Tag: USC Trojans

USC football players need to perform like it’s 1972 against Nebraska

USC will wear 1972 uniforms against Nebraska. The goal for the Trojans is to play like the 1972 team, the best in school history. It’s time to raise the bar.

USC football players love the 1972 throwback uniforms the 2024 team will wear against Nebraska. Ryan Young of USC’s Rivals site gathered reactions from various Trojans about the cool retro threads:

“It was awesome. We’re so tradition-based, so being able to go back upon one of our original uniforms and being able to be a part of that being released, it’s really a blessing,” Robinson said. “I think we’re all pumped up. It’s a little bit of a change, and I think any spark is a good spark so maybe those uniforms will be good for us.”

It goes without saying that a uniform doesn’t make a football player perform better. USC needs to be able to leave this 2024 season knowing it can establish and sustain a much higher standard of play than what we have seen in the first nine games. This team had a much-needed week off after playing seven straight weeks (Sept. 21 through Nov. 2). If the Trojans can bring the hammer to Nebraska in a matchup of old-school college football powers, maybe there is hope the Trojans can turn the corner in 2025 and restore much of what they have lost since 2022’s 11-win season.

This is gut check moment. The 1972 USC team is the greatest in school history. Attaining greatness, not just 1972-level aesthetics, is the goal for USC football against Nebraska.

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USC men’s basketball needs to quit playing with its food

USC is going to get burned one of these days if it keeps playing with fire. The Trojans have to set the bar higher and not let inferior teams hang around.

For the second consecutive game, USC men’s basketball narrowly scraped by an inferior opponent. On Wednesday night, the Trojans held off UT Arlington 98-95 to improve to 3-0 on the 2024-2025 season. This comes less than a week after the USC struggled against Idaho State, prevailing by a score of 75-69 in a game which was neck and neck with two minutes left.

The good news for the Trojans is that they continue to win games. But given the level of competition, their play is not exactly inspiring a lot of confidence right now.

Plain and simple, Idaho State and UT Arlington are teams the Trojans should be blowing out. (Maybe not by the same margin that the women’s team destroyed Cal State Northridge, but they should still be winning handily.) The fact that these games have been as close as they have is definitely a cause for concern.

Right now, the Trojans are playing with their food. If they continue to do so, they will eventually choke.

USC still has five more games against mid-major opponents. If the Trojans continue to play like they have in the past two, losing at least one of them feels inevitable, and that will put a dent in their March Madness aspirations.

Given the difficulty of playing a Big Ten schedule, it is crucial that the Trojans beat the teams they are supposed to in these early-season buy games if they want to be a serious NCAA Tournament contender. If USC continues to mess around as it ha the past two games, that will not happen.

We saw this under Andy Enfield. The Trojans could get by on sheer talent at times, but that was not sustainable. Eric Musselman has to get his players to defend a lot better than they have. Winning can’t lead to overconfidence; these close shaves must translate into more urgency and greater attention to detail.

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Scott Turner opens tenure as Raiders OC with moving tribute to recently passed Hall of Fame coach

In Scott Turner’s first press conference as Raiders offensive coordinator, he gave tribute to recently passed Hall of Fame coach, John Robinson.

Thursday, Scott Turner took to the podium for his first press conference since being named the Raiders interim offensive coordinator. But before he answered any questions, he had to pay his respects to a legendary coach who was a big part of his life.

“The sports/football world, and the Las Vegas community specifically, lost someone this past week in Coach John Robinson,” said Turner.

“He was my college coach, had a big impact on my life both professionally and personally. And then my dad [Norv Turner], who just joined the staff, obviously you guys know that, he played for him [Coach Robinson] at Oregon, he coached for him, and that’s how my dad met my mom, when she was his secretary at USC. So, obviously, a big, big part of our family, a tough loss, and it’s a tough loss for everybody in the football community. A legendary coach, College Football Hall of Fame.”

It’s hard to imagine a coach having more ties to a family than Robinson did with the Turner family. To coach both father AND son in college and also be the reason Norv met his wife and Scott’s mom?

In 1975, the San Mateo native Robinson returned home to coach running backs for the Raiders for a season before USC came calling for him to take their head coaching job. With the Trojans he went on to win four straight Rose Bowls and a National Championship (1978).

He then went on to the NFL as the head coach the LA Rams for eight seasons from 1983-91 before returning to USC for seasons.

His ties to Las Vegas came in 1999 when he took over as head coach at UNLV and in his final two seasons as a college head coach in 2003-04 Scott Turner played for him. Now two decades later, he recalled what stuck with him the most about playing for Robinson.

“The big thing that he did as the head coach, and what I said before is like, this is a relationship business, and I learned that from him, just like how he truly cared about all the players on the team,” Turner added. “And it didn’t matter if it was a walk-on or the highest recruit that we had there at the time, he knew about them and he found time to build relationships with guys to try to help them be the best that they can be. And that’s what coaching is about, and that’s why you get in this business.”

