September 2011 Archives

Who said Pete Carroll and Lane Kiffin have nothing in common? Kiffin blamed Matt Barkley's fumble and an interception on the offensive line and said the other interception was just a fantastic play by Vontaze Burfict.
Carroll never blamed the quarterback either.

In this segment a question about motivation for the players.

In this segment, questions about the defense and coaching.

Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III vaults into third place in the latest Heisman Trophy rankings of 50 actual voters by StiffArmTrophy.com. Full results after the jump:

Linebacker Dion Bailey said the ASU loss wasn't as bad as it might have been because of the way USC played.
"It was better losing the way we did," Bailey said. "We beat ourselves. It wasn't a straight-up loss. We didn't play our best game."

Here is Saturday's game forecast by the blog's official meteorologist, USC graduate Evelyn Taft of Channel 9 News:
``We're starting off the day with mostly cloudy conditions and a slight chance of a shower but don't worry we should see partial clearing by the afternoon. We're expecting temperatures in the 70s by 12:30 p.m., warming to near 80 by the late afternoon.''

Time to pick the winner. Arizona's had a tough schedule and has a nice quarterback but USC's a 13.5-point favorite and usually beats Mike Stoops.

Attendance at USC's last home game was the smallest since 2002 and this week could be even smaller as this story details.
"We've got to play better," Lane Kiffin said. "That's up to us. Coach better. Play better. That's L.A. When you win, they come.''

In this segment, a reader complains about whether Amir Carlisle should play or redshirt.

I doubt Bob Davie would accuse this guy's sideline of lacking energy during a game.

In this segment, a question on whether USC would be better off if someone else called plays.

Back to those reader questions.

Looks like linebacker Lamar Dawson, tailback Amir Carlisle and cornerback Torin Harris will miss the game while offensive tackle Matt Kalil will start.

The venerable Gold Sheet sums up why USC-Arizona is not a marquee game: ``Probation-haunted SC's psyche perhaps fragile after any thoughts of running the table were dashed at ASU, while UA's volatile HC Mike Stoops might require 24-hour watch after his Cats have
dropped 8 straight vs. FBS foes.''

Time to answer some reader questions.

Someone at USC suggested no matter what Lane Kiffin says, he gets criticized after a game. He said Kiffin's already been pilloried for being too negative (the two offensive players comment after Minnesota) and too positive (saying he was encouraged after Arizona State) following games.
Another suggested to me that maybe the problem was Kiffin was too negative after one game and too positive after a loss and needed to find a middle ground.

The referee for Saturday's USC-Arizona game will be Jay Stricherz. He might be best remembered for the 2009 USC-Oregon State game when Taylor Mays ripped the helmet off wide receiver James Rogers in the end zone but did not call an obvious face mask penalty.
Commissioner Larry Scott later suspended an unnamed referee for a game based on that play and some reports said Stricherz was the game official closest to the play.

Lane Kiffin reminded everyone who to believe when he and Matt Barkley speak about something and offensive tackle Aundrey Walker bids for his first career start.

USC defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin defended the Trojans' run defense against Arizona State.
``If you take away the (70-yard) touchdown they only had 99 yards on 35 carries,'' Kiffin said. ``That's not bad.''

Lane Kiffin said today, ``I think a lot of people would be happy with that,'' referring to a possible 4-1 record if USC beats Arizona. Is he right?

USC quarterback Jesse Scroggins said it will be a few more weeks before he is even allowed to throw a football. Scroggins said he could play now if he were at any other position but the strain passing puts on his surgically repaired thumb means he could be out another month.
He said he would not consider another position because he will always be a quarterback.

We hear Seattle, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, Las Vegas and Los Angeles are under consideration as sites for the Pac-12 basketball tournament in 2012. Sacramento? That doesn't sound like Larry Scott. He probably wants the thing in New York.

Here's the lean and mean Petros Papadakis before he suffered a traumatic hamstring injury trying to do a drill after today's football practice.

A revealing quote today from Lane Kiffin regarding Matt Barkley's comments about Vontaze Burfict.
``The thing you have to remember is with Matt, Matt can't lie,'' Kiffin said.
Kiffin is right about Barkley. Which makes Kiffin look worse for saying the wrong play got sent in at the end of the Syracuse game while Barkley said the pass was the correct call. Busted!

It was supposed to be a harmless post-practice TV shoot today at Howard Jones Field. Petros Papadakis showed up in shorts and helmet and was going to run some drills with assistant coach Kennedy Pola. But Papadakis blew his hamstring on the second play and sought treatment in Heritage Hall.

Lane Kiffin said it is too soon for Rhett Ellison to start at tight end but he will see acrion at the position against Arizona.

Lane Kiffin said one of the good things about redshirting wide receiver George Farmer is that the freshman played tailback and quarterback. He noted Farmer adds speed to the backfield.
Who would guess when Farmer signed as the nation's top recruit at wide receiver he might eventually play tailback while Marquis Lee became a starter. Farmer's speed should prevent him from becoming the next Whitney Lewis.

Lots of injuriy news today. Marquis Simmons requires neck surgery and will be out several months. Christian Thomas is also out for the season with a hip injury. More pressing, Amir Carlisle did not practice and does not look like he will play this week. Lamar Dawson is also still out.
Walk-on Cody Gifford, the son of Frank and Kathie Lee Gifford, is out for the season with an ankle injury.

USC ranks 92nd nationally in tackles for loss with only 4.75 per game. That means the Tampa 2 defense is not among the more aggressive defenses through four games. Ironically, among those tied with the Trojans is Arizona.

It might be hard for Lane Kiffin to hire a full-blown offensive coordinator that calls the plays. So I have a humble suggestion.
He can hire Mark Ratner (above) from the movie, ``Fast Times at Ridgemont High.'' Ratner held the title, ``assistant to the assistant manager of the movie theater.''
As ``assistant to the assistant coach of the offense,'' Ratner can easily be blamed for bad plays or attempts to run up the score. And he might be able to suggest a pass on third-and-long.

Here is Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott's full statement regarding the reprimand of Matt Barkley for calling Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict a dirty player.

``All of our student-athletes must adhere to the Pac-12's policies on Sportsmanship and Standards of Conduct, which call for our student athletes to treat opponents with respect and create and ensure a collegiate atmosphere in which to conduct competition," Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said. "In these circumstances, Mr. Barkley's comments were a clear violation of Conference rules and he is being appropriately reprimanded.''

And here is USC coach Lane Kiffin's full statement:

``We talked to Matt right after he made that comment and told him that it was not appropriate. He understood.
``Despite this reprimand, Matt Barkley represents everything that is good about college athletics. He is one of the finest student-athletes I have ever been around. You will not find a person with higher character or values.''

Texas coach Mack Brown went out last January and hired Boise State offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin. In 2008, Alabama coach Nick Saban hired Fresno State offensive coordinator Jim McElwain.
Isn't USC on par or even more prestigious historically than those programs? So shouldn't it also go out and hire the best playcaller in the country?

During a teleconference with Pac-12 media, Lane Kiffin was not asked a single question about the Willie Mack Garza story.

A USC fan who attended the Arizona State game sent this picture of a Tennessee fan that is still bitter over Lane Kiffin's departure.

Lane Kiffin on freshman linebacker Dion Bailey: ``He's played as well or better than anybody, including Chris Galippo, a senior.''

Does USC throw many passes over the middle or is that considered too risky for ``a young team?'' Everything seems to go wide or down the sideline.
On the other side, are the wide hash marks in college football providing challenges for the defensive schemes and famed Tampa 2 defense?

Lane Kiffin denied any knowledge of the alleged report that former assistant Willie Mack Garza paid for tailback Lache Seastrunk to make an unofficial recruiting visit to Tennessee.
He also said he was unaware of any relationship between Garza and Seastrunk.
``I have always been committed to following NCAA rules,'' he said.
In team news, freshman Aundrey Walker was moved to his natural position, tackle, to compete with Kevin Graf for the starting job. Graf struggled against Arizona State. Left tackle Matt Kalil sat out practice with a minor injury but said he would return tomorrow.
Cornerback T.J. Bryant did not dress for the Arizona State game because he is going to redshirt.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley said he was OK with the conservative third-down calls in the first half against Arizona State and Chris Galippo said teams put together game plans just for the Trojans.
``They've got their crazy USC package, regardless if people say it's a down time for USC,'' Galippo said.

