From LATimes.com:But Galippo admits that he especially looks forward to being in the starting lineup when the sixth-ranked Trojans play at Notre Dame on Saturday.Galippo, a third-year sophomore, visited Notre Dame as a high school junior, touring the campus with a group of highly rated prospects that included current Fighting Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen and USC tailback Marc Tyler.Galippo... more »
Stafon Johnson's prognosis for full recovery is good after the 7 hour specialized surgery to repair his larynx and windpipe, injured in a freak weight room incident. While he is expected to fully recover, Doctors also said that it is unlikely he will be able to complete his senior season at USC. Instead, expect Allen Bradford to get the call for the power-back situations. Also expect to see CJ Gable taking on a bigger role and some more Marc Tyler situations as a fourth option.
Big Anthony McCoy with a new take on the traditional straight arm; this looks like a forearm shove to the dome! (Make sure to watch the X-MO replay.)
***EDITOR'S NOTE*** T-Wire fan "Amos" brings to our attention the reaction of the SJSU cheerleader in the background during the X-MO replay. Check it out.
More of Saturday's action, including all of Matt Barkley's debut highlights, big runs from Bradford, McKnight, Tyler, and a frighteningly fast defense after the jump.
*QB Aaron Corp has been throwing in 7-7 drills the past few days and has looked solid. The coaches have been happy with his accuracy and most importantly, his swagger. He appears confident and is showing good leadership skills despite being out with a cracked fibula. He will return to full practice next week. It will be interesting to see how his mobility looks as that seems to be the only thing that concerns the coaches regarding Corp. If Corp is even just 90% going into San Jose State I think he will get the start. The coaches are more comfortable with Corp's command of the offense and trust him to make the right throw depending on the situation. It will really come down to his health and how he performs the next two weeks.
*Freshman QB Matt Barkley has had a tough week following his 5-18 scrimmage performance in which Coach Carroll threw him into the fire against a heavy rush and disguised coverage's. The hope was that Barkley would bounce back fairly quickly from the performance but even Coach Carroll admits the expectations for Matt from everybody, coaches included, might have been too high.
The spotlight shined very bright on Matt since Corp went down and he has received nearly every first team snap to get him ready. In the process, they may have overloaded him. However, all this work will pay off in a big way for him in the future. He may have struggled but he never quit and has handled himself "beautifully" as Coach Carroll would say. Barkley will continue to get opportunities and may see significant time in the San Jose State game in a "platoon" situation. He has so much talent and moxie that they want to get him on the field sooner rather than later.
Also, the coaches have not ruled out the thought of a "platoon" system this year while they bring along Barkley. Carroll says he is opened to it but I don't think it fits his coaching style. We'll see... it worked with Chris Leak and Tim Tebow at Florida.
In the meantime, if Corp heals properly from his injury, in the near term, Corp gives the program the best chance to win.
Check out the standout performers from Monday's practice:- Tight end Blake Ayles had the highlight play of the day when he stretched out for a one-handed catch on an over route before rolling to the ground near the left sideline during team period, drawing an ovation from the several hundred fans in attendance. "That was one of those, 'Oh,... more »
See which players had standout performances during Sunday's practice:- Quarterback Matt Barkley turned in another exciting performance Sunday, especially on one string of plays during 7-on-7 period. First, he connected with receiver David Ausberry on a beautiful 35-yard fade to score a touchdown down the right sideline, eliciting a rousing applause from the hundreds of fans in attendance. Then,... more »
Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller USC Trojans 2008 overall record: 12-1 2008 conference record: 8-1 Returning starters Offense 9, defense 3, kicker/punter 0 Top returners WR Damian Williams, C Kristofer O'Dowd, OT Charles Brown, OG Jeff Byers, TB Stafon Johnson, TB Joe McKnight, FS Taylor Mays, CB Josh Pinkard, DE Everson Griffen. Key losses QB Mark Sanchez, LB Rey... more »
Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller Two things revealed themselves at USC's spring game: Aaron Corp is the clear No. 1 quarterback for a reason heading into the off-season and the defense is not exactly going to stink next fall. Eleven sacks? Come on! Corp completed 14 of 23 passes for 157 yards with a touchdown and, again, no interceptions,... more »
Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller Ever wonder what a coach might say about a quarterback competition the day before he announces a pecking order? You're in luck! USC coach Pete Carroll stopped by for a chat with the Pac-10 blog on Monday, the day before he announced on his Web site that Aaron Corp would emerge from spring practices... more »
Got Shorty? They do now...Not to open up old wounds, but when Oregon State freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers busted 186 rushing yards on the best defense in the country, the world took notice. At 5'-7 Rodgers was cloaked behind his o-line, and the likes of Cushing, Maualuga, Matthews and Mays couldn't draw a bead until he was already five yards down field. Pete Carroll watched this "undersized" kid burst through the seam again and again and he must of thought to himself, 'I got to get me one of those.'
Enter redshirt freshman, Venice High running back Curtis McNeal.
JANUARY 1 | LOS ANGELES, CA -- Happy New Year, Trojan fans. I hope you’re all feeling the effects of your excessive partying from last night.
Hopefully the Penn State offense will soon be joining you all in popping numerous Advils to help ease the pain that will be inflicted upon them by the almighty Trojan D.
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