USC Makes Mistakes, But Blows Out ASU

2008 USC Trojans Head Coach: Pete Carroll

USC Trojans

Oct. 11
USC 28 … Arizona State 0
Joe McKnight ran for a career-high 143 yards and Mark Sanchez ran for a short score and threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Damian Williams in an easy USC win. The defense held Arizona State to a mere 229 yards and forced four turnovers including a pick six from Kevin Thomas in the second quarter. Stafon Johnson finished off the scoring with a two-yard run in the fourth. ASU’s Thomas Weber got two field goal attempts blocked in the third quarter.
Player of the game: USC RB Joe McKnight ran 11 times for 143 yards and caught a pass for seven yards.
Stat Leaders: Arizona State - Passing: Rudy Carpenter, 11-20, 126 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Dimitri Nance, 14-64. Receiving: Dimitri Nance, 5-31
USC - Passing: Mark Sanchez, 13-26, 179 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Joe McKnight, 11-143. Receiving: Ronald Johnson, 3-71
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... USC turned it over five times and committed 10 penalties against Arizona State, and it was still an easy win. The Trojans aren’t going to be able to get away with a sloppy performance like this against Cal or even Arizona down the road, but give credit to the defense for not letting the Sun Devils breathe. Mark Sanchez struggled with his consistency and made a few too many mistakes, but again, 28-0. If you don’t come close to bringing your A game and you win 28-0, you’re doing something right.

- 2008 USC Preview
- 2007 USC Season

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 10-2
2008 Record: 4-1

Aug. 30 at Virginia W 52-7
Sept. 6 OPEN DATE
Sept. 13 Ohio State W 35-7
Sept. 20 OPEN DATE
Sept. 25 at Oregon St L 27-21
Oct. 4 Oregon W 44-10
Oct. 11 Arizona State W 28-0
Oct. 18 at Washington State
Oct. 25 at Arizona
Nov. 1 Washington
Nov. 8 California
Nov. 15 at Stanford
Nov. 22 OPEN DATE
Nov. 29 Notre Dame
Dec. 6 at UCLA

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 12-0
2007 Record: 11-2

Sept. 1 Idaho W 38-10
Sept. 15 at Nebraska W 49-31
Sept. 22 Washington St W 47-14
Sept. 29 at Washington W 27-24
Oct. 6 Stanford L 24-23
Oct. 13 Arizona W 20-13
Oct. 20 at Notre Dame  W 38-0
Oct. 27 at Oregon L 24-17
Nov. 3 Oregon State W 24-3
Nov. 10 at California W 24-17
Nov. 23 at Arizona St W 44-24
Dec. 1 UCLA W 24-7
Rose Bowl
Jan. 1 Illinois W 49-17

Oct. 4
USC 44 … Oregon 10
Oregon scored first on a one-yard Jeremiah Johnson run, and took a 10-3 lead midway though the second quarter on a 24-yard Matt Evenson field goal. And then all thoughts of Oregon State Part 2 quickly faded as Mark Sanchez kicked off a run of 41 unanswered points with a 34-yard strike to Damian Williams. A 63-yard bomb to Ronald Johnson gave the Trojans the lead for good, and then a 10-point run in the final 40 seconds, with Sanchez hitting Patrick Turner for an 11-yard touchdown with 16 seconds to play to capitalize off an Oregon fumble. The Trojans finished with 598 yards of total offense including 443 yards passing, helped by 111 from backup Mitch Mustain.
Player of the game: USC QB Mark Sanchez completed 19-of-28 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Oregon - Passing: Jeremiah Masoli, 18-29, 156 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Jeremiah Johnson, 13-45, 1 TD. Receiving: Terence Scott, 5-46
USC - Passing: Mark Sanchez, 19-28, 332, yds, 3 TD
Rushing: C.J. Gable, 10-49. Receiving: Joe McKnight, 5-86
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... No one feeds off positive momentum like USC. Once the ball gets rolling, it’s over. Oregon played well for about 20 minutes, but once Mark Sanchez got into a groove, the beleaguered Duck secondary didn’t have a chance. There were too many penalties for both sides, but USC was the bigger sinner with 12 for 114 yards to go along with two turnovers. With a wounded and punchless Arizona State up next, the only thing that can trip up the Trojans would be mistakes.

