Tag: usc trojans

Sep 11, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Nathaniel Peat (8) scores on an 87-yard touchdown run against the Southern California Trojans in the first quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Tanner McKee leads Stanford to upset of No. 14 USC

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Tanner McKee threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and Stanford rolled over No. 14 USC 42-28 in the Pac-12 Conference opener for both teams Saturday at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Stanford (1-1, 1-0 Pac-12) was a considerable underdog after sputtering through a 24-7 loss to Kansas State in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 4.

But with McKee given full control of the offense after splitting snaps with Jack West in the opener, the Cardinal moved the ball effectively with a balance of run and pass.

McKee finished 16-of-23 passing for 234 yards, with touchdown throws of three yards to Elijah Higgins and six yards to Brycen Tremayne. Higgins led Stanford with five receptions for 67 yards.

Stanford finished with 39 yards rushing against Kansas State, but picked up 87 on Nathaniel Peat’s first-quarter touchdown carry on Saturday.

Peat led all ball-carriers with 115 yards on just six rushes, and he was one of three Cardinal players to run for touchdowns. McKee scored on a goal-line sneak, and Isaiah Sanders followed suit from two yards out.

USC (1-1, 0-1) had no answer for Stanford’s offense on one end, and failed to jump-start its own offense on the other.

Kedon Slovis went 27-of-42 passing for 223 yards. He connected with Drake London on an 11-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, part of London’s four-catch, 68-yard performance.

Slovis threw one interception, which Stanford’s Kyu Blu Kelly returned 31 yards for a touchdown. The pick-six came late in the third quarter and sent fans streaming toward the exits. It punctuated a night filled with errors that plagued USC.

A targeting penalty against placekicker Parker Lewis on the opening kickoff foreshadowed things to come for USC, which was penalized nine times for 109 yards. Lewis’ ejection left kicking duties to Alex Stadthaus, who connected on field goals of 24 and 33 yards.

Trojans flags also facilitated Stanford’s second touchdown drive. USC was penalized three times for 33 yards on the possession, including a pass interference on a would-be third-down stop.

An offsides that turned a Cardinal field-goal attempt on fourth-and-goal from the 7-yard line turned into a McKee touchdown pass from the 3-yard line to answer Keaontay Ingram’s goal-line touchdown run earlier in the quarter.

The Cardinal led for the rest of the way.

–Field Level Media

Dec 18, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Kedon Slovis (9) throws the ball in the first quarter against the Oregon Ducks during the Pac-12 Championship at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

San Jose State takes on No. 15 Southern California

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Reigning Mountain West Conference champion San Jose State seeks a landmark win Saturday, traveling to Los Angeles to face a No. 15-ranked Southern California team with designs on a Pac-12 championship in 2021.

It is the season opener for USC, which is 4-0 against the Spartans all time. The Trojans will play in front of a home crowd for the first time since routing rival UCLA at the conclusion of the 2019 regular season more than 21 months ago.

Quarterback Kedon Slovis set a program record with 515 passing yards in that game, and returned as a sophomore in 2020 to guide USC to the Pac-12 title game.

Despite the Trojans’ perfect regular season, however, Slovis’ individual production regressed. He finished 2020 completing almost 5 percent fewer of his pass attempts, threw almost as many interceptions in six games (seven) as the previous season’s 13 games (nine) and his yards per attempt dipped from 8.9 to 7.3.

“Going through all those feelings and adversity and not feeling your best to now, feeling pretty good, the best I’ve felt in a long time,” Slovis told the Los Angeles Times of his efforts to get back to form after a slight sophomore slump. “It felt like a long journey. I’m just happy to be on the back end of that.”

Slovis is throwing to an outstanding wide receiving corps, including 6-foot-5 playmaker Drake London and veteran Colorado transfer K.D. Nixon. The running back rotation returns fifth-year contributor Vavae Malepeai and Kenan Christon, a promising change-of-pace back who showed flashes of brilliance in 2019.

But defense might be the central component to USC’s Pac-12 title chances.

Coordinator Todd Orlando has a talented rotation in his first full season with the Trojans, including defensive backs Chris Steele and Isaiah Pola-Mao, edge rusher Drake Jackson and the defensive line duo of Nick Figueroa and Tuli Tuipulotu.

The USC defense faces an immediate test from San Jose State (1-0). Veteran quarterback Nick Starkel led the Spartans to their first Mountain West championship a season ago, and opened the new season last Saturday with 394 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-14 blowout of Southern Utah.

