Notre Dame Celebrates on USC’s Turf, Wins 22-13
LOS ANGELES–The Coliseum’s walls are awfully thin.
As Trojans coach Lane Kiffin addressed the media following his team’s 22-13 loss, he could hear the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrating. Notre Dame had just secured a national championship bid on the Trojans’ home turf.
This was supposed to be the Trojans’ season. Instead, the preseason No. 1 team in the nation dropped its fifth game of the season. In a season with such high hopes, USC ultimately lost four of its last five regular-season games after beginning the year with a 6-1 record.
“It’s very difficult for everyone in our locker room,” said Kiffin. “For everything that hasn’t happened the way we wanted this season, we hoped things could have been different today.” Read more >>
The Dominant 1972 USC Trojans: A Look Back, 40 Years Later
LOS ANGELES–Time is so elusive. “It feels like a hundred years ago, and it feels like two weeks ago,” said J.K. McKay.
It actually has been 40 years already. McKay was a sophomore wide receiver for the undefeated 1972 Southern California Trojan football team. McKay’s father, John, was the head coach, and his best friend, Pat Haden, was the second-string quarterback.
The ‘72 team is widely regarded as one of the best in college football history, thanks to the team’s excellence on both sides of the ball. It featured 13-All Americans; 33 eventually played in the NFL. Read more >>
Trojans Can’t Overcome Turnovers and 24-0 Deficit, UCLA Wins 38-28
PASADENA, Calif. – The No. 21 USC Trojans fell behind 24-0 and were never able to fully recover, as they lost to the UCLA Bruins 38-28 in a game that rewarded the winning Bruins with the Pac-12 South crown.
Matt Barkley was intercepted on his very first pass attempt, giving the Bruins prime field position at the Trojans’ 17-yard line. Freshman UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley quickly turned the turnover into points, as he scampered into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown.
The Trojans failed to score in each of their first four possessions, while the Bruins scored on each of their first four drives. The Trojans’ second turnover came on USC’s third drive of the game, as Marqise Lee fumbled fractions of a second before his knee hit the ground.
“For us to go down like that early, obviously there was something wrong with how we had our guys ready to play,” said Trojans coach Lane Kiffin. “We dug ourselves a hole, then came back out of it, but weren’t able to come all the way out.” Read more >>
Max Wittek, Cody Kessler Patiently Wait Their Turn
LOS ANGELES–After a junior season in which Southern California’s Matt Barkley torched defenses to the tune of 3,528 yards and 39 touchdowns, the NFL was calling. But Barkley wasn’t ready to leave.
Barkley’s return to the Trojans kept him together with wide receivers Robert Woods and Marqise Lee.
It also meant that promising backup quarterbacks Max Wittek and Cody Kessler would have to ride the pine for another year.
Although both quarterbacks badly want to start, they’re using the extra year with Barkley to further progress their games.
Wittek and Kessler got an early jump on their respective collegiate careers by graduating a semester early from high school in 2011. Early graduation is not uncommon, especially among quarterbacks looking to join their new team for spring practice. In 2009, Barkley did the same thing. Read more >>
The Trojan Family, Literally
LOS ANGELES — Allan Graf started at center for the undefeated 1972 Trojan team that is still regarded as one of the best in the history of college football. Fourteen years later, safety Tim McDonald was named a consensus All-American in the final season of his brilliant Trojan career.
In the late 80s, John Katnik started two years at center, including his senior season, in which the Trojans appeared primed for a come-from-behind Rose Bowl victory until quarterback Rodney Peete fumbled a late snap and the Michigan State Spartans were able to run out the clock.
These three players are part of a rich football tradition at USC, but they also share a deeper bond. Each former Trojan has a son who plays on this year’s team. Read more >>
Tight End Xavier Grimble Keeps Catching and Blocking
LOS ANGELES — Wide receivers attract all the attention. Virtually all USC students know Robert Woods and Marqise Lee. Even the non-football fans must have heard these players’ names hundreds of times by now.