Here's the wire service story on Yahoo's report that Willie Mack Garza paid for tailback Lache Seastrunk to visit Tenneseee on an unofficial visit during Lane Kiffin's tenure.

Lane Kiffin on Arizona QB Nick Foles: ``They're throwing as well as anybody in the country.''
Foles had 10 touchdown passes and zero interceptions.

A lot of pre-game and post-game comments focused on the hostile atmosphere of Sun Devil Stadium. For the record, a crowd of 61,495 was announced at the 71,706-seat stadium.
Yes, it was loud. But it was hardly an SEC environment. I would guess Utah will probably be louder next season.

``A lot of teams in the country would like to be 3-1.''

Washington State is going to allow fans to choose its uniforms for its homecoming game against Stanford next month. In that spirit, maybe USC will let fans call plays for its homecoming game.

Here's today's first installment of the Arizona Republic's seven-part series on the BCS. Among the findings: Pay for the highest executives at BCS bowls more than doubled since the four games united in the late 1990s, with average annual executive compensation exceeding $500,000.

It is time to revisit the issue of whether USC would be better off with an offensive coordinator calling plays from the pressbox with Lane Kiffin managing the game from the sidelines.
So few programs have the head coach call plays these days and USC's most successful period occured when Norm Chow was upstairs and Pete Carroll downstairs with the right to change plays.
Even Kiffin admitted a couple weeks ago that it is a ``burden'' to call plays and be the head coach at the same time. I can't imagine USC would be worse off with an arrangement that included a coordinator calling plays while Kiffin directed from the sideline.

I'm going to start this week's forum early before I finish last week's because of the restlessness out there. One question per person please.

It was a great Pac-12 atmosphere inside Sun Devil Stadium for the USC-Arizona State game.

Here are the grades for the Arizona State game.

When Lane Kiffin said the Arizona State game was ``close to being a win,'' he was right and wrong as I wrote here

What's the saying about learning more in a loss? Here's some more observations.
Lane Kiffin lamented USC's third-down convesion rate (1 for 9). Did he think it might be better without calling runs on three different third-and-long situations in USC's first three possessions?
Why doesn't USC throw more over the middle or use more simple three-step drops that would make Matt Barkley's easier?
No defense removed any USC offensive threat as well as Kiffin with Rhett Ellison stuck at fullback. He rarely touches the ball and takes away from the tight end spot.
The Tampa 2 defense did not seem good for much last night other pass-interference penalties.

Lane Kiffin said he is going to ask the Pac-12 officials coordinators for a ruling on those two hits by safety T.J. McDonald that earned him personal foul penalties.
``I don't know, when the guy has the ball in his hands running, what you're supposed to do,'' Kiffin said.
He also defended the screen pass intercepted by Vontaze Burfict.
``I'm as critical of myself as anybody,'' Kiffin said. ``That's the best call you can make there for that defense. That scores 99 out of 100 times.''

A reader sent this Bob Davie quote from last night: ``I was on the USC sideline the last time they came to Sun Devil Stadium. And nothing against USC coach Lane Kiffin, but when Pete Carroll was here, the sideline was alive, and everyone was jumping around and into the game, unlike now, where it is very quiet.''
That's what happens when you are buried in your play chart the entire game.

USC received just two points in this week's Associated Press poll but helped Arizona State climb back in at No. 25.

USC had a chance to strike early for a touchdown against Arizona State but Matt Barkley overthrew a wide-open Robert Woods on a deep pass.
``I think he got the play mixed up or something,'' Woods said.

Lane Kiffin's constant references to USC struggling because it is a young team wear thinner each week. The defensive line is perhaps the most experienced group on the team and performed poorly against Arizona State. QB Matt Barkley is a junior and 3-year starter. T.J. McDonald is a junior (and I don't really blame him for all those personal fouls because he is playing hard and making plays).
Oh, and who led USC in tackles last night? Freshman linebacker Dion Bailey with 10. So Kiffin needs some fresh excuses.

Last night's game was one of those 50-50 encounters on the schedule that Pete Carroll used to excel at winning. If USC won, then suddenly games with Stanford, Oregon and Notre Dame look less formidable.
But a loss creates doubt and starts making games with Cal and Washington worrisome. In other words it raises the specter of a four or five loss season. And that would be two in a row of those for Lane Kiffin.

Here is my ballot for this week's Associated Press college football poll:

Apparently, Vontaze Burfict does not speak to the media in Arizona. But ASU coach Dennis Erickson spoke for him regarding Matt Barkley's comment that he was a dirty player.
``If you are going to say something you better watch what you say and that is kind of what happened,'' Erickson said.

``For all you Sun Devils out there that have been around for the last 11 years or forever this win is for you because it is something that has not happened . . . it was just a great win.''

``We know what we did wrong, the turnovers. We're a great team but we didn't consistently show it.''

Lane Kiffin said after the game tonight, ``as crazy as it sounds, it's close to being a win.''

Remember Pete Carroll in his first eight years lost only one game by double digits and that was 11 points.

How about not practicing at 7:45 a.m. and making your quarterback wake up at 4:30 a.m. the week of a 7:30 kickoff? I've been dubious of these morning practices since last spring and in the first night test? Splat.
Again, I hold coaching responsible for this implosion.

It's a definite Pac-12 game with the back-and-forth scoring. And there seems to be a ref missing down on the field.

The Trojans come back from a 21-6 deficit as Marc Tyler starts pounding the Arizona State defense with some strong runs capped by a 10-yard TD run. He is stopped short on the 2-point conversion though.

It is halftime at Sun Devil Stadium and the Trojans are still in the game despite being outplayed. If Lane Kiffin did not insist on being conservative on third down and went to someone other than Robert Woods every play, it might even closer.
Thoughts?

Not sure what it looks like on TV but in the stadium the arm strengh of Brock Osweiler and Matt Barkley is not even close. Osweiler's zipping the ball all over the field.

Not sure why Lane Kiffin kept going to the short side of the field inside the 15-yard line but it led to a field goal, but not before burning a timeout on that crazy field goal formation.

USC caused a huge turnover with a fumble by Cameron Marshall at the 3-yard line.
UPDATED: The play was reviewed and runner ruled down. Huge momentum changer.

Cameron Marshall goes 70 yards for the first score and then Matt Barkley missed a chance to tie the game by overthrowing Robert Woods who was open deep.

We will have game updates on the twitter feed in the right side of the blog as well as the blog tonight.

Tonight's officiating crew features some Pac-10 holdovers. Here's the list: Referee: Terry Leyden; Umpire: Jack Meyerhoff; Head Linesman: Patrick Turner; Line Judge: Larry Robinson; Side Judge: Larry Farina; Field Judge: Steven Strimling; Back Judge: Steve Hudson.

Here are three reasons why USC or Arizona State might win tonight:

It is all business for USC as they prepare for tonight's game at Arizona State that could decide the Pac-12 South Division title.

Here's the extremely hot game forecast for the game from our official meterologist, USC graduate Evelyn Taft of Channel 9 News.

``Expecting near record high temperatures in the afternoon -- meaning warm temps at night -- we can expect low 90s & clear skies in the evening.
Stay cool!

``Mainly sunny. Near record high temperatures. High 106F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Clear skies. Low 79F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.''

Here's my story on Matt Barkley that we couldn't link to in the Morning Buzz as he hopes to avenge his last visit to Tempe.

Arizona State has not beaten USC in this century. It's last victory over the Trojans was in 1999.

Who is the only USC running back who did not lose a yard in a game this season?

There was a lot of talk about Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict this week. But going into Saturday's game, Burfict is tied for 28th in tackles in the Pac-12. He is no doubt an impact player but definitely off to a slow start this season.

