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September 2007 ArchivesHere's my ballot for this week's Top 25.... 1. USC You could probably have a worse half than USC fullback Stanley Havili has had here -- but it's not very likely. He started with a drop of a possible touchdown pass from John David Booty as he broke wide open in the second quarter at the 10. But that was nothing compared to his second big shot when Booty drilled him in the left shoulder pad on a third-and-five play at the USC 45 only to have it pop up and into the hands of Washington's Mesphin Forrester, who weaved his way back across the field for a game-tying TD. And this was going to be the week USC started taking the ball away and getting its turnover margin on the right side of the ledger. Well, two turnovers, and two Washington scores later, it's back to Square One for that plan. USC has managed to keep the capacity crowd in the game and give the Huskies to trips to the end zone with its careless ball-control. And the one time USC took the ball away, well, the Trojans had nothing to show for it. Hard to believe Stafon Johnson hasn't earned a start in four games yet or hard to believe you can run the ball any better than he did in picking up 53 yards on USC's go-ahead 88-yard TD drive, with a 45-yarder for starters and a nine-yard scoring dash up the gut, Oh well, maybe next week he moves up. Or maybe not. Chauncey Washington just matched that on one run with the Trojans tied at 14. This may be one of the worst-played football games I've ever seen. It's like both teams are trying to not let their quarterbacks do anything. This is as bad to watch in person as it is on TV. Nice job by Washington on the retro 1960 uniforms they're wearing to honor their Rose Bowl champs, and winners over No. 1 Minnesota at that. Kind of a Notre Dame/Navy look with the all gold logoless helmets and the blue-ish version of purple replicating the '60s technology that couldn't do purple in football jersey material. Fans must be staying in their cars, or on their boats on Lake Washington, until the last minute. Not a lot of activity here yet. Got to give it to the Trojan band, they haven't stopped playing. Lets hear it for the ponchos. UW band has yet to make an appearance. Now it sounds like they're trying to turn up the speakers and play a recorded version of the Husky fight song as the UW team enters the field trying to drown out the USC band. Don't know why teams let the USC traveling band, about 75 strong, just a quarter of the home band, dominate the pre-game for an hour. Oregon State just had holding called, setting up a third-and-12. Instead, Karl Dorrell declined it, setting up 4th and 2, and OSU just converted. Jeez....will somebody PLEASE explain that reasoning to me? UCLA has ran 2 offensive plays and Kahlil Bell has fumbled on both of them. OSU's Al Afalava has recovered both and just returned the second for a TD. Unbelievable. Of course, it's raining, just a drizzle for now, with the temperature heading down toward 50 or so here in Husky Stadium. But the first USC players to hit the field are in game pants and t-shirts, as if to taunt the skies -- and the Husky fans. But the USC band is taking no chances -- outfitted completely in ponchos. Haven't seen that in years. LB Kyle Bosworth will start in place of Aaron Whittington and DE Korey Bosworth will start in place of Nikola Dragovic at DE. It's only warmups, but UCLA punter Aaron Perez has been blasting the ball today, routinely punting 55-60 yards today in the cool Corvallis air. On the drive down here, I was behind an SUV that was undoubtedly going to the game. Beyond the typical window flags, there was a large (and don't worry, fake) Beaver tail hanging out of the trunk liftgate. It was one of those things you'd only see in Corvallis or on I-5 on the way to this place. Where its freezing. Ok, so maybe not freezing, but it is a very cold 54 degrees out right now and expected to get colder as the day goes on. On a side note, this is my first trip here and its about what I expected: A half-completed stadium renovation with a nice video board that they boast is the biggest in the Pac-10. I guess when you're in Corvallis, you have to have something to be proud of. Two historical trends to track today -- one good for USC, one not so good. In rain games against the Huskies here in Seattle, USC has won just once in five tries, going 1-3-1 all-time here. But the Huskies, on the other hand, have won just once in 10 games all-time against an opponent ranked No. 1 with a 1-8-1 mark. On College Gameday this morning, Lee Corso went with Oregon State. Kirk Herbstreit picked UCLA. In their game of the week, Herbie picked Cal. Corso donned the duck head, picking Oregon. Needless to say, the state of Oregon is abuzz about having two big games here this weekend. Oregon State star WR Sammie Straughter will not play against UCLA today after sustaining a bruised kidney in last week's loss to Arizona State. Straughter is also a top punt returner and his absence just made life a lot easier for UCLA. "He's going to play,'' Pete Carroll said of Matt Spanos, the fifth-year senior who had won the starting center spot before tearing his right triceps in late August. Carroll said Spanos will get some plays today as the No. 2 center behind true freshman Kris O'Dowd. That's the key, Carroll said, just getting ther 6-foot-5, 310-pound offensive lineman back into the mix. In a couple of weeks, Carroll said, after he's had some game action, USC will then be able to know best how to use Spanos who can play guard and tackle as well. "An extraordinary return for us,'' Carroll said, looking at how much the return improves the depth and the competitiveness at practice. As Carroll walked the Husky Stadium turf, he realized something didn't feel right Friday. Then it hit the ex-NFL coach. The painted-on yard markers, the relic of an earlier era when the Seahawks played here, were located where they would be on an NFL field, closer to the center of the field, not like the college ones nearer the sidelines. Carroll said it's something to watch since you get used to where they normally are on plays, possibly in kicking situations, and must realize it's different here. "We've alerted our guys to it,'' he said. The bright warm late-day sun streaking into Husky Stadium Friday during USC's walkthrough was as comforting as it was a warning for USC Coach Pete Carroll. "A beautiful evening,'' Carroll said squinting into the sun. "It'll be different tomorrow.'' Big-time different, apparently. The latest forecasts have parts of King County (Seattle) getting 2'' to 4'' of rain late Saturday. "Take your rain gear to Husky Stadium,'' the KIRO weather man