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.
USC is in front of the NCAA Infractions Committee in Tempe, Ariz., today and the next two days, a reckoning four years in the making since of star running back Reggie Bush's lucrative farewell season hit the news in 2006. Fans were impatient about the NCAA's response in 2007. In four to six weeks, finally, we'll have our resolution... more »
One of the soft spots in recruiting with Caesar was his lust for big-name recruits and disdain for those who did not fit the profile he wanted at certain positions. The prime example is Stanford tailback Toby Gerhart. USC's baseball coaches begged Carroll to recruit Gerhart. But he was not from the cookie-cutter mold of tailback that Carroll wanted... more »
Allen Bradford had a breakout year, rushing for 668 yards on 115 carries (5.8 YPC) and scoring 8 touchdowns. USC fans have always said he needs more playing time, and this year he got it. With Joe McKnight entering the NFL Draft, Bradford looks to be #1 on the depth chart heading into next season. The future looks bright for #21.
Two lines of negative thinking hang over the USC football program at present, and it's possible neither is true. No. 1: The NCAA is about to hammer the football program for a lack of institutional control. No. 2: Potential severe NCAA sanctions make becoming USC's next head football coach far less appealing. Both may be true. But it's not unreasonable to entertain... more »
Joe McKnight's career at USC is over. He has declared for the NFL draft. McKnight said of his decision:
"The time is right. This was my first healthy season and I really don't want to come back and risk injury. If I would have come back it would have been to pursue the Heisman."
"My career was OK. It was good, but not like Reggie (Bush). There was a constant pressure to be like Reggie."
McKnight rushed for 1,014 yards and scored eight touchdowns last season. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry.
For those of you who missed the USC-BC game or would like to watch it again, TrojanWire has you covered.
OFFENSE:
Despite missing 3 starters on offense (RB Joe McKnight, TE Anthony McCoy, and OL Tyron Smith), the Trojans did not miss a beat. Matt Barkley had one of his best performances this season, throwing for 350 yards, 2 touchdown passes, and 1 interception. Damian Williams had a career-high performance, 12 catches for 189 yards. The NFL is calling for Williams, but USC fans are calling for one more year.
DEFENSE:
The defense played tough. Jurrell Casey had a monster performance and Shareece Wright's return was welcomed and a positive impact. Wright had an interception and great pass coverage the whole night.
Joe McKnight had a productive season as he is the first Trojan running back to rush for over 1,000 yards since 2005. Although earlier McKnight said he planned on returning for his senior season, that could change given his uncertain status with the NCAA. Nonetheless, he had a great season and here are some of his highlights brought you by TrojanWire.
A focused Trojan effort should lead the Trojans to a victory over a Boston College team that plays a conservative pro-style offense, fitting right into what USC defends against the best. The Trojans also possess offensive speed, even without RB Joe McKnight and Tight End Anthony McCoy that Boston College has yet to see this year.
However, getting the Trojans to play focused and passionate in a normal bowl game will be a tall order for Coach Carroll.
Keys to the Game:
Avoid Complacency: Since 2002, the Trojans have been playing in BCS bowls so it is a foreign concept for the Trojan players to be participating in a lower tier bowl to finish the season. Typically, teams in this situation do not play with the focus and passion that is required to beat an opponent who is looking forward to knocking off a top tier program. With four losses including two where they were soundly beaten, the Trojans cannot think for a second that a pedestrian effort will win this game. Couple that with the loss of four big contributors due to academics or NCAA investigation (McCoy, Spicer, Smith and McKnight), Troy has no room for error.
On the flip side, a focused effort should result in a victory to help wash away some of the disappointment of the season.
Stuff RB Montel Harris early: Boston College Running Back Montel Harris has rushed for 1,355 yards this season and accounts for about 70% of BC’s offense when they win. He is a strong straight ahead runner who also possesses good break away speed. When Harris is running well, especially early, it allows BC to play it safe in the passing game and avoid turnovers. It will be interesting to see how SC fares against Harris. BC runs a very simple offense with uncomplicated blocking schemes which should play right into the Trojans hands. Against similar schemes this year, the Trojans were successful stopping the run but those teams didn’t possess a back like Harris.
It will be bad news for the Trojans If Harris runs the ball around 30 times and rushes for over 150 yards. . .
Confuse the BC Quarterback: 25 year-old freshman Quarterback Dave Shiniskie has had a solid year for BC throwing for 1,831 yards with 14 touchdown passes in a run happy offense. However, he has also thrown 13 interceptions and played awful against teams that mixed things up defensively and possessed team speed like the Trojans. Against Virginia Tech and North Carolina, both games that BC fell behind early and had to throw, Shiniskie was 13 for 31 with 6 interceptions and only 1 td pass. He ended up being pulled in the second half of both games. He does not do a good job of throwing the ball away against pressure and will literally throw it up for grabs at times. The BC coaches have been working with him on just taking the sack or throwing it out of bounds but the Trojans should still get opportunities at multiple interceptions if they contain the running game.
*Offensive keys to the game, players to watch and a little inside the locker room info after the break
Disappointment? Distractions? Declining performance? Controversy and allegations? Criticism and even ridicule? All are words or phrases one could associate with USC's football program at present. Yet none seems to touch Matt Barkley. Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesUSC quarterback Matt Barkley is focused on Saturday's Emerald Bowl against Boston College.Perhaps one big reason that coach Pete Carroll is such a fan of... more »
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