USC is taking three quarterbacks (Matt Barkley, Cody Kessler, Max Wittek) on the trip to Arizona State today.

There are a couple of factors that make this game difficult to predict: Will Dennis Erickson do what he usually does in big games at Arizona State and fold? And will Lane Kiffin be even more conservative than he was in the home games this season?
It's a chess match involving a couple of pawns, not kings.

Time to predict the winner of the USC-Arizona State game. The first road game and some say it will decide the Pac-12 South winner.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley expects to avenge his 2009 performance at Sun Devil Stadium on Saturday, when he completed only 7 of 22 passes for 122 yards.

As custom, we turn to some game-week analysis from the venerable Gold Sheet: ``Will Sparky the Sun Devil stick his pitchfork into Lane Kiffin before kickoff? We also wonder how Kiffin's misdirection and waggle-based SC finesse attack will deal with mobile ASU "D" that's much quicker than the Syracuse stop unit that looked stuck in molasses last week at the Coliseum.''

Freshman linebacker Lamar Dawson is expected to miss the Arizona State game with a sprained ankle. That leaves Will Andrew as the backup and Shane Horton as the emergency No. 3 behind Chris Galippo.

The linebacker corps highlights this segment of questions from the readers.

Does Lane Kiffin inhibit getting the most out of his running backs by punishing them when they fumble?

Pac-12 expansion is a topic in this segment of reader questions.

We mentioned this morning there were fears Abe Markowitz suffered a stress fracture and Lane Kifin said an MRI confimed he has one and will be out for the season.

After talking to a lot of people this week, we confirmed that Lane Kiffin was aware quarterback Matt Barkley tied a school record with five touchdown passes and wanted to break the record on that controversial pass attempt with less than a minute to go against Syracuse.
Kiffin thought Barkley might not have another chance this season to break the record. So he decided to call a pass. One source said the pass was originally supposed to go to Barkley's cousin, wide receiver Robbie Boyer. Barkley was sacked on the play.
For some reason, Kiffin decided after the game to say a run for Curtis McNeal was called but assistant coach Justin Mesa signaled the wrong play. That's two lies in one statement.
However, if you look at the replay, Barkley comes to the huddle after the timeout and you do not even see any signals.
Barkley said it was a pass play from the beginning. So here's the lesson: When Lane Kiffin says one thing and Matt Barkley another, believe Barkley.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley was named on 51 percent of the ballots this week while wide receiver Robert Woods was on 17 percent in the Heisman Trophy poll of 52 voters conducted by StiffArmTrophy.com.
Barkley is currently in 12th place, up from 19th. Woods is 22nd, down from 21st.
Here's the full list of results:

It looks like offensive guard Abe Markowitz's foot could suffer a stress fracture despite attempts to get him back on the field, which means Marcus Martin is probably going to start again this week.

USC players actually voted to wear white socks on road games this season, which shows some creativity instead of going with black socks for all games. That also means white wrist bands and undershirts since the Trojans wear those items in black at the Coliseum.

We hear USC will wear white socks for its game at Arizona State on Saturday. That means black socks at home and white on the road.

They can often be meaningless and I know USC coaches disregard them for some categories. Nevertheless, these do pop out for all the praise of the special teams:

Kickoff returns (107th nationally)
Net punting (85th)
Punt returns (83rd)
Kickoff return yardage defense (51st)

USC wide receiver Robert Woods ranks first nationally in receptions per game (11).

Here's a USC that did go for an alternate uniform as South Carolina agreed to wear these Under Armor designed kits that benefit wounded veterans of the armed forces. And note the black socks for Lane Kiffin.

Lane Kiffin said today that Torin Harris is playing really well at cornerback. But Tuesday he complained that Harris gave up a touchdown pass against Syracuse. At least he pronounced his name right.

The offense performed better Wednesday in a practice that highlighted wide receivers. George Farmer was brought up off the scout team but Lane Kiffin said he will redshirt and came up because of injuries. Kiffin also said Marqise Lee is ahead of where Robert Woods was at this time last year. I'm not so sure about that one.
Kiffin also said wide receiver Kyle Prater is capable of great plays but inconsistent. Prater made an impressive catch in practice but Kiffin lamented Prater missed Tuesday's practice with migraines.
Linebacker Lamar Dawson remains in a boot and looks unlikely at this point. Left guard Abe Markowitz (foot) remains limited with an injury that never seems to end.

Here is Oklahoma president David Boren's statement on the Pac-12 sticking with 12 members.
``We were not surprised by the Pac 12's decision to not expand at this time. Even though we had decided not to apply for membership this year, we have developed a positive relationship with the leadership of the conference and we have kept them informed of the progress we've been making to gain agreement from the Big 12 for changes which will make the conference more stable in the future.
``Conference stability has been our first goal and we look forward to achieving that goal through continued membership in the Big 12 Conference.''

I'm probably in favor of the Pac-12's decision to stick with its current size so I will not complain about last night's decision. I can't help but think if former commissioner Tom Hansen were still in charge, however, there would be an avalanche of criticism for missing out on adding Texas and Oklahoma and keeping the conference behind the expansion curve.
Expect media analysis today to instead focus on Larry Scott's ``prudent decision'' to remain at 12 teams or ``standing up'' to greedy Texas.

More on the decision to redshirt defensive tackle Armond Armstead and linebacker Chris Galippo said Arizona State's roster features local players who did not get an opportunity to come to USC.
``They did a good job feeding off guys USC wasn't offering,'' he said. ``They did a good job with the four-star and three-star guys that maybe USC overlooked.''

So why did the Pac-12 decide to stay put? Because it determined splitting its money 16 ways was not worth it? Because Oklahoma is willing to stay in the Big 12? Because the presidents are just getting used to Utah and Colorado and did not want the Texas and Oklahoma schools dictating policy? Because Texas was unwilling to share the spoils of the Longhorn Network in a way everybody else liked?

Here is the full statement from the Pac-12 tonight regarding its decision to remain a 12-team conference: ``In light of the widespread speculation about potential scenarios for Conference re-alignment, the Pac-12 Presidents and Chancellors have affirmed their decision to remain a 12-team conference.
``Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said, `after careful review we have determined that it is in the best interests of our member institutions, student-athletes and fans to remain a 12-team conference.
`` `While we have great respect for all of the institutions that have contacted us, and certain expansion proposals were financially attractive, we have a strong conference structure and culture of equality that we are committed to preserve. With new landmark TV agreements and plans to launch our innovative television networks, we are going to focus solely on these great assets, our strong heritage and the bright future in front of us.' ''

I'm guessing when Lane Kiffin calls recruits, he doesn't use their full names. For example, he probably didn't call Anthony Sarao and say ``Anthony Suh-sorrow, please.''

I'm including this letter to local newspapers in Mississippi from Ole Miss fans for USC assistant coach Ed Orgeron's benefit. He will be happy to see fans revolting against athletic director Pete Boone and the administration. Boone fired Orgeron in 2007. And now the fans have had it with Boone.

In this segment, does a Pac-16 help open Texas to USC in recruiting?

It will not top Christian ``Tatupu'' but Lane Kiffin found another name to butcher today. Kiffin said freshman linebacker Anthony Sarao would play the role of Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict. But he pronounced Sarao as ``Suh-sorrow.'' It is pronounced ``Sar-oe.''
See for yourself at the 6:40 mark of the video after the jump.

Washington coach Steve Sarkisian's already expressed confidece in defensive coodinator Nick Holt twice this week after the Huskies allowed 51 points to Nebraska. And some of you complain about Monte Kiffin?

Do you want the Pac-12 to expand to 14 teams? Sixteen teams? Stay the same? Express your thoughts here.

It is time once again for questions. One per person please.

Lane Kiffin talked about freshman tailback D.J. Morgan's status after two fumbles in two games.
``That's tough. If there are guys in front of you, you have to wait for them to screw up,'' Kiffin said.

