Trojans quarterback Sanchez gets to log trip to Lincoln - Daily Trojan
USC quarterback Mark Sanchez finally visits Lincoln, Neb., this weekend - a trip the Cornhuskers denied him as a high school recruit.

Sanchez was extremely interested in Nebraska and planned a trip prior to his senior year at Mission Viejo High School, but the Cornhuskers canceled the trip after getting a commitment from another quarterback.

"I was disappointed but there's nothing I could do," Sanchez said. "I was a little bummed."

The quarterback who committed, Harrison Beck, left Nebraska and transferred to North Carolina State, where he threw five interceptions last weekend in his first start. Sanchez said he doubted Nebraska regretted taking Beck over him...

Also, Keller gets one more shot to beat USC - Daily Trojan
[Dodd] Keller buries past pain, focuses on revenge - CBS Sportsline

[Thomas] No. 1 question: USC or LSU? - Daily Breeze
There are thousands of miles still to be traveled, dozens of quarters yet to be played and countless replays left to sit through before the...football season is history. Nevertheless, a juicy 1-2 battle for national supremacy is already shaping up.

It's No. 1 USC versus No. 2 LSU...the debate could rage on for weeks, if not the whole season.

...this could be a dream come true for the media, as well as fans across the country...

Also, [Wilner] Pac-10 has been class of conferences - SJ Merc
[Withers] The numbers show Pac-10 at the head of the pack - Seattle Times
[Wodraska] Believe the hype: Pac-10 looks like nation's best - Salt Lake Tribune
[Shain] Don't look now but the Pac-10 keeps surging forward - Miami Herald
Which league is BCeSt? - Birmingham News

Washington expects to play - LA Times
USC tailback Chauncey Washington was supposed to start the season opener against Idaho, but he suffered a shoulder sprain in the Trojans' final training camp scrimmage.

On Wednesday, the fifth-year senior returned to full-contact drills for the first time in three weeks and proclaimed himself ready to play on Saturday against No. 14 Nebraska.

"I'm ready," Washington said. "I feel fast."...

USC Game Will Show How Far Nebraska Has Climbed - Hartford Courant
Ever since Bill Callahan took over as Nebraska's coach in 2004, he has wanted to know one thing from his football team each week: How hard can it compete?

But even if the Cornhuskers (2-0) compete as hard as they can Saturday night in Lincoln, can it be enough to beat top-ranked Southern Cal? No, because there's still the issue of talent, and the Trojans have an overabundance. And, like Callahan, USC coach Pete Carroll is from the same school - leave it all on the field...

...The Cornhuskers may have knocked off defending ACC champion Wake Forest...but after looking at the film Callahan said the players were disappointed that they didn't play better, especially on offense...

Also, USC: "Now it counts" - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
[Miller] USC needs quality win at Nebraska - Seattle P-I
Red Report: Third-down trials - Lincoln Journal Star
[Smith] Weekend Forecast: No end in sight for those upsets - USA Today
[Rittenberg] BCS-busting field narrowed after Week 2 - ESPN
[Maisel] Trojans' schedule provides time to regroup - ESPN
Trojans report: Inside slant - CBS Sportsline

Former Colt Havili plays an important role at USC - Salt Lake Tribune
Everybody in college football seems to be enraptured with the squadron of heralded tailbacks assembled at glamorous and top-ranked USC...

...Yet Stanley Havili stands in front of all of them.

In fact, the former two-time all-state star from Cottonwood High School might be even more important to the No. 1 Trojans' dream of winning their third national championship in five years than any of the flash-and-dazzle poster boys who line up behind him...

USC's trend in takeaways and turnovers still troubling - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
As it's been for all seven of Pete Carroll's seasons at USC, yesterday was "Turnover Wednesday."

The Trojans, bigger, faster and deeper on defense than ever, stripped and punched the ball loose in drills, grabbed it out of the air and pounced on it on the ground, cradling it safely in their arms before settling in to watch the "ballhawk" highlight videos after practice.

Those practices are great. It's the "no-turnover Saturdays" that are the problem...

Also, Missed opportunities - LA Times
Fast, Furious USC Defense Has Few Soft Spots - Nebraska State Paper

[Shaughnessy] An expatriate in paradise - Boston Globe
He is a star in a land of stars, a nice Hollywood mix of Knute Rockne and Bob Barker.

