.
Again, I will point to a question posed by an NFL coach who watched USC on film last season: ``Does the defense account for the quarterback? It didn't last season.''
We won't know until the fall.

Tight end Jordan Cameron is the 59th-best prospect in the draft according to this chart.

Here's the odds from Bodog.com on who will be selected with the ninth pick in the NFL Draft?
Tyron Smith (OT USC) 2/3
Prince Amukamara (CB Nebraska) 5/2
Anthony Castonzo (OL Boston College) 9/2
Cameron Jordan (DL California) 6/1

I like this question better: Who will have more correct picks in their mock draft?
Mel Kiper Jr. (ESPN) -120
Todd McShay (ESPN) -120

Offensive tackle Tyron Smith still seems to be holding between either the ninth pick (Cowboys) and 13th pick (Lions) in most mock drafts. Meanwhile, linebacker Malcolm Smith visited the New York Jets last week.

Tailback D.J. Morgan's knee bothered him through the spring and his shoulder hurt at the conclusion of drills. But he's still probably going to run in Sunday's dual track meet against UCLA at Cromwell Field.

Here's my look at the good and bad from spring practice.

With USC so shorthanded at fullback, here's a suggestion. How about giving incoming freshman linebacker Tre Madden a try at the spot. He's got good size (6-feet, 220 pounds) is used to being a physical player and rushed for 300 yards last season. Plus his father played fullback at Kansas State, so that's always worth something.

Here's an interesting chart on what Pac-10 athletic departments receive in student fees. USC's athletic dept. is self-sufficient and does not receive any student fees.

Here's where USC fits into a list of spring football game attendances.

USC lost 30 scholarships for using one ineligible player (Reggie Bush). Ohio State's used several ineligible players and the coach is accused of dishonesty for hiding the violations. So the Buckeyes can expect harsher penalties than USC, right? Not so fast.
Ohio State was not cited for "failure to monitor" or "failure of institutional control" violations, which is where the NCAA usually hammers colleges. Shouldn't Coach Jim Tressel be part of a failure of institutional control?

The spring games are over for both schools and USC clinched the Gauntlet over the weekend. What else?

USC's spring game was broadcast on 710-AM. Several listeners emailed to say that during the broadcast, sideline reporter Mark Willard was asked why Marc Tyler was not playing and said, ``he's fat.'' Apparently, it was supposed to be an off-air comment.

Time to rank the quarterbacks' performances for spring practice. As always, we rank quarterbacks on a scale of 1-4 Euros.

Matt Barkley €€ (2 Euros) An interception a day will not keep the NFL away
Jesse Scroggins €€ (1.5 Euros) Turnover prone but also made strides
Cody Kessler € (1 Euro) This was worth missing the last semester of high school?
Max Wittek € (1 Euro) See comment for Kessler

Time for those first post-spring questions. One question per person please.

Linebacker Jordan Richmond of Denton, Texas, who committed to Texas A&M in February, attended Saturday's scrimmage at the Coliseum.

USC forward Nikola Vucevic is now 40th in this mock draft. He was 54th a couple weeks ago. He should move into the first round in the next month.

If you went to Saturday's scrimmage, you probably expected more from freshmen quarterbacks Cody Kessler and Max Wittek. But Lane Kiffin kept both under wraps for the entire spring. At least everyone knew Jesse Scroggins ended spring as the No. 2 quarterback. They should be in a better position in fall training camp after passing all summer with the wide receivers.

We mentioned that when Lane Kiffin visited Sport Chalet, a USC fan challenged the coach to switch to high-top shoes for next season to avoid high-ankle sprains, which the fan claimed were less common in the 1940's and 50's.
Kiffin said yesterday he would not switch shoes for next season.

If Dillon Baxter plays as well against other defenses as he does against USC, he won't be in Lane Kiffin's doghouse next season.

Hopefully the Coliseum will be more prepared with hot dogs in September than it was during yesterday's scrimmage, when this picture was taken as fans waited in line.

Here's more on USC's spring game including what Lane Kiffin said when I asked him why he ran the ball with 1 second left inside the 10-yard line in the first half.

Tailback Dillon Baxter finally looked like he did at last year's spring game after he struggled last season and this spring before he sprained his ankle. But he broke runs of 34-and-33 yards and finished with 104 overall.
``It felt good,'' Baxter said. ``Last year was a tough year for me. I got down on myself.''
Baxter said he is comfortable planting his foot more and running like a conventional back instead of going sideways.
``Coach Kiffin definitely emphasized putting a foot in the ground and I think I did it,'' Baxter said.

I told Lane Kiffin I would make him look good with this shot of him signing autographs for the fans. I quickly added, ``a near impossibility.''

Here's Lane Kiffin after the scrimmage regarding Matt Barkley's performance:
``It's hard to evaluate him in that setting. There were so many guys (out there) that had never played before.''

Robert Woods said he sprained his ankle rebounding shots for a USC women's basketball player at the Galen Center.

Here's the spring scrimmage stats from the Coliseum:

Passing

Matt Barkley 22-42, 212 yards, 2 INTs
Jesse Scroggins 6-15, 68 yards 1 INT

Rushing

Curtis McNeal 13-107 2 TDs
Dillon Baxter 14-104 1 TD
D.J. Morgan 14-89

Receiving

Xavier Grimble 8-73
Markeith Ambles 6-76
Robbie Boyer 6-51
De'von Flournoy 5-62

Tackles

Jawanza Starling 9
Dallas Kelley 8, 1 INT
Hayes Pullard 7, 1 for loss
Nick Perry 6, 2 sacks
DaJohn Harris 5, 2 for loss

Scoring

McNeal 49 run (Heidari kick)
McNeal 11 run (McMahon kick failed)
Heidari FG 27
Baxter 8 run (run failed)
Baxter 3 pass to Barkley (Heidari kick)

121 plays
Attendance: 16,850

Here's Matt Barkley's stats from last year's spring scrimmage: 7-16, 87 yards, 1 TD

Few things are more meaningless than spring stats.