Lane Kiffin would not say if Armond Armstead was medically cleared by USC doctors when he announced Armstead would redshirt.
But if he was cleared why would he redshirt after only two games? And why would he stick around for a year and not turn pro if he is still waiting for USC doctors to clear him.
In the meantime, he will redshirt and have limited practice time.

USC QB Matt Barkley has nine touchdowns and one interception after three games. Last year, he had nine touchdowns and two interceptions after three games. The difference? Barkley's got 241 more passing yards this season.
That might be where Robert Woods makes a difference.

The Trojans have about 1.2 million fans, which ranks USC 17th nationally according to this formula devised by New York Times blogger Nate Silver.

A question about conference expansion highlights this segment.

Burning through these questions today!

Back to the answers.

Last week CSI: NY filmed at the Galen Center. This week they were called back to investigate the mystery of how the wrong play got sent in to the game. Or whether it was a hoax?

I haven't answered some of last week's questions yet because my assistant coach sent me the wrong list of questions.

We hear from USC fans that Cal has put single-game tickets to the USC game on sale for the contest at AT&T Park. One reader said they purchased a pair of 40-yard line seats.

Syracuse athletic director Daryl Gross, who worked as an associate athletic director at USC under Mike Garrett, talked about last weekend's game with Syracuse radio station 1260-AM.
``We went out and played a good Southern California football team,'' Gross said. ``And they've got the best talent in the country. We're very proud of our team because, except for a couple of big plays, we're able to physically hang in there with them.''

When Lane Kiffin claimed the wrong play was sent in at the end of the Syracuse game, which caused Matt Barkley to throw a pass it raised another issue. What if the game was tied and USC sent in the wrong play? Has this happened in other situations this season? How will this be prevented in the future?
Or is this just really another way of saying the dog ate my homework.

Here are this week's grades for the Syracuse game.

Lane Kiffin says younger players might have a little smaller role in their first road game while Matt Barkley enjoys playing on the road as USC prepares to go to Arizona State.

Looks like Larry Scott is going to let Texas keep the Longhorn Network but add Pac-12 (or Pac-16) programming and split the conference into four pods for scheduling purposes, according to the Austin American-Statesmen.
USC would play the other three teams in its pod (Pod A) and then play two teams from Pod B, Pod C and Pod D for nine conference games.

USC coach Lane Kiffin said he spoke to defensive tackle Armond Armstead's family and will speak to them one more time and have something to say about his status on Tuesday.

A few tidbits emerged as Lane Kiffin said again he did not mean to throw on first down in the final minute.
``Somewhere along the line it didn't get done,'' Kiffin said. ``When you're the head coach, you know what it feels like to be on the other side. I probably would have thrown a pass as an offensive coordinator.
``I'm accountable for everything. That's not what I wanted to happen but it did.''
Kiffin said after the game assistant coach Justin Mesa sent in the wrong play. But even USC's official web site said he was ``joking.''
Meanwhile, Kiffin said tight end Junior Pomee remains in the program following weekend rumors he might transfer to Florida.

That last series of the Syracuse game reminded some of the 2005 Arkansas game. There was some controversy in that one as USC had reserve quarterback Michael McDonald throwing touchdown passes with a 63-17 lead and less than two minutes in the game.
At the time, offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin said it was OK because Arkansas had its first-team defense in the game.

One story circulating during the USC-Syracuse game was the reason there was a delay in changing the official score of the Utah was because the Pac-12 officials consultant, Mike Pereira, was in production meetings with Fox Sports for their NFL coverage and could not be reached immediately.

If Lane Kiffin ever says he doesn't care about records, ignore him. With USC up 38-17 in the final minute, he had Matt Barkley drop back and pass on first-and-goal at the 5-yard line. Barkley got sacked and lost a chance to set a school record with six TD passes.
Kiffin then went through a strange answer after the game where he said assistant coach Justin Mesa sent in the wrong play. But Barkley disputed that and said ``it was the right call.''
``That was a play-action play we thought would be there,'' Barkley said.
The whole situation was ill-advised as Kiffin risked injury to Barkley, appeared to be running up the score and showed that people are monitoring records on the sideline. None of this is what USC football should be about as one of the premier programs in the nation.

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

USC moves to 3-0 as Lane Kiffin starts calling deeper pass plays and Matt Barkley finds five different receivers for touchdowns.

USC used a season-high 54 players tonight, up from 43 in Week 1 and 47 in Week 2. Isiah Wiley, Aundrey Walker and Kevin Greene were among those who played.

Tonight's crowd of 65,873 was the lowest attendance since Oct. 19, 2002, when 52,961 attended the Washington game.

``We went with Marc Tyler early on because we knew Syracuse would play tough against the run. Marc is an asset in pass protection and that was a big part of our game tonight. I'm a little surprised we ran better late.''

``It's about time. It felt like Trojan football again.''

USC finally gets a blowout. Happy? The running game struggled mightily in the first half. And now what? The Pac-12 South's big game is next week in Tempe against a team that lost to Illinois? Larry Scott might need to expand to get some better teams in this division.

Looks like USC won't need the score changed after the game this week to cover.

This game doesn't seem all that different than others. USC's offense is passing well but not running much. Syracuse doesn't seem much better than Minnesota.

The Trojans strike quickly . . . and so does Cuse.

Matt Barkley finds a wide open Robert Woods on third-and-25 at the 31 yard line. It looks more like a Hackett is coaching Syracuse's defense than offense.

The Trojans do not even think about a 2-point conversion after lining up in 2-point formation after Matt Barkley's TD pass to Rhett Ellison.

The Orange's West Coast offense drives down the field but stalls out inside the 10-yard line and it settles for a 24-yard field goal.

Remember to check the twitter box on the right side of the blog for many of today's game updates.

Syracuse athletic director Daryl Gross, formerly an associate A.D. at USC, spent all week in Los Angeles fundraising. And apparently found time to apply for membership to the ACC.

If things had turned out different three years ago, Lane Kiffin might be running out to the Coliseum field today wearing an orange T-shirt.

The Orange were invited to play in the second Rose Bowl Game in 1916 (or the East-West Game, as it was known then). The invitation was declined, however, as Syracuse already had a busy road schedule, which included a visit to Los Angeles in December, 1915 to play Occidental. Brown represented the East in Pasadena instead, losing to Washington State, 14-0.

After careful consideration, and factoring in the fact a Hackett is coaching at the Coliseum while a Kiffin will hopefully be less conservative in the fourth quarter of the game, I am going with the Trojans.
USC 31, Syracuse 14.

Nearly a week later, people are still complaining about the amended score of the USC-Utah game.

Here is the Game Day forecast from the DailyNews/InsideSocal.com/USC official meteorologist Evelyn Taft of Channel 9 (and also a USC grad).
``Afternoon sunshine with temps in the mid 70s--expecting a high of 76 degrees.
We're expecting upper 60s by the evening hours with a return of low clouds and fog.
A SW breeze coming in at 15 mph in the evening. Bring a sweatshirt or a light jacket!''

Time to make your selections on the score for the USC-Syracuse game. Is this the week the Trojans break through at the Coliseum?

Here's a more in-depth look at why USC had several short punts out of bounds in last week's game against Utah.

Marc Tyler's back from his suspension and back as the Trojans' top tailback. Here's the money quote from today's story: ``People have this idea about me that I'm an alcoholic and drinking every day,'' Tyler said. ``I'm not an alcoholic.''

When Syracuse comes here Saturday they will still be recovering from the Greg Robinson era. Remember him? He was a college teammate of Pete Carroll and Syracuse thought they were getting a Carroll clone when they hired him. Instead Robinson won 10 games in four years and went 3-25 in the Big East.
The funny thing is no one who knew Carroll and Robinson thought they were clones and Carroll wasn't even that close to him during the time he was at USC.
There was a good story at Pacific, where Carroll and Robinson played. One day the Pacific coach said, ``Pete, how come you're always happy and Greg's always mad?''
That alone should have warned Syracuse off Robinson. Of course USC is now working with Coach Sunshine, so maybe it needs that lesson too.