University of Southern California football coach Pete Carroll needs more than an hour after practice to accommodate the daily interviews, autographs, photo requests, and meet-and-greet sessions. And you never know when Will Ferrell or Al Cowlings is going to be around.

Carroll coaches the No. 1 college team in the land and he's not roasted on sports talk radio anymore. The weather is great, the living is easy, and he probably has the deepest roster in the history of NCAA football. He's still pumped and jacked, and ready to put a positive spin on everything. He knows his Trojans are supposed to win, 45-0, every week and cruise to another national championship, which would be his third in seven years at [USC]...

Also, Carroll Excited to Invade Lincoln - Nebraska State Paper

Garrett confident USC won’t be sanctioned - OC Register
As an NCAA investigation into the Reggie Bush matter drags toward its two-year anniversary, officials in the USC athletic department are increasingly confident little will come of it.

In his first public comments on the matter, Athletic Director Mike Garrett said he is not worried about forthcoming sanctions. Neither Garrett or Coach Pete Carroll has been in recent contact with the NCAA.

“It’s more a feeling. If it was going to break and all this stuff was going to come out, it would have come out a long time ago,” Garrett said. “It could happen in the next three years or whatever, but I don’t think there’s a lot to it.”

The NCAA launched its probe in January of 2006 after a report in Yahoo! Sports that Bush’s family had accepted improper benefits from sports agents...

NU and USC will field bands as well as athletes Saturday - Omaha World-Herald
The Trojans from Southern California have played all over the world and in two Olympics.

They have appeared in movies, music videos, presidential inaugurations and other national events. Their unofficial fight song, produced with Fleetwood Mac, was a Top 10 hit.

Oh, and in case you haven't heard, their football team is pretty good, too.

The Huskers won't just be contending with the nation's No. 1 college football team...

[Plaschke] An extraordinary extra point is a reminder of who's missing - LA Times
...Living the dream, sharing the dream and, finally, playing the dream.

That's what happened in the season opener, during which 90,000 fans gave the Danelo family a standing ovation, followed by 10 players honoring him with the phantom extra-point play.

Dave Buehler, the kicker, thought of the play. Collins, the snapper, sold it to Coach Pete Carroll.

"I was like, 'Wow,' " Carroll said. "What better way to remember someone who impacted us so much?"

During the phantom play, staring back between his legs at the empty space that was once filled by his close friend, Collins began crying...

S.I. Yanks manager reportedly looking for college return - Staten Island Advance
Mike Gillespie, the longtime University of Southern California baseball coach and the manager of the 2007 Staten Island Yankees, has informed the team that he has no interest in returning to the Yankees in any capacity next year, and has applied for a coaching job back in the college ranks...

...Gillespie has applied for the current coaching vacancy at UC Irvine.

Coach Dave Serrano left UCI on Friday to accept the head-coach position at Cal State Fullerton. UCI made its first-ever appearance in the College World Series this year after a 47-17-1 season...

Also, [Whicker] Gillespie would be a good fit for UCI baseball

[Griffin] Victory over Trojans could put 'Huskers back among elite - San Antonio News-Express
...It will be the first time a No.1 team has visited Lincoln since 1978. And Callahan, who received a two-year contract extension last week, desperately needs a victory to gain some validation after a 24-15 start to his coaching tenure at the school...

...Maurice Purify sees the Trojans' visit as a matter of survival — whether the program builds its national credibility or not.

"They have to come into our house and beat us at home," Purify said. "You don't want nobody busting down your door and beating you up."

The 2-0 Huskers have soared to 14th in both national polls after early victories over Nevada and Wake Forest....

Also, Trojans are large in Nebraska visit - OC Register
For USC, soft part of schedule is over - VC Star

Southern Cal blue chips put on rush party - USA Today
Tempting as it is to say that...Southern California has a tailback-by-committee approach...that wouldn't be entirely accurate.

It's more like a tailback convention.

All one needs to attend is a personal invitation from USC coach Pete Carroll. And, of course, be a former high school All-American. This year, that has limited the field to nine.

That's right, the Trojans have nine former prep All-Americans lining up for a shot at the tailback spot...

...What it is, is astonishing...

