NCAA Football FanHouse

Oh, the Humility for Trojans

Brian Grummell — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:32:00 EST

Filed under: Oregon, USC, Pac 10, General CFB Insanity

There's no other way to put it. Oregon's football program unequivocally demolished longtime Pac-10 overlord USC 47 to 20 on Saturday, effectively putting the brakes on two major, likely never to be repeated feats the Trojans had accomplished.

USC's record streak of seven Pac-10 championships is likely done, as is its even more impressive run of never losing by more than 11 points in the Pete Carroll era (and never by more than seven points once things really got rolling in 2002).

The Ducks finished with a 27-point winning margin and it easily could have been more. It was a two-sided wholesale destruction few outside of Autzen could have reasonably anticipated given the nature of USC's run these last few years. As a USC guy I knew it had to happen eventually, but I was thinking something like a 14-point loss, something reasonable.

But 27? That's put-your-head-in-a-blender inexplicable. That's just not how USC has ever handled things under Carroll, rarely surrendering 30 points thanks to unprecedented hauls of talent and a system Carroll (and mentor Monte Kiffin) developed to be the vanguard of NFL defenses. Oregon didn't give two hoots and went out there and sent USC's entire aura packing.

Needless to say, the Ducks are now Pac-10 favorites and USC is left likely scrambling to secure a Holiday Bowl or Sun Bowl berth, its first non-BCS appearance since an embarrassing Las Vegas Bowl defeat to Utah after the turnaround 2001 season.

If you're looking for some long-term prognosis here, good luck. At first impression, it sure looks like Oregon's coaching and system is plain better than USC's at this point. Football is a game that constantly evolves but certain fundamentals hold true over time. USC's generally clung to those fundamentals in running straightforward pro-style offenses and defenses. But perhaps that's just a little old school for the moment; even as the trendy spread offenses appear to have waned, here comes Oregon.

Coach Chip Kelly's spread and shred approach has worked wonders since the opening week embarrassment at Boise State, notching a 39-point victory against California, a 46-point victory over Washington State, a 14-point victory at UCLA, a 24-point victory at Washington and now Saturday's 27-point thrashing of USC.

Oregon has violently and aggressively lashed out since the Boise State defeat, emerging as the best non-USC Pac-10 team since the Cal Bears of 2004 who were wrongly left out of the BCS thanks to shameless politics out of Texas coach Mack Brown.

They must now soldier forward with a level head and not embarrass themselves in a tough final stretch again Stanford, Arizona State, Arizona and Civil War rival Oregon State. This is too rare a treasure to squander.

Oh, the Humility for Trojans originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No Defense for Trojans as Ducks Romp

FanHouse Newswire — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:08:00 EST

Filed under: Oregon, USC, Pac 10

EUGENE, Ore.(AP) -- Jeremiah Masoli threw for 222 yards and a touchdown and ran for 164 more yards with another score and the No. 10 Oregon Ducks ran past No. 4 USC 47-20 for the Trojans' worst loss since 1997.

Redshirt freshman LaMichael James ran for 184 yards and a score as the Ducks (7-1, 5-0 Pacific-10) racked up 391 yards on the ground against the Trojans, who came into the game with the fifth-best rush defense in the nation, allowing an average of just 79.9 yards a game.

Southern California (6-2, 3-2) had not lost a game by more than a touchdown since a 27-16 loss to Notre Dame in 2001, Pete Carroll's first season as Trojans coach. It was USC's worst lost since a 35-7 defeat to Arizona State on Oct. 11, 1997 and the most points allowed by the Trojans in Carroll's tenure.

Oregon remained alone in first and undefeated in the Pac-10, threatening USC's hold on the league championship for the past seven years.

Oregon fans were decked out in special black ``Fright Night'' T-shirts with a duck-and-crossbones motif to commemorate the Halloween night game - billed as the Pac-10's biggest game of the season. Afterward the fans swarmed the field, while a ring of blue-jacketed security guards circled the goal posts.

It turned out to be a Fright Night for USC's defense, which allowed 613 yards.

The Ducks have won seven straight games since an embarrassing 19-8 loss at Boise State in the opener, a game that got uglier when running back LeGarrette Blount punched a Broncos defensive end as he was leaving the field.

Blount was suspended for the season and Oregon moved on without him. James was his replacement.

USC freshman quarterback Matt Barkley, who earlier this week predicted he would feed off Autzen's deafening noise, completed 21 of 38 passes for 187 yards and two scores. He was intercepted once.

Masoli completed 19 of 31 for Oregon, which had never before scored as many points against the Trojans.

USC went up 3-0 on the its first series of the game on Jordan Congdon's 28-yard field goal. Oregon answered with Morgan Flint's 32-yarder, but the Ducks had squandered their opportunity after Kenjon Barner's 77-yard kickoff return.

Masoli scored on a 3-yard run to put the Ducks up 10-3 late in the first quarter. USC tied it with Barkley's 3-yard pass to Ronald Johnson early in the second.

Oregon went ahead again on Andre Crenshaw's 1-yard scoring run. And USC tied it again at 17 on Barkley's 4-yard pass to Damian Williams.

Masoli found Jamere Holland with a 17-yard touchdown pass to put the Ducks back up 24-17 at the half.

From that point, USC couldn't keep up.

After Oregon extended the lead with Flint's 35-yard field goal, USC narrowed it with Congdon's 39-yarder.

James scored on a 5-yard run and fellow redshirt freshman Kenjon Barner ran for a 3-yard touchdown to make it 41-20 at the close of the third quarter.

Flint had a pair of field goals from 22 and 23 yards out to pad Oregon's lead in the fourth quarter.

Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott, who was at the game, said he planned to stay in Eugene to meet with Blount and school officials over possible reinstatement.

Scott says he'll meet with Blount, Oregon counsel, university president Richard Lariviere, athletic director Mike Bellotti and coach Chip Kelly and members of his staff.

He says the university has not made formal moves to reinstate Blount and his role ``completely depends on the university and whether they want the penalty revisited.''

The Trojans have lost four straight in the state of Oregon.

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EUGENE, OR - OCTOBER 31: Cornerback Talmadge Jackson III of the Oregon Ducks breaks up a pass in the end zone intended for wide receiver Ronald Johnson #8 Of the USC Trojans in the second quarter of the game at Autzen Stadium on October 31, 2009 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Talmadge Jackson III;Ronald Johnson

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STILLWATER, OK - OCTOBER 31: Head coach Mack Brown of the Texas Longhorns watches the action in the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium on October 31, 2009 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mack Brown

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STILLWATER, OK - OCTOBER 31: Earl Thomas #12 of the Texas Longhorns runs with the ball after an interception for a touchdown in the third quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium on October 31, 2009 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Earl Thomas

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STILLWATER, OK - OCTOBER 31: Quarterback Colt McCoy #12 of the Texas Longhorns runs with the ball in the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium on October 31, 2009 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Colt McCoy

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LSU wide receiver Brandon LaFell (1) runs into the endzone after catching a touchdown pass behind Tulane safety Chinonso Echebelem (24) in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

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STILLWATER, OK - OCTOBER 31: Cody Johnson #31 of the Texas Longhorns rushes for five yards short of the endzone and is stopped by Donald Booker #44 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the fourth quaretr of the game at Boone Pickens Stadium on October 31, 2009 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Donald Booker;Cody Johnson

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STILLWATER, OK - OCTOBER 31: Earl Thomas #12 Sergio Kindle #2 of the Texas Longhorns celebrates a touchdown scored by teammate Earl Thomas #12 (R) on an interception in the third quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium on October 31, 2009 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sergio Kindle;Eaqrl Johnson

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STILLWATER, OK - OCTOBER 31: Earl Thomas #12 of the Texas Longhorns runs in to score a touchdown on an interception in the third quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium on October 31, 2009 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Earl Thomas

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Mississippi State quarterback Tyson Lee throws a pass during the first half of their NCAA football game against Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

Kentucky quarterback Morgan Newton throws a pass over the line during the first half of their NCAA college football game against Mississippi State in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen has words for defensive tackle Devin Jones during the first half of their NCAA college football game against Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

No Defense for Trojans as Ducks Romp originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oregon-USC Live Blog: How Can You Tell If the Ducks Are in Costume?

John Walters — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:03:00 EST

Filed under: Oregon, USC, Pac 10

EUGENE, Ore. -- Greetings from Autzen Stadium, where just moments ago I was "looking live at Brent Musberger" as we rode up the elevator together. Brent is 70 years young and he hasn't lost an ounce of energy. It's funny. Earlier today ESPN Classic aired a replay of the 1983 NCAA basketball final (Houston-N.C. State), for which Musberger did the play-by-play (on CBS).

That was 26 years ago. And Brent is still getting the primetime gigs. I am an unabashed, unapologetic Musberger fan.