USC's first three home opponents this year are returning to play the Trojans in the Coliseum after long absences, totaling 182 years: Minnesota, 32 years (1979), Utah, 63 years (1948), and Syracuse, 87 years (1924).
Utah had never scored a touchdown against USC at the Coliseum prior to last Saturday; in six games against USC in Los Angeles they have yet to score a field goal against the Trojans.

Did you know the short punts that went out of bounds last week, including the one at the end of the game, were planned by the coaching staff?
"We didn't want any returns," special teams coach John Baxter said.
Fortunately for the Trojans, Utah did not score on the final possession or that last punt might be under a lot more scrutiny this week.

Have you asked your Cal friends if they are ready for the Blue Hose of Presbyterian College yet?

USC tailback Marc Tyler is eligible to apply for a sixth year of eligibility because of injuries but said he does not intend to return for another season.
``I've been here for so long, I can't do another year,'' Tyler said.

USC has the toughest schedule in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal. Well, at least based on the academic rankings of the Trojans' opponents.

Lane Kiffin was asked if USC would finally have a breakout gae this week.
``I don't know. We just have to improve,'' Kiffin said.
Scoring touchdowns in the second half will obviously be a goal. That said, Kiffin did not name a starter at left guard and said ``a couple guys'' will play. Marcus Martin and Abe Markowitz appear to be the top candidates.
Workers passed out flyers by Howard Jones Field this morning that said, ``Shame On USC'' because the new John McKay Center is using non-union workers to install the fire sprinklers. The McKay Center is being constructed by Tutor-Saliba Corp. Its president and CEO is Ron Tutor, who is a member of USC's Board of Trustees.

Armond Armstead, Matt Barkley, Lane Kiffin are all part of this morning's buzz And let's not forget what the Gold Sheet has to say about the game: .``Foes making adjustments to Lane Kiffin's "Fin-Esse-C" offense that's scored just one second half TD first two games.''

We've talked about Armond Armstead's status today. USC obviously wants him cleared and does not want a repeat of the Jarvis Jones situation, where he is not cleared by team doctors but gets cleared by Georgia.
If that were to happen again, it might jeopardize the commitment of Armstead's brother, defensive end Arik Armstead, ranked the 26th best player in the nation by Rivals.com.

Marc Tyler remains the likely starter based on practice snaps. What is Dillon Baxter's role? Seems a bit of a mystery still although it doesn't look like he's escaped the doghouse yet.

USC president Max Nikias was at a press conference today that announced Los Angeles would host the 2015 Special Olympics. USC is expected to be the site of several events. The last time the Special Olympics was held in the United States was 1999, when it was in Raleigh, N.C.

Sources say that USC defensive tackle Armond Armstead was actually cleared by doctors at another hospital but is yet to be cleared by USC doctors. That explains the current stalemate and could explain why a meeting will take place later this week.
Remember, former linebacker Jarvis Jones (neck) could not get cleared by USC doctors and eventually went to Georgia, where he is playing this season.

USC coach Kevin O'Neill was in Ohio this week visiting 2013 recruits Maverick Morgan (6-11) and Devin Williams (6-9). Meanwhile, assistant coach Bob Cantu is expected to see guard Shabazz Muhammad tomorrow.
USC is also going to be part of the 2012 Maui Invitational,. which features a tough group of teams. Here's the field besides the Trojans: Butler, Illinois, Marquette, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Texas and host Chaminade University.

Lane Kiffin said there would be a meeting later this week regarding defensive tackle Armond Armstead's status. He did not say who would attend the meeting or what the chances were of Armstead being cleared.

Lane Kiffin said the offensive playing was ``conservative'' in the fourth quarter of games but ``that doesn't mean you can't get first downs.''
He also promised more playing time for reserves, notably safety Drew McAllister, who will get in the third or fourth series of the Syracuse game. T.J. McDonald's played every play so far.
Tre Madden, Lamar Dawson and Anthony Brown could also see time. Freshman Marcus Martin continues to work with the first team at left guard. Tailback Amir Carlisle also practiced more as he returns from his sprained ankle.

USC defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is well-acquainted with Syracuse's offense, which is similar to what he saw at Tampa Bay. That is welcomed from the usual college formations he faces.
``College football, it changes every week," Kiffin said. "They make up plays in the middle of the night.''

Highly regarded guard Shabazz Muhammad, the No. 1 recruit in the nation according to Rivals.com, will officially visit USC the weekend of Oct. 29th and attend the USC-Stanford football game.

If you fast-forward to the 53-second mark, you can hear Lane Kiffin mention Christian ``Tatupu'' being on the field-goal block team.

Here's another quote from Syracuse coach Doug Marrone that lowers expectations for his team.
``No Big East team has won out there since 1957,'' Marrone said. ``I don't think history is very much on our side on this one in a lot of different ways. It's a credit to USC.''

In this segment, the tailback position dominates the questions.

Believe it or not, this is a Stanford uniform that will be worn later in the season. This Nike ``Pro Combat'' of course features the obligatory black helmet. I'm wondering how close this resembled the all-cardinal, black helmeted uniform that USC nearly agreed to wear in the summer.

The fallout continues in the gambling world on the Pac-12's drawn-out decision to change the score of Saturday night's game as this story details. Add the Wynn sports book to those who refuse to recognize the amended score.

Time for questions post-Utah and pre-Syracuse. Again, there can be no shortage of topics.
One question per person please.

Some freshmen are getting a look finally as the coaches want change after the first two games. Marcus Martin was with the starters at left guard while Anthony Brown worked at nickel back.
``We're going to give the young guys a shot,'' Lane Kiffin said. ``Hopefully they can help out.''
Marc Tyler worked with the first group and will probably start at tailback. Linebacker Marquis Simmons sprained his neck and wore a neck brace while left guard Martin Coleman's arm was in a sling.

"If you look at the last eight years in the program, we're 34-62, and we're going against a team that's 88-16,''

USC's players believe they've established an identity after two games.

The offensive line and receiving corps highlight this segment.

Here is what Richard Gardner, the sportsbook manager for Bodog, said about what score he recognized for wagers on the USC-Utah game.
``When they changed the official score to 23-14 in the USC-Utah game we regraded all the wagers as this was the official score of the game by the NCAA,'' Gardner said. ``This does occur now and again in various sports such as boxing or MMA, but the rules in those particular sports are the ringside's decision is final for wagering purposes.
``In football if the score is changed on game day that is what we go with according to our sport-specific rules.''
But Caesar's Entertainment Co. went with the 17-14 score because its house rules say the score on the field when the game ends is what gets paid.

In this segment, a question on the pass defense.

Here's your chance to write your own caption after yesterday's Pete Carroll-Jim Harbaugh post-game handshake that did not include a ``what's your deal?'' moment.

I originally raised this issue last season and I think it remains a relevant question after the Utah game. It again provided a setting for quarterback Matt Barkley to have a signature moment or signature victory but the offense faltered as a unit in the second half.
Obviously supporting cast makes a big difference for a quarterback. But there remains something missing from Barkley's resume after 26 games: The signature victory. That moment everyone remembers when USC pulled out a dramatic victory.
If someone says a reason is Lane Kiffin's constant whistles from the sideline that change plays and sometimes cause a delay of game, I'm willing to listen.

Really trying to burn through some questions in this segment, some on the USC offense.

I asked Lane Kiffin last night if anyone has asked doctors at USC why Armond Armstead's undergone tests for around seven months and is still waiting to be cleared?
``I'm not in on that,'' Kiffin said. ``I'm sure it has been discussed.''

OK, it's time to resume one of the traditions of this blog from Saturday's game at the Coliseum. You can click here or check the jump.

Here are the grades for the USC-Utah game.

Even though Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said he does not want to expand right now, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will apply to the conference for membership, according to this report.

Confusion reigned in th aftermath of the first-ever Pacific-12 Conference game. Meanwhile, Dillon Baxter pondered his reduced role on the team.
``It's hard not to contribute and make plays," Baxter said. "It's really hard. I don't really know what to say, honestly. Any kind of playing time would be nice. Coach (Kiffin) told me to work hard, and I thought I did this week."