"Take their legs," Slauson says - Lincoln Journal Star
One game tape you can be sure the Huskers are looking at this week is that of last year's Oregon State-USC game, won by the Beavers.

Husker offensive lineman Matt Slauson talked some about that game at Tuesday's press conference.

“Our biggest goal is to take their legs,” Slauson said. “Oregon State did well with that. USC came out and they were flying around when you’re watching in the first quarter. Then watching in the fourth quarter, it’s a completely different team.”

Slauson admitted that last year, some Huskers probably went "scared" into the game. He said that fear is gone. He says they learned they can play with USC from that game...

Also, Slauson: USC game 'huge' for Huskers' future - Lincoln Journal Star
[Sipple] Show them respect, but don't overdo it - Lincoln Journal-Star
Nebraska Corner Calls USC A Modern-Day Dynasty - KWTX-TV
USC intimidation factor is gone, Slauson says - Omaha World Herald
Huskers play it cool as they prepare for Southern California - KC Star

USC cornerback Pinkard is sidelined - LA Daily News
USC's secondary was dealt a potentially critical blow Monday when cornerback Josh Pinkard was believed to have torn ligaments in his knee, according to sources.

Officially, USC coach Pete Carroll said Pinkard was out for the Nebraska game and would need more examination by team doctors...

...But sources said Pinkard tore ligaments in his left knee, the opposite knee he tore ligaments in last season. Pinkard redshirted last year, so this injury would be costly because he would have just one year of eligibility remaining.

He was considered so impressive in training camp at cornerback that he switched from safety and was named the starter ahead of Cary Harris, who started 11 games last season...

Also, USC's Pinkard out for season -- again - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
Pinkard to again miss the season - LA Times
USC's Pinkard is out for the season - OC Register

Keller gets second chance against USC - Lincoln Journal Star
...Sam Keller emerged from the locker room and into the southern heat with a middling stat line: 24-for-41, 258 yards, one touchdown, one fumble, two interceptions...

...There were media types already converging on him to ask about the next game, that one against Southern California...

...Keller said he’d like to enjoy the win for the night, but eventually he started answering questions about the No. 1 Trojans anyway.

The senior had played them, after all. And for one half at least, he had those Trojans scared.

This was back in 2005, before Keller transferred to Nebraska...

Also, Square peg Keller comes full circle - LA Times

[Haskin] Forget what Callahan says; this game is huge - Topeka Courier-Journal
...“This is a big game because it’s our next game,” Callahan deadpanned. “We’ve been real consistent in that regard. That’s our approach. That’s how we’ve always approached each week’s contest.”

A quick search on eBay by the Lincoln Journal Star reveals why this isn’t just another game. One package of four tickets, with parking pass, is going for almost $900. The asking price for a skybox with 26 tickets is $30,000. A two-bedroom downtown condo is fetching $1,600 for a two-night weekend stay.

Those aren’t numbers Callahan wants to share with his team. He wants to numb the Huskers into believing the Trojans put their pants on like anyone else, the length of Tom Osborne Field will never change, and fans will wear the usual shades of red...

Also, Callahan: NU will take typical approach this week - Loncoln Jounral Star
Cornhuskers have final shot at putting Big 12 over the top - The Oklahoman
Big 12 is hoping for fall of USC - Tulsa World
USC 'turned a switch' after swoon last year - Omaha World-Herald
How good is the Pac-10? Pretty darned good - Eugene Register-Guard
[Parsons] Nebraska, USC fans see red; or is it cardinal? - LA Times

Maualuga helps a 'Husker - OC Register
USC linebacker Rey Maualuga said he reached out to his former high-school teammate, Nebraska wide receiver Maurice Purify, when he heard of Purify’s arrest for assault last off-season.

“I just told him to keep his head up and accept what’s coming to him, just excel after that,” Maualuga said. “He’s been doing a very good job. I got to see him catch a ball or two (Saturday) and I was just excited.”...

...In two incidents earlier this year, Purify was found guilty of driving while intoxicated, assault, disturbing the peace and hindering arrest. A judge sentenced him to a year of probation and a $1,250 fine...

USC stable full of tailbacks - Lincoln Journal-Star
This goes beyond the typical by-committee description.