More Coverage: Texas-Oklahoma State Live Blog | Live Scores

Follow John Walters' live blog after the jump.
The weather in Eugene? Cloudy but comfortable. Autzen's press box provides one of the country's prettier views, especially with the backdrop of the fall colors. Notice, by the way, that USC's and Oregon's colors all are in sync with the various hues of leaves this time of year. That is, unless the Ducks wear black this evening.

Hope you have time to follow the Twick-or-Tweets tonight. Happy Halloween!

follow me on Twitter

Oregon-USC Live Blog: How Can You Tell If the Ducks Are in Costume? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Domer: Beating a Dead (Trojan) Horse

John Walters — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:58:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame, USC, Daily Domer

FanHouse writer John Walters is living in South Bend, Ind.during one of the most pivotal seasons in Notre Dame history.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- USC beat Notre Dame. I get it.

The Trojans were the better team on October 17. There was no "Bush Push" chaos on the final play from scrimmage. In fact, USC made a do-or-die defensive stop after what might have been the game's last play or, as Pete Carroll said three days later at his Tuesday press conference, "It was nice to beat Notre Dame twice."

The game never seemed as close as one that hangs in the balance in the final seconds, even though it actually did. It never had the feel of 2005.

I supply that preface because what I am about to write will likely stoke some of the commentariat to post "Get over it" below or to give me a Blake Ayles double-deuce salute. That faction exists and that's fine. However, I write this for any fan who is wondering why the media who cover the Irish--and we are not insignificant in number, only in purpose--have not given the game's final 35 seconds more scrutiny. I know that if I were a fan, as opposed to being a pressbox squatter, I'd wonder why it was being relatively ignored.

Yesterday I watched a replay of the NBC telecast on Hulu for a story about USC safety Taylor Mays and before long I was Jim Garrison poring over the Zapruder footage. Two things struck me. First, how cool is Hulu? I was able to watch the entire game in under 39 minutes. Second, what a colossal missed opportunity for the Irish.
Granted, you can say that they should never have even gotten that opportunity.

If Everson Griffen does not get flagged for showing off his biceps to the USC Song Girls...

If Taylor Mays does not get flagged for two personal fouls in the fourth quarter...

If Matt Barkley's pass does not ricochet off his receiver's mitts and into Gary Gray's arms...

If someone in a Cardinal helmet, and not Armando Allen, had recovered John Goodman's fumble in the open field.

But all those breaks went Notre Dame's way. Then, after first Golden Tate and then Parris each made as impressive a catch as either has in their careers, the Irish were just eight yards away from a game-tying touchdown. After having trailed by 20 points to the nation's then No. 2 defense with 13:33 to play.

The Irish had four fresh plays, 35 seconds and one timeout to gain eight yards. Except that they didn't.

When center Eric Olsen snapped the ball back to Jimmy Clausen on the ensuing play, there was 0:15 on the clock. Clausen toss fell incomplete and Trojan defensive lineman Malik Jackson was flagged for roughing the passer. That infraction moved the Irish half the distance to the goal line, but now only nine seconds remained.

Notre Dame had squandered 26 of its final 35 seconds (74.2 percent of its remaining time) on first down.

Besides, the flag on Jackson was inconsequential. It may have even been detrimental. Notre Dame's pass-first offense would have been better off it the receivers had more space in which to work. Particularly against a defense as fast as USC's. Remember that the Irish had first-and-goal at the four at Purdue and needed four plays, and a nice box-out by Kyle Rudolph, to score the game-winning touchdown.

You know what happened from there. An incomplete jump-ball pass to Rudolph (he tipped it to himself and made a nice grab, albeit out of bounds...just a few feet away from where Michael Floyd had caught a ball out of bounds and broken his collarbone four weeks earlier) that took five seconds off the clock. An incomplete slant-in to Tate that eroded another three. And a quick out to Kamara, who slipped, as NBC's Tom Hammond notes that

"Kyle Rudolph was wide open in the end zone", and the game is over.

USC wins. Again.

Afterward, Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune broached the timing issue with the second question of Charlie Weis' post-game press conference. "There was a bunch of time that clicked off after the penalty," Hansen said. "Did you think about calling timeout there?"

"No," Weis said. "We knew how many plays we were going to be able to get off right there. We knew what plays we were going to call. We probably could have gotten it off a couple seconds earlier. With that one second we had at the end of the game, that was about the number of plays we were counting on having in that sequence right there. Kind of figured out what we were going to do. Just didn't end up getting it done."

Weis was strangely sanguine in his answer. On the other hand, he had just emerged from a locker room of deeply despondent players and coaches. No doubt he was pretty bummed out, too. Maybe he just did not feel like assessing blame, or taking it, at that moment.

Here, though, is where even a nimrod sportswriter can go Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer on the Robot Genius. There is absolutely no decided schematic advantage in having 15 seconds in which to run four plays as opposed to 35. None. The sudden shortage of time most likely affected the play calls. For example, the Irish might have run a Wildcat, but with only 15 seconds to play, they could no longer afford to go with a slow-developing roll-out or sweep. They couldn't even afford to have Clausen roll out more than once.
The Irish were able to run four plays in that final 15 seconds only because three of them were quick-hitters. Against a defense with superior athletes such as the Trojans', the Irish might have had a better chance on a broken play. They just couldn't afford to run one, though, due to time restrictions.

Clausen, too, was dismissive of the fact that the offense threw away 20 of its final 35 seconds. "No," the quarterback said when asked if he'd lost track of the time, "I saw the clock the whole time. We were trying to get plays in and out, trying to do as much as we could at the time."

Maybe the Irish never score even if they do manage the clock properly. USC's defense is that good. We'll never know. And even if they do score, do they go for two ("I was going to use my last timeout to make that decision," Weis said) and convert or do they take on Pete Carroll in overtime? Either way, I like USC's chances.
So maybe this is much ado about nothing and I could have put my time to better use by raking someone's leaves the last hour or two. Then again, think of all the Irish stood to gain by coming out on top that day. They could be 6-1 right now and in the top ten in the BCS rankings. Captain Comeback would be the Heisman front-runner and his Domer legacy would rank up there with Montana's and Ismail's.

USC had the game in hand. And then the Irish had a chance to steal it (thanks in no small part to Golden Tate who, by the way, when you go back and watch the game on Hulu--39 minutes!-- you'll notice was rarely actually tackled). And at the very moment it seemed as if they might end the Trojans' seven-game win streak, the Irish inexplicably allowed twenty of the game's final 35 seconds to run off the clock.

When the game ended--the second time-- the Irish still had one down and one timeout left to burn.

I will never understand nor will I accept the explanation that this is what the Irish wanted.

Both on and off the field this season, Jimmy Clausen has been a class act. To be honest with you (to employ his favorite clause), I cannot believe how far he has come and how fast. I'm rooting for him the way you root for anyone who plays the game with courage and skill and--to employ the most over-used sports adjective of the past three months--poise.

Clausen's a winner. And he's very smart between the goalposts. So I wonder...if I am reviewing the final 35 seconds of the USC game in my head this thoroughly, how much more so must he be? Given all that was at stake that day? And given that, each and every day it looks less and less likely that he will spend another autumn in South Bend?

Domer: Beating a Dead (Trojan) Horse originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pac-10 Suspends Official for Missing Obvious Facemasking Call

Michael David Smith — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:30:00 EST

Filed under: Oregon State, USC, Pac 10

The Pac-10 has suspended one of its officials for failing to throw a flag on a facemasking penalty committed by USC safety Taylor Mays on Oregon State receiver James Rodgers, the latest in a long line of high-profile missed calls by college football officials this year.

"We have taken this action in light of the blatant and dangerous nature of the missed call," Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement. "We have full confidence in our highly trained and qualified staff of football officials, but they, like the coaches and players, are accountable and must meet the high expectations placed upon them."

Although Mays obviously should have been flagged, it's surprising that the Pac-10 is reacting so harshly as to suspend the official (who hasn't been named publicly). Missed calls happen every Saturday, and suspensions of officials are rare.

But this official had the misfortune of missing a call on a big play during a game that was broadcast on network television, and of having his missed call replayed several times while the announcers questioned what the official was thinking. That kind of bad publicity forced the conference to act, just as bad publicity about missed calls in this season's Florida-Arkansas game forced the SEC to suspend the officiating crew that worked the game.

Mays is a hard hitter who has been called for a number of personal foul penalties. But he's also one of the best defensive players in the country, and he said it was important to him that people know he's not a dirty player.

"I didn't mean to rip the dude's helmet off," Mays told the Los Angeles Times. "Right after it happened, I got up and said, 'Hey, I wasn't trying to be dirty.' ...That's how I understand the game is to be played -- it's physical," Mays said. "I'm not trying to hurt anybody. I'm just trying to hit somebody as hard as I can."

And the Pac-10 is just trying to crack down on a problem that is plaguing college football.

Video via The Wiz of Odds.

