Kobe Johnson leads USC past Stanford with draft-worthy statement
Johnson scores 21 points and adds five steals and two blocks in the Trojans’ 93-79 victory over the Cardinal
USCβs Kobe Johnson drives to the basket against Stanfordβs Kanaan Carlyle in the first half of a 93-79 victory Saturday at the Galen Center. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Luca Evans (OC Register)Β —Β LOS ANGELES β Andy Enfield has never talked about Kobe Johnsonβs brother with him. And no discussion of said brother ever comes out of Johnsonβs mouth around Galen Center, unless Jalen Johnson comes around every once in a while. Because βKobe is his own man,β as Enfield says, βand his own player.β
But in the larger basketball world, Kobe Johnson has rarely been his own player. Jalen Johnson casts a long shadow, thriving now with the Atlanta Hawks with a similarly tuned skillset β defensive versatility and complementary offense β that Kobe Johnson brings to USC. The two played together and starred at Nicolet High in Wisconsin, except Jalen was a coveted five-star on a collision course with the league and his younger brother was an underrecruited three-star with a slighter frame but a massive chip on his shoulder.
βI think last year, a lot of people realized what type of player I am and what type of player I can be,β Kobe Johnson said in October, coming off a sophomore season named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team. βAnd I think that really helped me get out of (Jalenβs) shadow.β
Kobe Johnson shoots over Stanford guard Andrej Stojakovic during the second half of the Trojansβ 93-79 win on Saturday. (Ashley Landis / AP)
Kobe Johnson plays better, plain and simple, when he operates on the court with the same edge in his voice he carries when feeling disrespected. When he takes a matchup personally, and flies around on the perimeter like a defensive demon with lanky arms for wings, nabbing passes and swatting shots and pushing the break the other way. And on Saturday afternoon, he looked like the most-NBA ready prospect on the court against a talented Stanford team thatβs beaten Arizona and UCLA, flying around the floor in a box-score-stuffer to push USC to a much-needed 93-79 win.
βHonestly, all my life I kinda played like that β Iβve always had a chip on my shoulder,β Johnson said postgame. βBut itβs nothing new. Iβm just gonna stick to the work that Iβve put in.β
Enfield made emphatically clear postgame that he could care less about someoneβs draft stock, and for good reason: USC has much bigger problems to worry about, now sitting at 9-7 in the thick of a gory Pac-12. But Johnson, nonetheless, put an NBA-ready defensive profile on display with a ridiculous two-way impact in the first half against the Cardinals.
After a 2-of-21 stretch shooting 3-pointers in December, Johnson rediscovered his jumperΒ Wednesday against CalΒ and hunted jumpers and layups in rhythm, scoring 12 points before the break. And he created offensive possessions from pure defensive chaos, flying from behind to swat away a jumper from Stanfordβs Andrej Stojakovic, the son of former NBA great Peja Stojakovic, then zipping downcourt and finishing a tough layup.
Boogie Ellis continued a transcendent senior year with five first-half 3-pointers and 17 points, finishing with 22 to boost a scorching 3-point mark to 46% on the year. But even as USC continued to find an offensive footing behind Johnson, Ellis and freshman point guard Isaiah Collier, their depth went ice-cold β receiving just one bucket outside of the trio in the first half, with Bronny James going 0 for 4 on the night.
And every time USC went on a run in the second half, Stanford responded with a barrage of triples in an almost-comedic yo-yo effect. DJ Rodman hit back-to-back threes early in the frame, bellowing in glee to his bench on his trot back down the floor; then Stanfordβs Benny Gealer canned a three.
Collier (1) got his 3-point jumper going in a brilliant night overall, draining a couple to put USC up nine when defenders ducked under screens; then Stanfordβs Brandon Angel canned a three.
But after a quick floater from the Cardinalsβ Kanaan Carlyle answered USC again, pulling Stanford within eight with two minutes to go, Johnson stuck the final dagger: a between-the-legs dribble, attack and hanging and-one finish for the cherry on top of an all-around dominant night: 21 points, five steals, five assists, five rebounds.
βI thought he played, probably, his best game of the year,β Enfield said of Johnson postgame.
Itβs been two games, yes. But USC has taken leaps and bounds offensively behind Collierβs development, Ellisβ steady flamethrower and Johnsonβs aggressiveness, and seems to have turned a slight corner as Johnson said they were βplaying a lot more unselfish.β No more one-pass-shot possessions.