What Southern California’s top-ranked football team has with its stable of tailbacks is gravel-pit depth.

Looking at the Trojans’ depth chart, which includes six Parade All-Americans, it’s easy to see why their coaches would have a tough time choosing.

“You can give the ball to any one of us and we’re going to do something with it. That’s how stacked we are,” said C.J. Gable...“If one of us goes down, it’s not like ‘Oh, we’ve got them now.’ We’ve got another running back...

Also, Early-morning practice teaches some lessons - LA Times
Freshman center O'Dowd to work on making calls - LA Daily News

USC question answered - OC Register
What began as an upper-case, exclamation-point worry for the USC football team became a small-letters concern after three weeks of fall camp. After one game, it’s in fine print.

Replacing the most productive wide receiver combination in school history suddenly doesn’t look so impossible as the Trojans head into next Saturday’s game with No. 16 Nebraska.

Playing the...part of Dwayne Jarrett is redshirt freshman David Ausberry. Doing his best to imitate the...work of Steve Smith is sophomore Vidal Hazelton. And allowing it all to happen is the team’s most versatile and tested wideout, Patrick Turner...

Also, USC receiver Turner makes a return - LA Daily News
Trojan receivers are waiting for chances to shine - Omaha World Herald

[Sipple] This won't cut it against USC - Lincoln Journal-Star
...Nebraska no doubt showed toughness in holding off Wake Forest.

It was a nice win...A good win. It’s difficult to complain too loudly...It’s easy to feel good about a ...program that has won 4 of its last 5 true road games.

So why were all of those Big Red fans gnashing their teeth...Saturday?

The answer...is that Nebraska probably doesn’t win...if injured Demon Deacons quarterback Riley Skinner is playing.

Another part of the answer sits next to my computer: It’s the 2007 Southern Cal football media guide. It shows a handful of the Trojans’ top players with their arms folded and sleeves rolled up...They already look like NFL players...

Also, Can NU move chains vs. USC? - Lincoln Journal-Star
Southern Cal Brings Show Time To Lincoln - WOWT-TV
Callahan Finds 'No Visible Signs of Weakness' on USC - Nebraska State Paper

Sooners' wrath points in several directions, including at USC - LA Times
...The Ruf/Neks think the probation is a load of you-know-what.

They want to know why Oklahoma was forced to vacate all eight wins from its 2005 season while No. 1 USC continues to play on without paying pipers.

Oklahoma self-reported its violations, punished itself, and yet the NCAA still descended.

Elsewhere, allegations swirl that USC may have defeated Oklahoma to win the 2004 national title while using an ineligible player, Reggie Bush...

USC's Johnson earns a lesson - OC Register
The pass came in a little low, a little outside. Stafon Johnson stabbed at it with one hand, missed it and shuffled back to the huddle.

Pete Carroll cut him off.

After practice, USC's head coach sat down with his emerging sophomore tailback for 15 minutes outside Heritage Hall. Carroll likes to call those teachable moments.

Last year, Johnson had so many teachable moments, he barely got on the playing field. This year, coaches have raved about his improved demeanor...

...Johnson sounded like he took the scolding in stride...

USC's Dennis getting into the flow - OC Register
USC tailback Hershel Dennis took the handoff and sprinted a short distance down the field. He immediately turned around and lined up again for another play.

“Same old, same old,” Dennis said Thursday after his third full day of drills.

Actually, being on the field is something new for Dennis. He spent the past two seasons, all of fall camp and the first game this season on the sideline recuperating his well-worn left knee.

His latest setback was arthroscopic surgery after spring practice, a procedure that knocked him out longer than the 3-4 months the doctors predicted...

Walker wants to leave new mark - LA Times
Brad Walker and his USC teammates filed into the athletic dining hall after Thursday's practice and glimpsed former Trojan Reggie Bush and the...Saints playing the Super Bowl champion...Colts on TV ...

...Walker, a senior receiver from Tustin, will be forever linked to Bush, the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner who inexplicably and unsuccessfully attempted to lateral to the former walk-on during the Bowl Championship Series title-game loss to Texas in 2006 at the Rose Bowl.

"I never wanted to be remembered for being the guy that was in such an unfortunate play that some people say cost us the game," said Walker, who was awarded a scholarship in August. "I try not to think of it like that."