A sarcastic cheer from the crowd as Andre Heidari makes a 27-yard FG with 4:17 left in the game.

Matt Barkley's thrown 2 poor interceptions today. It will be interesting to hear Lane Kiffin's post-game comments from today. The second one came after Barkley threw two excellent passes. So it's a mixed bag for the 16,000 fans that USC says are at the Coliseum.

The defense continues to dominate the scrimmage, which is not surprising. And Matt Barkley threw an interception, which is not surprising. But Dillon Baxter broke a 34-yard run as he showed signs of his former self from last spring.

The Coliseum concession stands ran out of hot dogs in the first half but after 15 minutes orderbwas restored.

The defense still leads but the offense finally scores as tailback Curtis McNeal squirts through the pile and goes 49 yards for a TD on 4th and 1.

The defense won the first quarter at the Coliseum as it earned three points each for the offense's two missed field goals. Andre Heidari missed a 41-yarder while Craig McMahon's 39-yard attempt was about 10 yards short.

There's a nice-sized crowd at Coliseum today perhaps because they haven't been allowed to watch workouts for almost a year.

Here's my column on some issues that sprung up during spring practice and things USC needs to solve heading into next season.

The Trojans won their fifth straight game and seventh in the past eight games as relief pitcher Ben Mount threw 21/3 perfect innings. USC is 18-20 overall and in fifth place in the Pac-10.

Pete Carroll just showed up at the USC-Washington baseball game in Seattle. I will assume he is rooting for USC but since he also rooted for the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, he could easily have dual allegiances.

USC always releases an end-of-spring depth chart the day before the spring scrimmage. A spokesperson claimed Thursday that one would be released today. But Lane Kiffin said he does not want to do one. Unless something suddenly materializes tonight.

And it's a wrap with this edition of the forum!

Time for more questions and answers, including some baseball recruiting.

It looks like USC is not ranked in ESPN's preseason top 25.

How many people will attend tomorrow's spring scrimmage?

Lane Kiffin said he will change practices next season after losing five games in his first year.

Freshman tight end Xavier Grimble weighs 245 pounds, which is about 20 less than last season when there were concerns he might balloon into an offensive tackle.
``I got in the cafeterias and was eating like crazy and lifting,'' Grimble said. ``I kind of put it on. I had to be disciplined. (The coaches) said unless you want to play tackle, you need to get your body right.''

Maybe the most important play in today's practice occurred when oft-injured safety Drew McAllister intercepted a Jesse Scroggins pass and returned it for a touchdown. McAllister missed all of last season with a hip injury and still does not look 100 percent.
But he is getting closer and displayed a knack for interceptions two years ago as a true freshman. He could start at safety if he is healthy.
Matt Barkley also had an interception today by linebacker Hayes Pullard on a deflected pass.

The latest Directors' Cup standings are out and USC is in 28th place. Of course, this not include the spring sports that are still in season.

Lane Kiffin said today that freshman George Uko's played as well as any defensive tackle this spring.

USC assistant coach Bob Cantu, who was pursued by UC Davis for its head-coaching vacancy, decided to withdraw from the search and return to the Trojans for his upcoming 11th season.
``I'm not a candidate for any head-coaching job,'' Cantu said. ``I'm focused on recruiting and next season.''
Cantu recently handled the recruitment of Wake Forest forward Ari Stewart, who committed to USC yesterday.

Wide receiver Kyle Prater was cleared to practice today for the first time since he fractured his left foot and underwent surgery in February. He was not cleared for contact. Prater did mostly individual work and said he will not play in Saturday's sccrimmage.

Tailbacks Marc Tyler and Dillon Baxter returned to practice today and might play in Saturday's scrimmmage. Tyler will need to pass another concussion test Saturday morning. Lane Kiffin said both players were "on the border" for the scrimmage.

USC is practicing in shorts today in its final practice before Saturday's scrimmage. It will be interesting to see how the QBs are used Saturday because Lane Kiffin's been extremely cautious with Cody Kessler and Max Wittek so far in scrimmages and many fans are eager to see them play.

Here's what USC Board of Trustee member Jamie McCourt said today about Major League Baseball taking over the Dodgers.
"As the 50% owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, I welcome and support the commissioner's actions to provide the necessary transparency, guidance and direction for the franchise and for Dodgers fans everywhere."
By the way, another trustee, Alan Casden was interested in buying the Dodgers when Frank McCourt purchased the club.

With Wake Forest swingman Ari Stewart transferring, USC has one scholarship left. The most likely scenarios are the Trojans sign an international player or simply hold the scholarship for next year.

It's been more than a year since Dillon Baxter broke off this highlight run in spring drills. This spring's been devoid of such highlights.

The USC baseball team is 16-20 overall after winning five of its past six games. The Trojans suffered a blow, however, when pitcher Chad Smith suffered a ruptured UCL, which will require six weeks of rehab. Smith was 1-2 with a 2.29 ERA and team-high four saves.

MLB commissioner Bud Selig seized the Dodgers from owner Frank McCourt and said that major-league baseball will oversee all aspects of the business and the day-to-day operations of the team.
Wonder what USC board of trustee member Jamie McCourt thinks of this?

ESPN draft analyst Jon Gruden worked USC or ``Southern Cal,'' into a story about Washington quarterback Jake Locker:
``Accuracy sometimes can be terminal. Sometimes you can't cure that. I think that is a big concern with Jake Locker, because he does miss some throws. But if you pick up the Southern Cal film from this year, if you pick up the Oregon State film from this year, you can see what this guy's capable of doing. He can be a one‑man wrecking machine.''

In this segment, a question about the Coliseum.

