Here are several injury updates for Saturday's game following team doctor visits tonight: DE Armond Armstead (wrist): Probable WR David Ausberry (calf): Out RB Allen Bradford (knee): Probable LB Chris Galippo (neck): Probable DE Everson Griffen (toe): Probable FB Stanley Havili (shoulder): Probable LB Jarvis Jones (neck): Questionable S Drew McAllister (hip): Out TE Anthony McCoy (ankle): Questionable RB Joe McKnight (ankle): Probable DE Nick Perry (knee): Questionable LB Malcolm Smith... more »
Thoughts from Tuesday's practice, through the eyes of USCRipsIt...- Down two with three plays remaining in the full-pads practice, the offense cam roaring back with three straight wins to capture an 8-7 victory on Competition Tuesday and earn loads of praise from the coaches. "That's the kind of practice that gets us right," Coach Carroll said in the post-practice... more »
The Trojans have survived tough road environments this year at Ohio State, Cal and Notre Dame. However, the biggest test of the year will be Saturday night at the toughest place to play in the Pac-10, Auzten Stadium, where the Trojans will battle the 10th ranked Oregon Ducks.
The Trojans will have to survive a real house of hunts with a raucous Halloween night crowd, rain and wind in the 1st half and an Oregon team that is operating at the top of its game.
The fourth ranked Trojans have not left the state of Oregon with a victory since 2005 and will have to play together and disciplined in all phases of the game to for them to leave with a victory.
5 things to keep track of plus the obvious:
1- USC’s Defensive Line vs. Oregon’s Offensive Line: Oregon’s offensive line is fairly inexperienced and has yet to play a top tier defensive line. The Trojans must get penetration early and break-up Oregon’s offensive rhythm. The key to stopping any spread attack is linebackers being able to stay home and cause havoc on the short passing game and mis-directional running plays.
The emergence of the spread offense has led defensive coaches to really focus on it in the offseason and will see if that hard work pays off on Saturday.
2- Force Oregon into obvious passing situations: The Oregon offense is very potent when they are running the ball 2/3 of the time and not forced into throwing situations longer than 10 yards. Oregon only averages 157 yards passing a game. The hurry up aspect of Oregon’s offense is based on a solid running game where they like to hand it off or throw a pass behind the line of scrimmage 85% of the time.
Oregon prefers to throw the ball less than 20 times and Masoli is a weak mid to deep thrower under pressure. Evidence of that was clear in USC’s 44-10 victory over Oregon in the Coliseum last year.
Oregon tailback LaMichael James might be the second best back in the conference behind Oregon State’s Jacquizz Rogers. He is a great cut-back runner and has the ability to make a big gain at the blink of an eye. Containing James will be the key to forcing Oregon into 3rd and long situations.
Thoughts from Wednesday's practice, through the eyes of USCRipsIt...- In one of the most one-sided practices in recent history, the USC offense dominated from start to finish and in almost all phases, winning the final team period, 10-1, and pitching a shutout on Turnover Wednesday for the all-around practice victory. Besides not giving up the football all day, the... more »
(Photo of Damian Williams returning a punt on Oregon State by Icon Sports Media)
Here is a fantastic feature from the LA Times on Damian Williams punt returning abilities. Williams has already returned two punts for touchdowns this year, a 66-yarder at CAL and the game changing 63-yard return last week vs. Oregon State that Coach Carroll called, “the play of the year.” The last player to return two punts for TDs for USC was Reggie Bush in 2004. Williams also leads the Trojans in receptions with 34 and has three touchdown catches. Here is a tease from the piece:
Damian Williams does it while walking to and from classes at USC. He does it when navigating a crowded off-campus sidewalk. As pedestrians approach from the opposite direction, Williams fakes. He cuts. He finds a seam, slips through and continues on his way. Williams is practicing punt returns "It used to be a game," he said. "Now it's a habit." So is the fourth-year junior's propensity for making big plays....
