Here is how some Trojans are doing at this years NFL combine:
Joe McKnight ran a 4.47 40 yard dash. This was fifth-best among running backs. McKnight had a 10'0" standing broad jump mark and 36.5 vertical leap
Everson Griffen bench pressed 225 lbs. 32 times and ran a 4.66 40, second best time among defensive linemen.
Damian Williams bench pressed 225 lbs. 19 times, fourth best among WRs. Williams also had a 38.0 vertical leap and ran the three-cone drill in 6.79 seconds, eighth best for WRs. He also ran the 40 in the low 4.5 range.
Jeff Byers bench pressed 225 lbs. 33 times, sixth best among offensive linemen.
Anthony McCoy logged the fourth best vertical jump among tight ends with a 35.5, fourth best among tight ends. McCoy also had a 4.79 40 and 19 bench reps.
Charles Brown had a 31.5 vertical leap and 21 bench press reps.
Taylor Mays ran an unofficial 4.24 40 yard dash (video above). Most scouts clocked his 40 at 4.32 seconds. They then changed the official time to 4.43. Mays benched 225 lbs. 24 times and had a 41.0 vertical leap, second best among safeties.
Kevin Thomas benched 225 lbs 19 times, third best among cornerbacks.
Stafon Johnson courageously bench pressed 225 lbs. 13 times. To watch the video, click here.
In news outside the realm of USC, Tim Tebow is at the combine, and NFL scouts report that he is still a virgin.
Senior Bowl week has gotten underway in Mobile, Ala., with four Trojans on the South roster. You can watch offensive lineman Jeff Byers, tailback Stafon Johnson, safety Taylor Mays and tight end Anthony McCoy go to work during the week's practices and in the game on Saturday at 1 p.m. on NFL Network, which is airing 10 hours of... more »
The Trojans held their annual end-of-the-year awards ceremony at the Nokia Club Sunday night. This years MVP is Damian Williams. Williams finished the season with 58 receptions for 821 yards and eight total touchdowns. Williams has until January 15th to decide if he will forgo his senior season to enter the NFL draft.
Other Trojans receiving awards were:
Most Inspirational Player: Stafon Johnson
Linemen of the year: Jeff Byers (offense); Christian Tupou and Jurrell Casey (defense)
Special teams player of the year: Garrett Green
Service team players of the year: Michael Reardon (offense); Marquis Simmons (defense)
Player of the game versus Notre Dame: Anthony McCoy
Player of the game versus UCLA: Allen Bradford
Jack Oakie "Rise and Shine" Award (year's biggest hit): Taylor Mays
Howard Jones/Football Alumni Club Academic Award: Garrett Green
Bob Chandler Award (underclassman with outstanding athletic ability, academic achievement and character): Christian Tupou
John McKay Award (underclassman with the most competitive spirit): Devon Kennard
Courage Award: Josh Pinkard
Co-Lifters Award: Jeff Byers, Will Harris, Taylor Mays Best Fan Website: TrojanWire
Favorite Thing to Look Forward to on Mondays: Song Girl Monday by TrojanWire
So, the team is back at it this week as they go into bowl prep. A couple of interesting story lines are taking shape as the season comes to a close. I noted yesterday that Safety Josh Pinkard is out for the Emerald Bowl because of a knee injury. That makes things very interesting as Pete Carroll will now... more »
Coming off four consecutive Rose Bowl appearances, the Trojans essentially have known nothing else but a trip to Pasadena on New Years Day.Save for a few exceptions, that is.Soon all 108 players on the roster will participate in a postseason game other than the Rose Bowl when the Emerald Bowl kicks off on Dec. 26, but as of now,... more »
Damian Williams, Jeff Byers, Charles Brown and Taylor Mays were all named to the All-Pac-10 first team. Williams was selected twice as a wide receiver and punt returner.
Everson Griffen, Josh Pinkard, Kevin Thomas and Garrett Green were selected to the All-Pac-10 second team. Green made the team as a special teamer.
Trojans receiving honorable mention were Allen Bradford, Jurrell Casey, Chris Galippo, Will Harris, Butch Lewis, Anthony McCoy, Joe McKnight, Tyron Smith and Christian Tupou.
To see full list of the All-Pac-10 teams click here.
Here is a list of Trojans that will be playing their last home game at the Coliseum on Saturday.
OL Charles Brown
LB Luthur Brown OL Jeff Byers (pictured above) WR Preston Cavignac
K Jordan Congdon
LB Dan Deckas
DB Rob Erickson
LB Nick Garratt
FB Adam Goodman
WR Garrett Green
S Will Harris
DB Justin Hart
OL Nick Howell
TB Stafon Johnson
S Taylor Mays
TE Anthony McCoy
OL Garrett Nolan
P Billy O'Malley
OL Alex Parsons
DB Josh Pinkard
DL Averell Spicer
CB Kevin Thomas
The Senior Salute will take place eight minutes before kickoff. These 22 players will be honored for all their hard work and dedication to the USC football program. Thank you and fight on!
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 »
Along with the elected team captains (Jeff Byers, Damian Williams, Taylor Mays and Josh Pinkard), two honorary captains will represent the Trojans during today's game. Offensive lineman Mike Reardon will represent the service teams, while wideout Scott Stephens will represent the special teams.... more »
USC will be tested all year. Saturday is their first test. They have to travel to a hostile environment to play a worthy opponent. What will the outcome be? Your guess is as good as mine. But the Trojans always come to play on Saturday. If they can limit mistakes and stay cool under pressure, I expect things to go our way. Here is our second edition of TrojanWire Thoughts of the Day:
I was impressed by Jeremy Bates and the USC playing calling last week. Some said that the offense was very simple because USC had a true freshman under center. I disagree. Barkley was there all spring and has the tools and smarts to run a complex offense. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be the starter. The Trojans just didn’t want to give anything away. Why show any trickery in week one? Lets surprise opponents as the season progresses. I have no problem with USC running the same play over and over if the other team can’t stop it. Coach Carroll has put together a great coaching staff. This will help the Trojans on Saturday.
The Galen Center, along with five other locations around the country, are showing the USC vs. Ohio State game in a special 3-D format. 3-D doesn’t work for Taylor Mays. The stuff on screen is afraid to get up in his face. Ahhhhhhhh SNAP! For more “facts” on Taylor Mays click here.
Allen Bradford (pictured above) is a beast. He looks like LenDale 2.0, but bigger, stronger and faster (and cooler tattoos). Jeremy Bates on Bradford, "I wish I had this guy on the Broncos last season."
More jaw-dropping, head spinning, bad ass analysis after the jump…
Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller USC defensive tackle Jurrell Casey and cornerback Kevin Thomas, both starters, returned to practice Wednesday after missing the previous two days due to illness. It also appears likely that All-American center Kristofer O'Dowd will return to the starting lineup after missing the opener with a dislocated kneecap. The need for O'Dowd's presence might be... more »
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