TrojanWire

Will Ferrell And Friends For A Better LA

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:18:46 CDT

On February 20th at the Nokia Theater at L.A. Live, Will Ferrell and friends will be putting on a comedy show to benefit Coach Carroll’s charity A Better LA.

Click here for more info.

(Photo by Andrew Macpherson/SI)

Many more photos of Will and Heidi Klum after the jump…

An Evening of Comedy with Will Ferrell and Friends [ticketmaster]
A Better LA [abetterla.org]

The Boot Is Off

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:19:09 CDT

(Photo by Icon Sports Media)

The Trojan’s most dynamo player (in my humble opinion), Damian Williams, is no longer wearing a protective boot on his injured ankle. Williams will not practice tonight or tomorrow but he will try to run on Monday to test his ankle. Hopefully he will be back in time for FUCLA. We will update you as soon as we learn more.

Since it is such a slow news day in the land of Troy, how bout a little song girl love.

Williams’ playing chances are improving [dailytrojan]

Week 10 NFL Highlights

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:47:38 CDT

This weeks highlights of former Trojans in the NFL features Reggie Bush, Kaluka Maiava, Frostee Rucker, Troy Polamalu and Clay Matthews.

(Video by Eric Espinoza / USC video operations department)

Trojans 77 - UC Riverside 67

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:31:53 CDT

The USC men’s basketball team (1-0) defeated UC Riverside (0-2) 77-67 at the Galen Center last night. Senior Dwight Lewis led the way with 22 points. Nikola Vucevic and Marcus Simmons each had 18 points. The Trojans only played seven players last night because of injury and eligibility issues.

The Trojans next game is on Saturday November 21st at 5:00 p.m., against Loyola Marymount at the Galen Center.

UC Riverside 67, USC 77 [espn]

Harbaugh On Going For 2

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:45:04 CDT

(Photo by Matt Sayles/AP)

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said in his weekly press conference that going for a 2-point conversion when his team was leading 48-21 with only 6:47 left in the game “wasn’t personal.”

"We were just trying to win a football game. ... The only reason we went for two was we really thought we could get it."

When asked if it was a strategic decision, Harbaugh responded:

"Yeah, exactly. ... I've been reading some people's opinion that somehow this is something personal with coach [Pete] Carroll. That couldn't be further from the truth. There was nothing personal. I'm not trying to make any enemies. Life's too short for that. The way our relationship has been is it's been very competitive. And I really enjoy especially pregame with Pete Carroll. He's very loose. He's funny. We kind of yuck it up before the game. We kind of always end it with 'time to go to war.' And then you go out and try to gouge each other's eyes out. You do the same thing in recruiting. It's great competition. But these games are decided on the field by the players. We enjoy watching it. We enjoy being a part of it. From my end, and I'm pretty sure from Coach Carroll's end ... from my end, it's nothing but respect for him and his program. Certainly there's nothing personal involved in this."

This story is a getting a little blown out of proportion. Harbaugh is never going to say publicly, “yeah it was personal, we wanted to run the score up on the Trojans to send a message to their players, coaches and fans.” Whether Harbaugh was trying to send a message or not to Pete Carroll, one thing is for sure, the Staford vs. USC game is becoming a great rivalry. Mark your calendars, next season the Trojans plays Stanford in Palo Alto on 10/09/10.

Harbaugh: 2-point play 'wasn't personal' [espn]

Men's Basketball: USC vs. UC Riverside

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:32:18 CDT

(Photo by Icon Sports Media)

The USC men’s basketball team kickoff their season tonight against UC Riverside at the Galen Center. There is a 2-for-1 ticket deal for tonight’s game. To purchase tickets, click here.

USC MEN vs UC RIVERSIDE [usc]

The Skinny: Humbled Trojans Lack Hunger, Depth and Experience

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:38:20 CDT

The headline of the last Skinny was “It All Comes Down to the Running Game” and boy did it ever. Toby Gerhart and Stanford ran for 325 yards while thoroughly outplaying USC in every phase of the game in a 55-21 blowout of the Trojans. It was the most points ever given up by USC in the Coliseum and after 28 straight victories in November under Pete Carroll; the Trojan program is clearly out of sync.

Before we get into some of the issues that are plaguing the Trojans, USC fans must tip their cap to Jim Harbaugh and the Stanford program. Harbaugh inherited a program that was 1-11 in 2006 and in his third year he has Stanford in a position to possibly go to the Rose Bowl. In the last two weeks, Stanford scored 106 points in victories over Top 10 teams and physically beat up the opponent. Harbaugh did exactly what Pete Carroll did when he came to USC. He loaded his staff up with experienced and hungry coaches and has given his players every opportunity to excel.

After seven years of “always competing” and finishing stronger than anybody, the Trojan program is in peril. USC only has 3 losses and you don’t want to overreact but the way the Trojans have lost and the fact the Trojans could easily have 5 or 6 losses at this point is very concerning with the amount of talent they have.

The issues can be addressed and the ship can be turned in the right direction but if you truly want to Win Forever you have to continually evolve, innovate and not let ego get in the way.

Discussion points for the water cooler and IM chats:

1- No Hunger- With seven consecutive AP top 4 finishes and ending the season with a bowl win 6 of those 7 years, the Trojan program and its fans seem to be living on its accomplishments of the past. The program seems to have forgotten how bitter losing can taste and do not play with the attitude “WE MUST WIN THIS GAME”.

An example of that was clear when after suffering one of the worst losses in USC history, some players were seen after the game smiling, laughing and carrying on like it was no big deal. Like some of the "new” LA fans that have joined the bandwagon the past 5 years, I wonder if some of the supposed “5” star recruits just wanted to be along for the ride and not put the necessary work in to become a high caliber player. When you’re the top dog with everyone gunning for you, especially with a young team, you have to outwork everyone else.