βIβm very hopeful that this team can keep improving, and I think that theyβve bought into what weβre trying to accomplish β we have a chance to win some games,β Enfield said.
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Bowl Contest goes final: Congratulations to Mrs SteveG on winning the contest and DubPar22 for coming in 2nd. For third place, there were 3 people tied with 11 points so we had to go to the tie-breaker and Scoochnew ended up with 3rd prize after guessing 44 points which was closest to the final score. I will contact the winners directly to get them their prize money.
Thank you everyone for making the Bowl season just a little more interesting!
People keep telling me that Caleb Williams is going pro…..100%. Then why doesn’t he announce it. Personally, I don’t want him to come back. Miller may not have Calebs individual great skills but he’s a much better team player. I really do believe the team will do much better with Miller than under Caleb.
Mark Kulkin said that the only reason why Big 10 defenses are rated so high was because the Big 10 teams didn’t play any good offenses. Tell that to Washington.
Two things can be true at the same time but because they are both true, that doesn’t necessarily imply that one is true BECAUSE the other is true. The big 10 was probably the worst offensive conference. The Pac-12 was probably the best offensive conference. But if Michigan played in the Pac-12 this last year, I have a sneaky suspicion that they would still have been one of the best defensive teams in the nation(maybe not #1)
Michael Penix, Jr, just QBd one of the worst games in the history of national championships, missing open WRs left and right all night long (27-51, 255 yds, TD, 2 picks). Guess he got hurt in 2nd half, though I didn’t notice it until late in the game. Lots of Husky drops too. Basically a miserable performance by slow UW, which couldn’t run either.
Old School MICH was so much better in the trenches it’s not even funny.
Also, a horribly reffed game. UW got totally hosed on missed holding calls.
That one holding call when Washington had made a long pass was a bad call. I’m still happy that Michigan won. Udub is too close to SC.Winning a NC would help Washington in recruiting especially here on the left coast. We already have enough trouble in recruiting competing with Calvin Klein U
I noticed a few other non-calls on PIs and holding that would have helped UW. But I always felt that MICH was in control of the game, and if they ever fell behind, which they didn’t, they would come back again to win. In the end, MICH blew the doors off UW. They had more talent across the board, not just in the trenches, played better as a team, were better coached, hungrier, and spooked/rushed Penix into a confused state of ineptitude. One thing that stood out to me, in particular, was the comparative slowness of UW’s D. Their defenders… Read more Β»
We all saw the non-calls on holding that were obvious that the announcers pointed out. One very noticeable Michigan lineman hold lead to a rushing TD. You are not going to see every hold as an official, but there were holds that were so obvious, out in the open where the ball carrier was at, you wonder what the officials were looking at. Was it luck or just plain bad officiating? I hope this doesn’t go unnoticed by the powers to be…..
I also felt that Herbstreit and Fowler ignored commenting on the numerous missed calls, even though over-reffed games are a bummer. I understand they have to play some politics to keep their high-profile, and usually well-done jobs. Maybe they just missed stuff like the refs seemed to. But I was disappointed to see UW get the short shrift from both the refs and the announcers in this regard IMO, even though I thought MICH was just too overwhelmingly tough for UW last night. Were we just tilting at windmills? Don’t think so. I also don’t think we’re gonna hear any… Read more Β»
Penix was off. His passes went high several times when if catchable they would have been scores and WA would have been in the game. Not his best night. Michigan offense simply has a great O line.
and when they started throwing easy stuff for McCarthy on 1st down
Michigan is really good at every phase … no reason LR cannot build something like this
What does he mean by winning? A winning record? Top 6 in the conference? Make the playoffs? I think LR with the new defensive staff and no CW, can get USC to at least 8 wins, possibly 1 or 2 more. 9 wins certainly 10 wins gets SC in the playoffs.
USC had a winning record in 2023, and we still looked horrible against anyone decent. We even looked bad against some bad teams.
I don’t think USC will be a top 12 team in 2024, and I think Cowherd means vastly improved per the eye test, as opposed to any specific number of wins, especially with our new B1G schedule, which kicks off with LSU in Vegas.
But USC also can’t afford to get totally humbled by ND, UW and UCLA again in 2024. Wins against rivals go a long, long way. Just ask Terry Donahue.