But Walker cannot elude the notoriety, so sometimes he is forced to good-naturedly embrace it...

Trojans' Tyler back from broken leg - LA Daily News
A post-practice roll across the practice field Thursday - punishment for a tardy arrival to a weightlifting session - won't be considered among the highlights of the week for USC tailback Marc Tyler.

But Tyler's debut as a full-fledged member of the Trojans - delayed for several weeks as he fully recovered from the broken leg he suffered at Oaks Christian of Westlake Village last season - was one of the things coach Pete Carroll listed as the highlights of his week...

...Tyler...had to sit and watch in practice as teammates...got valuable repetitions.

Tyler has joined the fray this week, and how much he impresses...could go a long way on determining whether Tyler gets playing time...

USC's Baker being cautious - OC Register
One of Sam Baker’s most important jobs is protecting quarterback John David Booty. At the moment, one of the USC football team’s primary jobs is protecting Baker.

In order to play against Idaho, Baker had to swallow a pain killer called Toradol, then get the area around his cracked rib numbed by a local anesthetic. The pain when he moved around was still intense enough to get him out of the game after just four series.

“It was kind of taking the wind out of me and stuff like that,” Baker said.

Having its All-American left tackle sporadically available is a big enough deal for USC, but it’s a bigger deal now...

Nerf-ball rehab works for USC QB Sanchez - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
He's back.

And a toy football is getting the credit for backup quarterback Mark Sanchez's return to playing after three weeks watching film with a broken right thumb.

"How about that Nerf ball experiment?" Coach Pete Carroll asked, laughing at how Sanchez went from tossing a toy Tuesday to the real thing Wednesday.

"From Nerf ball to full recovery in one day," said Carroll, who tossed Sanchez a ball while they met in his office Wednesday and said he should give it a go...

Also, Sanchez is back in action - LA Daily News
Sanchez back and throwing - Daily Trojan
Sanchez says he'll be ready for Nebraska - LA Times

[Sweet] Will Reggie Bush take Peyton's place? - MSNBC
For the past few years, it's been hard to turn on the television during the NFL season without seeing Peyton Manning...

...But the Super Bowl MVP, entering his 10th NFL season, is facing some upstart competition in the commercial category...Manning will be able to view the rising star from the Colts’ sideline during the NFL opener Thursday night, when his team's defense will try to halt a young sensation — New Orleans running back Reggie Bush.

Elusive as can be on the field, Bush has been an easy catch for marketers off it. Poised to begin his second pro season, he is already becoming a strong force in the endorsement field, having landed in the top 10 of marketing income among nearly 1,700 NFL players. He has already filmed commercials with soccer star David Beckham...

Also, Reggie Bush readies for super stardom - New Orleans Times-Picayune
Colts won't let Bush sneak up on them - New Orleans Times-Picayune
No beating around Bush - Mobile Press-Register
Bush Figures to Run In the '07 Campaign - Washington Post
Reggie Bush goes with the Flo - San Jose Mercury News
Saints' Bush not satisfied with sparkling rookie year - USA Today

His mission was as easy as pie - LA Times
Brad Otton's two-year Mormon mission not only broadened his horizons, it also honed his culinary tastes.

Otton led USC to a Rose Bowl win over Northwestern in 1996. But it was the two years he spent on a mission in Italy...that formed his future.

"I don't think I was a great missionary, and Italy is mainly Catholic," Otton said. "I got over the fact that I wasn't going to convert people and just started helping people. I fell in love with the culture, the music, the soccer. . ."

And the pizza...

...So, a decade later, Otton started up the Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana in Henderson, Nev., with a second restaurant recently opened in Salt Lake...

Gillespie deserving of role with Yanks - MLB.com
Mike Gillespie was a highly successful college baseball coach for nearly 40 years, but he says he has received a valuable education in the past year as a member of the New York Yankees' organization.

"It's been a great honor and a tremendous learning opportunity to be with the Yankees this past year," says Gillespie.

Gillespie, 67, spent the summer as the manager of the Staten Island Yankees of the Class A New York Penn League. Gillespie's team is in contention for the league title, and you can hear the excitement in his voice when he talks about his young players and the challenge of his job...

Hazelton catches on in college - Staten Island Advance
You've got to hand it to the kid.