Sept. 25
Oregon State 27 ... USC 21
Oregon State got out to a stunning 21-0 halftime lead thanks to two short James Rodgers touchdown catches, and a two-yard touchdown run from his brother, Jacquizz, but USC gave it a run in the second half. The Trojan offense roared out of the locker room with Mark Sanchez leading the way to two crisp seven-play drives hitting Ronald Johnson for a 26-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive and Damian Williams on a 29-yard scoring pass. Field position hurt USC over the rest of the half with Sanchez throwing an interception to Greg Laybourn, who took it to the one leading to a Jacquizz Rodgers touchdown run, but the extra point failed. A big kickoff return allowed Sanchez to lead the way to a quick touchdown drive hitting Patrick Turner for a 14-yard score with 1:19 to play, but Oregon State recovered the onside kick.
Player of the game: Oregon State RB Jacquizz Rodgers ran 37 times for 186 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 27 yards
Stat Leaders: USC - Passing: Mark Sanchez, 18-29, 227 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Stafon Johnson, 7-48. Receiving: Damian Williams, 6-94, 1 TD
Oregon State - Passing: Lyle Moevao, 18-28, 167 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jacquizz Rodgers, 37-186, 2 TD. Receiving: James Rodgers, 6-36, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Where was the tackling? Where were the wide receivers? Before getting knocked out for the game with an apparent knee injury, Rey Maualuga made 12 tackles, but the USC defenders struggled to tackle Jacquizz Rodgers as well as the Oregon State receivers. Damian Williams had a nice game catching six passes for 94 yards and a touchdown, but Patrick Turner and Ronald Johnson had a hard time breaking free, especially on third downs. Now that the national title dream is all but sunk, the Trojans have to gear it back up in a big hurry with road trips to Oregon and Arizona State up next. 

Sept. 13
USC 35 ... Ohio State 3
Ohio State appeared ready to mount a challenge with an early 3-0 lead and a touchdown that got called back on a penalty, but USC got on a roll and was never threatened as Mark Sanchez threw four touchdown passes and Rey Maualuga picked off a pass for a 48-yard score. Sanchez connected with Stanley Havilii on a 35-yard pass for the first score, and found Blake Ayles for a one-yard touchdown early in the second. Passes from 24 and 17 yards out to Damian Williams put the game well out of reach. Ohio State managed just 207 yards of total offense, committed 10 penalties for 78 yards, and turned the ball over three times.
Player of the game: USC DE Kyle Moore made eight tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and recovered a fumble
Stat Leaders: USC - Passing: Mark Sanchez, 17-28, 172 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Joe McKnight, 12-105. Receiving: Stanley Havili, 5-49, 1 TD
Ohio State - Passing: Todd Boeckman, 14-21, 84 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Dan Herron, 11-51. Receiving: Ray Small, 6-30
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Mark Sanchez, Joe McKnight, and Damian Williams will likely get all the accolades for the blowout win over Ohio State, but it was the play of the lines that was the difference. The offensive line gave Sanchez all day to throw, while Kyle Moore, Fili Moala and the defensive front dominated. OSU QB Todd Boeckman was getting hit seemingly every time he tried to make something happen. USC's coaching staff adjusted on the fly, and Ohio State's coaching staff didn't. This was the confident, sharp team everyone was expecting, and now the goal has to be to keep the same focus every week.

Aug. 30
USC 52 ... Virginia 7
USC QB Mark Sanchez was nearly flawless throwing for 338 yards and three touchdowns, while the running game helped out with 218 yards and four scores from four different players. Down 21-0, Virginia got some help from a few Trojan penalties leading to a seven-yard Mikell Simpson touchdown run late in the first quarter, but that would be all the Cavalier offense could generate. USC finished with 558 yards of offense and held on to the ball for 36:31.
Player of the game: USC QB Mark Sanchez completed 26-of-35 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns with an interception
Stat Leaders: Virginia - Passing: Peter Lalich, 18-35, 155 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Cedric Peerman, 8-32. Receiving: John Phillips, 5-33
USC - Passing: Mark Sanchez, 26-35, 338 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: C.J. Gable, 9-73, 1 TD. Receiving: Damian Williams, 7-91
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Trojans aced their only test before the showdown with Ohio State in a couple of weeks. Sure, Virginia is down, but any time you trek across the country and obliterate an opponent in front of its fans, it’s impressive. QB Mark Sanchez showed no ill-effects from the kneecap injury he suffered in practice, and WR Damian Williams was outstanding in his first game since transferring from Arkansas. Sanchez started out safe, and then he started bombing away showing a nice deep arm with great touch. The defense was as surly as expected, allowing just 187 yards and an early touchdown. 

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Tyron Smith OT 6-6 270 Moreno Valley, CA (Rancho Verde HS, Moreno Valley, CA)
2007 honors included Parade All-American, Super Prep All-American, Prep Star All-American, Scout.com All-American first team, EA Sports All-American second team, ESPN 150, Super Prep Elite 50, Prep Star Dream Team, Super Prep All-Farwest, Prep Star All-West, Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West first team, Orange County Register Fab 15, Tacoma News Tribune Western 100, Cal-Hi Sports All-State first team, All-CIF Central Division first team, Los Angeles Times All-Star, Riverside Press-Enterprise All-Riverside County first team and All-Inland Valley League first team as a senior offensive lineman at Rancho Verde High in Moreno Valley (Calif.)...As a junior in 2006, he made Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclass second team, All-CIF Central Division first team and Riverside Press-Enterprise All-Riverside County second team...He was an All-Southwestern League second team pick as a 2005 sophomore.