Pac-10 Suspends Official for Missing Obvious Facemasking Call originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday Leftovers From USC-Notre Dame

John Walters — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:12:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame, USC, Daily Domer

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Observations and opinions on Saturday's USC-Notre Dame clash:

Sure, Notre Dame came close, but imagine how much better quarterback Matt Barkley will be 13 months from now in the Los Angeles Coliseum. By the way, listening to both Pete Carroll and Barkley speaking to the media after the game, it sounds as if the USC head coach has engineered his own Mini-Me.

Here is a portion of what Carroll had to say about Barkley, who after all did toss for 380 yards, is 5-0 as a starter and has won on the road in Columbus, Berkeley and South Bend: "Matt Barkley is really something,'' Carroll said. "The plays he's capable of making, there's no limit for him. He's just remarkable -- there's no other way to describe it. There's no one else to compare him to in our history. He's so poised, so comfortable in the arena. He has this great inner strength."

And you thought Charlie Weis had a man-crush on Jimmy Clausen ...

-- But it isn't really about Barkley versus Clausen. As the last two weeks have shown with clarity, Manti Te'o is a difference-maker on defense. Now, if Weis could only attract a few more such players, then Notre Dame could begin to consider itself elite.

-- We all love the magic that Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate can do, but hoping for long-term success while allowing 30-plus points per game (as the Irish have now done in four of their six games this season) is like trying to appear fit via crash dieting as opposed to exercise. The best teams in the nation, year in and year out, play outstanding defense. The Irish do not, though having Te'o on the field is a step in the right direction. Now they need at least two players with that type of motor on the defensive line, which I imagine is exactly what Weis is telling five-star defensive end Chris Martin when they meet today.

-- Robby Parris had a team-high nine catches yesterday. Parris had nine catches in 2008. Four of Parris' nine catches on Saturday were third- or fourth-down conversions. You have heard me say it many times before, that Parris is criminally underused. The 6-3 senior is a terrific possession receiver, and with key fourth-quarter receptions versus both Purdue and USC, he has proven his worth. Parris now has 16 receptions on the season, and there's an outside shot in the remainder of this season that he'll match his receptions totals from the previous three (39).

-- Four different Notre Dame offensive players took a direct snap in the first quarter on Saturday: Jimmy Clausen, John Goodman, Eric Maust and Robert Hughes. In the final three quarters, Clausen took every snap. Does head coach Charlie Weis become conservative once he has run through his opening, pre-scripted plays?

-- The longest run from scrimmage for the Irish yesterday came courtesy of sophomore wide receiver John Goodman, who took a direct snap in the first quarter and rambled 13 yards. If you had Goodman in your "Irish Long Rush Fantasy Sweepstakes", good for you, man. You probably had Mine That Bird in the Kentucky Derby, didn't you?

-- For the first time in seven games, safety Kyle McCarthy did not lead the Irish in tackles. Freshman linebacker Manti Te'o, who had eight, tied fellow linebacker Brian Smith for the team high. Te'o has started two games and in each has tied for the team lead in tackles. He had ten against Washington, equal to McCarthy.

-- Give the Irish this credit: Not once during the post-game interviews did I hear a player mention the name "Michael Floyd". What a difference the gifted sophomore might have made yesterday, particularly on that final drive.

-- Teo's hit on USC quarterback Matt Barkley -- the most coveted defensive recruit smacking the most coveted offensive recruit of a year ago -- was eerily reminiscent of the shot former Trojan linebacker Rey Maualuga landed on UCLA quarterback Patrick Cowan in 2006.

-- Trojan tight end Anthony McCoy is a beast. And kudos to Barkley for lofting the perfect pass for McCoy to run under on that 60-yard completion on third down.

-- Golden Tate's final catch on Saturday reminded me a lot of New York Giant David Tyree's catch in Super Bowl XLII. Tate may well be the best gamer the Irish have had since Raghib "Rocket" Ismail.

-- If you're scoring at home, USC defensive end Everson Griffen was flagged 15 yards for flexing his biceps with his arms above his neck. One series later Te'o was not flagged at all for flexing his triceps with his arms below his neck.

-- I kid you not, before yesterday's game I asked Pete Sampson of Irish Illustrated, "Is it just me or is Gary Gray the best cornerback the Irish have this season?" Pete did not disagree and Gray did not disappoint, with six tackles (third-best after Te'o and Smith) and a game-changing interception midway through the fourth quarter.
"I think he'll be playing a lot more," Weis said afterward.

Let's go one step further. Notre Dame's two best coverage defensive backs may be its two colors: Gray and Brown, as in Gary Gray and Sergio Brown. A media pal texted late in Saturday's game, "Why doesn't Sergio Brown start?" Granted, Brown is the first player on the field in any nickel package, but the question is valid.

-- Pete Carroll could stand to hold his players more accountable for the slew of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties than simply calling them "knucklehead plays". That said, Taylor Mays' hit on Armando Allen early in the fourth quarter was clean. Allen was slowing down and going out of bounds after making the reception, but it sure looked as if he was still inbounds when Mays clocked him.

-- Yes, it was a spirited comeback, not unlike the 1986 game in Los Angeles when the Irish erased USC's 37-20 fourth-quarter lead to win, 38-37, on a game-ending John Carney field goal. That victory not only kick-started Tim Brown's '87 Heisman campaign but it was the turning point of the Lou Holtz era.

That said, the Irish deserve criticism for mismanaging the clock in the final moments. There were 35 seconds remaining after the Parris fourth-down catch and the personal foul on Mays moved the ball to the USC 8. One play later only nine seconds remained.

"That was about the number of plays we were counting on having in that sequence right there," Weis said, while Clausen echoed, "I saw the clock the whole time. We were trying to get plays in and out."

Granted, it was chaos. But the Irish were home and the fact remains that when the game ended -- and I doubt that second gets put back on the clock, correct though the call was, if we're not in South Bend -- they still had one more down and one more timeout remaining. How is that anything but poor game management given that they allowed 26 seconds to elapse on one play before the final troika of plays beginning at 0:09?

-- In the waning moments, for a change of pace, I stood on the visitors sideline. Had a cush spot directly in front of the Song Girls and Shelley Smith of ESPN and directly to the left of Hall of Fame offensive tackle Anthony Munoz. Former USC quarterback Rodney Peete and I tried to guess whom Clausen would throw to before each play. It was, in short, pretty good.

When the clock struck 0:00 -- the second time -- Carroll began walking onto the field. That is, farther onto the field. No coach ignores the coaching box rule more egregiously than Pete, but that's another story.

Anyway, Carroll made it to about the hashmarks and then, looking as if he'd lost his wallet, sprinted back to the USC sideline at about midfield. He found an older man wearing a camouflage hunter's cap and vigorously shook his hand. I rushed over to ask the man his name and he said, "Gene Autry."

Really? Isn't he dead, I thought? But in the chaos of it all, I just looked at the man dumbly.

Then he took pity on me. "Bud Grant," he replied.

The old Minnesota Vikings coach probably thought I'd never heard of him. But, as a Dallas Cowboy fan growing up in the 70's, of course I knew who Bud Grant was. Here is what was so unbelievable. Bud Grant looks exactly the same as he did in 1975. Seriously, I wonder if he is a vampire. Only Abe Vigoda has aged less in the past 35 years, but that's only because Vigoda looked one step from death's door even then.

-- In the tunnel after the game Weis, just before entering the Notre Dame locker room, found Mays and McCoy of USC, shook their hands and congratulated them. Both players looked Weis in the eyes and said, "Thank you, sir."

Sunday Leftovers From USC-Notre Dame originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BCS Standings 2009: Florida, Alabama, Texas, Then What?

Michael David Smith — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:41:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Boise State, Florida, Texas, USC

Update: You can check out the first BCS standings here.

The first BCS standings of 2009 will be released on Sunday afternoon, and everyone agrees that a pair of SEC teams, Florida and Alabama, will be the top two, followed by Texas at No. 3. But what comes after that?

According to the usually accurate BCS Guru, Boise State will edge out USC for the No. 4 spot, and the remainder of the Top 10 will consist of Iowa, LSU, Cincinnati, TCU and Miami.

But the BCS standings are mostly a curiosity at this time of year. There's no prize for being atop the BCS on Oct. 18; the prize comes at the end of the season. So what's likely to happen over the next seven weeks?

For starters, obviously, either Florida or Alabama will lose, because if they keep winning they'll meet in the SEC Championship Game. That means Texas just needs to keep winning, and they'll be in the BCS title game. The Longhorns' toughest remaining game is their next one, at Oklahoma State.

So if form holds, the Florida-Alabama winner will play Texas for the national title. Of course, in college football, form usually doesn't hold. But two of the top three losing wouldn't necessarily open the door for No. 4 Boise State. The Broncos' schedule is so easy the rest of the way that they really have no opportunities to impress either the poll voters or the computers. Even if the Broncos keep winning, they could easily get passed by USC, Iowa, LSU, Cincinnati or TCU.

What could put Boise State in the BCS title game conversation would be Oregon upsetting USC on Halloween. Since Boise State beat Oregon in the season opener, a Ducks victory over the Trojans would be huge both for the Broncos' strength of schedule and for their reputation among the poll voters.

