Trojans feel aftershocks

Gary Klein Los Angeles Times

After USC's team charter returned to Los Angeles in the wee hours of Friday morning, defensive tackle Fili Moala went home to sleep off the previous night's disappointment.

"I thought I would wake up and feel better," Moala said softly, breaking the midday silence in Heritage Hall. "But I was like, 'Man. We really did lose.' "

Moala, his teammates and coaches -- and legions of college football fans -- were still mulling the Trojans' 27-21 loss to Oregon State, a 25 1/2 -point underdog, that will knock USC from atop the polls.

USC won't find out how far it fell until Sunday, but rankings were far from the Trojans' minds a day after Oregon State physically punished them in their Pacific 10 Conference opener.

"We're going to be fighting a long time to recover from the first game," Coach Pete Carroll said.

USC simply never matched Oregon State's emotion on a night when an orange-clad crowd at Reser Stadium buoyed the Beavers.

The Trojans did not look ready, especially in the first half when they fell behind 21-0.

"I don't think we took them lightly," Moala said. "I think it was just hard for us to just get going."

Carroll, who is on the road recruiting this weekend, took the blame.

"It's about carrying the focus of practice to the game and I didn't do a good enough job," he said by phone. "It has to start with me."

Oregon State beat USC by playing more physical than perhaps any team since Texas in the 2006 Bowl Championship Series title game. The style, as much as the result, shocked the Trojans and a national television audience.

"We just got beat up front," Carroll said. "The reasons are real hard to nail because we practiced well, but by the time we got to game time we didn't have the edge we needed."

The Beavers wavered some in the third quarter, giving up two touchdowns and having a field-goal attempt blocked. But they collected themselves and went on to finish the job.

USC aided its demise by failing to wrap up 5-foot-7 freshman Jacquizz Rodgers, who seemed to spin away from would-be tacklers on nearly every one of his 37 carries for 186 yards.

Rodgers got help from his brother, James, a receiver who was sent in motion throughout the game but rarely got the ball on reverses that USC never stopped anticipating.

The strategy allowed Jacquizz to run his basic play over and over again from various formations.

"They didn't hide what they were doing, they just did it and we couldn't stop it," Carroll said after the game.

USC's offensive line also had problems. The Trojans gave up only one sack, but an Oregon State front seven devoid of any starters from last season's highly regarded unit pressured quarterback Mark Sanchez most of the game.

The Trojans mishandled several stunts that they took care of with ease in their first two games. USC also hurt itself with seven penalties, including four personal fouls, and turnovers by tailback Joe McKnight and Sanchez.

"I didn't make any plays," McKnight said dejectedly as he sat in his locker room dressing stall after the game. "They trusted me with the ball and I dropped it."

McKnight's second-quarter fumble led to an Oregon State touchdown. He recovered his own fumbled punt in the fourth quarter, but he let several kicks bounce until they were downed by Oregon State deep in USC territory.

Late in the fourth quarter, with USC trailing, 21-14, a punted ball rolled to the two. Three plays later, Oregon State intercepted a Sanchez pass to set up the decisive touchdown.

USC players did not point fingers, each position group shouldering blame.

"We all had our share in the loss," Sanchez said afterward.

USC was off Friday and will not practice again until Monday. Linebacker Rey Maualuga is scheduled to have an MRI exam for a knee sprain and offensive lineman Zack Heberer (toe) could miss time, but Carroll said Brian Cushing (broken hand bone) and safety Taylor Mays (chest bruise) would be fine.

"We're still best friends, we're still family, we're still going to come and practice hard on Monday," Mays said in the locker room. "We're still USC and that means something."

What it means to pollsters, and to the humbled Trojans' chances of playing for a national title, remains to be seen.

Failing to win the 'little one' has USC in big trouble again

Chris Dufresne Los Angeles Times

Wait a timber-lodge, Mike Riley, Trojans-killer minute: USC wasn't supposed to lose to thatthat OSU.

Ohio State . . . maybe.

But not Oregon State, the team that recently lost at Penn State by 31.

Now comes the hard part: "Now what?"

USC Coach Pete Carroll has another long weekend to offer "teachable lessons."

Maybe he'll learn some himself as he absorbs the undeniable truth that has become USC: Being so raring to go in nonconference Brent Musburger showcases and so absent-minded in conference games against the "little dudes" (Stanford, UCLA, Jacquizz Rodgers).

How did a trip to pick up a win turn into pick-up-the-pieces?