In 2009 — five years after Robinson’s retirement — he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. He passed away on November 11 at the age of 89.

Lincoln Riley, USC football try to block out distractions vs Nebraska

Lincoln Riley and USC football are facing a $50,000 fine among other sanctions. The Trojans have to push this aside and get a win versus Nebraska.

USC football is, if you are not willing to be generous, falling apart at the seams. The Trojans are at the forefront of an investigation by the NCAA. Lincoln Riley has just one more distraction to deal with as the Trojans prepare to face Nebraska this Saturday.

According to a release from the NCAA, the Trojans have violated coaching rules and will face consequences, imposed by the NCAA and the school itself.

“Eight analysts for the football program engaged in on- and off-field coaching activities during spring 2022, fall 2022 and spring 2023, resulting in the football program exceeding the permissible number of countable coaches by six for two academic years… As a result of the violations, the parties also agreed that football head coach Lincoln Riley violated head coach responsibility rules,” the release mentioned.

As a result of the violation, USC football will endure the following:

  • One year of probation.
  • A $50,000 fine.
  • A restriction for the special teams analyst from practice and film review for six consecutive days during two weeks of the 2024-25 season.
  • A restriction for the remaining analysts from practice and film review for six consecutive days during four weeks of the 2024-25 season.
  • A reduction in countable athletically related activities for the football program by 24 hours during the 2023-24 season (self-imposed by the school).

This mishap by the USC staff has been accompanied by other pieces of bad news which form a cloud of distractions entering the Nebraska game. The Trojans and fans have started seeing multiple incoming commits flip away from the school, most recently three-star cornerback Shamar Arnoux, who flipped to Auburn on Thursday morning.

Is this the beginning of a drought or is this just a speed bump for the football program? At any rate, USC and Lincoln Riley need to shove aside the noise in the system and get a win on Nebraska to calm things down.

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USC women’s basketball officially signs five-star guard

USC is jazzed up about Jazzy Davidson. The Trojans have now signed the No. 2 overall player in the Class of 2025. This is a home run.

On Wednesday, USC women’s basketball officially announced the signing of five-star guard Jazzy Davidson.

Hailing from Clackamas, Oregon, Davidson is the No. 2 overall player and the No. 1 guard in the class of 2025, per On3’s rankings. She committed to USC in September.

As a junior at Clackamas High School last year, Davidson was a semifinalist for the 2023-24 Naismith Trophy High School Girls Basketball Player of the Year award.

“Jazzy, in my opinion, is the jewel of this class,” USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a statement. “She is an elite level player in every aspect. She can score, create, defend—a true modern, pro-style player. She has a work ethic and competitiveness that will impact our program immediately. But from that first conversation I also knew that Jazzy the person was someone I wanted in our program. She is truly as humble and likeable as she is talented. We got a special one, and I couldn’t be more excited.”

Gottlieb’s 2024-2025 Trojans currently sit at 3-0 and are ranked No. 3 in the country.

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It’s still very early, but USC women’s basketball looks like a force to be reckoned with

If you were worried about USC women’s basketball after the Ole Miss game, these last two games at home have shown how potent the Trojans can become.

In case you didn’t hear, USC women’s basketball won Tuesday night.

Actually, won is a a massive understatement. USC women’s basketball completely and utterly dominated the lifeless corpse of Cal State Northridge, which had the misfortune of being the Women of Troy’s opponent.

USC led 30-6 after one quarter. At halftime, it was 60-13. Through three quarters, it was 97-20. When the final buzzer sounded, the Trojans had a historic 124-39 victory, and the visitors from Northridge could mercifully go home.

USC’s 124 points scored were a new program record. It was also the Trojans’ second consecutive victory by a margin of 55+ points.

Sure, those games came against Cal Poly and Cal State Northridge, but any time a team wins by 55 and then 85 points, it raises eyebrows.

It is still only three games into the season. The No. 3 Trojans still have nonconference showdowns with No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 2 UConn, plus a gauntlet of a Big Ten schedule, which features seven games against top-25 opponents.

But if early results are any indication, the Women of Troy are going to be a force to be reckoned with this season.

The ugly opener against Ole Miss was the floor for this team. It will play good defense even when it plays bad offense and can stay in games in which it commits turnovers and endures a rough slog at the offensive end. USC will be competitive even when it plays poorly. These last two games against Cal Poly and especially Northridge offer a glimpse of where this team’s ceiling can be. The defense is the constant, but we have seen the offense improve. Notably, Talia von Oelhoffen was finally able to score in double figures. Getting her going really raises this team’s ceiling and raises the bar for what this team can become.

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USC women’s basketball makes history in blowout win

The USC Trojans trouncing Cal State Northridge on Tuesday was expected, but the way they did it was far from ordinary. This performance stood out.

