USC coaches didn't ask Patrick Turner and John David Booty to be roommates because they both appreciate good old-fashioned Southern cooking.
USC practices today for the first time in full pads, which probably comes as a relief to running backs and receivers who have been smashed by freshman linebacker Chris Galippo without the benefit of full armor.
[Schlabach] Seven college football secrets for 2007 - ESPN
...Ken Norton Jr. was setting up a drill Thursday afternoon when he decided to give his players a mental image.
Missing a man to block on the corner of the field-goal team, Bradford Banta grabbed tight end Chris Harr, positioned the freshman's feet and told him whom to block.
University of Wisconsin [OC] Paul Chryst was in denial at first.
Shortly after the Giants drafted Steve Smith in the second round in April, he got a call from Sinorice Moss, whom the Giants took in the second round the year before. The conversation quickly turned to the future - their future as the dynamic receiving duo for the Giants...
...Tonight the spotlight will be on Matt Cassel, who figures to see extensive playing time when the Patriots open up the exhibition season...Cassel will not only be playing to solidify his No. 2 job in New England, but auditioning for a leading role down the line...
...For a variety of reasons, these idle warriors were redshirted in 2006...
Steve Sarkisian could have been more than just a stand-in...
...Can USC coach Pete Carroll reach Game 1 without the transfer of at least two stud tailbacks?
WSYR has confirmed with the USC Sports Information Department that Syracuse University and the University of Southern California have verbally agreed to a home and home football series for the 2011 and 2012 season. USC told WSYR that not all the details have been finalized.
There is a possibility USC could add another player to its roster next week.
Two-a-days are never going to be a football player's favorite time of year.
...for the top-ranked USC football team...there's a large veteran corps of upperclassmen who turned their backs on the NFL...
Boston College has signed a two-season series to play football against powerhouse Southern California, the current No. 1 team in the country, Eagles athletic director Gene DeFilippo said this morning.
1. USC
Whether it was all the hype or something he said, USC freshman defensive end Everson Griffen is a target at practice this week.
Like each of the 10 tailbacks vying for playing time in USC's overcrowded backfield, Stafon Johnson longs for spotlight opportunities.It wasn't that USC was so besieged with injuries last year, but that so many of them came at one vulnerable position.
...Patriots rookie inside linebacker Oscar Lua has found the beef.
KEY EARLY-SEASON GAME: at Nebraska, Sept. 15 -- The Cornhuskers want desperately to be nationally relevant again, and this is the chance for Big Red to do it. The Trojans handled Nebraska 28-10 at the L.A. Coliseum early last season, so there will be a bit of a revenge factor in play, too...
Second day, same as the first. Just more of freshman Joe McKnight for the Trojans to incorporate -- and appreciate.
USC receiver Patrick Turner aggressively stations himself at the front of the line for every drill, symbolizing his new status for the Trojans...
[Forde] Quarterbacks enter 2007 with much to prove - ESPN
...Rey Maualuga, Jr. USC
We asked one starter from each of the 119 Division I-A teams the following questions about college football and the upcoming season...
...Ask Steve Sarkisian.
...few envisioned such a bumpy ride for a player who totaled 176 receptions for 2,569 yards...in his two seasons at USC.
... How about at the half-dozen seniors who came back with a shot at All-America honors but who seemed to be saying through spokesman, and nose tackle, Sedrick Ellis, that they'd never "felt this kind of enthusiasm"?
...The biggest buzz around the program on Day 1 focused on the Trojans' tailback situation, where the team has 10 scholarship players vying for playing time. The guy everyone was most excited about was Joe McKnight, the shifty Louisiana back who many have touted as the next Reggie Bush.
There was the weight issue and the hamstring injury, then plummeting all the way to No. 45 in the 2006 draft, the Tennessee Titans grabbing him in the second round.
It’s easy to forget that Matt Leinart is a football player. What with his cameo in an upcoming Adam Sandler movie, his Hollywood friends and the dispute with his son’s mother...
To Matt Cassel, training camp is no prelude and preseason games are no warm-up act.
...“The SID’s role is vastly overrated, ” said USC SID Tim Tessalone, who’s orchestrated the winning campaigns of Carson Palmer (’ 02 ), Matt Leinart (04 ) and Reggie Bush (05 ). “ Players perform and win the Heisman. We can only enhance that a little bit. Ultimately, it’s not us, it’s them.”...
...This is the best defense Pete Carroll has had at USC. The second-team linebacking unit would start at about 100 other places, while the starters from one to 11 are, at the very least, All-Pac 10 caliber. There are at least seven defenders worthy of All-America consideration, and enough talented depth to quickly step in if and when one of the future millionaires gets hurt. Offensively, John David Booty is now a crusty veteran after having been in the program, seemingly, since the John McKay days. The skill players might not be known names quite yet outside of recruiting circles, but if you're not a five-star running back or receiver prospect, you needn't apply for a spot on the two deep depth chart, and three deep in some cases. It's not a stretch by any means to consider this team the most talented, at least in terms of high school prospects, in the history of college football. At this point, around the country, other teams are comparing their star players by saying they likely could've played at USC...
...The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
In yet another rookie-on-rookie training camp battle last week, wide receiver Steve Smith made a sharp cut on corner Aaron Ross, quickly established inside position and began to pull away.
Here they go again. Wire to wire, anyone?
There was no real way to compare Bruce Matthews' career to that of any other offensive lineman in the league. After all, they don't keep track of how many times a guy correctly picked up a blitz or blocked multiple players on a single play or got lower than the opposing defensive lineman on a short-yardage or goal line play.