(lack of depth/experience, coaching attrition, Pete's focus after the jump)

Stafon Johnson Whispers His First Words

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:39:46 CDT

(Photo by Icon Sports Media)

One good thing that came out of this weekend is that Stafon Johnson spoke for the first time since his horrific weight room accident.

Johnson repeated the same words that his late grandfather said to him before he died:

"God has a plan. Run, Stafon, run."

It has only been three months since Johnson crushed his throat while bench pressing before practice, but along with speaking in a soft voice, Johnson can also eat solid food and swallow. Johnson no longer has a feeding tube in his stomach or tracheostomy tube in his throat, both have been removed.

Dr. Ryan Osborne said of his recovery:

"Due to a gladiator-type mentality toward his outcome ... he has regained the ability to swallow."

Keep fighting on Stafon and we will keep you in our prayers.

USC's Stafon Johnson: 'God has a plan' [espn]

Stay Classy Stanford

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:16:12 CDT

Whatever happened to saying, "I love you mom," when they put a camera in your face. The worst thing about this video is that these two clowns are seniors and we won't get a chance to against them next year.

Song Girl Monday: 11-16-09

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:38:42 CDT

(Photo by Icon Sports Media)

USC lost again, but the sun will still come up tomorrow and every Monday will be a Song Girl Monday.

(Photo by Icon Sports Media)

God That Really Got Out Of Hand Fast

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:05:27 CDT

What can be said that hasn't already been said? As Coach Carroll put it, the Trojans got their butts kicked yesterday. Sodomized by The Tree. The only remotely positive was Harbaugh's insane decision to poke the bear at the end of the game that may or may not turn Pete into the Incredible Hulk.

In the meantime, we wanted to recommend a product to the Trojan defense. If you guys are going to keep shitting the bed like you did on Halloween and Homecoming, you probably want to pick up a pair of these aptly named D-Pants:

The Skinny: It All Comes Down To The Running Game

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:56:16 CDT

Stanford comes into the Coliseum as a hot team with Rose Bowl aspirations. The Cardinal’s defeat of the 8th ranked Oregon Ducks 51-42 put the nation on notice that Stanford football can compete at the highest level and Head Coach Jim Harbaugh is one of the best young coaches in the game.

It was just two years ago that Harbaugh inherited a football program that was one of the worst in the country and used the biggest upset in college football history against USC (Stanford was a 42.5 point underdog) that year as a stepping stone to building a top 25 team.

The heart and soul of Stanford is Toby Gerhart, a 6’1, 235 pound physical powerhouse running back who is one of the best in the nation. He is one of the few backs in the country that can and will carry the ball over 30 times a game and beat defenders up. His mentality has crossed over to his teammates who thrive off playing a physical brand of football.

Another key to Stanford’s success is they play intelligently and usually will not beat themselves. The development of Redshirt Freshman Andrew Luck has been tremendous and gives Stanford the balance on offense that makes them dangerous anywhere on the field. In the past 3 games, Luck was 50-83 for 910 yards and 5 TD’s against only 1 interceptions and that included games against two top 25 teams (Oregon and Arizona) and against one of the best defenses in the conferences Arizona State.

The banged up Trojans will have to play far better than they have the past 6 quarters to leave the Coliseum with a victory. It is going to be tough as the offense will need to come to life without #1 wideout/punt returner Damian Williams (high ankle sprain) and Wide Receiver Ronald Johnson and Tight End Anthony McCoy not operating at 100%.

The Stanford defense is vulnerable to a balanced attack and the Trojans offense is not only going to have to generate at least 24 points of offense but also grind away at the game clock to rest the defense which will be involved in a very physical battle.

4 Keys to the Game:

Hold Gerhart to under 4 yards a carry: It is going to be difficult to completely shut down a back as physical as Toby Gerhart. The Trojans have to look to contain him and not allow him to frequently gain over 5 yards a carry. The Defensive Line will have to play very physical and win the line of scrimmage battle.

The shift of Defensive Lineman Devon Kennard to Linebacker could be a huge factor. Kennard looked great in practice this week and has the size and strength to handle a guy like Gerhart. He gives the undersized linebacking core a physical presence that is sorely needed in a game like this. USC coaches are very enthusiastic about Kennard's physical and mental attributes. He can be a “55” type linebacker. However, a lot is being asked of a freshman who has not played the position before.

More keys and injury updates after the jump

2010 Song Girl Tryouts

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:25:55 CDT

(Photo by Icon Sports Media)

Wanna be a Song Girl? Tryout week begins Sunday, November 15, 2009. Click here for more info.

(Photo by Icon Sports Media)

This post was just an excuse for me to show pictures of Song Girls. Enjoy. Beat the Farm!

2010 Song Girl Application! [usc.edu]

Lindsey Michelle Grubbs' Halloween Costume Looks A Lot Like Kim Kardashian's

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:39:56 CDT

Jasmine from Aladdin -- the always reliable standby for an olive-skinned brunette. Here Song Girl/internet sensation Lindsey Michelle Grubbs models the look that Kim Kardashian sported for Halloween 2009.

[Photo via The Chive]

Coach Carroll Video Blog: 11-12-09

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:41:14 CDT

Here is Coach Carroll's latest video blog. Pete says that this week new WR's need to step up (doesn't sound like Damian Williams will be playing), Havili and McCoy will be back in action and that the fans need to rock the house on Saturday.

Carroll's Video Blog #8 [uscripsit]