Updates from August 7th, 2007

Trojan walk-on receiver Brad Walker was granted a scholarship for the 2007 season, the LA Times is reporting today. Although the senior has yet to catch a pass in a game, he has seen some playing time over the past few seasons, including an infamous play in the 2006 Rose Bowl when he was the […]

USC has issued its official preseason breakdown of the men’s basketball squad for the 2007-08 season. In it, head coach Tim Floyd suggests that the Trojans should have better inside-outside balance this season, despite losing three starters–and 44 points a game–in the back court. Many new faces should see playing time this season, including much-heralded […]

ESPN the Magazine’s Bruce Feldman chimes in on the first day of Trojan practice, highlighting reactions to freshman RB Joe McKnight by coaches and fellow players. LB Brian Cushing called McKnight “shifty” and “impressive” but reserved final judgement until the pads are put on and “people start getting hit.” Pete Carroll’s descripton of McKnight was simply “smooth.” Running […]

Scott Wolf of the LA Daily News reports that transfer QB Mitch Mustain was frustrated and gave himself poor marks in his first official practice, noting “it wasn’t so much the physical stuff, I was accurate and had zip on the ball but my timing was off and there were too many mental errors.”
Freshman tailback Joe McKnight made several […]

Unsurprisingly, there were no major developments from day one of training camp, but Rivals has a few interesting notes in its practice recap. Although placekicker David Buehler hit a 37-yard field goal, he also missed from 27. And senior safety Josh Pinkard–a starter who missed most of last season with an injury–practiced Monday with the […]

According to Scott Wolf, due to many complaints (including my own), USC dropped the annoying registration requirement for its website, usctrojans.com. I’m glad the powers-that-be wised up early so as to not alienate its fans who may simply want to consult rosters, schedules, or other free basics.
Pure Genius (Scot Wolf)

According to Mark Saxon of the Orange County Register, sophomore RB Allen Bradford was given a primary role at Monday’s practice. “At 225 pounds, he showed surprising burst. He broke a couple of plays for long scoring runs. ” Engaged in a head-to-head showdown with senior Chauncy Washington for the “big back” role, Bradford reportedly studied […]