The Pac-12 is on the verge of keeping my moniker for the Pac-10 based on its behavior this weekend. For example, earlier today the conference released a statement from Tony Corrente, the supervisor of officials.
But where was he Saturday night? He didn't release a statement or speak to the media about the strange ending of the USC-Utah game. Instead, everyone heard from ``consultant'' Mike Pereira.

I'm told there were no post-game fireworks today after Jim Harbaugh's 49ers defeated Pete Carroll's Caesarhawks, 33-17, at Candlestick Park.

USC used only 47 players against Utah, up from 43 against Minnesota. Freshman linebacker Lamar Dawson played two series in his career debut.
``We're trying to play more people, I know we say that every week but we're going to do it this week,'' Kiffin said. ``We need to do a better job of it.''
With Syracuse the opponent this week that shouldn't be a problem.
Cornerback Nickell Robey and safety T.J. McDonald each were in for 73 plays Saturday.

Lane Kiffin said he ``never cares what the score is as a final score'' regarding yesterday's changing of the final score to 23-14 a couple hours after the game ended.
``I'm sure a lot of USC fans are happy, I hope they didn't throw away their tickets,'' Kiffin said. ``I didn't see them resignal touchdown but I didn't care.''
Kiffin said he played no role in getting the final touchdown added to the scoreline. He also said he did not meet today with tailback Dillon Baxter, who was unhappy again Saturday after barely playing against Utah.

Tony Corrente, the Pac-12 coordinator of football officiating, finally surfaced regarding last night's confusion over the final score.
``The final play of the game between USC and Utah was ruled properly and the touchdown did stand. There was a miscommunication between the officials and the press box that led to the confusion about the final score. We will make the appropriate adjustments to improve communication between on field officials and press box personnel so that we avoid any scoring issues in the future.''

USC's offense produced a grand total of seven points in the second half of its two games this season. Perhaps turnovers are a reason. But those happen in games to every team. But should another be that perhaps the defensive coaches are adjusting to USC's offense? And USC's coaches are not making the necessary adjustments in the second half?

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

Trying to decide what other conference does the following:
1.) Claims USC-Utah is the first game while Colorado-California is already being played but does not count?
2.) Changes the score of the game more than an hour after the conclusion? Who does that?
Especially odd was Mike Pereira's original statement ``The points were never taken off the board.'' If you were at the game, you know the points were never put on the board so they could not be taken off.

And now the official statement from Pac-12 Officiating Consultant Mike Pereira:
``The new Unsportsmanlike Conduct rule is Rule 9, Section 2, Article 1. It states that Unsportsmanlike Conduct fouls by players are administered as either live ball or dead ball fouls depending on when they occur. The rule does not apply to substitutes. All Unsportsmanlike Conduct fouls by substitutes are enforced as dead ball fouls. Since the game was over, the penalty could not be enforced and the referee stated it was declined by rule. The officials did rule it a touchdown making the final score 23-14.''

Here is what Mike Pereira, the consultant to Pac-12 officials, tweeted about the score change tonight: ``The points were never taken off the board. Had unsportsmanlike conduct been called against one of the 11 players, the touchdown would not count,'' Pereira said. ``The referee announced the penalty was against the bench and declined by rule. That means it couldn't be enforced because the game was over.''

Can Lane Kiffin bury the pass play where he has Matt Barkley throw a difficult pass all the way to the sideline that takes so long the cornerbacks nearly intercept them.

Aside from this final score debacle, what I found interesting after the game was the USC players' happiness over kicking an extra point. They didn't want to say much publically but they all breathed a sigh of relief at the fact Lane Kiffin kicked two extra points.

That is the official final score after the Pac-12 supervisor of officials spoke to the officiating crew. I'll have the official statement shortly.

The Pac-12 and the game officials are talking to the league' supervisor of officials to see if the score of the game is correct regarding the game's final play where Torin Harris scored and the play was called back because of unsportsmanlike conduct.

``I'm excited to finish this way. The energy on the sideline and energy on the field brings a team together.''

``I just feel good. This is something I dreamed about.''

This is another performance that leaves a sour taste. There's not a lot of crispness. And some disorganization with timeouts and penalties. Well, take it away . . .

This seems like it should be a blowout but it's a close game because of turnovers. The Trojans have three that really turned their momentum and it's allowed Utah to hang around. A timeout after a five-minute delay to review a fumble was a strange third-quarter moment for USC.

Lane Kiffin doesn't look too happy the Trojans scored a touchdown. Or maybe he's just trying to figure out whether to go for two points.

USC did what it couldnt do last week and scores in the second half. The Trojans' offense has moved the ball all day and really only stopped itself on turnovers.

This is the opposite of last week when USC stormed out to a 19-3 halftime lead against Minnesota. The Trojans should probably be up 24-7 but turnovers by Matt Barkley and D.J. Morgan ruined two scoring drives.
Now comes the tricky part. Last week USC lost intensity in the second half. Some of that was from the crowd's lack of energy. How will the energy level be today? The crowd actually appears smaller so we will see.

USC should probably be up 24-0 right now but a couple turnovers inside Utah's 20-yard line ruined both drives. Utah does not look as physical as USC and their defense has spent a lot of time on the field already in the first half.
Let's see if Lane Kiffin banishes D.J. Morgan for his fumble like he did last season any time a back fumbled.

Bright start for Trojans. Marc Tyler looks really sharp and scored on a 6-yard run. Not sure why Lane Kiffin went with Curtis McNeal for two plays before switching to Tyler for first two plays of the touchdown drive. Tailback rotation is sometimes confusing, I admit it.

If you attend Trojan Walk be sure to ask Lane Kiffin if he will go for two points today?

There will be a pre-game ceremony today involving former USC players Tim McDonald and Sal Mena along with former Utah players Jamal Anderson and Luther Elliss.
They will present a football signed by all Pac-12 coaches to commissioner Larry Scott. The ball will be donated to the 9/11 Memorial Fund.
Mena, who is 94 years old, was a member of the 1939 USC national championship team and one of the last surviving Trojans to play for legendary coach Howard Jones.

Dennis Thomas, the chairman of the NCAA committee on infractions, resigned for ``unforeseeen personal reasons.'' He supervised USC's case among others.

Does this game matter to Utah offensive coordinator Norm Chow?
``He has been one of the most intense guys this week,'' Utah offensive lineman John Cullen told The Salt Lake Tribune. ``He is fired up. No one is joking around with Coach Chow this week; he is fired up for this game.''

Isn't about time USC explain why it has taken more than six months and still no decision on whether defensive tackle Armond Armstead can play for the Trojans?

More questions about the offense here.

More questions answered, including why USC goes for two points and another Robert Woods-Mike Williams comparison.

OK, time to make your game prediction. Many analysts pick USC to win narrowly. I'm guessing Utah fans think different.

Robert Woods highlights this segment of reader questions.

Linebacker Chris Galippo said he welcomes getting some rest if USC uses Lamar Dawson off the bench tomorrow.

A Pac-12 coach analyzes USC's performance against Minnesota and ``scared'' game plan.

This week's poll of 56 actual Heisman Trophy voters by StiffArmTrophy.com showed some movement with USC players. Matt Barkley dropped three spots to No. 13 despite his impressive stats last weekend while Robert Woods debuted at 15th after his big game. Here's the full poll:

First, Fox Sports apologizes for an offensive video made at USC. Now the Pac-12 takes down this video because it showed the USC drum major sticking his sword into the UCLA logo at the Rose Bowl.

USC emailed fans this ad for the USC Credit Union this week. The credit union did not get the memo on black socks.

Thankfully on to this week's questions.

In this segment, a question about Lane Kiffin's criticism of his players.

Is there a worse city for sports management than Los Angeles? The choices with football appear to come down to incompetent/corrupt (Coliseum Commission) and bullying/gouging(AEG).

Notre Dame's throwback uniforms against Michigan this week include the shamrock helmets from the 1960's. Thankfully these will not be worn against USC. But I do remember some awful throwbacks the Irish wore against USC about four years ago.

