Tag: USC Trojans

Notre Dame starting five will be a handful for USC women’s basketball

Ahead of the USC Trojans top-5 matchup versus Notre Dame this weekend, find out what makes their opponent so lethal. The Irish have high-end talent.

The No. 3 USC women’s basketball team will go toe-to-toe with the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish this weekend. Tip from Galen Center is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m. Eastern time, 1 p.m. Pacific on NBC Sports. The two teams’ top-five rankings were announced earlier this week in the USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll. Days before the big battle, Geoffrey Clark of Fighting Irish Wire spoke to the strengths that got the Fighting Irish to the No. 5 spot.

“The talent the Irish have speaks for itself. Look at the roster, and you’ll have two All-Americans, a freshman phenom in the making, high-producing veterans and younger players who are just itching to make a big impact once given quality minutes. Any rotational player can deliver perhaps the best performance of their collegiate career during any game, and you just have to guess who that’s going to be.”

Hannah Hidalgo, Olivia Miles, Kate Koval, and the rest of the Irish starters have elite talent. Notre Dame has a starting five every bit as good as USC’s. The Trojans, however, have greater depth due to the Irish’s injuries, which we will discuss more in the coming days.

The Trojans, who already have a top-20 win under their belt, will have a tough match on their hands this weekend. It will be the first true test to see if head coach Lindsay Gottlieb has her team poised to make another deep run after a Pac-12 Tournament championship last season. This duel on Saturday is certainly the biggest game in women’s college basketball so far this season.

Check out our podcast with Irish Wire on Saturday’s game:

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USC defensive back Jaylin Smith accepts Senior Bowl invite

Although he has never gotten a ton of star-level recognition, USC defensive back Jaylin Smith has quietly produced a solid career in Cardinal and Gold.

On Monday, USC defensive back Jaylin Smith officially accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl.

Although he has never gotten a ton of star-level recognition, Smith has quietly enjoyed a really solid career in Cardinal and Gold. Splitting time between cornerback and safety over the past four seasons, Smith has recorded 170 tackles, five pass breakups, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, and two sacks during his career as a Trojan.

Perhaps Smith’s most impressive performance of his college career came in last year’s Holiday Bowl, when he recorded 12 tackles. Smith was named the game’s defensive MVP for his efforts.

This past Saturday, Smith had a key interception in USC’s 28-20 victory over Nebraska. It was his second pick in the last month. Smith has been part of a USC defense which has quite frankly been very solid this season. The Trojans are not getting blown out despite losing a ton of important players. The defense has very consistently given this team a chance to win games. It has largely held up its end of the bargain in 2024.

The Senior Bowl will take place on February 1, 2025 in Mobile, Alabama.

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Trojans in the NFL brought their A-games in Week 11

Tuli Tuipulotu and Amon-Ra St. Brown were the best of the best for USC in the NFL this past weekend. Trojans are showing out on the pro football stage.

On Saturday, the current USC team took care of business against Nebraska, holding on for a 28-20 victory. On Sunday, numerous former USC players showed out for their respective NFL teams. Let’s take a look at some of the top performances by Trojans in the NFL from Week 11.

Amon-Ra St. Brown

The Detroit Lions’ superstar wide receiver caught 11 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns in his team’s 52-6 blowout of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Talk about a monster day.

Tuli Tuipulotu

In a primetime showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals, the Los Angeles Chargers’ young defensive lineman was more than ready for the moment. Tuli Tuipulotu had 1.5 sacks of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in a 34-27 LA win.

Sam Darnold

After a few rough weeks, Darnold bounced back on Sunday. The Minnesota Vikings quarterback completed 20 of his 32 pass attempts for 246 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-13 win over the Tennessee Titans.

Jordan Addison

On the receiving end of one of Darnold’s TDs was Jordan Addison. The second year wideout caught three passes for 61 yards and a score in Minnesota’s win.

Drake London

It was a rough afternoon for the Atlanta Falcons, who suffered a 38-6 blowout loss to the Broncos in Denver. But London still had a solid day, catching three passes for 61 yards.

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Notre Dame writer evaluates Irish star Hannah Hidalgo before USC showdown

Containing Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo will we a top priority for the USC women’s basketball team in its top-5 matchup against the Irish.

The No. 3 USC women’s basketball team has a big matchup this weekend against the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Tipoff on Saturday from Galen Center is scheduled for just after 4 p.m. Eastern time. Rankings are courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll. Ahead of the matchup, Geoffrey Clark of FightingIrishWire spoke about the strength of the Notre Dame team, guard Hannah Hidalgo, who is averaging 25 points per game, ranking fourth in the country.

“Hannah Hidalgo is a scoring and steals machine, and she has proved that constantly during her collegiate career. On top of that, she has the confidence required to be an elite college basketball player, and there is no challenge she won’t take on. She quite simply would be the best player on almost every team in the country,” Clark told us.

