Category: USC Trojans

Eddie Czaplicki is one of USC’s top players, and that isn’t a good thing

Eddie Czaplicki and Woody Marks are USC’s two best players in 2024. The prominence of a punter is not what anyone wants from a football team.

Who do you want to be the best player on your football team? In an ideal world, it is your superstar quarterback. If not him, then maybe an elite wide receiver, a dominant offensive lineman, or a ball hawk linebacker. Generally, you don’t want the best player on your football team to be the punter, but that has been exactly the case for USC football in 2024. USC punter Eddie Czaplicki has quietly become one of the top punters in the nation.

Czaplicki had yet another effective game on Saturday night against UCLA, averaging 47 yards on his three attempts. Czaplicki’s 48.8 yards per punt are good for first in the Big Ten and third in the country.

That is great for Czaplicki. He deserves every bit of recognition as one of the nation’s top punters. However, the fact that the Trojans’ best player is their punter is not such a good thing for USC.

Generally, if a team is punting enough that their punter is in contention for the Ray Guy Award, that means their offense is not playing very well. For the Trojans, who managed to score just 19 points last night against a bad UCLA team, that is indeed the case.

If more players (and coaches) on USC’s offense had stepped up this season, there would not have been a need or opportunity for Czaplicki to step up as much as he has. But with the Trojans struggling to score, the spotlight has shifted to their punter, who has shined in it.

So give Czaplicki all of his flowers. When USC’s seniors are honored prior to the game against Notre Dame this Saturday, he deserves the loudest cheer of any of them.

For the Trojans, that is a problem.

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USC’s big moment vs UCLA was a pass, but not by the quarterback

The fact that USC used a trick play to beat UCLA shows Lincoln Riley is at his best when he is creative, not predictable. Everyone can agree we haven’t seen enough of that.

For the past few weeks, much of the discussion surrounding USC football has surrounded the quarterback position. The UCLA football rivalry game offered a fascinating plot twist connected to big-play passing for the Trojans.

Following the loss to Washington, head coach Lincoln Riley elected to bench starter Miller Moss in favor of UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava. Through two games, the move has shown mixed results. Maiava has not exactly lit the world on fire, but he has played well enough for the Trojans to defeat both Nebraska and UCLA.

On Saturday night at the Rose Bowl, USC’s biggest play of the game was indeed a pass. It just wasn’t thrown by Maiava.

Midway through the third quarter, the Trojans trailed 13-9, and had not been able to get much going offensively. So Riley decided to pull one out of his bag of tricks.

Facing second down and 4 at the UCLA 43 yard line, Maiava took the snap and threw a backwards screen to wide receiver Makai Lemon. Lemon caught the ball and dropped back to pass himself, delivering a 39-yard dart to Ja’Kobi Lane, setting USC up with first and goal at the UCLA 4.

If the play looked at all familiar to you, that’s likely because the New England Patriots pulled off a similar trick nearly a decade ago in the AFC Divisional Playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens, with former college QB Julian Edelman playing the role of Lemon.

Following Lemon’s big throw, the Trojans punched the ball into the end zone on the next play to take a lead that they would not relinquish the rest of the night.

The play had a huge outcome on USC’s win probability. Prior to Lemon’s double pass, the Trojans had just a 37.6% chance to win the game, per ESPN analytics. After that play, it jumped to 58.6%.

We will never know what would have happened in the game had the trick play not been successful. But given how poorly the Trojans’ offense had looked prior, it was undeniably their most important one of the night.

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USC finally gets first road victory in more than a year

USC did technically win a road football game for the first time in a very long time, but of course, it was just a short drive from campus and not out of state.

Heading into Saturday’s matchup with crosstown rival UCLA, it had been more than a full calendar year since USC football had won an away game.

Entering the night, the Trojans’ last road victory had come on October 28, 2023, 392 days prior. That day, USC defeated Cal 50-49.

The Trojans dropped their final road game of the 2023 season at Oregon. They then lost their first four away contests of 2024 against Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland, and Washington.

During that time, USC did win two games away from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum against Louisville in last year’s Holiday Bowl and LSU in Las Vegas to open this year. However, those were both neutral site contests, not true road games.

Saturday night’s matchup with UCLA was not exactly a super intimidating environment, either. The Rose Bowl is actually closer to USC’s campus than it is to UCLA’s. The two teams played in front of a half-full, rain-filled stadium with a significant portion of the crowd cheering for the Trojans. Let’s also note the tarps UCLA puts over several thousand seats.

But after going nearly 400 days without a road victory, the Trojans aren’t going to get caught up in the particulars. As ugly as it was, USC’s losing streak in away games is finally over.

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USC-Notre Dame will be another early kickoff for the Trojans

USC plays another home game at 12:30 p.m. in Los Angeles to round out the 2024 regular season schedule. Night home games didn’t happen often this year.