“Our offense is built not around specific players, but around schemes,” Starkel told the San Jose Mercury News. “So being able to have 10 different guys that can catch the ball and more that you are trying to get the ball to is huge for this team.”

“(Offensive coordinator) Kevin McGiven is one of the best play callers in the country. He’s an incredible teacher, and I think Nick would agree with that,” San Jose State coach Brent Brennan said in his postgame press conference.

San Jose State held opponents to 19.9 points per game in 2020 thanks in part to an aggressive pass rush, and the Spartans return standout defensive ends Cade Hall and Viliami Fehoko. The duo combined for 16 sacks a season ago.

USC counters with an offensive line built around veteran All-Pac-12 honorees Jalen McKenzie and Andrew Vorhees. Saturday marks the 26th career start for Vorhees.

–Field Level Media

Dec 18, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Bru McCoy (4) is defended by Oregon Ducks cornerback Mykael Wright (2) during the Pac-12 Championship at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Oregon defeated USC 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

USC suspends WR Bru McCoy following arrest

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The University of Southern California has suspended wide receiver Bru McCoy following an arrest last month.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the 21-year-old sophomore was arrested on July 24 on suspicion of a felony and was released that night on $50,000 bail.

He was charged with intimate partner violence with injury, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman confirmed to 247 Sports. He is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 24.

“USC does not condone violence of any kind,” read a statement from the USC athletic department. “We are aware of the situation, and USC’s Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX is reviewing it. Because of federal student privacy laws, we are unable to share additional information at this time.

“The student-athlete has been temporarily removed from team activities.”

McCoy, a five-star recruit in the Class of 2019 from Santa Ana, Calif., caught 21 passes for 236 yards and two scores in six games with the Trojans as a redshirt freshman in 2020.

USC begins its fall camp on Friday.

–Field Level Media

Dec 29, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; General overall view of the 2017 Cotton Bowl logo on the back of the helmet of Southern California Trojans long snapper Jake Olson at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

NCAA settles defamation lawsuit from former USC coach

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The NCAA settled a defamation lawsuit filed by former USC assistant coach Todd McNair, the two sides announced Monday — 10 years after the lawsuit was originally filed.

The legal action was first filed on June 6, 2011, in response to the NCAA claiming McNair violated ethical conduct rules while the college governing body investigated former Heisman Trophy-winning running back Reggie Bush over ties to two sports marketers during the 2005 season.

McNair, 55, was the running backs coach for the Trojans from 2004-10. He sued after alleging he could not find football coaching work after the scandal. He is currently the running backs coach for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he has worked since the 2019 season.

The settlement was reached through mediation, and no further details were released.

–Field Level Media

Nov 27, 2020; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Tyler Shough (12) throws against the Oregon State Beavers during the first half at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Oregon to use lifeline against USC for Pac-12 title

Posted on | by Field Level Media

When the pandemic-delayed Pac-12 Conference football season started, Oregon and Southern California were the favorites to reach the title game.

The Ducks and No. 15 Trojans will indeed play for the Pac-12 championship on Friday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, but not without some twists and one final unexpected turn.

The Ducks (3-2) finished second in the Pac-12’s North Division behind Washington, but a COVID-19 spike in the Huskies’ program knocked them out of the title game Monday morning. Oregon’s game with Washington last weekend was canceled.

That left South Division champion USC (5-0) to start tweaking its game plan Monday afternoon.

“We control what we control, and that’s us,” USC coach Clay Helton said. “We’re just happy to be in this opportunity, and we’re going to make the most of it. We’re going to have a great plan, and we’re going to execute that plan because we’re going to do the things that we do well.”

The Trojans, who rallied from an 18-point deficit to defeat rival UCLA 43-38 on Saturday, knew there was a possibility Washington might not be able to play. So Helton had his coaching staff prepare for the Huskies during the day and the Ducks at night.

USC’s first three opponents of the season — Arizona State, Arizona and Utah – were playing their 2020 openers when the Trojans lined up against them, so the team is used to having limited game film to study.

“Not knowing who we’re going to play, I think our coaches make it easy on us,” said USC’s Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has a conference-leading 36 receptions. “I think it’s harder on them than it is on us. They’re making the game plan, doing all the hard work. If we listen to our coaches and go out there and do what they say, I think we’ll be fine.”

St. Brown’s 8-yard touchdown reception with 16 seconds remaining capped the comeback against UCLA, the third time this season the Trojans have rallied to win in the final seconds.