For a third consecutive season, an early defeat to an unranked Pacific 10 Conference opponent may cost USC a shot at the national championship.

Also, for a third straight year, there is still time to clear the blemish.

Losing at 25 1/2 -point underdog Oregon State on the eve of the first Harris Interactive Poll, though, was not good timing.

"They couldn't block Oregon State," incredulous Harris poll voter Gil Brandt, the longtime Dallas Cowboys executive, said Friday. "I was shocked."

Tom Luicci of the Newark Star-Ledger, another panelist, wasn't sold on USC from the beginning. "Considering this first Harris poll is supposed to be based on what we've seen, I don't think you can say that USC is a top-10 team at this point," he said.

Fran Curci, former coach at Miami and Kentucky and current Harris pollster, wasn't sure what he was watching Thursday night. "I think this really hurts USC," he said. "They never should have lost that game."

And Harris voter Blair Kerkhoff, who covers colleges for the Kansas City Star, chimed in that USC "came out flatter than a $700-billion bailout offer."

Ouch.

The Harris poll is part of the Bowl Championship Series standings formula that will determine the two national title game participants. The first BCS standings won't be released until Oct. 19.

Above everything else, though, the most important thing to remember about the BCS is that it's like the weather in Buffalo.

When you think it's moving left, it jags right.

USC is not out of the national title race -- not by any Yao Ming stretch.

In 2003, the Trojans lost in triple overtime at California on Sept. 27, dropped from No. 3 to No. 10 in the Associated Press poll, and recovered to finish No. 1 in both polls and win a share of the national title.

In 2006, a loss at Oregon State on Oct. 28 dropped USC from No. 3 to No. 8 in the BCS standings, yet the Trojans made it all the way back to No. 2 and were playing for a trip to the national title game when they lost to UCLA, 13-9.

Last year, a stunning home loss to 41-point underdog Stanford at the Coliseum on Oct. 6 seemingly crushed No. 2 USC's national title hopes.

Two weeks later, USC debuted at No. 14 in the first BCS standings.

No way to recover from that, right?

As it ended up, USC would have gone back to the national title game had it not suffered a second loss, to Oregon on Oct. 27.

We've seen this BCS movie more often than we've seen "Caddyshack."

Last year, Ohio State lost at home in November to Illinois and made it back to No. 1, and Louisiana State lost its last regular-season game, at home, and won the national title.

There's a difference, though, for this year's Trojans.

"They've got a harder road," Brandt said.

Harris pollsters can't say for sure how far USC will drop until weekend games are completed. You might expect, though, a tumble into the teens.

Can USC climb back from that?

The Pac-10, which has taken a drubbing on the field and in the media, is going to be a drag on this USC mountain climb.

"Perception of conference strength could be the difference-maker if a bunch have the same record and the group includes the SEC and Big 12 champions," Kerkhoff said.

USC can also get pulled down by the BCS computers.

Brandt said he has moved USC into the category of "teams that can win the national championship but need outside help."

The other problem facing USC is lack of traction.

There is not a school left on the Trojans' schedule that is currently ranked in the AP top 25, although Oregon is on the cusp.

The BCS storm cellar door on USC isn't closed, but Auntie Em can't stand there waiting for Dorothy forever.

The Trojans have to win out and probably hope the Big Ten champion is Ohio State and the Big 12 champion loses twice.

You can bet Phil Fulmer's farm a two-loss SEC champion is going to get one of the championship game bids. But you can never, ever -- in a sport that combines heartbreak, belly laughs and decimal points to produce its champion -- predict how two more full months of season are going to play out.

Last year, No. 2 was the last place you wanted to be ranked. Six schools got there and then walked the poll plank.

Maybe this is the year No. 1 keeps getting blindsided.

All USC can do now is win. And wait.

Plenty of blame to go around after USC loss

Los Angeles Times

Joe McKnight and Mark Sanchez each take responsibility as Trojans wait to see how far they will fall in polls.

By Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

USC can only sit and wait until Sunday to see how far it will fall in the polls.

But in the immediate aftermath of Oregon State's upset of the soon-to-be-previously-top-ranked Trojans, no USC player appeared more distraught than tailback Joe McKnight.

"I didn't make any plays," McKnight said quietly, shaking his head as he sat at his locker room dressing stall. "They trusted me with the ball, and I dropped it."

McKnight's second-quarter fumble led to an Oregon State touchdown and a 21-0 halftime lead for the Beavers.