Outside the Top 5, the two teams with the clearest paths to the title game are Iowa and Cincinnati, both of which are undefeated and atop BCS conferences. And after that? There are enough scenarios to make your head spin. And over the next couple months we'll all have fun sitting back and watching.

BCS Standings 2009: Florida, Alabama, Texas, Then What? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's Deja Vu All Over Again for Irish

John Walters — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame, USC, Daily Domer

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Not again.

The clock really did read "0:00" this time. Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen trudged slowly toward his teammates who were congregating in the northwest corner of Notre Dame Stadium. Clausen, still wearing his helmet, walked alone and allowed himself a singular, soul-cleansing, emphatic expletive.

After what he had just been through, the junior quarterback can be forgiven that audible.

Not again. Seriously? Another USC-Notre Dame contest that featured a last-minute, outcome-in-the-balance drive toward the south end zone? A fourth-and-long conversion on that drive? A final play after the clock has already struck 0:00? It was the Bizarro World version of the 2005 game at Notre Dame Stadium with one meaningful exception: USC still won, 34-27. USC always wins. That's just what the Trojans do.

"It's just a heartbreaker, period," Clausen said later, "whether you come back from seven points or however many points we did today (20 ... almost). It's just a tough loss."

Once again, as they have done too many times this decade, the Irish played just well enough to break their hearts-and those of their faithful. Four years ago it came down to one fateful play. On Saturday it came down to three: a trio of plays, beginning with 0:09 on the scoreboard, from the USC 4-yard line. Clausen, the nation's leader in passing efficiency, with three shots at glory from four yards out.

"If you would have told me before the game, 'You can have the ball on the five (four) yard-line at the end of the game with a chance to tie or win," Irish coach Charlie Weis said, "I probably would have taken that."

If you had told him that with 13:33 to play and the Irish down 34-14, you bet your aspirin he would have taken it. At that point it looked as if the buzzards in the press box might be correct, that Weis might be coaching his final game in this rivalry.

More than a few of the national columnists who descended upon South Bend brought with them both a laptop and a noose. This game might be, in their minds, a potential coup de grace game for Notre Dame's fifth-year coach. And when Trojan tailback Joe McKnight scored from one yard out to make it 34-14 with 13:33 to play, you could feel the gallows door opening. The leads would be worded differently, but each would be some variation of "Flat-lined against a blue-gray sky, Charlie Weis' career at Notre Dame came to an end today."

Instead, Weis' team fought back. And that's what this is: Weis' team.

Certainly in those final 13½ minutes the Fighting Irish not only proved that they are a far more competitive team than they have been of late. They also demonstrated that, where this coach is concerned, they're not quitters. Still, what must sting for Weis, who now must concern himself more with having the patience of Job as opposed to simply having a job, is that the Irish have now gone four entire games-plus seven seconds-without holding a lead even for one play against their most celebrated rival.

That and the fact that USC, when it really matters, always makes a play. And the Irish do not.

The Irish did make big plays and plenty of them. A fake field-goal in the first quarter, a pass from backup punter and baseball pitcher Eric Maust to Robby Parris, awoke the audience and gained 25 yards down to the USC 2. One play later, Robert Hughes punched it in, Notre Dame's first touchdown against USC in 135 minutes of regulation stretching back to 2006.

Golden Tate was his brilliant self once more, hauling in a 45-yard touchdown pass on a go route while taking a shot in the chops from All-American safety/terminator Taylor Mays. Defensive end John Ryan had a key sack to halt USC's final drive, while Gary Gray made the interception that allowed the Irish to believe that just maybe it would be worth investing their hope in a victory this day. Parris, on fourth-and-10, made a gutsy catch while nearly being decapitated by Mays.

In the end, however, USC made more. Or at least enough. Three times, giving one of the nation's best passers a try from 12 feet away, the Trojans, playing thousands of miles east and dozens of degrees south of their home, made the stop. And Notre Dame, once again, came within a moment of the type of cathartic release that they and their fans have been deprived of for, well, 16 years now, since the 1993 win against No. 1 Florida State.

Touchdown Jesus stares down at Notre Dame Stadium from the Hesburgh Library, but perhaps when USC visits they should change the mosaic to Moses. Because today, as happened four years earlier, the Irish almost, but not quite, made it to the promised land.

"It's not good enough for us," said center Eric Olsen when asked if the Irish could at least be satisfied with a moral victory. On the other hand there were two dozen or so recruits in Notre Dame Stadium today, and they nearly witnessed the Irish erase a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit against the stingiest defense in the land. What did they see?

"I hope that they see that we're definitely making a comeback to what Notre Dame once was," said Olsen, a senior who will never be able to say that he beat USC. "I hope they see how much it crushed us to lose."

It's Deja Vu All Over Again for Irish originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Time to Cut Weis Some Slack

Terence Moore — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame, USC, Coaching

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- He isn't going anywhere, and he shouldn't. The relentless ways of his Fighting Irish players down the stretch Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium against Southern Cal bought Charlie Weis more time.

So here's the deal: Weis will last the rest of this season as Notre Dame coach. He also will return next season, and who knows? He might stick around with the Fighting Irish to finish his 10-year contract that expires after the 2015 season.

Whatever the case, there should be a moratorium on Weis bashing despite Notre Dame's 34-27 loss to Southern Cal in another huge game. That's because his players keep demanding as much. They could have collapsed in the final seconds against Michigan State, but they didn't. The same goes for their squeakers over Purdue and Washington that involved an extra dose of passion from everybody on the field.

More FanHouse Coverage From South Bend
Jay Mariotti: No Moral Victories at Notre Dame, Charlie
John Walters: It's Deja Vu All Over Again for Irish | Game Blog

This time, Notre Dame players did their part to pull Weis away from the swinging guillotine that constantly is dangling over his neck after they watched their bigger, faster and better opponent surge to the edge of a blowout. With Southern Cal gouging Notre Dame's defense to take a 34-14 lead near the start of the fourth quarter, and with the game-long roar among the Irish Nation becoming only a whisper, those Notre Dame players had every right to call it a night.

No, to call it a season.

They didn't.

"What we did today showed a lot to the country," said Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who nearly led the Notre Dame Our Mother (you know, the Notre Dame alma mater) of rallies for his team after Southern Cal's last score with a couple of touchdown drives. At the end, he even fired three passes into the end zone from the Southern Cal 4, but he couldn't connect. Added Clausen, "I'm so proud of this team. We keep fighting when we're down. I think that's what the team is all about."

You only do what the Irish just did against Southern Cal if you have at least some talent, and if you have more than a little pride, and if you like your coach.

Just like that, the previously lousy Clausen remembered he was a Heisman Trophy candidate, and he played like it. Then Golden Tate grabbed the most clutch of his eight catches for 117 yards in that fourth quarter. In fact, soon after Notre Dame began its comeback attempt by racing 88 yards to the end zone, Tate caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Clausen to pull the Irish to within 34-27.

There was even a frantic dash for the Irish inside the final five minutes, when they raced from their 22-yard line to the Southern Cal 4. Along the way, Notre Dame faced fourth-and-10 from its 29, with Clausen firing a pass that Robby Parris stretched high to grab for a 13-yard completion. He was knocked silly enough afterward by Southern Cal defenders to need help off the field.

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Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen (7) is sacked by Southern California's Wes Horton (96) in third-quarter action, Saturday, October 17, 2009, in South Bend, Indiana. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

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Kansas State coach Bill Snyder yells instructions to his players during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 in Manhattan, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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Memphis tight end DajLeon Farr (11) gets tackled by Southern Mississippi defensive back Andre Watson (12) and linebacker Ronnie Thornton (56) in the second quarter of a NCAA college football game in Hattiesburg, Miss. Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Steve Coleman)

BYU running back Harvey Unga (45) breaks the tackle of San Diego State's Kwincy Edwards (24) during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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BYU quarterback Max Hall (15) holds the ball out as he scores on a run in front of San Diego State's Leon McFadden (20) and Larry Parker (7) during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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You don't sacrifice yourself that way if you don't like your coach.

"Well, anyone who doesn't realize the fight that's in the Fighting Irish is missing the boat," said Weis, whose team nevertheless dropped to 4-2 and likely out any rankings worth mentioning. Not only that, Notre Dame just lost to Southern Cal for an eighth consecutive time, but remember: the Irish were outscored 76-3 in the previous two games in the series. So, to be fair, they have a ridiculously long ways to go just to become competitive with Southern Cal.

Added Weis, "If you haven't watched the last five games, it's every week the same thing. Would I like to not be in that situation? You betcha. But go all the way back to Michigan [which was a last-second loss to begin the season]. Every week, this team is a bunch of fighters. I'm proud of the fight."