Hidalgo, a sophomore, will be one of the top priorities for the Trojans to deal with if they want to come out victorious in the biggest game of their young season. She is one of the many pieces that will make Saturday’s game a must-watch.

Check out our new podcast with Geoffrey Clark on USC-Notre Dame, the first really big women’s basketball game of the season:

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Kickoff time for USC-Notre Dame football remains unannounced

USC-Notre Dame at the Coliseum on November 30 could start in the late afternoon slot or the midday slot. It will not be a late-night game.

Monday was supposed to be the day we found out the kickoff time and broadcast channel for USC football’s November 30 rivalry matchup against Notre Dame. Instead, however, it was announced Monday morning that the networks had elected to use a six-day hold for the matchup. Hence, we will not know the kickoff time until this weekend, likely either Saturday night or Sunday morning.

There are three possible windows in which the game could be broadcast: 12:30 p.m. Pacific time on CBS, 4 p.m. on FS1, and 4:30 p.m. on NBC. In addition to USC-Notre Dame, the two other games in contention for those windows are Washington at Oregon and Purdue at Indiana.

Given that the Trojans’ three most recent Saturday home games have all kicked off at either 12:30 or 1 p.m. local time, the general consensus among USC fans is that they would prefer a prime-time start. USC has not yet had a prime time home game this year, and its only Saturday home game with a kickoff after 1 p.m. was against Utah State back on September 7.

Before worrying about the Notre Dame game, however, the Trojans must first focus on another rivalry matchup with crosstown foe UCLA. Although neither team is having a particularly great season, major bragging rights are on the line when the Trojans and Bruins square off at the Rose Bowl this Saturday night.

Kickoff for the Crosstown Showdown is set for 7:30 p.m. local time in Pasadena on NBC.

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Woody Marks continues to show that he is USC’s best offensive player

Woody Marks continues to deliver for USC. In a lost season with so many frustrations and failures, Marks has been a clear shining light for the Trojans.

For the past week, the majority of the attention surrounding USC football has been dedicated to the quarterback position. With head coach Lincoln Riley opting to replace Miller Moss with Jayden Maiava prior to Saturday’s game against Nebraska, Maiava’s play was under a microscope the entire afternoon. On Saturday, however, we were treated to a reminder that the Trojans’ best offensive player is neither Moss, nor Maiava, nor any quarterback. Rather, it is star running back Woody Marks.

Against Nebraska, Marks delivered yet another impressive performance, carrying the ball 19 times for 146 yards. In addition, he caught six passes for 36 yards.

Marks has now gone over 100 yards rushing in six of USC’s ten games this season. On Saturday, he became the first Trojan to record 1,000 rushing yards in a season since Ronald Jones in 2017. (We should point out that Travis Dye was well on his way to surpassing the mark in 2022 prior to suffering a season-ending injury against Colorado with multiple games left in the season.)

Marks’s best play of the day came in the biggest moment. With under six minutes remaining in the game and USC leading 21-20, the Trojans faced a 4th and 1 from the Nebraska 47 yard line.

Marks decided to put the team on his back and take matters into his own hands. He cut through the defense and burst down the sideline for a 34-yard gain, giving the Trojans a first down at the Nebraksa 13 yard-line. Four plays later, USC was in the end zone with a much-needed insurance touchdown that ultimately put the game out of reach.

On paper, that drive will go down as having ended with Maiava touchdown run. But don’t get things twisted: By far the most important play on that drive (and arguably of the game) belonged to Marks.

With the game in the balance, Lincoln Riley put the ball in the hands of his best offensive player. And boy, did he deliver.

Obviously, quarterback is the most important position in not just football, but in all of sports. It is pretty much impossible to win in today’s day and age without a good signal-caller.

But even in today’s era of pass-happy attacks and spread offenses, running backs still matter. As we were reminded on Saturday, the Trojans have a pretty darn good one.

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USC and Ceyair Wright both won on Saturday

Ceyair Wright didn’t beat his former team, but he made a few very big plays to show USC that he can play ball. It was an authoritative return to the Coliseum.

The Nebraska-USC game offered one powerful plot twist, among others. When Ceyair Wright committed to USC in January of 2021, he was supposed to be the next great Trojan defensive back. Unfortunately, things never quite worked out for Wright at USC. Although he saw decent playing time and became a solid role player, he was never really able to lock down a spot as a full-time starter, and was away from the team for significant portion of time in 2023.

Last offseason, Wright decided to transfer to Nebraska. On Saturday, he returned to the Coliseum as a visitor for the first time.