The Ducks were on pace to win the division title until dropping their past two games on the road:41-38 to Oregon State and 21-17 to previously winless California. Oregon was No. 21 in the College Football Playoff rankings before its latest loss.

“I see a team that’s really trying. I see a coaching staff that’s working their tails off,” Ducks coach Mario Cristobal said. “We haven’t done good enough the last two weeks.”

Oregon’s Tyler Shough is the conference’s top-rated passer, having completed 91 of 143 passes for 1,389 yards and 11 touchdowns against four interceptions. USC’s Kedon Slovis has thrown for a league-best 1,601 yards and 15 TDs, including five Saturday. He is 149-of-212 passing on the season.

The Trojans might be without their leading rusher, Vavae Malepeai, who sprained his knee late against UCLA. Malepeai rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown in the rivalry game.

Just having a chance to play is good enough for the Trojans.

“Having come from not having a season at all to being in the Pac-12 championship is awesome,” St. Brown said.

–Field Level Media

Dec 12, 2020; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (1) throws the ball before the game against the Southern California Trojans at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

No. 15 USC holds off UCLA in final seconds

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Amon-Ra St. Brown caught an 8-yard touchdown pass with 16 seconds left to lift No. 15 USC to a 43-38 win against UCLA in a Pac-12 game on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

Nicholas Barr-Mira made a 43-yard field goal with 52 seconds left to give UCLA a two-point lead.

USC quarterback Kedon Slovis, a preseason all-conference first-team pick, completed 30 of 47 passes for 344 yards and five touchdowns. Tyler Vaughns caught eight passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. Drake London and St. Brown caught two touchdowns each.

Vavae Malepeai rushed for 110 yards on 19 carries and scored a touchdown for USC, which secured a berth in the Pac-12 championship game earlier Saturday when Colorado lost to Utah.

UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed 30 of 36 passes for 364 yards and four touchdowns. Greg Dulcich caught eight passes for 167 yards and a touchdown.

London had given the Trojans a 36-35 lead when he caught his second touchdown pass of the game with 8:09 left, but USC could not convert the two-point try, allowing UCLA to move ahead on Barr-Mira’s field goal.

The Bruins (3-3) took a 35-23 lead when Thompson-Robinson threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game, a 69-yarder to Dulcich, with 1:16 left in the third.

Malepeai answered with a 10-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 35-30 with 11:40 remaining, and Talanoa Hufanga intercepted his fourth pass of the season on the next UCLA possession to set up London’s second touchdown.

UCLA took advantage of a slow start by the Trojans to score the first 14 points of the game and eventually take a 21-10 lead into the half.

Brittain Brown scored on a 15-yard run on the opening drive of the second half to extend the lead to 28-10, but Slovis came back with touchdown passes to Vaughns and St. Brown to cut the lead to 28-23 with four minutes left in the third quarter.

–Field Level Media

Nov 21, 2020; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Kedon Slovis (9) throws the ball during the second quarter against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

USC eyes Pac-12 title game berth in visiting UCLA

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Southern California will try to secure a spot in the Pac-12 Conference championship game when the No. 15 Trojans meet the host UCLA Bruins on Saturday afternoon at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

A win will also give the Trojans a 5-0 record for the first time since 2006, when they started 6-0.

USC put itself in position to play for the conference championship in Santa Clara, Calif., by beating visiting Washington State 38-13 on Sunday night.

The game was pushed back two days following a small COVID-19 outbreak on the USC team, a situation that initially forced the Trojans to cancel their game against No. 21 Colorado on Nov. 28.

The schedule adjustment shrank USC’s window to prepare for UCLA, but it hasn’t dimmed the excitement surrounding the crosstown rivalry.

“We’ve got a short week coming up against a really good team that’s hot right now,” USC coach Clay Helton said. “We’ve got a lot to play for, and that’s what you want in December.”

USC has won 16 of the past 21 meetings against UCLA and leads the all-time series 48-32-7.

“This is one of the best rivalries in college football,” Helton said.

The Bruins (3-2) are coming off a 25-18 win at Arizona State on Saturday night, their first win in the month of December since the 2013 Sun Bowl. The victory also lifted UCLA’s record above .500 for the first time since a win on Oct. 21, 2017, had them at 4-3.

UCLA has been particularly strong on defense, holding three of its past four opponents to two touchdowns or fewer.

“I’ve been really proud of how our defense has played all season long,” UCLA coach Chip Kelly said. “We have a bunch of kids over there that play football extremely hard. They do a really good job of rallying to the ball and gang tackling, and we talked about playing hard and playing hard for 60 minutes. You can’t play hard for 58. You have to play hard for 60.”