Still trying to catch up on questions!

To answer a question from a couple days ago, Frank Gifford did not attend the Salute to Troy.

The venerable Gold Sheet picks USC to defeat Utah 21-20 (guess they think Lane Kiffin got over his two-point play obsession).
Here's their best line: ``Lane Kiffin appears to be channeling Josh McDaniels on the sidelines, fiddling with his play chart while the foundation of the program continues to burn.''

When USC played Utah in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl there was an altercation between the coaches after the game in the pressbox elevator. But Lane Kiffin doesn't remember.

Utah's has its scout team wearing cardinal and gold jerseys this week. USC's scout team wears powder blue and gold jerseys.

Here's my interview today on 1320 KFAN in Salt Lake City on this week's game.

In case you missed it, Fox Sports issued an apology for making a racially insensitive video on the USC campus.

``We sincerely apologize to President Nikias and the entire USC community for the production and posting of the video. The context was clearly inappropriate and the video was removed as soon as we became aware of it. We will review our editorial process to determine where the breakdown occurred, and we will take steps to ensure something like this never happens again.''

Here's more on the story.

A Pac-12 coach said this week he felt USC's biggest obstacle was not that it did not run the ball enough against Minnesota but that it did not throw to the other receivers after the Gophers made adjustments on Robert Woods.

We hear USC briefly considered former Nebraska secondary Marvin Sanders before deciding that Sammy Knight would coach the defensive backs for the rest of the season.

Martin Coleman got some looks at left guard today. Despite official comments that Abe Markowitz could be back, we hear he is more likely to sit out this week. The tailback-by-committee approach will continue, Lane Kiffin said, especially with Marc Tyler eligible. Wide receiver Robert Woods wore a yellow jersey to avoid contact and will rest tomorrow to keep his legs fresh for the game.

We mentioned USC is 2-10 againt the spread at the Coliseum in the past 12 games. So why isn't it more of an advantage?
``I don't think it has to do with the Coliseum or the fans,'' Lane Kiffin said. ``We are not playing real well (at home).''

Lane Kiffin also had this to say yesterday about Norm Chow.
``"I have nothing against Norm at all,'' Kiffin said. ``He's been great to me always. I have great respect for him.''
Now I've already mentioned that they did not speak to each other for several years when they were on the staff together and Kiffin was involved in Chow's ouster. So all these statements ring a bit hollow.
On the other hand, I don't think Kiffin is lying when he says he has nothing against Chow.
Kiffin is older now and feels less petty about that type of stuff. He views what happened six years ago as in the past. So he doesn't hold any ill will. Now does that mean Chow should hold a similar view? No. But like I tweeted yesterday, Steve Sarkisian and Rick Neuheisel are probably Kiffin on his list.

Perhaps the 70 percent who believe USC will not cover in our poll question also know USC is 2-10 against the spread in its past 12 games at the Coliseum.

Gotta answer these reader questions!!

Two new features added to the USC GameDay iPhone app: One allows you to tell Lane Kiffin not to go for two points after a touchdown. The other sends a text substitute so that USC will play more than 43 players against Utah.

Time to get stuck in to those forum questions.

USC might be 28th in the AP poll but the Trojans are even lower (31st) in this one.

It took some humility for Lane Kiffin to apologize to the offense this morning. What's next? No more two-point conversions?

Lane Kiffin said today that Utah offensive coordinator Norm Chow is ``very easy to work with.'' Apparently long forgotten is that Pete Carroll told me the pair did not speak to each other for several years when they were together at USC and that Kiffin helped nudged Chow out at USC.

I'm sure there are plenty of questions following last week's ``debacle'' to borrow a word from Lane Kiffin. One question per person and I will answer last week's questions too.

Tailback Marc Tyler was cleared and graduate assistant Sammy Knight will coach the secondary for the rest of the season, Lane Kiffin said.

Tailback Dillon Baxter was a good soldier today and said he did not play because he did not go hard in practice last week.
``Coming into the first game I was going through the motions instead of going hard every play,'' Baxter said.
Lane Kiffin apologized to the offense this morning for his post-game comments on TV that ``we've got two good players on offense.''
``I told the offense I didn't mean it that,'' Kiffin said.

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

USC knows it will need a better effort if it wants to beat Utah on Saturday at the Coliseum.

Former USC All-American Tony Boselli tweeted tonight about Maryland's alternate uniforms: ``What in the heck is Maryland wearing? They look ridiculous. I would transfer if i had to wear that (junk).''

``For sure we can't have a close one (against Utah).''

Lost in the shuffle Saturday was first-year punter Kyle Negrete, who averaged 37.2 yards but more importantly, placed all four punts inside the 20-yard line.

Here's a couple trends that show USC is actually better on the road than at home. Starting with the Stanford home loss in November, 2009, USC is 5-5 at home (3 wins by 3 points or less) and has been outscored 266-263.
In that same period, away from the Coliseum, USC is 6-2 (5 wins by more than 10 points) and has outscored opponents 249-194.

USC is 9-18 against the spread since 2009.

Who was at the USC game as a basketball recruit? Robbie Berwick, a 6-4 guard from Atascadero who is only a sophomore.

Lane Kiffin said, ``We've got two good players on our offense'' in the TV interview after the Minnesota game referring to Matt Barkley and Robert Woods.
Remember on August 17th, he said this about team captain Rhett Ellison: ``He's just awesome.''

It can be tough decoding Lane Kiffin's comments. Take last week for example. When he said, ``A ton of players that never played a snap before will play,'' he really meant only 43 players would play against Minnesota and just three true freshmen.
When he said ``it doesn't mean anything'' that he never mentioned Dillon Baxter but complimented D.J. Morgan and Curtis McNeal leading up to the game, he really meant Baxter would not get a carry against Minnesota.
When he said it didn't matter if Jeremy Galten started at left guard because ``we are going to rotate,'' he really meant Galten would play every snap.
This should make things easier to figure out the next 11 games.

Here are the grades for the season-opening game.

Lane Kiffin conceded holding dual roles of head coach and offensive coordinator requires a bigger burden.
``It is taxing compared to just when you are only a coordinator,'' Kiffin said. ``You just have to manage your time.''
I'm sure a lot of USC fans wish he would relinquish at least one of those roles tonight.

Lane Kiffin said he did not care if Dillon Baxter was unhappy or might ``check out'' mentally if he did not play.
``We don't concern ourselves with that, if players are going to check out, that's unfortunate,'' Kiffin said.

The news of the day is that tailback Dillon Baxter's family requested and had a long meeting with Lane Kiffin today. Baxter did not get a carry in the Minnesota game and was visibly disappointed after the game.
Kiffin said the subject of transferring did not come up in the conversation.
``It happens a lot especially with highly recruited players,'' Kiffin said. ``You have to explain why things are happening.''
Kiffin said Marc Tyler's status is unchanged but he ``may have something shortly'' regarding it.

USC opened a 10.5 favorite over Utah but it already dropped to 9.5 points.

Former USC tailback Marcus Allen weighed in on the switch to black socks.
``Don't let Nike tell us what to do; we're not Oregon,'' Allen said. ``I hope that's really not what it is. They have an outside interest and don't understand the culture we've created and what has made us special all these years.
``Regardless of what other people say or do or ask, you have to be stronger than that. If there's one thing we have that others don't, and why others like to change, is our history of success.
``I prefer things to be as they are. I think I have a greater understanding of this now. This is what makes is different and not so much the uniform but the way we've done it. It may seem conservative to some, which is fine with me, but that's the way it's supposed to be done.''

USC used only 43 players in yesterday's game despite Lane Kiffin's promises to substitute liberally. Maybe he shouldn't complain about scholarship reductions if that is the case.
By comparison, Minnesota used 55 players.
Last year, the Trojans used 46 players against Virginia.

Marqise Lee, Andre Heidari and Tre Madden were the only true freshmen who played against Minnesota. For all the talk about using a lot of players and playing heralded freshmen like Lamar Dawson or Aundrey Walker, they did not get into the game.