Observations from the Coliseum and a few injury updates:
Mike Riley is a great coach: Riley proved once again that he is one of the most underrated coaches in the country. Why Tennessee (Riley has southern roots) or programs that have the infrastructure to be consistent top 15 teams have not intensely pursued him blows my mind. Riley and the OSU coaching staff had the Trojans number for the second year in a row on Saturday and he made one of the best defenses in the country look very pedestrian. Oregon State never quit and was one possession away from possibly winning the game.
The Rogers brothers aren’t too bad either. . .307 total yards and 2 touchdowns against the best defense in the Pac-10…
USC game MVP’s= Alan Bradford and Jeremy Bates: Is Lendale White back playing for the Trojans? Alan Bradford sure brought back memories of the former great Trojan tailback. The Trojans are starting to develop a mini Thunder-Lightning package which is going to really help keep opponents guessing. Bradford’s bruising style of running is complemented by deceptive top end speed that allows him to break off big runs like the 46 yard touchdown run in the second half. When Bradford is running hard it gives the Trojans offense a power mentality that fires everyone up and is the perfect compliment to a finesse style of offense.
Jeremy Bates called another fantastic game. With the exception of calling a long pass play in the 4th quarter up 13 points which was intercepted, Bates mixed up his play calling brilliantly and took advantage of a porous Oregon State pass defense. Bates continued to utilize the Tight Ends while allowing the running game to get into a rhythm.
(More on Bates and other observations after the jump)
Matt Barkley completed 15 of 25 passes for 202 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. In light of the interceptions, he has improved tremendously since the home opener against San Jose State. And it sure is nice having Ronald Johnson back on the field, too!
Allen Bradford rushed for a career high 147 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sharing number 21 and being a solid, bruising back, he looked liked LenDale White. Joe McKnight rushed for 65 yards on 11 carries and left the game near the end of the 1st half due to a hand injury; it is unknown what his status for next week is at the moment. With McKnight's speed and explosiveness combined with Bradford's bull-like qualities as a running back, will this tandem be Thunder and Lighting version 2.0?
Here are some of the defense "highlights" against the Beavers. USC struggled defensively against Oregon State last year, so it should have been no surprise this year considering they returned a veteran quarterback in Sean Canfield and the notorious Jacquizz Rodgers, along with brother James. Enjoy the few clips of the defense stopping the Beavers' offense. If any other team expects to beat Oregon State, it must be done with a good offense. No matter how good a defense is, it is hard to prepare for the Beaver offense.
Lets start with Anthony McCoy! We all saw how great he played against Penn State in the Rose Bowl and he is now showing us that he is a legitimate contender for the Mackey Award and the he could be a great pick-up in the NFL. He is one of the better blocking TE's in the game and his... more »
USC could make a strong claim to be "America's Team."The Trojans have become the antithesis of a provincial program, as the roster and, most notably, the starting lineup are loaded with players from around the country.Nine of the Trojans' 22 starting roles are filled by players from out of state, continuing a recent trend of USC putting non-Californians in... more »
Matt Barkley passed for a career high 380 yards with a pair of touchdowns, Anthony McCoy had arguably the best game of his career, and we are all happy Damian Williams transferred to USC.
The McKnight-Bradford duo is working well for the Trojans.
The Trojan defense kept the Notre Dame offense in check. The referees assisted the Irish all the way to the end of the game, but even that wasn't enough. Statistically speaking the Irish offense, led by ostrich Jimmy Clausen, is one of the better ones in college football. The Trojan defense is lights out!
Matt Barkley passed for a career high 380 yards with a pair of touchdowns, Anthony McCoy had arguably the best game of his career, and we are all happy Damian Williams transferred to USC.
The McKnight-Bradford duo is working well for the Trojans.
The Trojan defense kept the Notre Dame offense in check. The referees assisted the Irish all the way to the end of the game, but even that wasn't enough. Statistically speaking the Irish offense, led by ostrich Jimmy Clausen, is one of the better ones in college football. The Trojan defense is lights out!
More photos » by Lori Shepler - AP 19 days ago: In this Sept. 5, 2009, file photo, Southern California quarterback Matt Barkley (7) and coach Pete Carroll shake hands during practice before an NCAA college football game against San Jose in Los Angeles. Carroll is hoping the return of perhaps USC's two most important players will put the... more »
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