Former Wake Forest swingman Ari Stewart informed USC this morning he would transfer to the Trojans. He will sit out next season and have two years of eligibility.

Matt Barkley and Lane Kiffin talk about Barkley's frustration and whether it could be an issue next season.

ESPN draft analyst Jon Gruden expressed doubts today about USC offensive tackle Tyron Smith:
``Tyron Smith at Southern Cal is projected to be left tackle, but he plays right tackle at USC. He's not the biggest guy. So you have some concerns with 'can he go to the left side'? Is he going to be big enough and quick enough to make an immediate contribution?''

The 49ers play at the Detroit Lions on Oct. 16. That means Candlestick Park could theoretically be available if the San Francisco Giants might need AT&T Park for postseason play when Cal plays USC on Oct. 13.

The Seattle Seahawks (Pete Carroll) open the season on Sept. 11 in San Francisco against the 49ers (Jim Harbaugh). The NFL obviously remembers the relationship between the two coaches.

USC offensive tackle Tyron Smith visited the Washington Redskins today. He visits the New York Giants and New England Patriots later this week. Smith previously visited the Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The offensive line is a topic in this segment.

Matt Barkley was running the offense with a group of walk-on wide receivers during Tuesday's practice. Perhaps the fact Markeith Ambles was being punished provided a partial explanation. But wouldn't it be worth a phone call to Brice Butler to see if he wants to stay at USC?

Time for more answers!

Cody Kessler took more snaps in practice today than Max Wittek but Lane Kiffin said it did not mean Kessler is No. 3 on the depth chart.

Rhett Ellison is playing more at fullback because of a lack of other candidates. The shortage of offensive linemen also continues to frustrate Matt Barkley. Regarding an interception he threw this morning, he said, ``There's problems with the offensive line and the defensive line is pushing (through).''

Wide receiver Markeith Ambles was punished during practice and forced to run because he was late for a team meeting this morning.
``My alarm didn't go off,'' Ambles said.

A sort of frustrating day for the offense, as quarterback Matt Barkley threw an interception and became irritated on a different play when a walk-on wide receiver ran the wrong route. Barkley yelled at the receiver after the play.
``Sometimes (it gets frustrating) when things aren't going right and people should know what they are doing,'' Barkley said.
Cornerback Tony Burnett missed practice with a high-ankle sprain while tailbacks Dillon Baxter (ankle) and Marc Tyler (concussion) remained out. Lane Kiffin said 10 scholarship players have missed all of spring practice.

I've been waiting today for someone to take Notre Dame to task for its whitewash investigation into the scissors-lift accident that killed a student videographer. Well, here's the best take so far.

USC hurdler Oscar Spurlock tied Mark Crear's school record in the 110-meter high hurdles with a time of 13.33 seconds at the Mt. SAC relays this weekend.

Anyone want to venture a guess where USC would fit in this chart?

The men's volleyball teams face each other Saturday at the Galen Center, which no one cares about. The dual track meet is May 1st at Cromwell Field, which very few care about. Both teams hold their spring scrimmages on Saturday, which everyone cares about.

More answers on a Monday. Remember to follow us on twitter.com/Inside USC.

We hear several of the Pac-10 officials that were purged by commissioner Larry Scott chose to retire instead of trying to find work in other conferences.

Some schedule questions dominate this segment.

Did you know former USC student and band member Tommy Walker invented the famous ``Charge!'' stadium anthem in 1955? Apparenttly neither did this guy, who claims he invented it in 1980 and is suing for royalties for its use in stadiums across the country.
UPDATED: Walker created the charge theme in 1946 but copyrighted it in 1955.

The silly questions take over in this segment, but at least it adds some variety to the forum.

The Pac-12 has hired a former San Diego Chargers exec as the director for its football championship game. Full release after the jump:

More and more spring games are getting televised, so let's rank some teams based on those performances.
1. Alabama
2. Arkansas
3. Notre Dame

Alabama looked like it could play a game tomorrow, perhaps buoyed by 92,000. Arkansas was more impressive than Notre Dame. The Irish were so-so, but that does not mean they will be a pushover for USC next season. Brian Kelly is already 1-0 against Lane Kiffin after all.

Most mock drafts have USC offensive tackle Tyron Smith going to the Dallas Cowboys, but the Washington Redskins will meet with him on Tuesday.

USC moved into fifth place in the Pac-10 baseball standings today with its victory over Oregon. The Trojans have won four of their past five games and two straight series over Stanford and the Ducks.

Former Wake Forest swingman Ari Stewart concluded his visit to USC this morning. Stewart is also considering Texas, Missouri and North Carolina-Charlotte.

Here's more on yesterday's scrimmage, where Lane Kiffin expressed his displeasure with the freshmen.

``Today was the best defensive day we've had in awhile. We didn't want them to score on us. That was the goal.''

Austin Wood allowed one run in 61/3 innings and freshman shortstop James Roberts had his three hit and three RBI game for the Trojans.

Tight end Rhett Ellison missed today's scrimmage with an ankle injury. Tailback Dillon Baxter (sprained ankle) was also out along with tailback Marc Tyler (concussion).

Today's scrimmage actually offered good insight into the quarterbacks. Jesse Scroggins took over a drive at the 1-yard line and looked dynamic with three straight completions that got the offense to midfield. But on his fourth pass, he locked into a receiver and was easily intercepted by linebacker Dallas Kelley.
That's his inexperience coming through.
Matt Barkley's performance was spotty, just like last week. Actually maybe a little worse. Lane Kiffin said Barkley was ``frustrated,'' which means the offensive line is not at full strength.
But that does not explain how he overthrew a wide-open Robert Woods at the goal-line on about a 10-yard pass or threw a simple slant pass too hard to catch. Or that he was nearly intercepted by linebacker Dion Bailey when the offense went against the second team.These are not huge quibbles, obviously, but they are reminiscent of last season's problems and not really excusable for a quarterback in his third spring.