The sophomore from Louisiana had taken a snap out of the shotgun formation, faked a handoff to fellow tailback Allen Bradford and then ran to his left. But an Oregon State defender knocked the ball out of McKnight's hands, and another Beavers player recovered it, setting the stage for an 11-play scoring drive.

McKnight also fumbled a punt in the fourth quarter but fell on the ball. Several other Oregon State punts rolled untouched deep into USC territory, giving the Trojans poor field position through most of the game.

McKnight finished with 10 yards in seven carries and caught three passes for 29 yards. Junior Stafon Johnson also got seven carries and rushed for 48 yards. Sophomore C.J. Gable gained 19 yards in three carries while Bradford, who starred during spring practice and training camp, did not get a carry.

Trojans players did not point fingers, each position group shouldering the blame for the defeat.

"We all had our share in the loss," quarterback Mark Sanchez said before putting the defeat on himself.

McKnight, like Sanchez, singled out himself.

"My game just didn't come to me," he said.

USC football coach Carroll points to losing battle in the trenches

PE.com

By DAN WEBER
The Press-Enterprise
If USC fans felt broadsided by what happened in Corvallis, Ore., on Thursday night, try to imagine what the USC coaches felt like.

"I don't know why it went away so fast, but it did," USC coach Pete Carroll said of the vigor and energy that marked the first two games for his soon-to-be-no-longer-top-ranked Trojans.

On on a conference call from out on the recruiting trail Friday evening, a subdued Carroll tried to focus on the future but answerd questions mostly about Thursday.

Carroll's quick analysis: USC's embarrassing downfall happened because of "lack of execution up front," but he didn't say why it happened. "I wish it were easier to tell you, but ..."

After watching the film, and talking to his players, he could tell you what Oregon State did so well that Ohio State and Virginia did not -- the "penetration" that came as a result of the the way the Beavers "come upfield at you more aggressive."

Especially in the first half.

"The whole thing in the first half of the was converting," Carroll said. "We had three three-and-outs."

Carroll was most disappointed with the way USC failed to convert on a thrd-and-1 and a third-and-2.

"Those were things we thought we could do," Carroll said of plays that saw Oregon State defenders get to the point of attack before USC blockers and ball carriers.

"A big disappointment," Carroll said. "A big disappointment. We can't win playing like that."

But with OSU managing to convert by giving the ball to one back 37 times, freshman Jacquizz Rodgers, and watching him gain 100 yards more, 186 to 86, than four Trojans ball carriers could, was not going to change his thinking on rotating runners in and out at tailback.

"A real contrast," Carroll said, "but we're not changing that at all."

What this one was all about was execution -- and not just by the USC's players.

"I didn't do a good-enough job," Carroll said. "It starts with me."

But it ended with what happened on the field, so different from the first two games.

And yet when the USC team returns to meet Sunday evening, there will be little looking back, Carroll said. That's the way USC approached the 10-day buildup for this game with the Trojans spending little time looking back to the last time USC played, and failed to get started until well into the third quarter, in Corvallis before coming up "too little, too late."

"We were a step behind," Carroll said, coming back to the theme of where USC goes now.

Last year's team dropped to 13th before working its way back to the Rose Bowl and finishing in the top four and geeting a BCS bowl for the sixth straight season.

When things broke down, Carroll said, "we just got beat up front," despite practices that told him just the opposite: that his team was ready to handle that part of the game.

"We lost it between Thursday and Saturday, or whatever day it was," Carroll said.

After the game, Carroll said the players he talked to gave him different feedback. Some like Brian Cushing said they "didn't know why."

Others, like quarterback Mark Sanchez said all the Trojans had a hand in this one.

"We all had our share," Sanchez said.

Injury Updates

Rey Maualuga will get an MRI on his sprained left knee Monday, Carroll said. The good news is "it didn't swell up," he said.

The broken bone in Brian Cushing's hand has already been casted and "he'll be able to play," Carroll said.

Taylor Mays' bruised chest won't hold him back.

But the jury is out on Zack Heberer's sprained toe. USC will have to wait and see on that one.

Southern Cal-Oregon St. Preview

ESPN

Southern California traveled to the East Coast and crushed a team from the ACC, and followed that up by pounding a Big Ten opponent that was ranked fifth at the time.

Done humiliating non-conference opponents for a while, the top-ranked Trojans move on to where they're even more dominant -- Pac-10 play.

USC begins its quest for a seventh straight conference crown Thursday night, as it opens its Pac-10 schedule with its first visit to Oregon State since a stunning loss two years ago.