It was some catch.

Vidal Hazelton went up and ended up making Idaho cornerback Breyon Williams look like a youth football defensive back.

It took Hazelton just one game into his sophomore year at Southern Cal -- one half of one game to be precise -- to get all over the highlight reels with a flashy one-handed catch of a John David Booty loft into the end zone at the bottom of your TV.

Gave the Trojans a 21-0 lead in the second quarter, too...

Trojans report: Strategy and personnel - CBS Sportsline
NEXT GAME
USC at Nebraska, Sept. 15 -- It should be one of the great intersectional games of the year in college football...

...PLAYERS TO WATCH
FB Stanley Havili -- The fullback position can be a major pass-catching option in the USC offense...

...WR Vidal Hazelton -- The sophomore moves into a key role this season. He caught four passes for 44 yards, including a leaping, one-handed touchdown grab that made all the highlight shows....

...PK David Buehler -- ...Buehler made his only field goal attempt against Idaho, from 36 yards. He also hit four of seven kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks...

Also, Trojans report: Inside slant - CBS Sportsline
Trojans report: Notes, quotes - CBS Sportsline

Some NU-USC Tickets Priced At $4,800 - KETV-TV
Would you pay $4,800 for a ticket to the Nebraska football game against the University of Southern California? At least one online ticket seller is asking that much...

...Local brokers are charging less, but they said that between the online...prices and the demand [they] are seeing, it's like crossing into new territory.

"We get probably 100 calls a day," said Brett Franksmann of Red Zone Tickets....

...The inflated prices seen online have also become an annoyance to local brokers...

USC's Washington wants to return - OC Register
USC tailback Chauncey Washington said team doctors told him he has a Grade 3 sprain of his right shoulder, an injury more severe than the one that kept receiver Dwayne Jarrett out of two games last season.

Nonetheless, Washington said he intends to play in the Trojans’ next game, Sept. 15 at Nebraska.

“Unless something tragic happens at practice, I’ll be out there,” he said.

If Washington does return - and regain his starting job - the Trojans will again have a tailback glut...

Also, Trojans have 10 more days to make adjustments - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise

Freshman feat for USC DE Griffen - LA Daily News
USC announced Tuesday that defensive end Everson Griffen became the first true freshman in 21 years to start at the position in a season opener.

What did not get announced was the reason why Griffen started. According to sources, junior defensive end Kyle Moore was late to a team meeting and scratched from the starting lineup. That created an opportunity for Griffen, who became the first USC true freshman to start an opener on the defensive line since Tim Ryan in 1986 against Illinois. He was the first true freshman to start on the defensive line since Shaun Cody did so in 2001 against Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Also not mentioned was that Griffen did not record a tackle while Moore had four tackles, a sack, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and deflected a pass...

Also, Lateness cost Moore a start - LA Times

When life gets in the way of itself - NY Newsday
Now that Roger Clemens is out for who-knows-how-long with an ailing elbow, the Yankees have to rely even more on rookie Ian Kennedy to pitch them into the playoffs. This creates a cruel twist for Kennedy.

Kennedy is scheduled to get married October 6, which obviously would fall right in the middle of the American League Division Series. Pushing the wedding back a few weeks isn't a viable option because Kennedy's fiancée, Allison Jaskowiak, plays women's basketball for USC. Her season begins in the middle of October.

It's one those feel-good, feel-bad situations. On a team filled with multi-millionaires, Kennedy is an easy person to root for...

Also, Kennedy’s Debut a Success for Yankees - NY Times

Freshman plays above his age - Daily Trojan
Kris O'Dowd was understandably nervous heading into USC's first offensive series against Idaho.

He was about to do something no Trojan had ever done before - start at center as a true freshman.

The first call of the game for the Trojans was a handoff to running back C.J. Gable. And while everyone in the Coliseum was watching Gable take the handoff for a 33-yard gain, it couldn't have happened without O'Dowd.

O'Dowd cleared the big hole for Gable by taking out Idaho nose tackle Jonah Sataraka. It was the start of a great night for O'Dowd...