Here's a look at some other stories from the game. D.J. Morgan gets his first chance, Robert Woods dominates the day with a sterling performance, Lane Kiffin doesn't know what he will do yet with the secondary coaching spot.

A lot of things were different for USC this year but one thing remained the same: Going for two-points after a touchdown.

The popular line following today's game was ``last year we lost those games,'' as Lane Kiffin said.
But is it true? USC beat a 23-point underdog at the Coliseum by two points today. Last year, USC beat a 20-point underdog at the Coliseum by three points. Or did everyone forget the Virginia game?
And USC did not blow that game at the end either. So maybe it's not quite true after all that today's game was a loss last year.

Minnesota was a 23-point underdog, correct? With a true freshman at quarterback in the fourth quarter? Which coach was in Year 2 of coaching his team again?

Here's a couple reactions from after the game:

``I hope our fans don't start doubting us,'' linebacker Dion Bailey said.

``All I know is how badly we would've felt if we lost 20-19. Last year, we would've lost that game,'' USC athletic director Pat Haden said.

Offensive tackle Matt Kalil said the starting line was in the game for every play against Minnesota.
``All of us played every down,'' Kalil said.
What happened to Lane Kiffin's promise during the week that who started did not matter because he would rotate throughout the game?

Minnesota coach Jerry Kill said the Gophers' headsets went out for about half of the first half, which accounted for some of the disorganization offensively. The Coliseum strikes again!

That's what Lane Kiffin called the offense after the game. He was not referring to himself.

Lane Kiffin knows how to call Robert Woods' number on play after play? What else?

Lane Kiffin isn't winning any awards today with his offensive playcalling and the defensive side looks soft against Minnesota in the second half. Is this really the way Year 2 should look right now?

The Gophers should be down 11 but Lane Kiffin went for 2 twice. A turnover makes the big difference as the shotgun snap sailed over Matt Barkley's head.

The offense is having a great time calling Robert Woods on play after play. And it's working to the tune of three TD passes. The defense wasn't bad but Minnesota's offense looks pretty confused.
Now for some quibbles: Lane Kiffin going for 2 is ridiculous. And he kept calling timeout when Minnesota had only one to allow the Gophers to attempt a field goal that they missed.

Robert Woods has three touchdowns and 12 receptions in the first half. And Lane Kiffin finally woke up and went for 1 point on the conversion.

Will Lane Kiffin just let Andre Heidari on the field for an extra point?

Here we go again with the two-point plays as the Trojans smoothly go down the field for a touchdown and then Lane Kiffin decides to snap the ball to Rhett Ellison, who is stopped short of the goal line.

Torin Harris started over Tony Burnett at cornerback, Dion Bailey over Marquis Simmons at linebacker and Hayes Pullard over Shane Horton at the other outside linebacker spot.

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck was first and Oregon tailback LaMichael James second in a poll of 66 actual Heisman Trophy voters conducted by StiffArmTrophy.com. Matt Barkley finished 10th. Full results after the jump.

It is Game Day and USC will try to make the Coliseum the intimidating place it once was when it won 35 straight games in the Pete Carroll Era.

A question here about the over/under for wins in 2011 on the eve of the season opener.

Here's the new video board at the Coliseum today. Looks like it works. But like I said, sound glitches are expected. So I'm keeping its status as ``limited'' with a game-time decision for upgrading it.

More questions, more answers.

Time to answer some questions on a Friday afternoon.

With tomorrow's home opener at the Coliseum, here is a handy list to prepare you for tomorrow. We used Lane Kiffin's injury definitions of ``limited'' or ``out'' to help guide you through the game-day experience:

Parking -- limited
Hot dogs -- out
Video board -- limited
Student access gates -- limited
Cold drinks -- limited
Scoreboard -- limited
Thermometer -- out (since 1963)
Beer -- out
Working restrooms -- limited
Coliseum improvements -- limited
UPDATED: Cell phone reception: limited

When Lane Kiffin was asked yesterday about why he switched to powder blue scout team jerseys, he said ``we were bored.''
For a guy who always acts like he is super busy, it was odd to say he was bored. Especially with the Minnesota game approaching. Surely, Minnesota wasn't boring him. And the firing of assistant coach Willie Mack Garza couldn't be boring. Or the delay in naming a starter at left guard. Or tailback.
Actually, boring is about the last word to describe USC this week.

OK, it's time to pick the score for the season opener. The Trojans are 23-point favorites but first games can sometimes be tricky.

Lane Kiffin said in this story he does not know USC's identity yet but maybe the Trojans will be known for shuffling a lot of players into and out of the game Saturday.

A source described the mood within the football offices today as ``tense,'' following the removal of Willie Mack Garza. An unexpected word to be using less than 48 hours before kickoff.

So how significant is it for USC's secondary to recover from the loss of its position coach? I asked a Pac-12 defensive coordinator today.
``It's pretty significant,'' the coach said. ``That puts a lot of pressure on Sammy (Knight). It's not the same as when Pete Carroll was there. He knew enough about the secondary that he would have been able to get by if something happened. I don't know that they have anyone else to help them.''

Former USC star Marcus Allen, now working for Fox Sports, was asked today about issues the NCAA needs to address.
``There has to be major changes and we're kidding ourselves if we think we don't have to,'' Allen said. ``There has to be something done to give guys an incentive to stay in school. Schools are making a lot of money off of these young men and yes, they're getting an education but there has to be something else. If you pulled back the curtain I'd think that every program is compromised in some way.''

So will the new video board be ready for Saturday's game at the Coliseum?
Well, it should work but there are expected to be issues, especially with the sound. Be warned.

Not exactly an ideal time to resign two days before a game. But Willie Mack Garza's resignation leaves a gap in the coaching staff. Former USC safety Sammy Knight is currently the lone coach in the secondary. This might have been an ideal situation for former cornerbacks coach Kris Richard to take over but he's with the Seattle Seahawks. Maybe Caesar will send him down but I doubt it as the NFL is about to start too.
Remember that USC defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin hired former USC secondary coach Greg Burns in Tampa Bay. I mention this because the secondary is not known as Kiffin's forte so Knight is suddenly a critical figure on the staff. I wouldn't be surprised if Daylon McCutcheon's name surfaces.
If nothing else, makes things a little more interesting on Saturday.

USC assistant football coach Willie Mack Garza resigned today.
``I stepped down today from my coaching duties at USC," said Garza, who was in his second year at USC. "I have some personal issues unrelated to USC that I need to address. I wish the Trojans the best and I am sorry I won't be with them in what I know will be a very successful season."

Lane Kiffin was pleased with USC's energy in practices this week.
``Even in the meetings at 6 a.m.,'' Kiffin said. ``I don't know how many wins it will (translate to) but it is very energetic.''

Members of the USC scout team wore powder blue and yellow jerseys today at practice.
``It's a motivator to not be on the (scout) team,'' USC coach Lane Kiffin said.
Frankly, this is something Pete Carroll never would allow because he did not like the idea of placing an opponent above all others. You might want to win that rivalry game more than all the others but you waited until that week to worry about it. That kept his teams from being too excited for a single game.
But on a lot of the little things, Kiffin wants change for the sake of change. Morning practices, black socks, proposed alternate uniform . . .

Lane Kiffin does not like to name starters for the game but left guard Jeremy Galten again took all the snaps with the first team and was fired up for the game.
``It's awesome,'' Galten said. ``I'm so excited for Saturday.''
Kiffin said Abe Markowitz is still not ruled out of the game. Neither is freshman tailback Amir Carlisle (sprained ankle). Curtis McNeal and D.J. Morgan remain the frontrunners at tailback. Linebacker Chris Galippo took all the snaps with the first-team defense so it looks like he starts at middle linebacker.
Wide receiver Robert Woods said he is fine despite having a swollen elbow. The bursa sac on his elbow burst and blood was removed to alleviate the swelling. He said he did not feel any pain. He also got some rest during practice to keep his legs fresh.

USC is a 23-point favorite over Minnesota but that isn't something that will impress Lane Kiffin as he analyzes the game.