The Trojans (2-0) haven't played since defeating then-No. 5 Ohio State 35-3 on Sept. 13 in what was billed as a showdown between two of the best teams in the country.

USC, however, made the Buckeyes look rather ordinary as it established itself as a favorite to win the national title.

"If we can keep this momentum going and we can keep our playmakers showing up, we're going to be really tough," USC coach Pete Carroll said.

That win came one week after the Trojans' season-opening 52-7 victory at Virginia. USC has won in such convincing fashion in the early going that some are comparing it to the 2003 and '04 national championship-winning Trojans squads led by Heisman Trophy winners Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush.

Carroll isn't interested in entertaining those thoughts at this point.

"We've played two nice football games and that's it," Carroll said. "We're not even through the first quarter of the season yet. To figure out how we compare is hasty."

Carroll wants his team to focus first on getting through the conference schedule unscathed.

USC went 7-2 against the Pac-10 last season to win its sixth straight conference title -- all under Carroll. The Trojans have won 44 of 50 conference games since their league title streak began in 2002, and have not dropped a Pac-10 opener since losing 34-31 at California in overtime in 2003.

USC defeated Oregon State 24-3 on Nov. 3, but in its last trip to Corvallis on Oct. 28, 2006, the then-No. 3 Trojans were shocked 33-31, ending the program's 38-game regular-season winning streak.

The Trojans' offense and defense are among the nation's best as they return to Oregon State.

Mark Sanchez threw four touchdown passes against Ohio State, and has thrown for 510 yards, seven TDs and two interceptions this season.

Joe McKnight rushed for 105 yards on 12 carries last week after carrying the ball six times for 60 yards in the win over Virginia.

"He's so explosive," Sanchez said of McKnight. "When he's got time, when he's got a little space, anything can happen."

USC has yielded the fewest points in the nation and is allowing 197.0 yards per game, second-best in the country. The defense has forced seven turnovers and recorded seven sacks.

"It's just a really good football team," Beavers coach Mike Riley said of USC. "It has a lot of speed and size. On defense they are overwhelming and on offense they are very balanced. That's always very dangerous."

Oregon State (1-2, 0-1) hasn't played since a 45-7 victory over Hawaii on Sept. 13, finally winning after a season-opening 36-28 loss to Stanford on Aug. 28 and a 45-14 defeat to then-No. 19 Penn State on Sept. 6.

Jacquizz Rodgers rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns against the Warriors, becoming the school's first true freshman to run for 100 yards in a game since Steven Jackson in 2001 at USC. In his last two games, the 5-foot-7 Rodgers has rushed for 209 yards and four touchdowns.

Rodgers' older brother, sophomore slot back James Rodgers, has 13 catches for 159 yards and a score this season.

"These are two fine kids," said Riley, a former USC assistant coach, "and they've added a lot to our program already."

USC CB Wright to be sidelined with vertebrae hairline fracture

ESPN

Top-ranked USC will be without its top coverman for the next few weeks. After Monday's practice Trojan coach Pete Carroll announced that cornerback Shareece Wright will be out "a number of weeks" after sustaining a hairline fracture in one of his vertebrae. The Trojans are hopeful he can return by early November.

"Things happen," Carroll said. "Unfortunately for Shareece, this is going to be a long recovery for him."

The injury is believed to have occurred during the third quarter of the Trojans' 35-3 victory over Ohio State Sept. 13. Initially it was thought to be a stinger. Wright, a junior, was held out of practice last week while still experiencing pain in his neck.

He practiced Sunday but was held out of contact drills and was not cleared for full contact before getting evaluated and diagnosed earlier Monday.

"He was in surprisingly good spirits," Trojan secondary coach Rocky Seto said of Wright, who was not at Monday's practice. "And we're all really thankful because it could've been a lot worse."

Trojan coaches have been raving about Wright's ability for weeks, suggesting he might emerge as the best corner USC has had in the Carroll era. In addition to Wright having great quickness, Carroll has gushed about Wright's toughness and his knack for making plays. Wright also is one of the Trojans' gunners on their punt coverage unit.

In Wright's absence, senior Josh Pinkard, who started six games in 2005 at cornerback for USC before a pair of serious knee injuries derailed his career, will become the starting corner opposite Cary Harris.

Pinkard also has played a lot at corner in the Trojans' first two games as part of their defensive rotation with Wright and Harris.