He should be. History is filled with examples of players who vanished mentally, physically and spiritually during games when their coach was under siege -- by alums, media, by fans, by campus officials and even by those players. Not so with these Notre Dame players, not when they had an unofficial chance to cut their ties with Weis during this nationally hyped game that was becoming another significantly embarrassing game for Notre Dame against Southern Cal.

Anyway, there was Friday night, when Raghib "Rocket" Ismail became a Notre Dame icon turned football preacher during a loud and large pep rally on campus. He kept screaming the first of his three mantras, "It ends tonight," which was his reference to Southern Cal's winning streak over Notre Dame.

Then Ismail switched mantras: "This is not a game."

Finally, with all of the boosters inside Rocket's head threatening to explode after he reached even higher decibels, Ismail implored the players on Notre Dame's current football team, the coaches and the tens of thousands gathered: "Let's go get it."

They didn't get it. Instead, the Irish almost got it against sixth-ranked Southern Cal, but "almost" is for losers.

Well, usually. At this point in the wobbly Charlie Weis regime, "almost" is the same as "improving," which means a couple of things: Notre Dame still isn't among the elite, and we still don't know if Weis can get the Irish there.

It's just that as long as Weis' players want to try to get there with him, you have to give the guy a break.

Terence Moore is a national columnist and commentator for FanHouse. He is a frequent panelist on "Rome Is Burning," an ESPN show hosted by Jim Rome, that is seen Monday through Friday at 4:30 PM ET. Moore spent more than three decades working for major newspapers, including 26 years as an award-winning sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He resides in Atlanta.

Time to Cut Weis Some Slack originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Week 7 College Football Chat

Brian Grummell — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas, USC, General CFB Insanity

Red. River. Rivalry. USC against Notre Dame. National title implications and plain old rivalry are at work in this great weekend for college football. Four of the game's biggest lightning rods headline the first two shifts. Oklahoma limps in but has a chance to regain its form in the face of recent losses to Texas and scuttle the Longhorns' championship dreams. Notre Dame's just looking for a big win, any big win, and what better trophy than rival USC which broke their heart in 2005 with the Bush Push?

There's other football to be played and to be discussed so please join us for FanHouse's college football chat. It'll commence at 3 PM Eastern while the Red River Rivalry is wrapping up. Chat application after the jump.

FanHouse Week Seven Saturday College Football Chat

FanHouse Week 7 College Football Chat originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live Blog: Notre Dame vs. USC

John Walters — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:24:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame, USC, Campus, Daily Domer

FanHouse writer John Walters is living in South Bend, Ind., during one of the most pivotal seasons in Notre Dame history. Check back daily for his dispatches on the Irish.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Flat-lined against a blue-gray sky...huh?

Greetings from the Notre Dame Stadium pressbox, which is filled with budding eulogists this afternoon. National scribes from publications and websites alike, many of them here to see whether USC will blow out the Irish and put the nail in Charlie Weis' coffin.

Sorry, I just don't see it that way.

Follow John Walters live blog after the jump.

If the Irish lose by four touchdowns or so, then yes, it is time to wonder whether Weis simply cannot motivate his team for the big games. Any other outcome, though, bodes well for his health.

Walking along the South Quad this morning, both Alumni Hall and Dillon Hall had hung bedsheets that had the names of all the blue-chip recruits who are visiting this weekend. Besides each name was a box and for those who had already verbally committed (e.g., Chris Martin), a checkmark inside the box.

That those signs were more prominent than the scattered "Fall of Troy" signs is telling. This game, for the Irish, is about much more than moving up in the polls and ending a seven-game losing streak. This is about the future of the program. This is about proving to those four- and five-star kids (honestly, they could stage the Army All-American Game as the halftime entertainment today) that, as Weis likes to say, "the arrow is pointing upward" in South Bend.

Whether or not that's true... tune in to NBC at 3:42 p.m.

P.S. The grass is short today.

follow me on Twitter

Live Blog: Notre Dame vs. USC originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Midweek College Football Chat

Brian Grummell — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:24:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas, USC, General CFB Insanity

Rivalry weekend doesn't usually happen until late November, but certain rivalries can clear that hurdle and give us a midseason treat. That time is now, with the annual Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma and the greatest intersectional (and lately, the only one) of them all, USC at Notre Dame just in time for the boys from California to avoid that wintery weather stuff most of the country suffers through.

Point is, we're excited. Sure, there's other football but on Saturday these games are like the disproportionately hot girls in the room drawing in the boys. They've sure got nice assets. What? How can you not look longingly at those combined 21 Heisman Trophies. Or the combined 3,233 wins. So uh, lets talk about it. The FanHouse Midweek College Football Chat commences today at 2 PM Eastern. Be there. Chat application after the jump.

FanHouse Week Seven Midweek College Football Chat

Midweek College Football Chat originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pete Carroll Makes His Line Coaches Slide in the Mud

Michael David Smith — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:55:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Coaching, Video

It was a rare rainy day in Southern California on Tuesday, and the rain gave USC coach Pete Carroll a bright idea for what to do at the end of practice: Settle a tied scrimmage between the offense and the defense by having his offensive and defensive line coaches see who could slide farther in the mud.

USC's official football blog describes the festivities:

Carroll said the only way to settle the tie was to put offensive line coach Pat Ruel against defensive line coach Jethro Franklin in a slip-and-slide competition on the most puddle-filled part of the field.

So with the players forming a tunnel on either side of the runway where the battle was taking place, the 58-year-old Ruel and 43-year-old Franklin went through two rounds of hilarious sliding before Franklin emerged -- soaked and muddied -- as the champion. The defense was awarded the overall practice victory, but all were in good spirits after the childlike festivities.

One of the reasons Carroll is such a great recruiter is that he convinces teenage football players they'll have fun if they come to USC. And really, what's more fun for a teenager than watching a couple of overweight middle-aged guys slide around in the mud?

Pete Carroll Makes His Line Coaches Slide in the Mud originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Commitment Issues May Linger for Prized Notre Dame Recruit Martin

John Walters — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame, USC

Chris Martin is a precociously gifted football player. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive end was offered a scholarship by the University of Colorado following his sophomore year in high school, only an hour or so after they first saw him play -- courtesy of a highlight tape that he and his cousin, Deshaun Shewl, showed up with at the Buffs' Boulder, Colo., offices.

With that kind of talent, and with the insatiable fervor recruiters have for such a commodity, it must have seemed a relief to Martin when in February, as a junior, he verbally committed to Notre Dame. It hasn't been.

"Chris probably should not have committed so early," says his mother, Cheryl Martin. "He proclaimed Notre Dame would be his school last February thinking that would quiet things down. It only encouraged everybody else."

More Coverage: Latest Chris Martin News at Scout.com

Martin, a Bay Area native now residing in suburban Denver, is the five-star jewel of Notre Dame's 2010 recruiting bounty. That is, if he adheres to the non-binding verbal commitment he made to Charlie Weis and the Fighting Irish, nearly a full year to the date prior to national signing day.

"I would tell every mother, every father in our position, 'Take your time'," says Cheryl, who lives in San Leandro, Calif., with Chris's father, Steve. "We kind of put the cart before the horse when Chris committed a year early."

Martin no longer lives with his parents, but rather with Shewl, 28, in an upscale apartment complex in Aurora, Colo. There is no family strife -- the interview you are reading was conducted on a three-way line with Shewl and Cheryl participating from Colorado and California, respectively.

Martin will make an official visit to Notre Dame on the weekend of October 17 to watch the Irish take on USC, which happens to be the school with the best chance of luring Martin away from South Bend.

"Steve met with Pete Carroll," says Cheryl. "He liked him.

"But I can only give you my opinion," she continues. "I'm more concerned about the support system he has in the school. A coach has 100 players; I want to know my son's on the radar."

The Martins made an unofficial visit to Notre Dame in April for the Blue-Gold game.

"I love the school and I absolutely respect [Weis]," says Cheryl, who says that she speaks with the Irish head coach "twice a week ... twice a month. He's given me his word he'll take care of my son."

On Sept. 29, Weis was asked about Martin backtracking on his verbal commitment, or so it would seem, although the five-star recruit's name was never mentioned.

"Some of the things that these players tell you when you guys get a chance to communicate with them and what they say to me might not necessarily be the same thing," Weis replied. "I have a very strong view on what a commitment is, and all these players clearly understand what that stance is."

When Weis was prodded about whether a scholarship offer would be rescinded should a verbal commit make an official visit to another school, he replied, "I'll just once again -- because I know the person in particular we're getting at -- just say the communication between us has been very good. Let's just leave it at that."

Cheryl Martin initially hoped that another opponent on the Irish schedule -- Stanford -- would win her son's favor.

She loved the academics and the proximity, but the Cardinal are out of the picture at present.

"It had a lot to do with competitiveness," she says. "Right now Stanford is not at the forefront of college football. Also, I met with (head coach) Jim Harbaugh and he did not give me the same sense that he would take care of Chris."

"Chris wants an opportunity to play on national TV every Saturday," says Deshaun. "Also, the opportunity to play for a national championship."