These Coliseum scrimmages can always be misleading, especially with injuries and when the first units do not go against each other. That was the good thing about the defense's performance today. They shut down the first-team offense (albeit with its o-line woes).
Lane Kiffin was upset about the formation penalties, mostly committed by the freshmen tight ends, fullback, etc.
``A lot of freshmen came in and did not perform,'' Kiffin said.
Overall, the offense committed seven penalties. The defense one.
Even though he is a freshman, tailback D.J. Morgan had a couple nice runs. Morgan said he was ``sluggish'' because his knee bothered him this morning but he had about 30-yard run on one play.
His touchdown came against the reserve defense, so the first-team defense shut out the offense.
Linebacker Hayes Pullard also impressed again. As did safety T.J. McDonald.

Here are the stats from today's scrimmage at the Coliseum:

Passing

Matt Barkley 17-28 154 yards
Jesse Scroggins 4-5 48 yards, 1 INT
Cody Kessler 3-4 6 yards
Max Wittek 1-4 33 yards

Rushing

Curtis McNeal 13-49
D.J. Morgan 14-51 1 TD

Receiving

Robert Woods 8-71
Brandon Carswell 3-43
De'von Flournoy 3-29

Tackles

Will Andrew 6
Marquis Simmons 6
DaJohn Harris 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss
Hayes Pullard 3
Eric Childs 2 tackles for loss

Scoring

Morgan 5 run

Some of you wondered if you attended today's Swim with Mike fundraiser if you could watch football practice while eating lunch, which is held in a corner of Howard Jones Field. Lane Kiffin found a way around that, however, by moving football practice to the Coliseum.

Lane Kiffin is 3-6 is games decided by four points or less in the past two years. It could be the result of coaching two teams in the first year and going through normal growing pains. Or maybe he's just not very successful in close games.

Former USC tailback Broderick Green tore his ACL in spring practice and will miss the 2011 season. Green will be able to petition the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility if he chooses.

Here is a mock draft that naturally has Tyron Smith going to Dallas with the ninth pick, but also has Jurrell Casey going in the third round, Shareece Wright and Kris O'Dowd in the fourth, Ronald Johnson in the fifth, Allen Bradford in the sixth and Jordan Cameron in the seventh.

USC's baseball team opens what could be a crucial three-game series with Oregon at Dedeaux Field starting tonight at 6. The track and field starts competition at the Mt. SAC relays in Walnut.

Finally finished the forum!

The Wall Street Journal reports the Pac-12 seeks $2.3 billion over 10 years for its TV rights.

USC safety T.J. McDonald, after hitting a homer at Dedeaux Field, said defensive tackle Christian Tupou is the Trojans' silent leader.

Tailback Dillon Baxter was still limping Thursday and said his sprained ankle was ``a little better.'' He looks unlikely to play during Saturday's scrimmage.

Alex Stepheson, who attended the recent Portsmouth Invitational, said he has not been told by NBA teams yet where he projects in the draft. Nikola Vucevic did not participate because the camp is limited to seniors.

I was curious where Lane Kiffin would be going with Pat Haden, not to mention Ed Orgeron and J.K. McKay. Apparently, a couple trustees were on campus today.

Another chance encounter with Lane Kiffin on campus today, who was accompanied by Pat Haden. ``The library is over there,'' Haden joked to me. ``Did you ever go there?''
``No,'' I said. ``But I did go to a real school. Unlike Lane.''

OK, as I finish up last week's forum, it's time for a new one. One question per person please.

With USC practices closed to the public and few people besides students on campus during morning practices, why does private security need to escort Lane Kiffin back to Heritage Hall each day? I don't think Pete Carroll required such an escort.

Wide receiver Kyle Prater, out all spring with a foot injury, ran routes for the first time after practice today. Meanwhile, wide receiver Markeith Ambles did practice after missing three practices for various reasons (discipline, failure to appear) and looked rusty as he dropped several passes.

Jesse Scroggins said being a USC quarterback is different than at other schools.
``Quarterbacks have to set themselves different. You have to be a leader,'' Scroggins said. ``You have to say hi to everybody. I'm a shy guy but I'm getting comfortable.''

USC safety T.J. McDonald intercepted two passes in practice then went to Dedeaux Field and hit a home run during an impromptu batting practice with Matt Barkley. McDonald lost half of a tooth in the back of his mouth during Saturday's scrimmage and need the rest of the tooth removed.
When asked if he would get the tooth replaced, McDonald said he wasn't sure because of insurance questions. But USC officials said it would be covered by them because it was an athletic-related injury.

USC coach Kevin O'Neill was in Las Vegas last weekend watching, among others, swingman Shabazz Muhammad, who is considered one of the top 2012 prospects in the nation.
Muhammad is the son of former USC basketball player Ron Holmes, who still keeps in touch with the basketball program. It's probably a long shot that Muhammad would pick USC but the Trojans do have a connection.

USC forward Alex Stepheson measured at 6-81/4 and 246 pounds at the Portsmouth Invitational. His vertical leap of 33.5 inches was the third-best mark of the 64 seniors in attendance.

Junior third baseman Rio Ruiz from Bishop Amat High School, a USC commit, is batting .405 with one homer and 12 RBI. His slugging percentage is .643. Unfortunately for the Trojans, he is expected to be a top-draft pick in 2012 and turn pro.

Gotta finish this forum!

Marquette signed guard Todd Mayo to a letter of intent today. He is the younger brother of former USC guard O.J. Mayo. I'm guessing he will have a less tumultuous affect on Marquette than his brother did on USC. Though it should be noted the younger Mayo attended two high schools and a prep school so he continued a tradition of not staying at one school.