If it feels as though every USC football home game this year has had an early start, you are not crazy. Three of USC’s four Saturday home games this season have kicked off at either 12:30 or 1:00 p.m. in Los Angeles. The lone late Saturday game the Trojans had was their home opener against Utah State all the way back in early September. (USC did also play a Friday night home game against Rutgers in October.)

On Saturday, the kickoff time was announced for the Trojans’ rivalry showdown with Notre Dame next weekend. Sure enough, the Trojans will once again be playing a day game. The matchup will kick off at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time. It will be televised on CBS.

For most USC fans, this is very frustrating. Early kickoffs mean waking up at the crack of dawn, less time for tailgating, and spending the afternoon under the hot Coliseum sun. To have that for four of the Trojans’ five Saturday home games this year means that fans will finish the season having had only one full day of tailgating at the Coliseum.

In particular, having marquee matchups against Penn State and Notre Dame kick off at 12:30 p.m. local time is sure not to please fans. Yet, with the Big Ten television contract bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars for the school, there is not much the average person can do about it.

Besides, things could always be worse. Ohio State recently made national headlines for the fact that the team’s final six games will all kick off at noon Eastern time. While the Trojans would happily trade places with the Buckeyes on the field, USC fans can take solace in knowing that their team at least gets an occasional night game.

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USC’s victory over UCLA reminds us there are no style points in a rivalry game

Many parts of USC’s win over UCLA did not feel satisfying, but beating the Bruins is always delicious and should never be taken for granted. Job done.

On Saturday night, the USC Trojans defeated crosstown rival UCLA 19-13 at the Rose Bowl. USC football survived when it could have dominated.

To say that the game was not exactly pretty would be a massive understatement. The two teams traded field goals and punts for much of the night, with each team mustering just one offensive touchdown. Add in the two teams’ poor records, damp weather, a relatively sparse crowd, and it was a far cry from the instant classic the two teams played on the same exact field two years prior.

Despite the ugly showing, somehow, some way, the Trojans were able to emerge with a victory over their crosstown foes.

Had this exact game come against pretty much any other opponent, there would have been very little satisfaction among the USC fan base. But this game was not against just any opponent.

There are no style points in a rivalry game. When USC and UCLA take the field, records largely get thrown out the window. For those 3-4 hours, all that matters is beating the other team and claiming ownership of the city of Los Angeles.

After being embarrassed by the Bruins in the Coliseum last year, the Trojans desperately wanted to win this one. And although it was far from pretty, they were able to do just enough in order to do so.

There will be plenty of time down the road to scrutinize all of the mistakes that the Trojans made in this game. But for now, USC fans can enjoy the fact that even in this frustrating season, the Victory Bell will once again be painted Cardinal.

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Former USC football players react to victory over UCLA

Former USC football players reacted with a genuine and clear sense of relief when the Trojans were finally able to finish off UCLA.

On Saturday night, USC football defeated crosstown rival UCLA, 19-13. at the Rose Bowl. Following the game, numerous former USC players took to social media to celebrate the victory. This was a tense, tight game which had USC fans nervous, agitated, and uncomfortable the whole night. USC never led by more than six points at any stage of the game. The Trojans didn’t seal the win until the final two minutes. Nothing about this game was easy, which meant a lot of relief poured out when this win over the Bruins went final.

Here is what some of the more notable figures in the USC football universe had to say about the win:

Matt Barkley

“Fight On boys!!! It ain’t always pretty, but a win’s a win! #BeatthebRuins ✌️”

Jake Olson

“Ahh man this is the sweetest ugliest win. No matter how bad a season is… it gets a whole lot better when you can hear that victory bell ringing in the Coli! Bust out that paint boys and let’s beat the Irish!”

Matt Leinart

“Win is a win!”

Rey Maualuga

“USC owns the #RoseBowl”

Calen Bullock

“Fight On ✌️❤️”

The Trojans won at the Rose Bowl for the third straight game, going back to 2020’s win over UCLA. USC won in 2022 as well and then made it three in a row on Saturday night in Pasadena.

Kyle Ford doesn’t hold back emotions before facing UCLA

Kyle Ford played for USC, then for UCLA, and now he’s back at USC. No player will pour more emotion into this game than Ford, who has been through quite a ride.

Kyle Ford is certainly no stranger to the USC-UCLA football rivalry.

The Southern California native spent the first four seasons of his college career at USC. In 2022, he caught a key fourth quarter touchdown pass to help the Trojans to a 48-45 victory over their crosstown foes. But seeking more playing time ahead of the 2023 season, Ford entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, and wound up at, of all places, UCLA.

However, Ford’s time as a Bruin did not go according to plan. With UCLA going through a whirlwind of quarterbacks last season, Ford had just 236 receiving yards last season, and quickly grew unhappy. Following the year, Ford decided to transfer yet again.