The Cardinal, coincidentally, have the same record as the Irish and Trojans (4-1) with both schools scheduled to play them in November. Also, they have a rapidly rising dark-horse Heisman candidate in tailback Toby Gerhart.

Still, at this stage Mrs. Martin, who stresses that she has one of three votes in this decision, appears to be loyal to the Irish.

"They're rich in tradition," she says. "It's South Bend, my son can't get in too much trouble. There's nothing to do. And the people there, from the fans to the students to the staff, will take care of him."

Until last winter, Chris Martin was a standout defensive end at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, Calif. But, according to Cheryl, the school did not properly regulate the traffic of recruiters showing up at school to see her only son, his grades began to suffer, and "his head coach, in part, was just not conducive to Chris's growth."

Last winter, Chris moved to Arizona to live with an uncle and attended Westwind Preparatory Academy in Phoenix. The idea was to enroll him in the prestigious Hun School in Princeton, N.J., which, because of its early graduation policy has become somewhat of a blue-chip gridder magnet the past half-decade. Graduates of the Hun School, such as Notre Dame freshman defensive tackle Tyler Stockton, are able to enroll in college at the outset of the spring semester.

"The Hun School turned us down," says Cheryl. "They did not want to appear like a football factory. It backfired. We had to come up with a Plan B, and that was Colorado."

Thus, Chris moved in with his cousin Deshaun, who played small-college football at Northern State in South Dakota, Deshaun's fiancee, and Deshaun's 14 year-old brother, Dimitri. Chris enrolled at perennial public school gridiron power Grandview High School in Aurora, which went undefeated in 2008. The Wolves have dropped their last two games after winning their first three.

Deshaun Shewl has advised his little cousin on the realities of big-time college football.

"You're a five-star recruit now," Deshaun says, "but the minute you sign that all goes away. That practice field? It's a pasture, and you're just one of the cows."

Cheryl Martin laughs at the metaphor, then says, "A degree from Notre Dame is much more prestigious than one from the University of Colorado."

Both Cheryl and Deshaun agree that it is important to Chris that he get on the field early in his career. To that end, they say, Chris was buoyed by the sight of Irish freshman linebacker Manti Te'o starting last weekend versus Washington.

"I'm not saying that was Notre Dame's strategy," says Deshaun. "They're going to do what best helps the team. But it showed Chris that you're going to get a shot to make a difference as a freshman."

"It was huge," says Cheryl, of Te'o's start. "Chris was very, very concerned about (defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta) giving him an opportunity. He understands what he must do to contribute to a program; he just wants to know he's going to have a shot."

USC is deep at defensive end -- junior Everson Griffen is All-American caliber -- but Carroll has never shied away from giving true freshmen playing time. The Irish, meanwhile, are nowhere near as thin at any position as they are at defensive end. Through the team's first four games the three players who rotated at those two spots -- Kapron Lewis-Moore, Kerry Neal and John Ryan -- combined for one sack. Martin would likely start for them even sooner than Te'o did.

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Middle Tennessee State quarterback Dwight Dasher (9) avoids the tackle of Troy's Bear Woods (48) in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Troy, Ala., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

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In this photo taken on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes watches from the sidelines during the final minutes of an NCAA college football game against Texas State in Fort Worth, Texas. The transformation of Jerry Hughes from prep running back to All-American defensive end was never more evident than the picture of a skinny kid somebody taped to his locker. Now nearly 50 pounds heavier and a senior for No. 11 TCU, Hughes now looks more like a potential first-round NFL draft pick. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

In this photo taken on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes runs off the field during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Texas State in Fort Worth, Texas.The transformation of Jerry Hughes from prep running back to All-American defensive end was never more evident than the picture of a skinny kid somebody taped to his locker. Now nearly 50 pounds heavier and a senior for No. 11 TCU, Hughes now looks more like a potential first-round NFL draft pick. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 06: Matt Moore, a former college football player at Texas Christian attends The 24th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner benefiting The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis (national fundraising arm of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis) at The Waldorf=Astoria on October 6, 2009 in New York, New York. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for The Miami Project) *** Local Caption *** Matt Moore *** Local Caption *** Matt Moore *** Local Caption *** Matt Moore

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NEW YORK - OCTOBER 6: Matt Moore, a former college football player at Texas Christian University, attends The 24th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner benefiting The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis (national fundraising arm of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis) at The Waldorf-Astoria on October 6, 2009 in New York, New York. (Photo by Brian Bedder/Getty Images for The Miami Project) *** Local Caption *** Matt Moore

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Troy receiver Chip Reeves (8) celebrates with teammate Sergio Perez, rear, after scoring on a 52-yard pass reception in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Middle Tennessee in Troy, Ala., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Troy linebacker Boris Lee (2) breaks up a pass intended for Middle Tennessee State receiver Malcolm Beyah (4) in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Troy, Ala., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. At left is Troy defender Tebiarus Gill. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Troy running back Shawn Southward (20) reacts after scoring in the first quarter during an NCAA college football game against Middle Tennessee State in Troy, Ala., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. Middle Tennessee States's Emmanuel Perez (91) and Jeremy Kellem (20) walk away. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Troy receiver Chip Reeves (8) is pursued by Middle Tennessee State's Marcus Udell (3) on a 52-yard touchdown reception in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Troy, Ala., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

At this point you can consider Martin committed to Notre Dame with the door propped a little bit open. Perhaps the outcome of the USC-Notre Dame contest will sway him. Then again, Michael Floyd made his official visit in 2007 when the Trojans pummeled the Irish, 38-0, and Te'o made his during November's ignominious defeat to Syracuse, and they're both here.

No matter, says Cheryl Martin, the road to her son's heart leads through San Leandro.

"My arm reaches all the way to Colorado if you will," she says. "And at this point coaches know that they should come see Steve and I. If you really want to get Chris, you gotta come to home base."

Both USC and Notre Dame have a bye this weekend. Is Cheryl Martin expecting a visit from either Carroll or Weis?

"I don't know," she says coyly.

Commitment Issues May Linger for Prized Notre Dame Recruit Martin originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tim Tebow Returns to Practice

Brian Grummell — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:19:00 EST

Filed under: Florida, LSU, USC, Washington, SEC, Injuries

Its a simple headline but the implications are immense. Florida quarterback Tim Tebow returned to practice -- albeit in a limited manner -- Tuesday. This more than a week after a concussion against Kentucky left him a physical, hospitalized mess on national television. Florida has yet to publicly name Tebow's backup John Brantley the starter ahead of this week's game against LSU.

Its probably head games, but even if Tebow is 'cleared' Florida would have to be insane to play him. Head injuries are no joke and Tebow has well earned that baby rhinocerus nickname. Mix in his all-out style with LSU's terrific hitting and its an easy call: sit him. LSU is prepared for either quarterback and delaying only makes Meyer look desperate while potentially undermining Brantley before his first career start.

Similar delay arguably affected how USC quarterback Aaron Corp performed while the program stalled hoping freshman Matt Barkley's shoulder would improve in time for the eventual defeat against Washington. It didn't improve, Barkley never took a throw until Friday walk throughs when all game prep had already been handled, and Corp bombed when USC waited until the start of the game to acknowledge him the starter.

Brantley is no Tebow, but he's had plenty of live game reps and several years in the system. There's simply no preparation for going into Death Valley at night, but being a Florida quarterback means knowing that is on the horizon at some point in one's career, which is about as much prep as anyone can have. If his nerves are right, Brantley will be fine.

Tim Tebow Returns to Practice originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:19:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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USC Bores, Excels In New Identity

Brian Grummell — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:23:00 EST

Filed under: California, USC

When in doubt, play defense. That seems to be the philosophy right now at USC, which has taken an offense with nine returning starters and the nation's best offensive line and driven it into a ditch for large stretches of this season. And so it was on the road Saturday, the USC Trojans steadily outplaying the Cal Bears on the way to a 30-3 victory.

Mirroring last week's performance against Washington State, USC came out firing offensively in building a 20-0 second-quarter lead, eventually cooled, and still cruised to victory behind yet another dominating defensive performance. Strange days considering that defense was one of the best of this era last year and graduated the bulk of its talent to the NFL.

That style of play is part of a new reality for USC this year. Despite explosive elements all over the offense, and the occasional scoring outburst, the Trojans seem more content to grind things out and take what comes while letting their underrated defense do the heavy lifting. It's a winning combo but as we've seen already, 1) it won't win every game and 2) doesn't do much for the public that understands offensive efficiency isn't an impossible task in college football. Except for USC.

The defensive numbers all lined up -- three points allowed, Jahvid Best held to just 47 yards, Cal held to a mere 285 yards overall. USC perfectly emulated Oregon's successful strategy from last week, shutting Best down and harassing the increasingly erratic Bear quarterback Kevin Riley. Riley went just 15 for 40 for 199 yards and an interception. With Best hemmed in, USC closed in on Riley and guided him into a 5 for 17 effort in the second half before a helpless home crowd.

