USC Football

McKnight proves he's no ordinary Joe
A great article on Joe McKnight!

Taylor Mays: Far and Beyond The Top Player in College Football " Behind the Box Score
Nice article on Taylor Mays

'Always Compete' reveals Pete Carroll's prankster side - CFB News
Here is a nice early look at the upcoming book on Pete Carroll

Pete Carroll on the Radio in SD
I haven't had a chance to listen to this yet

ESPN’s Reilly on the Neuheisel, Carroll relationship - UCLA - OCRegister.com
Another brief take

USC Basketball

Doug Haller : A conversation with USC's Kevin O'Neill
Nice interview of KO

Pac-10

Pac-10 football: Separating reality from spin | College Sports Hotline
A very observant piece from John Wilner

Former Player News

Myers and Hartman Interview Rey Maualuga
I haven't listened to this either but will later today...let me your thoughts.

Justice Shines
Some Wiston Justice news

Getting to know . . . Fili Moala - The Indianapolis Star

Patrick Turner Shinin' in camp - Phin Phanatic

All Sanchez all the time

Mark Sanchez Q&A: 'It's been a blast so far' - Sporting News
Mark is going to win the starting job...just wait

Jets coach Rex Ryan signals Sanchez-Clemens decision will be quick
Rex Ryan would like to name his starting quarterback by the third preseason game.

Mark Sanchez impressive in Jets scrimmage - BostonHerald.com
Mark Sanchez was very pleased with his performance in the Jets’ intrasquad scrimmage Thursday night.

WR Patrick Turner, 3rd round, 87th overall, Miami
OLB Kaluka Maiava, 4th round, 104th overall, Cleveland
DE Kyle Moore, 4th round, 117th overall, Tampa Bay
PK David Buehler, 5th round, 172nd overall, Dallas
CB Cary Harris, 6th round, 183rd overall, Buffalo
S Kevin Ellison, 6th round, 189th overall, San Diego

*DL Fili Moala was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in 2nd round (56th overall pick) on Saturday.

**UCLA did not have anyone drafted for the first time since 1997. FUCLA!

From ESPN.com:

Former Trojans participating in today’s Pro Day at USC:

QB Mark Sanchez
WR Patrick Turner
LB Brian Cushing
LB Clay Matthews Jr.
LB Rey Maualuga
LB Kaluka Maiava
S Kevin Ellison
CB Cary Harris
DL Fili Moala
DL Kyle Moore
DL Gerald Washington
P Greg Woidneck
K David Buehler
TB Hershel Dennis
TB Desmond Reed
WR Jason Mitchell
TE Dominique Byrd

There will be around 100 representatives from the NFL. Players will be evaluated in the weight room and then on the field for running agility drills and individual workouts. All activities are closed to the public.

Talked to someone with scouting connections who gave me the following assessments of the USC contingent at the Senior Bowl practices:

LB Brian Cushing: “He’s the same hard-playing guy we’ve seen the last four years. He’s just a beast. He’s a little bit tight, but scouts love him. He has everything.”

LB Clay Matthews: “He has been solid. The interviews are where he’s going to make the most money. He showed he can play in space as a linebacker. He’s probably a mid-second-round pick.”

LB Rey Maualuga: “All those ‘SC boys came in sculpted and cut; he came in a little sloppy. But he’s big, powerful and strong. He has been a little inconsistent. He seems to be picking his spots.”

DT Fili Moala: “I think he’s helped himself a little bit with his quickness. He’s done a nice job. He just plays tall. He might end up as a five-technique (3-4 defensive end).”

DE Kyle Moore: “He’s a little better than expected as an edge guy. But once he gets stalled, he gets stuck in the line and can’t get off. I still don’t like his inconsistency. He could be a five-technique, but I don’t know if he’s strong enough.”

WR Patrick Turner: “Disappointing. He’s big, he looks good, but he’s not fast or physical. A lot of people already have written him off. People know what he is. He had such a strong supporting cast at ‘SC. And he has no special-teams value.”

More from the USC blog:

• USC football: Sanchez, Trojans D at it again
• USC basketball: Dwight Lewis ‘doubtful’ for UW
• USC football: Pete Carroll on the road again
• USC basketball: The point of it all
• USC football: Flaw in the 2009 schedule
• USC basketball: Playing time for Jordan Cameron?
• USC football: With healthy shoulder, O’Dowd should be bolder
• USC football: Cutler endorses Bates in ‘09
• USC football: Cutler connection captivates Corp
• USC football: Seven degrees of separation

From Cincinnati.com:

Vidal, who visited UC over the weekend, confirmed Sunday night that he has decided to go to UC for his final year of eligibility after sitting out next season.

"I had a lot of fun out there," Hazelton said. "I got a chance to meet everybody. That's the right place for me, and that's where I'm going."

Two years ago, Hazelton was one of the Southern Cal's top receivers, but he was hindered by injuries last season and decided to transfer so that he could be closer to his grandfather, who lives in Georgia and has been diagnosed with cancer.

"That's the main reason I'm leaving Southern California," he said last week.

What a difference a year makes.  Vidal headed into the '08-'09 season as a favorite to start alongside Patrick Turner; now he'll sit out a year at Cincy with only 1-year of eligibility remaining. 

We all saw his potential in '07 at Notre Dame, Oregon, etc.  The kid was never able to piece together his talent.  He caught a handful of passes against Virginia and then disappeared with a high ankle sprain.  Not too soon after, he requested to redshirt citing his need to sort out his personal life with his grandfather being diagnosed with cancer as the biggest weight on his mind. 