Greg Allen, a 6-3 shooting guard from Navarro Community College in Texas, officially signed a letter of intent with USC. Allen averaged 11 points and shot nearly 40 percent on 3-pointers.
He will challenge next season for a starting spot at shooting guard and should help USC's woes against zone defenses. USC could still sign two more players and is looking at foreign players along with Wake Forest forward Ari Stewart.

Have a go as both teams as fully into spring drills and losing underclassmen to the NBA Draft.

In this segment, some good questions about Dillon Baxter and recruiting under Pete Carroll.

During yesterday's practice, Cody Kessler completed a 70-yard pass. Matt Barkley completed about a 50-yard pass. The common denominator? Both were caught by Robert Woods.
``He's a slight guy that plays big,'' USC wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore said. ``The sky's the limit.''

A suspect broke into USC's compliance office in Heritage Hall and ransacked the inside on March 29th, according to the dept. of public safety. Now think of all the possible motives? Was someone searching for some sensitive information? Did someone want information related to the NCAA investigations? Was someone seeking revenge for being ruled ineligible?
But campus security's report said a debit card was taken from an employees desk who learned three purchaes were made before he canceled the card.

More from Lane Kiffin on Matt Barkley, specifically why he completed only 45 percent of his passes in the fourth quarter vs. 63 percent overall.

Black becomes one of three uniforms unveiled for Arizona State teams for next season. It should be noted that USC already sports black uniforms in basketball, baseball and volleyball. Only football remains sacred.

USC's baseball team came back and scored two runs in the ninth inning to tie Pepperdine, 5-5. The game was called after 11 innings because of darkness.
So what does that mean? All of the stats from the game will not count. So the game essentially never happened. Beats losing, I guess.

New USC wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore turned down an offer from Lane Kiffin when he worked with the Raiders.
``That was an NFL opportunity and I felt it wasn't right,'' Gilmore said. ``It might have something to do with the owner.''
That didn't stop Kiffin.

Harvard coach Tommy Amaker decided to rebuff Miami after meeting with school officials Monday. It was about 15 years ago when Amaker, then a rising star assistant at Duke, was offered the USC job.

A recruiting question highlights this segment.

Back to the answers!

The Daily Trojan interviewed Matt Leinart when he spoke on campus last week.
``I am not going to say it has been unfair, but I am just hoping for the opportunity to come,'' Leinart said.

Apparently Lane Kiffin got questioned at his own golf tournament yesterday about quarterback Matt Barkley.
``As I told someone at the golf tournament, he's going into his third year. None of the other (recent USC quarterbacks) were even playing yet (at this stage).''

Lane Kiffin said Jesse Scroggins currently leads the backup quarterback race. That is not surprising because Scroggins is the most experienced of the reserves. But Kiffin said he will wait to make an official decision until a quarterback ``distances'' himself from the competition.
``He's been one of the better guys in camp,'' Kiffin said of Scroggins.

Wide receiver Markeith Ambles returned to the team today but did not practice. Instead he did exercises usually reserved as punishment for players. Ambles said he was upset after being held out of Thursday's practice, which caused him to miss Saturday's scrimmage.
``I just made a poor decision by not going,'' Ambles said.
Ambles said he had a wisdom tooth removed Wednesday but did not tell the coaches and that's why he was late to Thursday's weightlifting.
``I need to communicate better with the coaches,'' he said.
Lane Kiffin said he was willing to give Ambles another chance.
``He made a mistake. Hopefully he'll continue to grow,'' Kiffin said.

USC tailback Marc Tyler suffered a concussion in Saturday's scrimmage and is out for the time being. Tailback Dillon Baxter said he will return either Saturday or early next week from his high-ankle sprain. Safety T.J. McDonald had a tooth knocked out in the scrimmage and required stitches after the tooth had to be removed from inside his mouth. Tailback Curtis McNeal suffered a back injury but returned to practice today.
Tight end Xavier Grimble was limited today because of chest and shoulder pains.

Washington State unveiled new uniforms for football, basketball, volleyball and baseball tonight as it instituted a ``brand'' that will carry across all sports relying heavily on its crimson and grey colors.

Pac-10 home basketball teams were 58-32 (.644) in conference play this season, the most wins compiled by home teams since 1999.

Did a dentist's visit lead to the current predicament involving AWOL wide receiver Markeith Ambles? An associate of Ambles said the wide receiver told a strength and conditioning coach that he needed to go to the dentist regarding his wisdom teeth and would be late for weightlifting.
Lane Kiffin said Ambles was late to that weightlifting session, which led to his being held out of practice Thursday. And then Ambles disappeared for Saturday's scrimmage. Stay tuned.

In this segment, the quarterbacks dominate the conversation.

Not everyone who went to Sport Chalet on Sunday to see Lane Kiffin wanted an autograph. One fan challenged Kiffin to order high-top football shoes for his players to cut down on ankle sprains like the one suffered by Dillon Baxter on Saturday. Kiffin politely listened to the suggestion.
As the fan pointed out, ``high-ankle'' sprains did not seem to exist back in the days when Riddell and Spot Bilt made high-top football shoes.

Reggie Bush, Missy Conboy, Harold Miner and Lane Kiffin's name surface in this segment.

Let's tackle those reader questions with the enthusiasm Lane Kiffin tackled his Sport Chalet appearances.

With a lot of new faces on defense, here's how USC might line up if its linebackers are healthy.

DE -- Nick Perry
DT -- Christian Tupou
DT -- DaJohn Harris
DE -- Wes Horton*
LB -- Hayes Pullard
LB -- Devon Kennard
LB -- Chris Galippo
CB -- Tony Burnett
S -- T.J. McDonald
S -- Demetrius Wright
CB -- Nickell Robey

*If Armond Armstead returns, he will rotate at end or flip inside and play tackle in nickel situations.

USC's cozy relationship with Fox Sports looks like it will get even cozier regarding non-TV media rights.