This game and the pattern of games before it makes perfectly clear that despite his ability to build a successful running offense year in and year out, Cal coach Jeff Tedford simply cannot compete with USC coach Pete Carroll without an elite quarterback. The closest games between the two have been when Tedford trotted out Kyle Boller and Aaron Rodgers. The math simply isn't there to hang with USC led by the Nate Longshores, Joe Ayoobs and Kevin Rileys of the world.

The inevitable fallout: Cal's Rose Bowl hopes are now dashed, extending the longest Rose Bowl drought in the conference.

Saturday's matchup with Cal is the beginning of a tough stretch for the Trojans. They'll have a bye week to recuperate, but then travel to rival Notre Dame, host Oregon State, then travel to Oregon and Arizona State before hosting Stanford (3-0 in Pac-10 play) and rival UCLA.

The Trojans' success will rest largely with the performance of the defense, but also with the development of freshman quarterback Matt Barkley. Barkley once again showed excellent poise and command of the offense Saturday, but has a tendency to throw rockets -- lots of them. He clearly has a big arm, but if he cannot develop some touch in the short passing game he endangers a significant portion of the Trojans' bread-and-butter looks. It's worth monitoring. Regardless, he survived his second tough road test, completing 57 percent of his passes for 283 yards against a quality Bear secondary.

Teammate Joe McKnight was spectacular, rushing for 119 yards and two touchdowns, including a four-yard trek in the fourth quarter that should temper some fears of a weakened short running game in the absence of Stafon Johnson after his lifting accident earlier in the week.

USC Bores, Excels In New Identity originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What Next For Stafon Johnson, USC?

Brian Grummell — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Injuries

Folks around USC are experiencing those classic feelings of relief Tuesday after senior back Stafon Johnson came out of surgery alive and with a good prognosis after his dramatic weight lifting incident Monday afternoon.

Johnson emerged from seven hours of complicated surgery conscious and cognizant, but unable to speak, communicating through writing and hand signals. He is expected to remain in the hospital for a while and will likely miss the rest of this season.

So, where does that leave his career? And how does USC move forward without its most effective short yardage runner since LenDale White? In the short term there's tremendous uncertainty for both although each has unusual resources at their disposal that could make for a special reunion if the parties can individually clear particular hurdles.

The best news, blunt as it is, is that Johnson's alive. From the first moment the news broke and it was clear he'd been hurt in the throat and neck area, Johnson's situation was made particularly serious. How serious was only later revealed, as reports indicated he had needed medical assistance to simply breathe.

Equally serious, even with breathing assistance his survival was no sure thing. Said Dr. Gudata Hinika, trauma director at California Hospital Medical Center:

Had that been any one of us, meaning me, I would not have survived. His neck was so solid and so muscular, that actually helped maintain his airway. And the discipline one learns from being athletic also really helped him to calm down and just do what he needed to do. He took instruction really well. He's a brilliant guy who understood his situation and handled it well.

Crazy.

Most reports out there point towards his eventual recovery and the doctors are sounding positive, but Conquest Chronicles writer Jim Wyzard, sounds skeptical of a return to football.

Remember this was major surgery. The next few weeks are going to be critical just to get past the complication stage then he will have months of rehab to learn how to breath and swallow in as normal fashion as possible.

I would be ecstatic if Stafon got on the field again...

But after talking to a few MD's I work with here in NYC, I just don't hold out much hope due to the nature of the injury, the apparent extensive reconstruction and the nature of Stafon's position as a running back. He takes a lot of pounding as it is.

Football is the least of Stafon's worries.

So 2010 is up in the air, but that doctor's quote is stirring. If he can somehow return to football, who wouldn't want to be in the trenches with a guy like that who could keep his cool in such dire straits?

The praise came from other corners as well, including USCFootball.com reporter Dan Woike.

Johnson is more than a name or a number. He's not an anonymous guy with a helmet carrying the football. No, Johnson is a person with a huge personality, and he never let anyone forget it.

He's always gracious with his time after practice, even after jokingly telling USC sports information that he's too busy.

He didn't flinch when USC coaches reduced his role this season, asking him to sacrifice carries in order to serve as the team's short-yardage specialist.

No, Johnson put his team before his own goals.

This wasn't the same kid who struggled with his playing time as a freshman. This was a grown up. This was a father. This was what Stafon Johnson had become.

Strong praise.

Johnson's eligibility is a concern, having participated in four years of football that clock is set to expire once the season ends. However, USC's official blog asserts he has a case for a 'medical hardship' redshirt with the NCAA. Mechanics below:

According to NCAA rules, players can apply for a "medical hardship" to receive an extra year of eligibility if they play in 30 percent of the team's games (fractions are rounded up) during the first half of the season and then suffer serious season-ending injuries.

So, in the cases of Johnson, [defensive tackle Hebron] Fangupo and [safety Marshall] Jones, all played in either three or four games, which qualifies them for a hardship since 30 percent of a 12 game season is 3.6, which is rounded up to four games. A bowl game would make the season 13 games, and 30 percent of that is 3.9, which is again rounded up to four games. Either way, all three players meet the criteria for a medical hardship under the NCAA rules.

As for USC, they will most certainly miss Johnson's uncanny skills in goal line and short yardage situations. Johnson may not have had Joe McKnight's burst and explosiveness, but in the last year he developed an uncanny, unteachable ability to find the end zone and gain tough yards under pressure. Whether that can be replicated is unknown, but if any team can summon those skills from its roster, its USC.

The obvious beneficiary here is McKnight, already the Trojans' featured back as the gap between him and his backfield mates just widened. Johnson had been little used so far between the 20's, those carries going to McKnight and powerful, speedy Allen Bradford. What little he received, will now likely go to C.J. Gable who has seen his role shrink in 2009.

Once inside the 20's, the obvious choice might be the 230-pound Bradford but I have my doubts. His one cut skills could come in handy in power looks, but he's never shown the ability to gain yards on plays where patience and instincts are needed. Little-used but plus-sized Marc Tyler could be an answer, but his health has held him back. Once again that task might fall upon McKnight or an outsider: fullback Stanley Havili.

Havili has seen his workload, particularly carries, increase in recent games. He is a legitimate offensive force who has shown he can get into the end zone during his career. Whether any of those options is enough to replace Johnson is unknown but likely to be settled very soon as USC enters a dangerous stretch at Cal, at Notre Dame, home against Oregon State, at Oregon and at surprising defensive standout Arizona State.

USC is fortunate to have the backfield depth it does, but outside of raw speed, no skill is harder to find or teach than the ability to make plays in short yardage situations and inside the red zone and at the goal line.

As for how this affects the team, its clear from the support he's received that Johnson is an outspoken team leader type. He'll clearly be missed by a team facing great expectations still finding its way. Perhaps they'll slump in the shock of what's happened, or perhaps they'll come together, similar to the publicized Lean On Me song incident. Who knows.

What a reunion that might be, a guy capable of commanding immediate respect for what he's gone through. Something similar happened when USC welcomed back defensive back Antuan Simmons in 2001. Simmons nearly died in 2000 when doctors discovered a benign abdominal tumor that required a pair of dangerous surgeries that had clergy reading him his death rites several times.

Before the ordeal he was an All-America candidate, but he never quite recovered. He rallied enough to make it onto the field his senior year as a solid free safety and made a spectacular between-the-legs interception he returned for a touchdown in USC's 27-0 stonewalling of rival UCLA that kickstarted the program late in Pete Carroll's first season at Troy.

Johnson doesn't need to make as spectacular a return, simply being on the field would be inspirational enough.

What Next For Stafon Johnson, USC? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mishaps Waiting to Strike While Lifting

Lonnie White — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: USC

It doesn't matter if you've played in the NFL or just worked out with free weights at your local health club, the danger of being injured weightlifting exists every time a person does a lifting workout.

And, it can happen at any time and it doesn't matter if you have a spotter in place or not.

That certainly was the case for USC senior running back Stafon Johnson, who had to go through a seven-hour surgical procedure to repair injuries to his windpipe and larynx sustained when he dropped a weight bar on his neck while bench-pressing Monday.

The good news is that Johnson is expected to make a full recovery and according to reports, he has been able to communicate non-verbally with his family members and teammates.

"He's not talking, but he was doing his wave and writing," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "It's very uplifting for his mom and his family and all the guys who got a chance to go down there."

"As a former college athlete ... I find it amazing that freak accidents -- like what happened to Johnson -- don't happen more often"
For today's modern college football player, lifting weights and pushing through off-the-field workouts has become a way of life. And as a former college athlete who has spent more than a fair share of hours in weight rooms, I find it amazing that freak accidents -- like what happened to Johnson -- don't occur more often.

Just think about it. Thousands of college athletes are required to work out with weights every day and with every lift, there's always a risk of something going wrong.

When I was in college, every year someone connected with one of the athletic programs was injured (normally by a dropped weight on a foot or leg) in an off-the-field training accident. One time it was a sprinter on the track team, the next time it was a lineman on the football team and another time, it was a reserve forward on the basketball team.