Also, Ex-Lancer gets rare frosh start for USC - Tucson Citizen
Salpointe grad O'Dowd moves into starting role for first game with USC - Arizona Daily Star

Trojans report: Notes, quotes - CBS Sportsline
GAME BALL GOES TO
RB C.J. Gable -- In a statistically inferior game for USC, Gable got the start at tailback and rushed eight times for 68 yards. He also caught an 8-yard touchdown pass. Gable got things started with a 33-yard run on the USC's first snap.

KEEP AN EYE ON
RB Joe McKnight -- The true freshman had six carries for 26 yards, but showed his flash on a scamper in the third quarter after catching a lateral. He went all the way across the field, eluding about half of Idaho's defense, before being stopped for a 21-yard gain. He might not get a lot of touches in every game, but he'll be a threat to go the distance at any time...

Also, Trojans report: Inside slant - CBS Sportsline
Trojans report: Strategy and personnel - CBS Sportsline

[Waldner] Danelo tributes recall a dream - Daily Breeze
..."The guys who were really close to Mario, they were the ones who came up with the thought," USC coach Pete Carroll said of the empty-man formation.

Buehler, also a kicker, and snapper Will Collins are the guys who approached Carroll about lining up without Buehler on the field.

The chain of events started with a friend of Buehler's father coming up with the idea. Father told son.

"I thought it was a good idea," Buehler said.

During a team meeting Saturday morning, Buehler mentioned the idea to Collins. He also thought it was a good idea.

"So we talked to Coach and he liked it," Buehler said...

...They went straight to Pete and pitched the missing-man formation to him?

"Yes," Buehler said. "We went straight to Pete, ah, Coach Carroll. He liked it."...

Also, Briefs from USC's win over Idaho - Daily Trojan
Ceremony pays tribute to Danelo - LA Times
Rabalais: Notes on Henig, Hokies - Baton Rouge Advocate
[Walters] Upon Further Review - NBC Sports

[Carlisle] Carroll won't let The Man bring down his program - VC Star
...It's astonishing what Carroll has accomplished in just six seasons as USC's head coach, and I'm not even talking about the 66-12 record he has or the two national championships.

I'm talking about how he has flat-out become the king of college football. Urban Meyer? Please. The Florida coach is just an urban legend compared to Carroll.

The thing that has so impressed me about Carroll is how after a rocky NFL coaching career he so completely became Mr. College Football. Have you ever seen anyone so rah-rah in all your life? Cheerleaders look lazy next to this guy.

Perhaps the most amazing thing of all about Carroll is his ability to get top players to buy into his program...

[Waldner] Safe and simple works for USC - Daily Breeze
...More than basic was not necessary for the No. 1 Trojans against the No. 6,666 Vandals.

USC played it without frills in a, well, basic 38-10 victory...

...No shotgun on offense. Only an occasional zone blitz on defense. Just smash-mouth football. At least that's how they played when they were interested, which was hard considering the competition, which will give Pete Carroll something to bark about during preparation for their game in two weeks at Nebraska.

The suspicion is strong that the Trojans spent much of the game with one arm tied behind their backs to prevent Nebraska from getting a good look at how they'll play in Lincoln...

Also, Havili's performance highlights USC's rushing effort - Daily Trojan
Mixed Messages - Daily Trojan
Off week gives Trojans a chance to work out kinks - LA Times
Akey happy game with Trojans is behind Vandals - Idaho Statesman

[Keisser] Booty is not all that - LA Daily News
...The Trojans look incredibly talented Saturday night, but they also looked ragged. There are a lot of college observers who believe John David Booty is a Heisman candidate, but he still seems to these eyes as a quarterback prone to bad plays who can get a bit unnerved at times.

If there's a downside to having more quality running backs than America has quality presidential candidates, it's the possibility of continuity problems. Having options is a great thing until rotating so many backs into the game can bring a halt to momentum. The Trojans will have a better shot at their national title hopes if they've settled on two or three backs as the nucleus from their arsenal by mid-October.

USC will get a much tougher test at Nebraska in two weeks...

Also, Trojans' opening act gets mixed reviews - LA Daily News
USC secondary shows its flaws - LA Daily News
Williams: `Jitters' were at the root - Long Beach Press-Telegram
USC report card - OC Register
Trojans expected more in opener - North County Times

[Oberjuerge] It wasn't exactly the debut USC had in mind - San Bernardino Sun
It was going to be one of those columns that wrote itself.