While Charlie Sheen's Winning tour bombed in New York, Pete Carroll's Win Forever tour went to TCU.
``Competition for us has never been about beating somebody and rubbing their nose in the dirt. It's about striving to be the best you can be,'' Carroll said.

USC offensive tackle Tyron Smith said during Pro Day he would attend the NFL Draft in New York. He deserves some credit because only 10 players said yes and more than 20 were offered invitations. Washington quarterback Jake Locker declined.
Here's the list of those who accepted:

USC's baseball team recorded its first series win in the past five series against Stanford. The last time USC won a series over the Cardinal was in 2007.

What do USC, UCLA and Notre Dame have in common? As this story points out, this season they will become the only three schools in the Football Subdivision to never schedule a game against a Division I-AA opponent (Football Championship Subdivision).

Here's a quote from wide receiver Markeith Ambles from last week before he failed to show up for Saturday's scrimmage:
``I just knew this was the place where I wanted to be and change myself."

Here's more details from yesterday's scrimmage at the Coliseum.

Remember this is your chance to meet Lane Kiffin today when he appears at the Sport Chalet's in La Canada (10-11 a.m.) and Torrance (1-2 p.m.). Monte Kiffin and Ed Orgeron are also scheduled to appear.

Wide receiver Robert Woods got plenty of work during today's scrimmage, when he caught 10 passes and was thrown several more.
``At times, my body did feel a little numb,'' Woods said.

Lane Kiffin complimented Matt Barkley after today's scrimmage.
``I thought he did really well,'' Kiffin said.
I found things to be less pleasing. Barkley consistently found Robert Woods and also threw a lot of short passes, primarily because deep passes are limited with the offensive line inexperienced and unable to protect for long periods.
But on sideline routes and 15-20 yard passes, it looked like Barkley experienced the same accuracy issues as during games last season, even missing Woods on at least two passes. So In that sense, things did not look a whole lot different.
If today was an indication, next year's offense will revolve around Robert Woods, who does look ready to enjoy a big season.

Some players made an impression in today's scrimmage that normally do not get a lot of publicity.
Cornerback Anthony Brown, defensive tackle George Uko, linebacker Hayes Pullard and wide receiver De'von Flournoy all made an impact. Brown and Uko, in particular, were dominant at times. Tailback D.J. Morgan also made a few nice runs. It's a reason Lane Kiffin pointed out that half of the top 12 players were probably first-year players.

Lane Kiffin said after today's scrimmage he has not spoken to wide receiver Brice Butler about returning to the team. It seems a bit strange considering he took problem-child Markeith Ambles back. Ambles was not at practice today and provided no explanation to the coaching staff.
Maybe Ambles gets the benefit of the doubt over Butler because Kiffin signed Ambles and considers him one of his players.

Here are the stats from today's scrimmage. They might differ slightly from USC's offical stats, if they include the goal-line drills, which inflated the TD totals.

USC's baseball game with Stanford is scheduled for 6 p.m. Usually, Saturday games are played in the afternoon. But there is a men's tennis match and there is a concern about foul balls going to the tennis stadium, so it's a night game now. Somehow this wasn't a problem for the past 15-20 years.

Former USC linebacker Uona Kaveinga, now playing at BYU, said his decision to sign with the Trojans was ``immature.''
``I made an immature choice to go to USC. But I learned a lot about football there and kind of discovered myself and where I was supposed to be and where I fit in. It's an honor to be here at BYU,'' Kaveinga told the Deseret News.

USC baseball opens a three-game series with Stanford this weekend at Dedeaux Field beginning tonight at 6 p.m. The Trojans are 11-18 overall and 2-4 in Pac-10 play.

Pete Carroll did a chat with fans today on twitter and was asked the greatest moment in his coaching career?
``Last second hail mary TD pass vs sj state while at U o P in 1983,'' Carroll said.
And here I thought the 2005 Orange Bowl victory over Oklahoma might sneak in there over a Pacific game.
Carroll was also asked the best athlete to ever play for him at USC?
``On defense was @tpolamalu and offense was @reggie_bush.''

UCLA is going to play 14 home games at the Sports Arena next season, which is down the street from the Galen Center (and USC). That will be a short trek for USC fans when the Trojans ``travel'' to play UCLA at the Sports Arena.
The interior of the arena will also be painted in UCLA colors ``as much as possible,'' according to athletic director Dan Guerrero.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper took apart Jake Locker this week.
``He was the No. 1 pick overall going into this year for a reason . . . Had Jake Locker just had a good year not a great year he would have been a No. 1 pick. To have a very mediocre year, a struggling year, is why he is where he is right now, a mid-first to late-first round pick.''

Offensive tackle Tyron Smith is the 12th pick overall (Minnesota Vikings) in Pro Football Weekly's latest mock draft.

USC plays its first night game in South Bend next season. Here's when USC played its first night games against its most common opponents, with the results.

Lane Kiffin's made a last-minute decision to move Saturday's practice to the Coliseum. Of course, as a reminder, these are closed to the public because of NCAA sanctions.

SteinbergSports: So Mark Sanchez,Willie Gault+I and staffers get on elevator
going from USC reception to panel we're speaking at+get stuck for 45 minutes

With New Mexico State hiring Mark Trakh, it means the Aggies now have a former USC assistant as their football coach (DeWayne Walker), a former USC assistant as their basketball coach (Marvin Menzies) and a former USC head coach as their women's basketball coach (Trakh).

Multiple reports say former USC women's basketball coach Mark Trakh will be announced tomorrow as the coach at New Mexico State.

I know how much it pains Lane Kiffin to do promotional work, so I asked him how tough it was to do the ``briefcase'' ad for USC season tickets?
``It only took 30 seconds,'' Kiffin said.
That sounds less painful than a couple hours at Sport Chalet.

Marc Tyler said he currently weighs about 230 pounds, up from last season's 217.
``It's because of Christmas Break,'' Tyler said. ``Not having a bowl game. That was a long break.''
Tyler said he would lose the extra weight in the summer.