Facing his former team, Wright made two huge plays that significantly affected the outcome. On the Trojans’ second possession, Wright picked off new USC starting quarterback Jayden Maiava and ran it back 45 yards for a touchdown. It was the first score of Wright’s college career, and just his third interception.

Then in the fourth quarter, with USC leading 21-20, the Trojans lined up for a 27-yard field goal attempt to stretch their lead to four. What should have been a chip shot for kicker Michael Lantz, however, never even made it to the uprights, as Wright blocked the kick, keeping the lead at one.

Wright’s two huge plays had a massive impact on the direction of the game. His pick six gave Nebraska seven points, while his blocked field goal prevented USC from recording three. Essentially, then, one Nebraska player—who just so happened to have started his college career at USC—was responsible for a 10-point swing.

Ultimately, though, the Trojans got the last laugh over Wright, as USC survived with a 28-20 victory.

Wright had his moments against his former team.

His former team still won. Nebraska didn’t win, but Wright made his statement.

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USC lands commitment from three-star defensive lineman

USC grabbed a three-star defensive lineman on Sunday, providing much-needed depth for a group which needs a lot of bodies in 2025.

It was a very busy day for USC football recruiting. On Sunday, USC landed a commitment from class of 2025 three-star defensive lineman Cash Jacobsen.

“Dedication & hard work make dreams come true. I am 100% committed to the University of Southern California,” Jacobsen said in a post on social media.

Jacobsen comes to USC from Jenks, Oklahoma. Per 247Sports, he is the number 1358 overall player in the class of 2025, the number 149 defensive lineman, and the number 25 player in the state of Oklahoma.

The Jacobsen commitment followed two huge recruiting stories for USC football on Sunday. The Trojans lost the commitment of quarterback Julian Lewis but were able to quickly regroup by gaining the commitment of quarterback Husan Longstreet, who flipped from Texas A&M. The Trojans and Lincoln Riley managed to have a plan in place for a Julian Lewis change of heart, and it’s very important that they did.

USC currently holds the No. 13 recruiting class in the country for the 2024-2025 cycle, per 247’s rankings. Three Big Ten teams currently sit ahead of the Trojans: Ohio State at No. 1, Oregon at No. 6, and Michigan at No. 11.

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Jayden Maiava played well enough to win, but turnovers are cause for concern

There was a lot of good and a lot of bad for Jayden Maiava. The main thing to remember is that this was only his first start. Improvement should occur.

On Saturday, USC quarterback Jayden Maiava made his first start in Cardinal and Gold when the Trojans took on Nebraska. As expected with any new starting QB, Maiava’s performance was a mixed bag. There were some very high highs, but also some very low lows.

Overall, Maiava played a solid game. He completed 25 of 35 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns, while also adding another score on the ground.

However, he also had two horrible turnovers, both of which, to put it bluntly, were simply inexcusable plays. The two turnovers essentially handed 10 points to a Nebraska team that was struggling offensively, keeping the Cornhuskers in the game.

On USC’s second possession of the game, Maiava threw a brutal interception to old friend Ceyair Wright in which there were no receivers anywhere near the ball. Wright returned the pick 45 yards for a touchdown, giving Nebraska its first points of the game.

Later on, with the Trojans leading 21-17 in the third quarter, Maiava had a bad fumble on a rushing attempt deep inside USC territory. Nebraska got a field goal off the turnover, cutting the deficit to one point.

With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, however, Maiava came through when it mattered most. With the Trojans leading 21-20 with a little over 10 minutes left, Maiava led USC on a 13-play, 84-yard touchdown drive that ate up 7:39 of clock. Ultimately, that insurance proved to be enough, as the Trojans held on for a 28-20 victory.

Overall, outside of the two turnovers, Maiava played fairly well. While there is certainly a lot that needs to be cleaned up, Maiava and the Trojans will look to build off the performance heading into next week’s rivalry matchup against UCLA.

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UCLA football lands in four-star running back’s top ten

The Bruins land in a talented tailback’s top ten.

Since their win over Rutgers last month, the UCLA Bruins have continued to gain momentum on the field. Riding their three-game winning streak in the Big Ten, UCLA’s momentum is translating on the recruiting front as well.

This week, four-star running back Brian Bonner Jr. narrowed his collegiate wishlist down to ten teams, and the Bruins are one of them.

In Bonner Jr.’s post on X, the 2026 Valencia (CA) High School tailback included the Bruins in his top ten alongside Penn State, Washington, Stanford, Nebraska, Georgia, and rival USC.

While the Bruins have some stiff competition, UCLA remains an attractive destination. If the Bruins finish their first season in the Big Ten strong, they could become an emerging program with a winning culture and infectious atmosphere.

Given UCLA’s struggles at the running back position, the 6-foot, 190-pound tailback Bonner Jr. could see playing time early and have an immediate impact on the team, something their competitors can not offer.