UCLA benefited last weekend with the return of quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who was among nine Bruins to miss two games because of COVID-19 concerns.

Thompson-Robinson completed 18 of 24 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown against Arizona State. He also rushed for 49 yards and a score.

“We’re taking it day by day and working very hard,” Thompson-Robinson said. “I’m very proud of this team and where we’re headed.”

Thompson-Robinson, a three-year starter, had one of the best games of his college career against USC last season.

He passed for 367 yards and three touchdowns in the 52-35 loss, while also rushing for 64 yards and a touchdown.

He was outperformed by USC quarterback Kedon Slovis, however.

Slovis threw for a school-record 515 yards and four touchdowns.

Slovis is also back this season, and he was sharp against Washington State, completing 25 of 32 passes for 287 yards and five touchdowns.

Amon-Ra St. Brown, held out of the end zone over the first three games, caught seven passes for 65 yards and four touchdowns, which tied a school and Pac-12 single-game record.

“There’s a reason that C is on Amon-Ra St. Brown’s chest, because he’s an unselfish player,” Helton said.

–Field Level Media

Nov 14, 2020; Tucson, Arizona, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Kedon Slovis (9) throws a pass against the Arizona Wildcats during the second half at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Utah hoping to finally kick off season vs. No. 20 USC

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Utah coach Kyle Whittingham just wants opening kickoff to arrive as the Utes attempt to open their season for the third time when they host No. 20 Southern California on Saturday night in Pac-12 play at Salt Lake City.

Utah’s first two attempts were called off due to COVID-19 outbreaks. The school cited 17 confirmed positive COVID-19 tests within the program and another 11 program members in quarantine last Friday when it called off the following day’s game at UCLA.

But Whittingham indicated Tuesday that the situation has improved since the latest cancellation and he is highly optimistic that the season will get underway against the Trojans (2-0, 2-0 Pac-12).

“Things are trending in the right direction for us as far as getting back to health and getting guys back out on the practice field,” Whittingham said. “Right now, all of our efforts are geared toward getting ready for USC and we will hopefully be kicking off on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. (10:30 p.m. ET) on ESPN, national television.”

Trojans coach Clay Helton also hopes to be standing on the sidelines of Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday night as he looks for the second 3-0 start of his five seasons as the school’s full-time coach.

“I’m hoping we get the opportunity to have a chance to compete with Utah,” Helton said. “It looks like it’s headed in that direction. Let’s say our prayers and hopefully both teams will stay safe and stay trending toward the same direction.”

USC took the hard route while winning its first two games as it scored late fourth-quarter touchdowns on both occasions.

Sophomore quarterback Kedon Slovis threw two touchdown passes in the final 2:52 to rally the Trojans from a 13-point hole and post a 28-27 home victory over Arizona State in the opener. Last Saturday, USC received an 8-yard scoring run from senior running back Vavae Malepeai with 25 seconds left to record a 34-30 road win at Arizona.

“When it mattered the most, I didn’t see any panic,” Helton said. “They showed great poise. We felt extremely comfortable. It’s what we do in practice each and every week. The guys executed to perfection.”

Slovis completed 71.4 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and one interception in the two wins. The Trojans averaged 527 yards of total offense but the defense has experienced issues while allowing 418 per game.

USC will be aiming to snap a three-game losing streak in Salt Lake City. But one of the challenges is how to prepare for a Utes’ squad that doesn’t have any 2020 film to break down.

Utah (11-3 in 2019) is being coy about its quarterback situation. Whittingham has reportedly decided on a starter but is listing seniors Drew Lisk and Jake Bentley and sophomore Cameron Rising as co-No. 1s on the depth chart.

Bentley started 33 games at South Carolina so he is easily the most experienced of the trio. Rising is a transfer from Texas while Lisk has thrown nine passes for the Utes.

Utah has known commodities on defense in junior linebacker Devin Lloyd (team-high 91 tackles last season) and junior defensive end Mika Tafua (tied for second in the nation with four fumble recoveries).

Whittingham said he is impressed with how his players have handled the disappointments of having their first two games canceled — the first was a Nov. 7 home game against Arizona.

Junior receiver Solomon Enis said the team’s mindset was the difference.

“You can’t stress about what you can’t control,” Enis said. “What you can control is your effort and what you put into practice every day. It is about showing up. At the end of the day, it hurts, especially the day before the game and it gets canceled, but you come into the next week and you work the same way you did before, and you hope it works out the rest of the week.”

–Field Level Media