"Josh is really good," Seto said of the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder. "He's fast, physical and has tremendous ball skills."

The injury hinders the Trojans' depth. USC's four-man rotation at corner likely becomes a three-man platoon with Kevin Thomas becoming the first guy off the bench. Blue-chip freshman T.J. Bryant will be available, but the coaches would prefer not to burn his redshirt season if they don't have to.

Monday's diagnosis is the latest twist for Wright, who has been in the news a lot in the last few weeks. Last Wednesday, Wright was arraigned in San Bernardino County Superior Court in connection with an incident at a Sept. 7 party that led to his being charged with felony resisting a police officer. Carroll has said Wright was being disciplined internally for that situation.

Weekly Thoughts 9-16

Garry Paskwietz WeAreSC.com

That game on Saturday was a reminder of just how powerful and explosive the Trojans can be. Ohio State, by all accounts, had been one of the elite programs in college football over the past seven years but the Trojans made them look ordinary and it will be interesting to see what kind of impact it has on the Buckeye program.

Teams like that aren't used to getting beat like that and it can take some time before they regain their footing at such a high level. If you don't believe it, check with the Oklahoma Sooners. They are only now beginning to look like the team that entered the Orange Bowl thinking they were going to beat the Trojans a few years back.

There is now a steady drumbeat of support for Mark Sanchez to enter the Heisman race after being named the Pac-10 Player of the Week for each of the games USC has played this season. It's way too early to get serious about the Heisman but this much is clear, the field is wide open as of now. There is going to be a lot of resistance to Tim Tebow since he won it last year as a sophomore so it figures that the other names to receive a lot of attention would include Chase Daniel, Matt Stafford and Sam Bradford, among others. Looking at that list, I don't see anybody who has played at a higher level so far than Mark so it's not inconceivable to think that he might actually have a chance if he can continue playing good football.

Another Trojan who put himself in a strong position for a national award last weekend was Rey Maualuga. His interception return for a touchdown is the kind of play that will be shown over and over again this year when his name comes up. The fact that it happened against James Laurinitis and the Buckeyes means that it would take a huge effort for Laurinitis to overtake Rey. In fact, the biggest competition Rey may face for the Butkus Award could come from teammate Brian Cushing.

Yes, we have big names like Sanchez and Maualuga but you can make a case for the MVP of the Trojans to this point for Jeff Byers. The senior left guard has solidified what was a shaky offensive line in the first two weeks of camp and he has turned that unit into one that has done a fantastic job protecting Mark Sanchez and opening up lanes for the running backs. Byers has shown true leadership skills in guiding this young line and his efforts should not go unnoticed.

WeAreSC has been granted access to show three minutes of footage from Trojan games and this past Saturday marked our first edition of showcasing the USC home game experience complete with game highlights, the Trojan Walk, the pre-game entrance of the team coming out of the tunnel and much more. It may not be a replacement for Trojan Rewind but hopefully it will give you a look at the atmosphere surrounding the USC vs Ohio State game. Click here to watch: USC vs OSU game day video

Two of the top Trojan recruits for the Class of 2009 will be on display this Friday, September 19th at 8:30 on Fox Sports West as the Mater Dei Monarchs take on the Centennial Huskies. The two teams come in ranked #1 and #3 in the ESPN710 high school poll and feature QB Matt Barkley, the top ranked offensive player in the state, against Vontaze Burfict, the top ranked defensive player in the state. The Monarchs also have a top junior offensive lineman in Chris Ward but he has not played yet this year due to injury and may not play in this game either. We will see sophomore receiver Victor Blackwell for Mater Dei and he has a bright future. Don't forget to listen to the ESPN 710 radio high school scoreboard show on Fridays from 10-midnight for all the prep updates throughout Southern California.

There have been recent reports on the internet that the Trojans have stopped recruiting AZ defensive tackle Corey Adams. These reports are not true. The USC coaches have been in contact with Adams several times in recent weeks and there is still plenty of interest in the big man.

Had a chance to watch Birmingham receiver De'von Flournoy last week in the Birmingham loss to Crespi. Flournoy is a nice player, long arms, good speed and athletic ability. He isn't a dominant player yet but there will definitely be a role for him at USC. He reminded me a lot of Brandon Carswell with his frame and the way he moved on the field. We already have Alshon Jeffrey as a prototype "#1" receiver for this class and Flournoy is the type of player who will complement him nicely.

It's amazing how much Curtis McNeal looks like Desmond Reed on the practice field while wearing his #22 jersey.