Who will win tonight’s amazingly well-matched NC game? The Athletic’s expert predictions for Michigan-Washington. Michael Penix, Jr, looks like the game decider… Nicole Auerbach (MICH): I’m sticking with my preseason pick, even though the electrifying Washington offense certainly gives me pause. But the Wolverines will win the way they have all year — by dominating both lines of scrimmage… Jayna Bardahl (UW): I’m admittedly nervous about the Huskies’ run defense, but I’m trusting their offense will pick up the slack. Michigan hasn’t faced an offense as equipped as Washington’s through the air. Michael Penix Jr. and company will be too much to keep up… Read more Β»
I have very high hopes for USC’s new LB coach, Mike Entz, from NDSU Why did Entz leave a head coaching position for the LB coaching spot at USC? — “Just an opportunity for me to continue to grow and develop. I wouldn’t leave NDSU for just anything. I’ve had other opportunities along the way and they just didn’t maybe spark my interest, or the timing wasn’t right. This was a unique opportunity for me and my wife. “To me, USC’s a top-five program in the country. And you know, when USC is playing good football, college football is a… Read more Β»
The failures of this season for USC comes down to Alex Grinch and Caleb Williams. The phrase I would describe to both is, “over thinking it”. Grinch seemed to want to be the defensive guru to match LR’s rep on offense. He turned what could have been a passable defense into as confused bunch of players I’ve ever seen. Caleb is Sam Darnold with infinite more talent. He tried to hard to show he was the greatest college QB ever. He tried too hard too many times to make the impossible play. The one thing the Holiday showed me was… Read more Β»
Read a couple of places that Eric Henderson would take our DLine coaching spot. Not sure why he would leave the Rams, but that would be a big boy hire again. If Riley and Lynn get this done it would be huge. Itβs all rumors right now, but there is some smoke.
Seems like a real possibility. If so, a good sign that LR is taking his staff coaching spots more seriously. Since Henderson’s good enough for Super Bowl winner Sean McVay, I’d say he’s good enough to improve USC. Henderson has been the Ram DL/run game coordinator since 2021, and their DL coach since 2019. The 10-7 Rams are a hot team to watch right now and have won four in a row. WR Puka Nacua, at one time committed to USC and a prep fave of mine, has already broken the NFL records for most catches and receiving yds by… Read more Β»
in my know nothing opinion, if we get this hire, we are in the discussion for best defensive staff in the country. Riley saw the light and is taking big swings!
It’s about time after he wasted a shot with generational Caleb Williams at a possible fantastic USC year on Alex Grinch, et al. It’ll be a while before LR lives that one down. JMHO.
For sure, itβs gross. Would we all forget (or forgive) if we make playoffs and have a deep run this year? My expectations are so much better than a month ago, but Iβm also glass half full guy and very pro Riley.
I’m a glass-half-full guy who is not so pro-Riley. Personally, forgiveness has nothing to do with it for me. I always enjoy looking forward much more. The rearview is for the birds, and thankfully, USC’s 2023 is in the books and LR’s been thoroughly humbled by the entire CFB world, not just USC fans. Hopefully, LR learned a lot about his weaknesses, not all of which were restricted to his Grinch decision. He’s trying to move forward in many ways, which is all he can do. Everybody loves a winner, and when LR starts winning again, he’ll be loved, like… Read more Β»
Chris, I have no doubt at all he would be a good hire, but what happened with the splash hire from Michigan who was putting players into the nfl regularly? Shaun Nua is not a bad coach. He was like the others, under Grinch, who directed he wanted speed, not size on the D line. We all know that was a failure as it appears D lines need to be anchored with 300+ lbs players in the middle. Now with a new DC who understands size matters, especially going into the B1G, Nua can do what he does best, coach… Read more Β»
Caleb’s a great QB who did not have a great year while still flashing frequent signs of being great, as well as great indecision and QB immaturity, on a not-so-great team with not-so-great coaching against some great 2nd half-of-the-season competition. As far as Caleb too often changing the play on the LOS as many have complained, how much of that was LR, and how much was Caleb? If anyone knows, I’d sure like to know the answer to that. In either case, and regardless of who was at fault (probably both), LR should have put the brakes on all of that nonsense before USC’s offense started drowning in Caleb’s own weirdness and bizarre inability to make much quicker downfield decisions after… Read more Β»
I don’t mean to be so hard on Caleb. I’m sure he has worked hard to get to where he is. But that offense could have been the #1 offense in the country last year. They had more than enough talent to run the same type of offense where the QB gets the ball out of his hand quickly that Washington and Oregon ran. They had Washingtons O-Line listed as the best in the country. Most of those stats are based upon how many sacks they allowed. But the reason why Penix was not sacked much was because of how… Read more Β»
Heβs most likely going to be our center or a guard. Paige will be LT, not sure who will be RT. Iβm sure Noa and EP will be the other two interior guys.