Potential Instant Impact Players

Blake Ayles TE 6-5 255 Orange, CA (Orange (CA) Lutheran HS)
Scout.com All-American second team, ESPN 150, Super Prep Elite 50, Prep Star Dream Team, Super Prep All-Farwest Offensive MVP, Prep Star All-West, Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West first team, Orange County Register Fab 15, Tacoma News Tribune Western 100, Cal-Hi Sports All-State first team, All-CIF Pac-5 Division first team, Los Angeles Times All-Star Lineman of the Year, Orange County Register All-Orange County first team and All-Trinity League Co-Offensive MVP as a senior tight end and defensive end at Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High...He had 51 receptions for 723 yards (14.2 avg.) with 8 TDs on offense in 2007, plus had 8 sacks on defense

D.J. Shoemate WR 6-0 220 Mira Loma, CA (Servite HS, Anaheim, CA)
He ran for 1,291 yards on 241 carries (5.4 avg.) with 24 TDs, caught 40 passes for 570 yards (14.3 avg.) with 4 TDs, threw a TD pass and had 5.5 sacks in 2007...A broken right foot sidelined him for all but the first game of his 2006 junior season...As a sophomore in 2005, he made Cal-Hi Sports All-State Sophomore of the Year, All-CIF Division I first team, Orange County Register All-Orange County first team and All-Serra League Co-MVP while scoring 13 rushing touchdowns, 8 receiving TDs and getting 4 scores on blocked punts.

Rest of the Class
Armond Armstead DL 6-5 290 Sacramento, CA (Pleasant Grove HS, Elk Grove, CA)
Brian Baucham DB 5-11 190 Torrance, CA (West Torrance (CA) HS)
T.J. Bryant DB 6-1 190 Tallahassee, FL (Lincoln HS, Tallahassee, FL
Brice Butler WR 6-3 215 Norcross, GA (Norcross (GA) HS)
Daniel Campbell OL 6-5 330 Houston, TX (Aldine HS, Houston, TX)
Jurrell Casey DL 6-1 280 Long Beach, CA (Poly HS, Long Beach, CA)
Khaled Holmes OL 6-4 305 Santa Ana, CA (Mater Dei HS, Santa Ana, CA)
Shane Horton DB 6-2 205 Chatsworth, CA (Notre Dame HS, Sherman Oaks, CA/UNLV)
Wes Horton DL 6-5 245 Chatsworth, CA (Notre Dame HS, Sherman Oaks, CA)
Malik Jackson DL 6-5 230 Northridge, CA (Birmingham HS, Van Nuys, CA)
Matt Kalil OL 6-6 290 Corona, CA (Servite HS, Anaheim, CA)
Uona Kaveinga LB 6-1 235 Hawthorne, CA (Leuzinger HS, Lawndale, CA)
Drew McAllister DB 6-1 200 Danville, CA (Monte Vista HS, Danville, CA)
Curtis McNeal RB 5-8 180 Los Angeles, CA (Venice HS, Los Angeles, CA)
Matt Meyer OL 6-8 290 Stockton, CA (Lincoln HS, Stockton, CA)
Nick Perry DL 6-3 240 Detroit, MI (King HS, Detroit, MI)
Maurice Simmons LB 6-0 215 Compton, CA (Dominguez HS, Compton, CA)

2007 Recap

Recap: The Trojans won a sixth Pac-10 title in-a-row and obliterated Illinois in the Rose Bowl, yet there was still somewhat of a hollow feeling around Troy in January.  With as much talent as anyone in the country, USC knew it was good enough to win a national championship, a goal that was complicated by early season injuries and a loss to Stanford that still doesn’t make any sense.  To their credit, however, the Trojans battled back with five straight wins down the stretch, got a break when Oregon QB Dennis Dixon was injured, and failed to relinquish the league throne that was up for grabs much of the year.     

Offensive Player of the Year: TE Fred Davis

Defensive Player of the Year: NT Sedrick Ellis

Biggest Surprise: After losing to Oregon on Oct. 27, its second in conference play, the obits were already being written for USC.  At that point in the season, who would have guessed that the Trojans would rally to another Rose Bowl berth and a No. 2 ranking in the final Coaches poll? 

Biggest Disappointment: The sports world was turned inside out when Stanford, a 41-point underdog, shocked the Trojans, 24-23, ending their 35-game winning streak at the Coliseum.  More than just a single loss, the game seemed to strip USC of some of its mystique, while following it like a bad odor for the balance of the season.

Looking Ahead: There’ll be plenty of new faces on the two-deep, but as long as Pete Carroll resists the temptation of the NFL, USC will be a heavy favorite to win a seventh straight Pac-10 title.  The battle between Mark Sanchez and Mitch Mustain to replace John David Booty at quarterback will be a delicious offseason sub plot.