Matt Barkley is also quite familiar with them. Nineteen of the senior’s 25 touchdowns have been caught by his favorite pair of wideouts. Woods and Lee account for 76 percent of Barkley’s passing yards. Against Arizona last Saturday, a 39-36 USC loss, Lee broke a school and conference record with 345 receiving yards.
Like receivers, tight ends are expected to catch the ball and run for extra yardage, but oftentimes they are not targeted as pass-catchers; they’re simply told to block rather than run a route. Tight ends are regularly required to do their job without getting the recognition they deserve.
Redshirt sophomore tight end Xavier Grimble is the perfect example. Only three Trojans have caught at least one pass in each of the team’s eight games: Woods, Lee and Grimble. Even so, Grimble has yet to eclipse three catches in a game this season. Still, the Las Vegas native never complains about the lack of throws coming his way. Read more >>
Walk-On Zack Kusnir Contributes After NCAA Grants Medical Redshirt
He probably does not appear in opposing teams’ game plans, but No. 92 is enjoying every second of being a Trojan football player, especially as the journey nearly came to an end three months ago.
As a result of seasons lost to injury, Zack Kusnir petitioned the NCAA for a rare sixth year of eligibility.
“There was a little bit of anxiety waiting to hear back from the NCAA, whether they were going to grant me the year or not, but my parents and I got all the proper documentation,” said Kusnir. “We were just faithful that it would turn out for the best.”
As Kusnir awaited the decision this summer, he continued lifting weights and keeping in close touch with his coaches and teammates. “We would talk about it every day,” said defensive line coach Shawn Howe. Read more >>
How the Giants Upset the Mighty Packers
The New York Giants stunned the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, 37-20, to advance to next week’s NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers. In the teams’ first meeting, the Packers prevailed 38-35, but on Sunday, Packers’ miscues and the Giants’ explosive aerial assault combined to give the Giants the postseason victory. Here’s how the game unfolded:
The Game Was Over When:
Kenny Phillips forced a Ryan Grant fumble with just under seven minutes remaining. At the time, Green Bay was down 23-13, but still had a chance of defeating New York until Grant turned the ball over. The Giants’ Chase Blackburn subsequently returned the fumble to the Packers’ 4-yard line. On the ensuing play, as if there was any doubt, Eli Manning slammed the door shut on any potential Packers’ comeback by finding Mario Manningham in the end zone for a four-yard touchdown pass.
Most Valuable Player:
Hakeem Nicks – Nicks’ 24th birthday was yesterday, but he finally got to truly celebrate the occasion tonight. Read more >>
2012 Rose Bowl Recap
Oregon Ducks Fly Past Wisconsin
The Oregon Ducks won their first Rose Bowl Game since 1917 with a 45-38 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers in Pasadena, Calif. Here’s how it went down:
When Wisconsin Had the Ball:
The Badgers employed a very balanced offensive attack. Running back Montee Ball’s proficiency on the ground played a major role in enabling quarterback Russell Wilson to be so effective with the play-action pass. For example, on Wisconsin’s first drive, four Ball runs for a total of 27 yards set up a 38-yard play-action touchdown strike from Wilson to Jared Abbrederis. This diversified attack made the Badgers awfully difficult to defend. Read more >>
2011 USC Football Behind Enemy Lines
Q&A With Oregon Writers
For the second time in three weeks, the USC Trojans will have a chance to upset a Top Five team.
In fact, three weeks ago, the Trojans came painfully close to upsetting the Stanford Cardinal before fumbling the game away in triple-overtime.
Last week, in a highly anticipated matchup, the Oregon Ducks accomplished precisely what the Trojans were unable to do two weeks earlier. They handed Stanford its first loss.
Stanford was plagued by dropped passes and a slippery field (that seemingly only affected the home team), but Oregon undoubtedly earned the crucial victory.
The Ducks continued their season-long ground assault with more than 200 yards to go with three touchdowns. Oregon also got to Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck three times and was able to force five turnovers. Read more >>