Tag: USC Football

USC has a chance to knock Notre Dame out of the College Football Playoff

USC ruined UCLA’s season by denying the Bruins a bowl bid. Now the Trojans can ruin Notre Dame’s season. It’s a chance to go 2 for 2.

On Tuesday, the College Football Playoff committee released its latest set of rankings. Obviously, 6-5 USC was nowhere to be found in the top 25. To make matters worse for USC fans, Trojan archrival Notre Dame currently sits as the No. 5 team in the country. Obviously, the thought of the hated Fighting Irish going to the playoff while the Trojans spend December at a low-tier bowl does not sit well with USC football fans. However, the Trojans do have an incredible opportunity in front of them this weekend.

With Notre Dame not a member of a conference, Saturday marks the final game of the season for the Irish. Should they win at the Coliseum, Notre Dame would be pretty much a lock to not only make the playoff, but also host a first round game.

Hence, the Trojans have an opportunity to play spoiler here. If USC were able to upset Notre Dame, it would certainly prevent their archrivals from hosting a playoff game, and potentially knock them out of the field altogether.

It has certainly been a frustrating season for USC. But if the Trojans could upset their hated foes from South Bend and knock them out of national title contention, it would go a long way towards alleviating the pain.

It should be noted that USC had similar opportunities to spoil Notre Dame’s BCS/playoff hopes in both 2012 and 2018. Both times, however, the Trojans came up short, falling 22-13 and 24-17, respectively, and allowing the Irish to advance to the postseason.

Could the third time playing spoiler be the charm?

Kickoff between USC and Notre Dame is set for 12:30 p.m. local time on Saturday on CBS.

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One thing USC football fans can be thankful for in 2024

A lot of things went wrong for USC in 2024, but beating the UCLA Bruins is one thing that went right.

2024 has certainly not been the most fun year for USC football fans. The Trojans currently sit at 6-5 and have been completely out of the College Football Playoff race for over a month. With all five losses coming by seven points or fewer, it has certainly been a season full of frustration.

However, there is still one thing that USC fans can be thankful for in 2024.

When the Trojans defeated crosstown foe UCLA at the Rose Bowl this past Saturday night, it accomplished two things. Number one, it clinched bowl eligibility for USC. Number two, and perhaps just as importantly, it ensured that UCLA will NOT be going to a bowl game this winter.

Obviously, going to the Sun Bowl or Las Vegas Bowl is not the conclusion to the season that USC fans were hoping for. However, getting to play one additional game—and the extra practices that come along with it—will be an invaluable experience for the program’s younger players.

Perhaps just even sweeter for USC fans, however, Saturday’s victory handed UCLA their seventh loss of the season, ensuring that the Bruins will not be playing football in December.

There is something spitefully sweet about knowing that you were the very reason that someone you hate did not get what they want. While it is not like UCLA had any shot to go to the playoff, USC fans can hold their heads high knowing that the Trojans are the reason the Bruins’ season will conclude after this week.

To quote Kevin Malone from The Office, “It’s just nice to win one.” In a season as frustrating as 2024, USC fans should be thankful for every victory, even one as minor as this.

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Notre Dame DC Al Golden shares thoughts on USC rivalry

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden offered a memorable reference to the significance of USC versus Notre Dame.

On Saturday, USC football hosts Notre Dame at the Los Angeles Coliseum in a rivalry game with massive implications. Should the Irish win, they would all but certainly clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff. If the Trojans were to pull off the upset, however, they could spoil the Irish’s season and potentially knock them out of the field. Earlier this week, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden was asked about his team’s level of intensity heading into the matchup.

“There’s nothing that needs to be said,” Golden said. “If you’re watching Godfather 2 and Hyman Roth is talking to Michael Corleone, you know what’s on in the background—it’s Notre Dame and USC. That’s all we got to say.”