"The Coliseum isn't zoned for human sacrifice.

"Public execution went out of vogue in this country years ago.

"So USC came up with the next best thing to sate 21st-century blood lust:

"The Trojans vs. Idaho. In football."...

...It would be a blowout of Georgia Tech-vs.-Cumberland proportions.

(That one ended 222-0, in 1916.) Monumental, that is...

Also, USC Keeps Strength Under Wraps in Opener - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
USC rolls over Idaho, 38-10 - LA Daily News
Trojans' opening act gets mixed reviews - LA Daily News
Trojans take a sputter step - LA Times
Opener goes as expected - LA Times
USC report card - OC Register

John David Booty living a dream in Los Angeles - Shreveport Times
To be the leading man of college football's most well-oiled machine, the dream has to start somewhere in the vivid imagination of a boy. And John David Booty had — and still has — bigger dreams than most kids.

Years ago and more than 1,600 miles away, Booty envisioned himself as the golden-armed protagonist in a great Hollywood show. The celluloid images from Southern California were particularly alluring to the impressionable boy watching television in the den of his Shreveport home.

"As far back as I can remember, when I was a little kid, I always wanted to live out here," Booty said on a recent summer day. "Watching TV and seeing LA and Hollywood, I just felt like this is where everything was happening."...

Also, USC's Booty still Shreveport's favorite son - OC Register
[Sharp] USC's Booty Call - Detroit Free Press

USC looking at many returns - OC Register
Shortly after Thursday’s practice ended, USC running-backs coach Todd McNair pulled aside freshman receiver Ronald Johnson. He wanted to know if Johnson was ready to return punts.

Not in a practice or scrimmage this time, but in a real game.

“They were making sure I would go out there and want to do it, not just because they want me to,” Johnson said.

And Johnson’s response?

“I told him, ‘I’m ready to do it, coach....."

Also, Former Muskegon H.S. star Ronald Johnson trying to make name as returner for USC - Detroint Free Press

USC revved and ready to go - Daily Trojan
Comparing the two teams for this Saturday's game between USC and Idaho might look like college football's version of "The Odd Couple."

USC is ranked by more than a dozen polls, magazines and websites as the preseason No. 1 team in the country. Idaho was picked by one magazine to finish 113th out of 120 Division 1-A football programs.

The Trojans have a Heisman Trophy candidate returning at quarterback in senior team captain John David Booty. On Saturday, the Vandals will start redshirt freshman Nathan Enderle, whose last start was as a high school senior in Nebraska.

"It's going to look a little bit different for him playing in the Coliseum with 92,000 people," said Idaho coach Robb Akey...

USC's Green, Howell injured - LA Daily News
USC lost two players to possible season-ending injuries Thursday as tailback Broderick Green suffered a stress fracture in his foot and offensive lineman Nick Howell will undergo surgery next week for a hernia.

Green's injury dealt a blow to USC's depth at running back and means sophomore Stafon Johnson is the only tailback on the roster who did not experience an injury in training camp.

Green said he did not know when he hurt his foot but felt pain for the past 10 days.

"I don't have a clue (how I got hurt)," Green said. "It is frustrating."...

O'Dowd In? - inland Empire Press-Enterprise
USC has never had a true freshman start at center, not in the modern era anyway. Not until Saturday, that is.

After Thursday's practice, Pete Carroll said he'd rethought not allowing true freshman Kris O'Dowd to step in to start for Matt Spanos after a torn triceps knocked the senior out of the start against Idaho.

"I'm leaning that way," Carroll said of elevating the 6-foot-5, 300-pounder from Tucson from his second-team spot while allowing Jeff Byers to remain at left guard...

Also, Freshman will get start at center - LA Times

[Plaschke] USC's Johnson makes a run with extra purpose - LA Times
Big Dad showed up at nearly every practice, stood on the sidelines near that sun-splashed part of the field where running backs work. While everyone else was tearing down Stafon Johnson, Big Dad came to hold him up...

..."He always told me he was proud of me for hanging in there," Johnson said. "I'll never forget that."

For seemingly every minute of Johnson's failed first season as a USC running back, Big Dad was everywhere.

Then, suddenly, he was nowhere, Larry Mallory dying last spring of a heart attack at age 66...