Now, the wide receiver is back at USC for his sixth and final season of eligibility. Although he may not be leading the Trojans in any major statistical category, he has still served as a key veteran presence in a relatively young wide receiver room.

Now, with the Trojans set to take on UCLA this week, Ford will have an opportunity to face his former team. Earlier this week, he was asked about such.

“I’m just trying to keep all my emotions at hand like this whole week,” Ford said. “I told someone like right when the whistle blew at the end of the last game that this was the only thing on my mind.

“This is something that you know, when you transfer . . . you dream about, you sleep about.”

With a victory on Saturday, Ford could improve his record in the Crosstown Showdown to 5-1. He won three of four games against UCLA during his first stint as a Trojan, and was with the Bruins for their 38-20 win at the Coliseum last season.

Kickoff between USC and UCLA is set for 7:30 p.m. Pacific time at the Rose Bowl Saturday night.

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Taylor Mays shares his thoughts on the USC-UCLA rivalry

Taylor Mays has played in the USC-UCLA football game. This season, he will coach in it, and he’s fired up for another run at the Bruins.

Taylor Mays is no stranger to the USC football rivalry against UCLA. Having played at USC from 2006-2009, the three-time All-America safety played against the Bruins four times, going 3-1 in those matchups. Now, Mays will be on the Trojans’ sideline for the Crosstown Showdown Saturday night as USC’s assistant defensive backs coach.

Earlier this week, Mays discussed the significance of the rivalry on USC’s weekly “Trojans Live” show.

”It does have a different feel, being at the Coliseum or the Rose Bowl playing UCLA,” Mays said.

”This is one of the reasons that you come to USC, to play in an awesome rivalry game like this. I’m not even from Los Angeles, and the rivalry means everything to me.

“You wanna be in the moment and really take it all in. But then you also want to go out there and slam their face in the ground.”

With neither USC nor UCLA having a particularly successful season, the stakes of this year’s matchup are not nearly as high as in years past. However, major bragging rights are still on the line this weekend, so there will certainly be no shortage of motivation on either side.

Kickoff of the Crosstown Showdown is set for 7:30 p.m. local time on Saturday night from the Rose Bowl.

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Former USC star Clay Matthews reveals what he wants to see from the Trojans

Clay Matthews did not pull punches in talking about Lincoln Riley’s USC football program. Matthews’ message was unmistakable, blunt, and unsparing.

One of the most important aspects of being the head coach at USC football is to build a program former players are proud of. So, when one of the Trojans’ all-time greats goes on a podcast and offers criticism of the state of the program, it generally isn’t the best sign. Last week, former USC star linebacker Clay Matthews III was interviewed on a podcast by Infinity Sports Network’s Zach Gelb. During the interview, Matthews discussed what he hopes to see from USC moving forward.

“I’d love to see a little bit more . . . grit, for lack of a better term,” Matthews said.

“I know they’re lacking—I’m watching them at the tackle position offensive tackle. So the quarterback is just getting rattled back there.”

Matthews went on the compare this USC team to ones that have worn the Cardinal and Gold in the past.

“SC historically has always had those players who can turn the tide, who can, you know, win these big games,” Matthews said. “I don’t know if we’re a few players away or what.”

After starting his college career as a walk-on in 2004, Matthews gradually worked his way up the depth chart. After finally becoming a starter in his final season in 2008, he did enough that year to convince scouts that he was worthy of being a first round draft pick.

The Green Bay Packers selected Matthews with the 26th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He would go on to play 11 seasons in the league, making six Pro Bowls and winning Super Bowl XLV. He is a member of the Packers Hall of Fame.

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Juju Watkins documentary to premiere this Saturday

JuJu Watkins stars in a documentary for which she will also get a producer’s credit. The doc is the lead-in to the USC women’s basketball game vs Notre Dame.

Saturday will be a huge day for Trojan athletics on NBC. At 1 p.m. Pacific time, the network will air the USC women’s basketball team’s early-season top-five showdown with Notre Dame. Then at 7:30 p.m., NBC will also show the football team’s crosstown rivalry matchup with UCLA. Prior to the two games, NBC will also premiere a documentary on USC women’s basketball star Juju Watkins.

Entitled, “On the Rise: Juju Watkins,” JuJu herself both stars in and helps produce the series. It will follow Watkins’ journey from her time in high school through her freshman year at USC, when she immediately established herself as one of the top players in the country.

With the release of the documentary, Watkins effectively becomes the first college athlete to have a series about her while still in school. It will feature appearances by celebrities including WNBA legend Candace Parker, rapper 2Chainz, and former USC star Tina Thompson.

The first two episodes of “On the Rise: Juju Watkins” will air Saturday at noon Pacific on NBC. They will immediately lead into the showdown between the Trojans and the Fighting Irish. The remaining episodes will stream exclusively on Peacock.

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