Saturday will mark the 95th meeting between the Trojans and the Fighting Irish. The series dates all the way back to 1926, with USC holding a 38-51-5 record against their archrivals from the Midwest.

In recent years, however, the rivalry has been fairly lopsided. USC is just 1-5 against Notre Dame since 2017. The Trojans are hoping that 2924 will be the year their fortunes change.

Kickoff between USC and Notre Dane is set for 12:30 p.m. local time in LA on Saturday from the Coliseum.

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USC loses two commits to SEC schools

USC has successfully flipped some offensive linemen from other schools, but the Trojans have not been able to retain other prospects who flipped elsewhere.

Earlier this week, another unfortunate series of events emerged for USC football recruiting. On Monday, USC saw two of its commits in the 2025 class flip their pledges to SEC schools. First, four-star linebacker Ty Jackson spurned the Trojans in favor of Florida.

A native of Loxahatchee, Florida, Jackson is currently the No. 135 overall player in the class of 2025 On3 Consensus rankings. He is also the No. 15 linebacker, and the No. 20 player in the state of Florida.

Next, three-star linebacker Duane Morris changed his commitment from USC to Tennessee.

Hailing from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, On3 Consensus ranks Morris as the No. 524 player in the 2025 class. It also has him as the No. 43 running back and the No. 18 player in the state of Tennessee.

Following the loss of Jackson and Morris, USC’s 2025 recruiting class sits at No. 14 in the On3 team rankings. Three Big Ten schools are currently ahead of the Trojans: Ohio State at No. 3, Oregon at No. 7, and Michigan at No. 8.

College football’s early signing day is December 4, which is just one week away.

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Sam Darnold and Caleb Williams brought back special memories for USC fans

Round 1 of Caleb Williams versus Sam Darnold went to the 2017 Rose Bowl star and Pac-12 champion. Round 2 will be on Monday Night Football in December.

On Sunday in Chicago, two former USC quarterbacks faced off in a Trojan versus Trojan showdown. In an exciting game that required overtime, Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings defeated Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears, 30-27. It was a USC football showcase which provided top-notch drama and thrills.

Late in the fourth quarter, Minnesota looked like they were firmly in control. The Vikings led 27-16 with under two minutes left to play. However, Williams led Chicago on two quick scoring drives—with a successful onside kick sandwiched in between—to tie the game at 27.

In the extra period, however, Williams and the Bears were unable to take advantage of winning the coin toss, going three-and-out. Darnold subsequently led the Vikings down the field to set up the game-winning field goal.

Both quarterbacks had strong statistical days, with each passing for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. Former USC wide receiver Jordan Addison also had a big afternoon, catching eight passes for 162 yard and a touchdown.

This marked the first of two meetings between Darnold’s Vikings and Williams’s Bears this season. The two teams will meet again in Minnesota on December 16 in front of a national television audience on Monday Night Football.

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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 offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon accepts East-West Shrine Bowl invite

Emmanuel Pregnon leaving for a pursuit of an NFL career makes USC’s offensive line situation more complicated heading into 2025.

Significant news emerged from USC football on Tuesday morning: USC offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon accepted an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl, signaling the end of his USC career after the Trojans’ bowl game. Pregnon thinks he can pursue his NFL dream now. Based on the season he had for USC in 2024, it seems like a good decision.

Pregnon anchored this line early in the season with Jonah Monheim adjusting to a different role at center and Elijah Paige and some of the younger linemen struggling before they improved later in the year. Pregnon was the most consistent and dependable lineman in his position unit this season. He deserves a substantial amount of credit for keeping this line together and preventing it from falling apart during some rough times in late September and early October.

Pregnon’s decision changes the offensive line equation for USC in 2025. The Trojans and Josh Henson have picked up a few four-star flips in recent weeks, but as we saw this past season, bringing in recruits has to be combined with having proven veteran guys who can stand tall in September while the younger linemen get coached up during the season and grow into their roles. USC faces a delicate balance in trying to get this line right for 2025.

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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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