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Notes and observations as USC and Texas prepare for a game that can’t possibly match their 2006 encounter ... LOS ANGELES >> You might be surprised to hear which USC coach was in tears in the locker room immediately after the Trojans lost to Texas, 41-38, in the BCS title game. Was it Pete Carroll? Steve Sarkisian? Ed Orgeron? No, someone who has a less-emotional image: Lane Kiffin. Perhaps ...

LOS ANGELES >> Before Stephen Carr dashed for 52 yards along the north sideline of the Coliseum in USC’s win over Stanford, he ran through a vast hole. Carr, the Trojans’ freshman running back, was untouched past the line of scrimmage. The hole, on the left side of USC’s offensive line, might have been close to 10 yards, based on TV replays. Why was it so gaping? Start with left guard Chris ...

LOS ANGELES >> A big question going into the season was how defenses wanted to try and stop a USC offense capable of passing or running with equal success? Stanford faced the dilemma at halftime Saturday night, as the Cardinal watched USC quarterback Sam Daold pass for 225 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. “Stanford decided to play softer and take away the throw in the second h...

Tom Herman arrived at Texas with much fanfare. Herman, the former Houston coach and Ohio State offensive coordinator, replaced Charlie Strong last November following three consecutive seasons in which the Longhos finished below .500. The early retus? Texas, which visits USC at the Coliseum on Saturday, split its first two home games but has shown little trouble on offense. “I think Tom is one ...

Christian McCaffrey torpedoed USC’s defense the last two seasons. As Stanford upended the Trojans three times in 2016 and 2015, McCaffrey tallied 970 all-purpose yards. How tough was it to bring down the elusive running back? Reporters covering the Pac-12 championship game in 2015 overheard then-USC defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox and other coaches swearing in an adjacent press box booth at Le...

LOS ANGELES >> Of the 159 rushing yards Ronald Jones amassed in USC’s season-opening victory over Weste Michigan, 122 came after contact. Deland McCullough, the Trojans’ running backs coach, took notice. “It ain’t always the flash and long runs,” McCullough said. “It’s the dirty work of lowering your shoulder, running through trash, breaking arm tackles and sending a physical message to yo...

LOS ANGELES >> USC will trot out veteran pass catchers for quarterback Sam Daold when it opens its season on Saturday against Weste Michigan. As part of the depth chart it revealed Sunday, its three starting receivers include fourth-year juniors Deontay Buett and Jalen Greene, along with fifth-year senior Steven Mitchell. “If you’ve been out there before, you kind of know how to handle...

Can a team that starts three slot receivers win a national championship? USC apparently believes it can based on the depth chart released Sunday night, the Trojans’ first in nine months. Quarterback Sam Daold’s first options are Rose Bowl hero Deontay Buett, converted quarterback Jalen Greene and Steven Mitchell, coming off his second knee operation. They are the most consistent and experience...

Ranking the top 10 sports events Aug. 28 to Sept. 3 you won’t want to miss: NO. 1: COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON OPENERS USC vs. WESTERN MICHIGAN Details/TV: At the Coliseum, Saturday at 2:15 p.m., Pac-12 Network UCLA vs. TEXAS A&M Details/TV: At the Rose Bowl, Sunday at 4:30 p.m., Channel 11 Admire Sam Daold while he’s still in got some Coliseum eligibility and a Heisman campaign. Also keep in mi...

LOS ANGELES >> Is it possible for USC to have any surprise players when the Trojans are ranked No. 4 and one of the most scrutinized programs in the nation? Even in the social media age, it is possible for players to exceed expectations or surprise the public. One of my picks is tight end Cary Angeline, a 6-foot-7 freshman who looks fast enough to be a receiver. Angeline might only make two ...

LOS ANGELES >> Last week, part of Daniel Imatorbhebhe’s recovery from a sore hip flexor included playing catch with his coach. Midway through one practice, Imatorbhebhe ran a variety of routes on the south end of Howard Jones Field. Clay Helton, the Trojans’ head man and a former college quarterback himself, lofted passes to the injured tight end. “The great ones, it’s like riding a bike,” I...

LOS ANGELES >> It looked ominous. When Kenechi Udeze, USC’s defensive line coach, left the Portland airport in his rental car on a snowy January day, he noticed other cars were tued over aside the interstate. Udeze had arrived amid the city’s biggest snowstorm in two decades, and he still needed to drive almost 70 miles south to Independence, Ore., to visit a five-star defensive lineman na...

LOS ANGELES >> If USC freshman linebacker Levi Jones plays half as well as he talks, the Trojans might need to let him wear No. 55 this season. “For sure I’m going to be better than (my father),” Jones said Wednesday. “You can tell him that too.” That kind of statement could haunt Jones when you consider his father, Robert, was an All-America linebacker at East Carolina; first-round draft pi...

LOS ANGELES >> USC coach Clay Helton on Saturday expressed no conces about his team’s position in any preseason polls. “As I’ve continuously told our team, it’s about worrying about this first game and starting fast,” Helton said. “It’s not about where you start, it’s about where you finish.” He remains closely familiar with the old axiom. In 2015, the Trojans began the season ranked eighth in the Associated Press preseason poll. Then came disarray. Helton, the offensive coordinator, was p...

LOS ANGELES >> Late in practice Thursday, USC linebacker John Houston lurched toward the line of scrimmage. USC’s first-team offense was positioned shy of the red zone against its first-team defense. Upon the snap, Houston continued forward on a blitz and looked to push past the center, Nico Falah, into the backfield. He never arrived, but as quarterback Sam Daold lofted a pass downfield, Houston jumped to tip the ball with his right hand. It lost steam and fluttered over the middle portio...

A brief look at the Trojans’ training-camp practice on Thursday at Howard Jones-Brian Kennedy Field: BIG MOMENT Quarterback Sam Daold connected with senior receiver Steven Mitchell for a pair of touchdowns in a 7-on-7 period late in practice. On the first scoring toss, Mitchell hauled in the pass while keeping in one foot along the back line of the end zone. INJURY REPORT Receiver Velus Jones remained out with foot soreness. Jones has a walking boot on his left foot. DEPTH CHART For a week, Mitc...

LOS ANGELES — They were on a three-game losing streak when Nico Falah’s Signing Day came around. They had just been shredded by Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl, and by the media covering it. They had lost their five-game winning streak over UCLA, which had the new coach and the style and the promise. F...

LOS ANGELES >> In the three months between spring practice and the start of training camp, Sam Daold worked out with Jordan Palmer, his private quarterbacks coach in Orange County, to sharpen his throwing mechanics. One adjustment centered on his delivery. Daold, USC’s third-year sophomore...

A brief look at the Trojans’ training-camp practice on Monday at Howard Jones-Brian Kennedy Field: Short day Two days after a live scrimmage, USC went through a light 60-minute practice that was mostly limited to situational work, simulating last-second situations. The Trojans will practice in the C...

A brief look at the Trojans’ training-camp practice on Friday at Howard Jones-Brian Kennedy Field: LIGHT LOAD USC’s practice was essentially a walk-through in preparation for a 60-play live scrimmage on Saturday, its second of training camp. Players were not in pads for the 75-minute workout. The qu...