In each case, there was a spotter in position to help with the lift but that really didn't make a difference. That's because there are so many other factors that can lead to freak weight lifting accidents, from working out too early in the morning when your body is still drowsy from the day before or an accident caused by lack of strength from an injury that has yet to be treated properly.

"Normally, you don't worry about injuries like that in the weight room," Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson said on Tuesday. "It's usually the safest place on campus because you have so many bodies down there helping out. I don't know what exactly happened [with Johnson] but it seems to me to be just a freak accident. We've had guys get hurt in the weight room from just lifting, like injuring a shoulder, but we've never had something tragic like what happened to Stafon."

For me, the most frightening incident actually happened when I was in the role of a spotter. It was after a midweek football practice and I was helping out a linebacker with his workout. He was tired and was on the final set on the incline bench. But the weight was a little too heavy for him at the time and his arm buckled underneath the barbell.

At first, I panicked as the weights crashed on top of his head, but then I gathered myself and helped cushion the blow, hurting my hand in the process. But in a split second, we both suffered minor injuries. The linebacker endured a cut on his forehead and I sprained a couple of fingers.

Coaches do their best to prevent these type of incidents from happening but for the amount of lifting required to stay on pace with today's top programs, it's more about luck than weightlifting rules that keep accidents from occurring more often.

Mishaps Waiting to Strike While Lifting originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stafon Johnson's Season Likely Over After Serious Lifting Injury

Brian Grummell — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:48:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Injuries

Update: Stafon Johnson left surgery around midnight last night, after doctors worked on him for around seven hours. Johnson is expected to make a full recovery but is unlikely to play again this season.

Earlier: USC's official football blog says the bar slipped out of his right hand and fell at an angle onto his throat. He is now having surgery on his throat. USC says he had a spotter but it was an extremely unusual situation.

Earlier: ESPN's SportsCenter is reporting that USC tailback Stafon Johnson was hospitalized after a lifting accident. A bar apparently fell on Johnson's throat while lifting. Little else is known at this time. ESPN's Shelley Smith said Johnson was coughing up blood and bleeding from the nose, adding that his situation is "very serious" and that possibly he would need surgery.

Head strength and conditioning coach Chris Carlisle, who was within 10 feet of the incident, said he was shocked something like this could happen.

"I've seen players have the bar slip and fall onto their chest, but never in my 25 years of coaching have I heard of someone dropping a bar on their throat," Carlisle said. "We're fortunate he was being spotted."

The bench press is commonly regarded as one of the safest exercises in the weight room, especially with a spotter, Carlisle said. An assistant strength and conditioning coach was spotting Johnson this morning.

Johnson is a senior running back who has found a role as the Trojans' go-to runner in tight situations -- third downs and near the goal line. He tops USC this year with five rushing touchdowns.

Stafon Johnson's Season Likely Over After Serious Lifting Injury originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sarkisian Groomed for Upsets Like This

Lonnie White — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:43:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Washington, Pac 10, Coaching

For those who know Washington's Steve Sarkisian and have followed his journey from unknown junior college quarterback to first-year Pac-10 head coach, the Huskies' 16-13 victory over USC on Saturday should not come as a surprise.

That's because Sarkisian is a true idealist and competitor who had prepared himself for this moment for years.

And USC coach Pete Carroll -- the ultimate optimistic who loves every challenge -- knew this as well as anyone.

For seven seasons, Sarkisian worked under Carroll as an offensive assistant for the Trojans and although they may not have been best friends, the coaches grew close enough to respect the other's will to compete.

How could they not after spending so much time together?

From eating late night meals and holding team meetings to traveling on recruiting trips and playing pick-up basketball, it was always Sarkisian and Carroll.

A lot of time to get to know each other's tendencies and for people like Sarkisian and Carroll, that's the definition of competition.

"As far as the relationship going into this game, there's nothing I've liked more than playing against people that I really love, and friends and people that I've worked with," Carroll said prior to Saturday's game. "For whatever sordid reason that is, I don't know. I can't explain it, but it's fun to go against our guys. It will be fun to match up with a program that is similar to ours."

Unfortunately for Carroll, years from now it's likely that Sarkisian will remember Saturday's matchup as fun.

Early on, however, it certainly didn't look like it would end up that way for Sarkisian and the Huskies.

With third-year sophomore quarterback Aaron Corp making his first start due to an injury to true freshman Matt Barkley, USC featured a punishing ground game and took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.

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SEATTLE - SEPTEMBER 19: Wide receiver Devin Aguilar #9 of the Washington Huskies just misses this catch at the goal line against Josh Pinkard #36 of the USC Trojans on September 19, 2009 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. The Huskies defeated the Trojans 16-13. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Josh Pinkard;Devin Aguilar

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AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 19: Head coach Bill Stewart of the West Virginia Mountaineers yells to his players against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Bill Stewart

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AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 19: Head coach Gene Chizik of the Auburn Tigers looks on during the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Gene Chizik

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AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 19: Quarterback Chris Todd #12 of the Auburn Tigers looks upfield against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Chris Todd

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AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 19: Quarterback Chris Todd #12 of the Auburn Tigers rushes upfield against Franchot Allen #20 of the West Virginia Mountaineers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Chris Todd;Franchot Allen

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AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 19: A general view of Jordan-Hare Stadium during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the West Virginia Mountaineers on September 19, 2009 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 19: Noel Devine #7 of the West Virginia Mountaineers tackles Jake Ricks #91 of the Auburn Tigers returns an interception at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Noel Devine;Jake Ricks

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TEMPE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 19: Runningback Ryan Bass #1 of the Arizona State Sun Devils rushes the ball for 5 yards against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks during the college football game at Sun Devil Stadium on September 19, 2008 in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated the Warhawks 38-14. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ryan Bass

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AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 19: Noel Devine #7 of the West Virginia Mountaineers scores a touchdown against Neiko Thorpe #15 of the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Noel Devine;Neiko Thorpe

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AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 19: Craig Stevens #46 (L) and Michael Goggans #49 (R) of the Auburn Tigers tackle quarterback Jarrett Brown #16 of the West Virginia Mountaineers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Craig Stevens;Jarrett Brown;Michael Goggans

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"Early in the game, you would have thought we would have gotten beat, 50-0," Sarkisian told reporters after the Huskies defeated USC for the first time since 2001 and avenged last season's 59-0 loss to the Trojans at the Coliseum.

The Huskies definitely looked like an overmatched team. Washington's defense was getting chopped up and the Trojans' running backs Joe McKnight and Stafon Johnson ran through holes big enough to fit Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming at the same time.

But Sarkisian did not panic and his team responded. Once the Huskies figured out Carroll's conservative approach with Corp, Washington concentrated on shutting down USC's rushing attack on running downs.

A tactic that worked to perfection when the Trojans kept to the ground and failed to take advantage Corps' mobility (his biggest asset as a quarterback) by keeping him in the pocket.

"We didn't throw the ball very well today," Carroll said after the game. "It was obvious. We threw the ball for 110 yards and couldn't get the ball down the field. We rarely get in that situation."

Throughout the game, USC seemed content not to take chances passing the ball and this allowed Washington defensive coordinator Nick Holt, who spent six seasons as an assistant working under Carroll at USC, to dictate play for much of the final three quarters.

Even when the Trojans had the Huskies on the rope, their conservative approach hurt them. That was the case late in the fourth quarter.

With Washington leading, 13-10, USC drove the ball to the Huskies' 11, thanks to two misdirection runs by McKnight and Johnson. But after catching Holt's defense off-guard for big gains, two of USC's next three plays were similar runs behind the right side of the line, which forced the Trojans to settle for a field goal to tie the score at 13-13 setting the stage for Sarkisian's biggest competitive move of the game.

With the Huskies needing only a field goal to win, Sarkisian did not force things with his play-calling on the Huskies' final drive. Instead of looking for big pass plays down the field, Washington quarterback Jake Locker was given plenty to work with underneath and that was a big plus against the Trojans' aggressive defense.

Yet, early in the game-winning drive, USC still had Washington's offense under control when the Huskies were stuck with a third-down and 15 from their own 28-yard line.

Following a time-out called by Carroll, who was looking to get the ball back to win the game, Sarkisian outguessed his mentor. Knowing Carroll's tendency to play it safe with a two-deep safety coverage in situations like this, Washington called on a pass play in the middle of the field.

With USC opting not to blitz and rush only four players, Locker had enough time to complete a key 21-yard pass to tight end Jermaine Kearse for a first down to keep the Huskies' drive alive.

The rest is history. Even though Washington made a couple of more big plays that led up to Erik Folk's game-clinching 22-yard field goal, the true turning point was Sarkisian's third down call to find Kearse.

It's a play that Carroll will remember and a moment Sarkisian likely had envisioned before.

That's what competition is all about.

Sarkisian Groomed for Upsets Like This originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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