Even after burning his redshirt over a few meaningless plays, it sounds like he left SC on good terms:

"It's tough to come back from, especially for a receiver who's got to do a lot of cutting," said Hazelton, who will have one year of eligibility remaining. "USC is a great place. It's filled up with athletes. If somebody's not 100 percent they've got to pass them up. I would have done the same thing if I was the coaches at USC."

Wish nothing but the best for Vidal.  To be honest, back in his Hargrave days when he was rated the #1 WR in the nation, I thought he was overrated.  I changed my mind when he got to USC, after seeing his field awareness and great body control.  The kid will never be a burner, but he has all the makings of being a solid all-around receiver.

Patrick Turner with one of his final grabs in the Coliseum.

Flea, bassist in the Red Hot Chili Peppers, is taking in some USC football in addition to a couple courses on jazz trumpet from USC's Thornton School of Music.

Sweet necklaces, LenDale. You continue to amaze us.

A big glorious image of PT.

Thanks to Know Your Song Girls we can accurately identify this as Jenny.

Instead of just hurdling defenders, step on them like you would a springboard. Works every time.

But Pete Carroll believes USC should have had one fewer penalty, claiming that a holding call on Patrick Turner in the third quarter should not have been whistled.

“The holding penalty on Patrick is so far off,” Carroll said of a call that took 10 yards off a 17-yard gain by Joe McKnight. “He made a dominant block and drove the guy on his back.”

More from the USC blog:

• USC football: 100 games in, 15 losses bug Carroll the most
• USC football: Carroll takes shot at SEC
• USC football: McKnight aggravates toe injury
• USC football: Holding steady at No. 6 in BCS
• Five observations on USC-Stanford

USC quarterback Mark Sanchez said he has done some soul-searching recently. An uneven performance against Arizona two weeks ago prompted him to call the former USC Heisman quarterbacks, Palmer and Leinart. He said a sit-down last week with Roth, the USC quarterbacks graduate assistant, particularly helped him to relax this past weekend against Washington.

“Yogi Roth asked me, ‘What kind of quarterback are you? Give me one word,’” Sanchez said. “The first thing that comes to mind is I want to win. I’m a winner. That was reassuring.”

Sanchez said some of his bigger struggles have surfaced not during plays but in-between them, as he has not been able let past mistakes go and focus on the next snap.

“Treating every time I step into the huddle as a new down,” he said.

He missed receiver Patrick Turner for a potential touchdown on USC’s first play from scrimmage against Arizona and said he was in a “funk” for two drives, the second one ending in an interception. Against Washington, Sanchez completed his first five passes and 14 of his first 15.

But California, which is tied for the national lead with 17 interceptions, figures to present a tougher challenge.

“This is a big week for me to put a lot of those lessons to the test and see where I’m at,” Sanchez said. “I think I’m coming into my own in this position and this program.

“I kind of got into that pattern of playing really well one week and then playing OK. I want to string a couple of these really efficient games together. Once we do that we’ll be ready for a big-time bowl game.”

Related links:

• USC football: Carroll says BCS ’stinks’
• USC football: Quick hits from Tuesday’s practice
• USC football: Taylor Mays a semifinalist for Thorpe Award
• USC football: In Carroll’s words (with commentary)

USC steamrolled over Washington for the Trojans third shutout of the season. Runningback CJ Gable (10 carries for 108 yards) and Patrick Turner (6 receptions for 100 yards) each came up big with two touchdowns. Mark Tyler saw significant playing time, amassing 85 yards on 16 carries and a TD. Stafon Johnson, Broderick Green and quarterback Mark Sanchez all rushed for a touchdown. Sanchez finished 15/19 for 167 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. Washington QB Fouch wasn't as lucky, getting picked off by the Trojans' Galippo, McAllister and Maualuga.

The junior, who hasn’t caught a pass the past two games and has been bothered by sore ankles, asked Coach Pete Carroll whether he could redshirt this season. It isn’t as simple as that, as I’ll explain below, but the act of asking illustrates Hazelton’s fragile state of mind.

“There’s a lot of things going on,” Hazelton said after practice Wednesday. “I think I need to grow up as a person in certain areas.”

Asked what he meant by that, Hazelton said: “Just some personal stuff. As a football player too. … If I was to get the year, I think it would be good for me personally.”

Hazelton spent about five minutes after practice talking one-on-one with offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. Hazelton clearly is frustrated about his diminished role behind Patrick Turner, Damian Williams and Ronald Johnson.

Hazleton’s health is an issue too. After spraining his right ankle during the season opener at Virginia, Hazelton turned his left ankle at the end of the Oregon State game last week. He isn’t quite right physically, and he’s having a hard time battling through that.

“I feel like I could go out and play,” Hazelton said. “I feel like I could be better.”

Hazelton can’t redshirt just because he feels like it. Because he already has played this season, his only option is to be granted a medical waiver. That’s a possibility if his ankles worsen, but he has been well enough to practice this week. He would lose that option if he played Saturday against Oregon, which would be his fourth appearance of the season.

Carroll hadn’t given Hazelton an answer as of Wednesday evening and said it’s too early in the season to definitively designate redshirts.

Here’s my take on Hazelton, based on a conversation with a coach:

Hazelton is sulking about his situation and needs to toughen up and play better. If he doesn’t, he risks falling further down the depth chart.