warned. The hope is that the storm comes late -- or hits somewhere else in the county. The good feelings came from this return to the road "and to the good memories,'' Carroll said, "in the conference. It's a charge.'' While USC-Washington is the national ABC game in prime time tonight, only a fifth of the nation, just over 20 percent of the country, will get the Pac-10's big game between ranked teams Cal and Oregon. That's the downside of picking games last spring, the Pac-10 has been explaining this week. But it's necessary to make fans aware of the late-starting games on the home schedule so at the time, it looked like No. 1 USC playing anybody would be the way to go. Especially since Cal would have already had an ABC Prime Time game in its opener against Tennessee. Oh well, USC fans are happy. Thomas Williams gets his first start at linebacker in nearly two seasons today in Seattle when he steps in at the strong side spot for Brian Cushing, whose sprained ankle requires more rest. A 6-foot-3, 235-pound senior who can play all three linebacker spots, Williams last started against UCLA last season, but as a fullback, his second 2006 start there. "It's like riding a bike,'' Williams said of handling the position switches. "I consider myself a football player, not a middle linebacker.'' And not a backup. "We call it 'the next group,' not 'the second group,' '' he said of the USC linebackers who haven't been starting. But don't make too much of USC not having a player like Cushing. "This is USC,'' Williams said. "We've had the top recruiting class for five years.'' Clay Matthews Jr. replaced Cushing last week against Washington State but with a broken left thumb going into that game, he suffered a mild right shoulder sprain and has been wittheld from contact. He'll back up on the strong side and play on special teams. He was on his way to get his medical clearance after practice, Matt Spanos said. But USC Coach Pete Carroll said that after a second day of unlimited contact following his return from a torn triceps in August, the senior was back in the mix as the No. 2 center and on the travel squad for Seattle. Chauncey Washington gets his second straight start Saturday in Seattle when he opens at tailback for the Trojans. "It's the right thing to do,'' Pete Carroll said. But he said he had no idea about how the rotation would go after that. After meeting with famed spinal surgeon Dr. Robert Watkins Thursday, Chris Galippo decided that he would go ahead and have surgery on a herniated disc in the L5 region of his spine Oct. 9. The suregery will knock the freshman from Corona (Servite HS) out for the season but he's hoping to return for spring practice, Galippo said. The surgery, Watkins told him, is his normal and routine operation. It's more serious than the John David Booty back surgery but less so than Luthur Brown's. But because of the way the disc was pressuring a nerve, there was no chance to control it medically. According to USC Coach Pete Carroll, Galippo, the nation's top prep linebacker prospect last year at Servite, would get his medical redshirt and be a freshman next season since he had played just three games. The UCR men's soccer team will host a clinic Friday at Huber Park for youth players U8-U13. Sponsored by the Empire Soccer Club, the program will accept $1 donations from participants to go toward These Numbers Have Faces, a fund to help an impoverished team in Cape Town, South Africa. For more information visit www.thesenumbers.com or to RSVP for the clinic, call 951 273-7372 or visit amore1972@mac.com. The clinic starts at 6:30 p.m. Saw Pat Cowan as I was leaving the practice field today and quickly asked him about his completed pass to brother Joe Cowan in the Washington game, believed to be the first brother-to-brother pass in UCLA history. I asked Pat if he ever got to do that in high school and his response was "yeah, but he dropped it." I then asked if Saturday's completion, since it was the first time he had ever completed one to Joe outside the back yard or practice field, meant anything special. His response, which was joined by a shoulder shrug: "It was a first down." Cornerback Cary Harris was out of his sling after dislocating his right shoulder Saturday but did not practice Wednesday and won't play Saturday. "The doctors won't let him but he's battling them,'' USC Coach Pete Carroll said. Freshman middle linebacker Chris Galippo, the nation's top prep player at his position last year at Servite, didn't practice Wednesday after not being able to sleep on his back the last three nights because of the pain. His back problems showed up several years ago when he was in high school but were never enough to sideline him, Galippo said, indicating that if surgery isn't out of the question. Galippo said he'll apply for a medical redshirt year, much as USC fullback Stanley Havili got after playing three games as a freshman before breaking his leg. Matt Spanos surprised his coaches and teammates Wednesday by not only returning to practice but coming back at center after tearing his right triceps in late August. All he needed was the correct brace for his right arm that allowed enough elbow movement, said Spanos, who was the No. 1 center until his injury. Spanos said he hasn't been "cleared officially'' by the doctors but doesn't expect that to be a problem. With Spanos out, USC elevated freshman Kris O'Dowd to starting center and he's performed well in three games. Senior Thomas Williams, the only Trojan linebacker who can play all three positions, will get the starting call Saturday in place of the weakside duo of Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews Jr., and with the start, gets the challenge of wrapping up on 225-pound UW run-pass quarterback threat Jake Locker. Cushing can't, after trying to play Saturday against Washington State and making things worse on his ankle sprain, won't even try. He's not going to suit up for UW and probably won't even make the trip with the Pac-10 limit on players traveling to away games. Matthews, right behind him, while trying to protect his fractured left thumb against Washington State, landed on his right shoulder on a dive that resulted in a mild A-C joint sprain. No hitting for him this week. And backup duty at best Saturday. Some tid-bits from after practice.... *Aleksey Lanis will start in place of Micah Kia at left tackle this week. *The Bruins will bring all seven of their available wide receivers with them this week. Marcus Everett and Gavin Ketchum are both out injured. *Chris Forcier will travel as the No. 3 quarterback and be used only in the case of an emergency. *DT Brian Price will be a part of the 64-man traveling squad this week. |