Updates from August, 2007

USC’s strength and conditioning coach Chris Carlisle explains in detail his specific program for keeping the Trojan football players strong while enduring brutal two-a-day sessions of fall camp. The individual workouts are high intensity and focused on technique, but only last about 15 minutes including lifting and stretching.
Two-a-days (USCRipsIt)

Garrett Therolf of the LA Times reports that former USC quarterback Todd Marinovich pleaded not guilty Wednesday to felony and misdemeanor drug charges stemming from a Sunday arrest in Newport Beach. Police found a small amount of methamphetamine on Marinovich at 1:15 a.m. near the Newport Pier boardwalk. The specific charges were felony possession of […]

On what has come to be known as “Turnover Wednesday,” a day on which Pete Carroll wants his players to focus on getting to the football, a casual observer could not be blamed for thinking the name refers to the personnel turnover and subsequent frantic shuffling of positions on the USC offensive line. The first domino to fall was […]

Pete Carroll spoke to Petros Papadakis and Matt “Money” Smith and addressed several issues leading up to the Idaho game: the Todd McNair animal neglect issue, preparations for Idaho and their coach Rob Akey, the decision to schedule Idaho, not looking ahead to Nebraska, the SC running back situation (”we plan on playing a lot of […]

The Los Angeles Times’ Ben Bolch reminds his readers that 6′8″, 215-pound freshman power forward Davon Jefferson, a high school star in his own right at Lynwood, will be a major asset for the Trojan hoops team, even though he hasn’t played a high school game in over two years. Tim Floyd envisions Jefferson defending […]

In response to this morning’s LA Times article, Ben Malcolmson of USCRipsIt.com spoke to USC running backs coach Todd McNair about his convictions in the 90’s for cruelty to animals. McNair responded that both charges revolved around his dog breeding business (a side business during his NFL days), the improper housing of his dogs during […]

In a piece so dripping with hyperbole that you might think it was written by a Trojan booster, Eric Prisbell of The Washington Post profiles the USC linebackers unit, focusing on the big three starting group - Cushing, Maualuga, and Rivers - and their outspoken coach Ken Norton, Jr., who wants his linebackers to instill […]

Next to quarterback J.D. Booty, the one player that the Trojans desperately need to remain injury-free in 2007 is redshirt freshman fullback Stanley Havili, who is profiled by Gary Klein in today’s Los Angeles Times. Smart pundits draw a causal connection between the early-season losses of FBs Brandon Hancock, Ryan Powdrell, and Stanley Havili to the […]

As reported earlier today, Patrick Turner took what Pete Carroll called a “vicious hit” from Rey Maualuga during what the team calls “Competition Tuesday” practices, resulting in what Turner thinks is a “stinger” (pending X-rays). Mauauluga apologized but indicated to the LA Times that the collision was predictable after some pre-practice, apparently good-spirited trash […]

According to reports from the Philadelphia Daily News and The Rocky Mountain News (and compiled by Gary Klein of the LA Times), USC running backs coach Todd McNair was found guilty of animal neglect in 1993 (and fined $500) and convicted of cruelty to animals and neglect in 1996 (resulting in $25,000 in fines and 8 […]