Yardbarker: USC Trojans

Oregon Routs USC...let the gnashing of teeth begin

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:45:06 -0500

First off, we need to say congrats to the Ducks they played a great game and really played well. Now that that out of the way… I think it safe to say that 2009 is officially a retooling year...not a rebuilding year because we have the talent. The question now becomes what do we do with all of this talent. They are clearly not playing up to expectations...The past few weeks have seen one of the better defenses in the country get exposed. I am never a fan of losing but I think this pu...

USC Trojans-Oregon Ducks: Trojans Limp Into Autzen Stadium

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:02:40 -0500

he Trojans will definitely try to put their best foot forward on Saturday, but it may be somewhat gimpy. What amounts to the biggest Pac-10 game of the year comes at a time when the Trojans are bruised and banged up. First off, their leading receiver as far as yards per catch, tight end Anthony McCoy, [...]

No. 6 USC stops Irish at goal line for 34-27 win

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:15:27 -0500

SOUTH BEND, Ind.(AP) Jimmy Clausen threw three incomplete passes into the end zone in the closing seconds as No. 6 Southern California held on for a 34-27 victory and its eighth straight win against No. 25 Notre Dame on Saturday.

It's clear: Southern Cal still best team in Pac-10

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:50:16 -0500

No. 7 Southern Cal is still alive -- and looking good. WR Damian Williams returns a punt 66 yards for a touchdown as the Trojans overpower No. 24 Cal 30-3. The victory proves USC is still the Pac-10's best, Jeff Faraudo says.

Stafon Johnson starts a Twitter account to communicate with fans

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:45:13 -0500

USC running back Stafon Johnson, who is recovering from throat surgery that followed a weightlifting accident on Monday, has started a Twitter account. It can be accessed here. Johnson's mother, Kim Mallory, has received hundreds of well-wishes from those concerned about her son. "Words cannot express the outpouring of love and support we've received," Mallory said on USC's website."It's overwhelming, and it means so much to me and Stafon."

Stafon Johnson Injury: 'Lesser Man Would've Died'

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:05:03 -0500

ESPN has the latest on Stafon Johnson: USC Trojans tailback Stafon Johnson is awake and communicating via writing and hand signals less than a day after emergency surgery to repair throat injuries from a weightlifting accident, according to a doctor at the hospital where he is being treated. Dr. Gudata Hinika, the trauma medical director at California [...]

Stafon Johnson Suffers Lifting Accident

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:28:51 -0500

ESPN's SportsCenter is reporting that USC tailback Stafon Johnson was hospitalized after a lifting accident. A bar apparently fell on Johnson's throat while lifting. Little else is known at this time. ESPN's Shelley Smith said Johnson was coughing up blood and bleeding from the nose, adding that his situation is "very serious" and that possibly he would need surgery. Update: USC's official football blog says the bar slipped out of his right hand and fell at an angle ...

What About Mitch?

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:00:56 -0500

What About Mitch?: TJ Simers asks the penetrating question that Trojan fans have been wondering since the 16-13 loss to Washington: Should Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain start this week if Matt Barkley’s should is still a problem? (Answer: Yes. Aaron Corp was that bad.) At some point, Mustain may become a trivial pursuit question - [...]

Corp To Start Against Washington

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:36:32 -0500

From ESPN: USC quarterback Aaron Corp has been chosen to start the Trojans’ Pac-10 opener against Washington on Saturday, a person briefed on the decision told ESPN’s Joe Schad on Friday. Freshman Matt Barkley is expected to regain his status as starter when he is healthy enough to resume throwing, the source said. Barkley continues to experience pain in his bruised right (throwing) shoulder, which was injured in the third-ranked Trojans’ 18-15 victory at Ohio State last weekend. USC coach Pete Carroll said Thursday that Barkley is improving every day, and Carroll wants to give him as much time as possible to heal before ruling him out against Washington. This makes a ton of sense. Corp was a guy who was thought to have the inside track on the starting job when camp opened in August. He’s a more than capable backup to make a start against Washington. Good news for USC fans is that Matt Barkley doesn’t appear to be hurt to bad. I get the sense that if this was a sense that if this was a tougher oppoent, Barks would be in. That being said, pretty good subplot in this one: first year head coach Steve Sarkisian against his old team. Tags: aaron, aaron corp, barkley, buckeyes, Carroll, college, college football, corp, espn, first, football, head coach, jordan, jordan lauterbach, Lauterbach, Matt, matt barkley, news, Ohio, ohio state, pete, Continue reading Corp To Start Against Washington

True Freshman Matt Barkley Named USC Starting Quarterback

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:50:28 -0500

by Bruce CiskieFiled under: USC, Pac 10While it isn't really a surprise, it's still kind of a surprise.On Thursday, USC coach Pete Carroll named true freshman Matt Barkley the team's starting quarterback. The 18-year-old enrolled at school a semester early, and impressed the coaches throughout spring and fall practice. He will be the first true freshman to start a USC opener at quarterback.True Freshman Matt Barkley Named USC Starting Quarterback originally appeared on Fanhouse NC...

Mark Sanchez, Hilary Rhoda Now Actually an Item?

Thu, 21 May 2009 10:04:40 -0500

When it comes to being a rookie quarterback in the NFL, there are always a lot of questions about whether you’re going to make it in the league. For every Peyton Manning that comes a long, there are a hundred Ryan Leafs, so the odds of success are pretty stacked against you. There’s also the [...]