The USC Trojans women’s basketball team is good. Really good. It picked up its third win in as many games this season in super fashion with a 124-39 romp over Cal State Northridge. JuJu Watkins and the rest of the Trojans thrived. The 124-point total broke the school’s single-game scoring record. The 85-point win set the largest margin of victory — men’s or women’s — for Trojans basketball.

The Trojans were led by standout sophomore guard JuJu Watkins, who led all scorers with 21 points and 9 assists. All 13 Trojans who played scored. Six players, including forward Kiki Iriafen (15), scored in double digits.

It was an all-around win for the Trojans. Offensively, they shot 60.8% from the floor and 47.2% beyond the arc while grabbing 15 offensive rebounds. Defensively, the team forced 43 turnovers, four more turnovers than Cal State Northridge had points.

As part of the historic night, USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb picked up her 300th career win, which the team celebrated after the blowout.

The Trojans are a team to keep an eye on this season. Even against weak opponents, with the result known before the tip, this team can create a spectacle night in and night out.

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Nebraska makes big coaching change before USC game

Nebraska Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule made a key coaching change before Saturday’s game against the USC Trojans. The Huskers are going for it.

After an off week last week, the USC Trojans (4-5) are preparing for a big matchup against new Big Ten Conference neighbor Nebraska (5-4). It’s a crucial game for USC football, given that the Trojans need two wins to gain bowl eligibility.

The Cornhuskers are led by head coach Matt Rhule, who is searching for answers following three straight losses including a 27-20 defeat against a struggling UCLA squad that was 2-5 at the time.

A big problem with Nebraska has been the offense, which has scored 20 or fewer points in each of its last four games, including seven points in two of the four games.

Thus, on Monday, Rhule announced a key change that will affect the upcoming game against the Trojans. Former Houston and West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen will be taking over as the team’s offensive coordinator, confirmed by Matt Zenitz on X/Twitter.

Holgorsen previously worked as an offensive consultant for the team and will now replace Marcus Satterfield, whose responsibility will be as tight end coach.

How much this change will impact the matchup against USC on Saturday is yet to be seen, but an already tough opponent will be getting tougher with the change. Holgorsen’s ability to field high-octane offenses at past coaching stops suggests that Nebraska is getting an upgrade in offensive tactics.

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USC stars steal the spotlight on Sunday Night Football yet again

Amon-Ra St. Brown and Calen Bullock both made big plays in the most recent NFL Sunday Night Football game, boosting USC in front of a national audience.

During last week’s Sunday Night Football matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and the Minnesota Vikings, it was the USC Trojans on the field who stole the show. In this week’s prime-time showdown between the Detroit Lions and the Houston Texans, the outcome was the same, with two former USC stars showing out under the lights.

First, former USC All-American and current Texans safety Calen Bullock who stepped up by recording an interception. Just 10 games into his NFL career, Bullock already has four picks.

In an ironic twist, the quarterback throwing the pick was former Cal star Jared Goff. In three starts against the Trojans while in college, Goff went 0-3, including throwing a 46-yard pick six to Adoree’ Jackson in the 2015 Cal-USC football game.

However, Goff would bounce back from the interception, later throwing a nine-yard touchdown pass to former USC wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. St. Brown has now scored a touchdown in seven consecutive road games, tied for the NFL’s sixth-longest streak since the league’s 1970 merger. St. Brown has the Lions in first place in the NFC and in great position to make the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl appearance.

Detroit would go on to win the game 26-23 on a walk-off field goal.

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USC fans can pull a doubleheader in LA on November 23

It’s a blockbuster USC sports doubleheader on November 23. You can go to Galen Center for women’s hoops and then to Pasadena for football versus UCLA.

On Monday, the kickoff time was announced for the annual Crosstown Showdown rivalry game between USC and UCLA. On Saturday, November 23, the Trojans and Bruins will battle under the lights at the Rose Bowl. Kickoff of the Battle of Los Angeles is set for 7:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. The game will be televised on NBC. Earlier that afternoon, the USC women’s basketball team will play a marquee early season game when the Women of Troy host Notre Dame at the Galen Center. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. Pacific, also on NBC.

For USC football and basketball fans in Los Angeles, this sets up a dream doubleheader scenario. Fans will be able to catch the basketball game in its entirety, then head over to the Rose Bowl for the football game. Even with LA traffic, there should still be plenty of time for tailgating prior to kickoff.

Even for those who will not be able to attend, it will still be incredibly convenient: NBC will televise both matchups nationally, so fans will not even need to change the channel.

For good measure, the peacock network will also televise Notre Dame football’s showdown with undefeated Army in between these two USC games. Hence, NBC’s schedule for Saturday, November 23 is (Pacific time):

1 p.m.: USC-Notre Dame women’s basketball

4 p.m.: Notre Dame football

7:30 p.m.: USC football versus UCLA

It sets up an exciting day in the spotlight for the Trojans and the Fighting Irish, leading up to their showdown on the football field the following week on Nov. 30.

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