Stanford plays USC this weekend in baseball. The Cardinal's baseball coach is Mark Marquess. Excuse me, he is the Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball. Someone might say this title merely reflects a booster endowing a coaching position at Stanford.
Well, USC has coaching positions endowed too. But it still refers to that position as a ``coach.''

Looks like USC basketball is going to play Baylor and Minnesota in nonconference home games next season with a road trip to San Diego State also scheduled.

Lane Kiffin said Demetrius Wright is making a bid to start at safety this spring opposite T.J. McDonald. Starting cornerback Tony Burnett missed practice today and will miss Saturday to attend the Texas Relays track meet.

Former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez was asked if he liked Lane Kiffin's morning practices.
``I don't know,'' he said. ``It's early. I like to get a little lunch. Maybe a nap. And then practice.''

I walked across campus this morning with Lane Kiffin and asked him, ``did you know it was in your contract to visit Sport Chalet?''
Kiffin will be making appearances Sunday at the La Canada (10-11 a.m.) and Torrance (1-2 p.m.) stores with Monte Kiffin and Ed Orgeron.

Quarterback Matt Barkley said he is not concerned about his interceptions in practice.
``I'm not worried about that at all,'' he said.
Defensive tackle Christian Tupou bruised his knee on Tuesday and might return Saturday. Wide receiver Markeith Ambles did not practice as punishment for being late to a weightlifting session. Armond Armstead did not attend practice to focus on working with tutors because of missed class time when he was sick.

Former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez is expected to attend this morning's workout.

Former USC quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and Matt Leinart will speak at an event tomorrow night on the USC campus titled, ``"For the Good of the Game: The NFL at a Crossroads.''
Should be a must-attend event if you are a USC football fan. Heck, Leinart will probably even sign an autograph now.
I'm wondering if comparing being a third-string quarterback with the Texans to first-string quarterback with the Jets will be a subtopic? And how many bootlickers from six years ago will wander over from Heritage Hall to Annenberg?

If you want to be a mobile user of this blog, here is the address to get the proper mobile site: http://m.dailynews.com.

Since Lane Kiffin's become USC coach, he settled lawsuits with the Raiders and now the Titans. At least USC only paid for the legal fees on the Titans lawsuit. But who's paying Kiffin's lawyer for the defense against NCAA charges related to his tenure at Tennessee?

Wake Forest sophomore forward Ari Stewart is going to visit USC next week. Stewart played in 30 games and made 16 starts for the Deacons. He averaged 8.5 points per game and 4.4 rebounds. Stewart received his release last month.

A high-ranking official at USC told me he would not be surprised if the NCAA ruled on the university's appeal this week now that the NCAA Tournament is over.

OK, it's that time of the week. Both schools are in spring practice and trying to overcome some adversity. Fire away.

Based on USC's recent marketing campaigns to increase ticket sales, I'm not sure who I prefer calling plays next season: Lane Kiffin or Lane Kiffin's visor.

This is a widely viewed NBA draft site that lists Nikola Vucevic as the 56th pick. I'm pretty sure he will get picked higher than that once teams actually evaluate him.

I've recounted some stories about Tim Floyd and Mike Garrett recently. But how about this one from 2001 when USC went to the Elite Eight. The Trojans were awarded rings for their efforts, but the rings were inscribed with ``Bibby's System,'' on the side.
At least two players said they would never wear the rings because of that.

Now MaxPreps has its top 100 prospects list and Arik Armstead, who is No. 1 for Scout.com., is only No. 32 on this one.

USC coach Lane Kiffin evaluates the roster as spring practice nears the midway point.

I mentioned this a few days ago but Lane Kiffin again spoke today about the restrictions on the offensive line and wide receivers as a partial explanation for Matt Barkley's interceptions. But prior to today, the defense missed at least five starters (Wes Horton, Christian Tupou, Devon Kennard, Chris Galippo, Armond Armstead).

Linebacker Chris Galippo said he will sit out the rest of spring practice with back spasms. Galippo said if USC played a game today, he would suit up. He is expected to start at weakside linebacker, which he played in the Oregon and Cal games when Malcolm Smith was hurt.

Finally finished with this episode of the Open Forum with another great story from the past.

Back to those answers!

USC wide receiver Robert Woods wore a camera at a recent practice to give his point of view of things for Fox Sports West.

As the last forum is nearly finished, time to start a new one. One question per person please.

Lane Kiffin was asked about Matt Barkley's interceptions during spring practice and mentioned the fact their are only two scholarship wide receivers and a depleted offensive line.
``Some are his fault, some aren't,'' Kiffin said.

Lane Kiffin said three of the four secondary positions are solidified: Nickell Robey and Tony Burnett at cornerback and T.J. McDonald at safety.

Lane Kiffin said USC has several players who are ``legitimate NFL star players.'' Robert Woods, Matt Barkley and Nick Perry were three he named and probably easy to guess. But who was the fourth?

The offense struggled again. Another interception for Matt Barkley. And one for Jesse Scroggins. On the other hand, safety Patrick Hall intercepted two passes today. Defensive end Wes Horton returned to practice along with defensive tackle Christian Tupou, who banged his knee and was taken for precautionary X-rays but should be OK. Robert Woods caught a deep TD pass from Max Wittek over Nickell Robey near the end of practice.

USC safety Tim T.J. McDonald says the Trojans are playing with chips on their shoulder after some tough losses last year.

USC is offering fans who buy at least two new season tickets an ``embroidered signature edition,'' Lane Kiffin visor.
What happens if you buy only one season ticket? Do you get two visors?

USC did not help get VCU coach Shaka Smart a new job. Just a new and extended contract.

A question in this segment about Hammy-Gate.

In this segment, a question on morning practices.

Some coaching questions in this segment.

