Updates: Commentary & Analysis

Columnist Bill Plaschke of the LA Times chronicles the journey of USC RB Stafon Johnson from his debut as “The Great Dorsey Hope” who wouldn’t adjust to Pete Carroll’s practice demands, to grudgingly accepting his role as the scout team running back in 2006, to the Trojans’ most consistent tailback in 2007.  The death of Johnson’s grandfather, affectionately known as “Big Dad,” […]

Sam Farmer of the LA Times surveys the status of 11 local college athletes attempting to survive the NFL mandated deadline for teams to cut their rosters down to 53 players. Among Trojan rookies still on NFL rosters are OT Kyle Williams (Seattle), LB Oscar Lua (New England), WR Steve Smith (NY Giants), LB Dallas Sartz […]

Phil Collin of the LA Daily News examines how far USC running-back Stafon Johnson has come, from being a heralded recruit, to being buried deep on the bench in 2006, to being surrounded by a cloud of transfer rumors, and finally to playing a major role against Idaho on Saturday.  Johnson turned the corner during preparations for last year’s Rose […]

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 […]

The Chicago Tribune’s Teddy Greenstein profiles J.D. Booty before the first game of his would-be Heisman campaign. He highlights Booty’s huge second half performance in the Rose Bowl as the turning point in the quarterback’s Trojan career. Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who compares Booty’s delivery to that of the hyper-accurate Greg Maddux rather than that […]

Bud Withers of The Seattle Times postulates that like the Ming Dynasty and the Roman Empire (which reportedly “got complacent and had some lousy recruiting classes”) , the question is not if the Trojans’ death grip on college football will end, but when. Fair enough. But unlike many pundits and opposing coaches (hello, Harbaugh) who predict Pete […]

Although he argues that the kicking game is suspect and the receivers are a little green, Lenn Robbins of the New York Post seems to have warmed up to junior linebacker Brian Cushing’s evaluation of the Trojan football team:
We’re America’s Team…The best players want to come here. The tradition is amazing. Everyone wants to play us. People […]

Lee Jenkins of the New York Times is the latest in what seems like an avalanche of national sports reporters to profile the crowded stable of high-shcool All-American running backs who have chosen to compete for scarce playing time in the USC backfield.
In U.S.C.’s Full Backfield, Student Body Right Has a New Meaning (New York […]

Mike Lopresti of the Gannett News Service writes a letter to legendary Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne about Pete Carroll, telling him “if there’s a candidate right now for the next face on college football’s Mount Rushmore, Pete’s the guy.”
A few legends might enjoy success of Carroll’s Trojans (USA Today)