Mark Sanchez: Interview with Yardbarker

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:54:22 -0500

Yardbarker sat down with Mark Sanchez, the quarterback draft prospect out of USC, to talk about his upcoming pro career, his choice to hire his brother as his agent, and how he almost cut those million-dollar fingers off working as a sous-chef in college.

This interview was filmed during Super Bowl week in Tampa at the G Studio. Thanks to Gatorade for hooking us up -- hope they enjoyed my corny plugs!

And best of luck to Mark this weekend... stay tuned to Yardbarker's D raft page for full coverage live from New York.

-AlanaG

USC Song Girls at the 2009 Rose Bowl

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 11:26:00 -0500

As usual, the USC Song Girls were looking good on National Television for the Rose Bowl yesterday. Judging by the search traffic we received on our previous gallery of USC Girls, there does seem to be some demand on the internets for seeing more of these lovely ladies. So to satisfy your desire for photos of Southern Cal girls in tight sweaters, we found some photos of the USC Song Girls from the Rose Bowl yesterday.

USC Trojans (aka "LBU") start training camp

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:12:19 -0500

SC started camp the other day. I talked to a couple of the guys --- Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga, Taylor Mays, Allan Bradford --- to get their feedback on how things were going. That's a big part of me and I want to stay connected with my old friends in college. I'll follow them closely all year. I shoot at least 1 or 2 of them a text every day just to share some funny stories. I still talk to Coach Norton and I'm sure I'll talk to him before games. He still gives me some coaching advice. I'll tell him about practice things that I did or didn't do well and he'll start coaching me more as a friend and mentor. I enjoy it.

The new L.B.U. (Linebacker University)

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:25:07 -0500

Yesterday my teammate Keith Rivers posted an article about our mentor, Ken Norton. Coach Norton was a great football player. Now he's able to coach us the way he played. We owe our success and accolades to him, and he helped transform how people look at USC. USC has been known as Running Back University, but now Keith and I like to consider it LBU (Linebacker University). We have a plethora of linebackers here, not just Keith and I but also in years past and in years to come. Next year's Draft should include Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, Kaluka Maiava, Clay Matthews...

Ken Norton, Jr... my coach and mentor

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:20:46 -0500

Ken Norton, Jr. has been both a coach and a mentor to me and my road dawg, Thomas Williams. We owe all of our success to him. He's taught us everything we know, and he's been there for us as a surrogate father since we're in college away from home, through the good times and the bad times. Thanks, Ken. Keith

Working hard at Pro Day

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:42:23 -0500

Thanks everyone for your comments and positive messages. If you haven't seen it already on T-Will's blog, check out this video from the day after Pro Day at USC. Me and Thomas Williams recap a hard day's work.

Pro Day Success

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:28:18 -0500

Here's a video filmed the day after Pro Day, me and my road dawg Keith Rivers talking football in the team room at USC.

First up, college degree... then the NFL

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:27:26 -0500

What's up, Yardbarkers? I'm excited to be joining the Yard. I'm a USC linebacker from Lake Mary, FL. I came all the way out to L.A. It's been a great four years. I'm excited to make the jump to the NFL. Just had Pro Day yesterday. Things went fairly well, and now I've got upcoming trips to visit with teams: New Orleans, New England, Detroit and Dallas. It's an exciting time but I've got to play the waiting game, and right now it all takes a back seat to finishing classes, taking finals, and getting a degree in public policy development. Keith

Yardbarker visits USC Pro Day

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:09:05 -0500

What's up, Yard? I spent today at USC's Pro Day, where Sedrick Ellis, Keith Rivers, Thomas Williams, John David Booty, Lawrence Jackson, Fred Davis, Sam Baker, Chilo Rachal, Terrell Thomas, and others, worked out for NFL scouts. Below is a bit of what I learned after watching the drills, and also from speaking to coaches and scouts. These are the five guys who I watched most closely. I shot some video and a bunch of photos; between now and the Draft, we'll release some of the video, and I'll post some of the photos here in the comments. - Dewey CHAUNCEY WASHINGTON (RB): One scout said to me that on film Washington looks like a 4.73 guy. No one expected him to run a 4.35 forty. But he did. Surprise of the day. The stadium erupted when his official time was announced. SEDRICK ELLIS (DT): Sedrick Ellis is a beast, and fast too. Five seconds flat in the 40. But most impressive was his quickness out of the stance. The guy fires up and into his blocks. I don't think he'll last past Cincy at #9. KEITH RIVERS (LB): 42" inch vertical today. He literally out-jumped the machine designed to test vertical leaps. He had to do it again so that he could be measured properly. Rivers had nothing to prove today, but he worked out anyway. THOMAS WILLIAMS (LB): Maybe the smartest guy on the field. Scouts with whom I spoke love his intangibles and also his work ethic. He's not the same caliber as Rivers, but he helped himself today. I spoke with his teammate Rey Maualuga, who in a nutshell said that Williams was the most impressive guy at Pro Day, and that he made himself some money with a bump in draft stock. SAM BAKER (OT): He's a value pick in the second round, and a steal in the third round. He doesn't fare well on the quote-unquote measurables (i.e. he's slooooooooow) but in position drills he looks like a first-rounder. He's a football player, not a 40-yard-dash runner.