OK, time for some lighter questions.

USC commit Arik Armstead is ranked the No. 1 recruit in the nation by Scout.com for the 2012 class.

A couple intriguing questions in this segment. One rating four USC football coaches for their ability to develop players. The other asking how far USC would go in the NCAA Tournament if it kept Derrick Williams, etc.

Gotta tackle those questions from the Open Forum.

Here's the logo for the new Longhorn Network. The school colors are orange and white, so black must be ESPN's contribution.

Last week's Memory Lane story brought forth another item from the past. One day, a USC coach of a minor sports team the past few years bumped into athletic director Mike Garrett. The coach thought Garrett looked at him funny and made a point to say who he was. The response? ``Don't I know you from somewhere?''

Texas A&M upset Stanford today in the women's basketball Final Four. That means NCAA publications will be deprived of listing the 2011 championship coach as Setsuko Ishiyama Director of Women's Basketball Tara VanDerveer, since that's what the Cardinal prefer over ``women's basketball coach.''

USC's 9-6 loss to Cal today was the last time the Trojans will ever play at Evans Diamond, unless the Bears' boosters figure out a way to find the money to rescue the baseball program.

USC is up 2-0 in the second inning at Cal.

We hear former USC coach Henry Bibby is interested in the Fresno State job.

Despite some turnovers, Lane Kiffin liked the quarterbacks during yesterday's scrimmage.

USC lost in today's WNIT final but it was ultimately a positive day for Coach Michael Cooper because UCLA coach Nikki Caldwell resigned to go to LSU. Caldwell relegated Cooper to being the No. 2 coach in town with little reason to think that would change. Now he gets a chance.

Who said fans won't flock to the Galen Center? Just watch the capacity crowd at tonight's Kids' Choice Awards on Nickelodeon.

USC assistant coach Bob Cantu interviewed with UC Davis this morning at the Final Four, according to sources who are in Houston. Cantu is also a candidate at Fresno State.

Lane Kiffin says Matt Barkley's forced passes but he also says they are both frustrated by the lack of offensive personnel because of injuries.
There is a flip side: USC's defense is also using walk-ons and missing players like Chris Galippo and Devon Kennard. And is what the offense is going through any worse than what someone like Washington State's Jeff Tuel deals with on a daily basis? And I don't hear many excuses for him.
Having Robert Woods, Dillon Baxter, D.J, Morgan, Rhett Ellison and four tight ends ain't bad. So excuses only go so far.

Lane Kiffin said cornerback Nickell Robey's ``taken his game to a new level,'' after today scrimmage.

Lane Kiffin said he had not spoken to WR Brice Butler regarding a return to the team.

Tight end Xavier Grimble is down to 245 pounds after entering USC at 265, which effectively rules out playing offensive tackle.

Defensive lineman Armond Armstead met with doctors and was told he could do some running and weightlifting but more tests would be done before he was cleared for football. He will not return for spring practice.
Armstead said he was encouraged by the news. There are fears within the program he might have a heart condition but Armstead said doctors said his ``chest was fine.''
Lane Kiffin said the news was not conclusive until doctors give a definitive answer.

USC scrimmaged for 53 plays and Lane Kiffin complimented backup QB Jesse Scroggins for his poise as well as his performance. Scroggins was calmer in the huddle and looked smooth. He threw one interception but the ball was tipped.
Matt Barkley threw an interception that Hayes Pullard nearly returned for a TD but fumbled. Kiffin said Barkley forced the pass, a recurrent issue this spring. Kiffin also praised cornerback Tony Burnett, who went to compete in the track meet after football practice.
Tailback Dillon Baxter looked more physical as the coaches are trying to get him to run more between the tackles and make less sideways movement.
``They wanted me this year to break more tackles and put a foot in the ground,'' Baxter said. ``Instead of making moves all the time. I want to cut back so bad.''

USC hopes to petition the NCAA to grant an extra year of eligibility for James Blasczyk, a 7-foot-1 center from Lee College in Baytown, Texas. Blasczyk spent two years at Texas A&M, where he redshirted for one season. He did not play this past season at Lee College.
He currently has two years of eligibility.

USC's women's basketball team is playing Toledo tomorrow in the final of the WNIT. This run has provided a feel-good atmosphere for the team and a nice springboard to next season.
So that raises an obvious question: Why did Mark Trakh and Michael Cooper (last year) consistently refuse to play in previous WNITs? Maybe this could have happened last season and given the Trojans a springboard they missed by packing up and ending their season prematurely.

Just to follow up on the previous post, Saturday's football practice was supposed to start at 11 a.m. It got moved to 10 a.m. two days ago and USC now says it will start at 9:30 a.m.

There is a track meet that starts tomorrow morning at Cromwell Field so if you buy a ticket, I'm not sure how you would not be allowed to watch football practice across the way at the same time. Though it wouldn't surprise if Lane Kiffin tries to ban fans from watching both events from the bleachers.

Tonight at 6 p.m. is the big Win Forever clinic at the Grammy Museum at L.A. Live host by Pete Carroll.
The workshop is divided into four quarters:
Quarter 1: Self Discovery
Quarter 2: Learn your Learner
Quarter 3: Practice is Everything
Quarter 4: The Balanced Scorecard

How about an overtime session where Carroll explains how he recruited three offensive linemen in his final two years and then departed for Seattle just before probation hit the Trojans?

The Galen Center is now being run on a daily basis by an outside company, Global Spectrum, which means the athletic dept. is no longer in charge of the arena's operations. The real goal of all this is to increase the number of events at the Galen Center and make more money from the venue.
This week Nickelodeon took over the arena for its Kids' Choice Awards show, which allowed it to block a lane on Figueroa St. and make traffic a nightmare.

USC coach Lane Kiffin said the defense was too aggressive last season and needs to focus more on not giving up deep balls even though some college coaches felt the defense was too conservative.