In case you hadn’t heard, OU added former USC OT Michael Tarquin (6-5, 300), who was not able to stick as a Trojan starter, via the transfer portal… Justin Martinez (The Oklahoman) — NORMAN — The Sooners added some experience to their offensive line on Saturday. OU secured a commitment from USC transfer Michael Tarquin. The redshirt SR began his career at UF and has started 28 games at multiple positions. Tarquin made 20 starts at UF, which he split evenly between LG and LT. He then made all eight of his starts at USC at RT. Tarquin’s versatility should be invaluable… Read more Β»
I’m glad he’s gone. Looked bad on a bad USC O-line. OU can have him. Nothing like a new two-time transfer to give you confidence in your already depleted OL.
Doesn’t get much better than a day when SC wins, and ucla loses to a Cal team that had lost about 20 straight conference games. I hope the SC team we saw on Saturday is indicative of what the rest of the season will look like.
Bill Plaschke (LAT) — Look, itβs been a tough year for the usually gregarious and accessible Mick Cronin (who failed to show up for the press post-game last night after losing to lowly CAL). We get it. The Bruins are 6-9 and in last place in the Pac-12 and have lost four in a row at Pauley Pavilion for the first time in 21 years and are surely driving this good man nuts, we understand.
Collier
Bowl Contest goes final: Congratulations to Mrs SteveG on winning the contest and DubPar22 for coming in 2nd. For third place, there were 3 people tied with 11 points so we had to go to the tie-breaker and Scoochnew ended up with 3rd prize after guessing 44 points which was closest to the final score. I will contact the winners directly to get them their prize money.
Thank you everyone for making the Bowl season just a little more interesting!
Click here for a copy of the final bowl scorecard:
https://trojandailyblog.com/tdb-college-football-bowl-contest-2023/
People keep telling me that Caleb Williams is going pro…..100%. Then why doesn’t he announce it. Personally, I don’t want him to come back. Miller may not have Calebs individual great skills but he’s a much better team player. I really do believe the team will do much better with Miller than under Caleb.
Leverage
Mark Kulkin said that the only reason why Big 10 defenses are rated so high was because the Big 10 teams didn’t play any good offenses. Tell that to Washington.
Two things can be true at the same time. Michigan is a great defense able to stop anyone. The Big10 has really bad offenses.
Exactly. That is a shut down defense, and Penix was way off the mark.
Two things can be true at the same time but because they are both true, that doesn’t necessarily imply that one is true BECAUSE the other is true. The big 10 was probably the worst offensive conference. The Pac-12 was probably the best offensive conference. But if Michigan played in the Pac-12 this last year, I have a sneaky suspicion that they would still have been one of the best defensive teams in the nation(maybe not #1)
Michael Penix, Jr, just QBd one of the worst games in the history of national championships, missing open WRs left and right all night long (27-51, 255 yds,
TD, 2 picks). Guess he got hurt in 2nd half, though I didn’t notice it until late in the game. Lots of Husky drops too. Basically a miserable performance by slow UW, which couldn’t run either.
Old School MICH was so much better in the trenches it’s not even funny.
Also, a horribly reffed game. UW got totally hosed on missed holding calls.
Just another reminder Coach Riley, a good defense wins Championships and not the other way around.
This year, maybe … Georgia gave up 42 in a semi last year and won it
LSU couldnβt stop a nose bleed and the year they won it,
What got me was Mich didn’t need to blitz, they applied pressure with their 4 man rush.
That one holding call when Washington had made a long pass was a bad call. I’m still happy that Michigan won. Udub is too close to SC.Winning a NC would help Washington in recruiting especially here on the left coast. We already have enough trouble in recruiting competing with Calvin Klein U
I noticed a few other non-calls on PIs and holding that would have helped UW. But I always felt that MICH was in control of the game, and if they ever fell behind, which they didn’t, they would come back again to win. In the end, MICH blew the doors off UW. They had more talent across the board, not just in the trenches, played better as a team, were better coached, hungrier, and spooked/rushed Penix into a confused state of ineptitude. One thing that stood out to me, in particular, was the comparative slowness of UW’s D. Their defenders… Read more Β»
We all saw the non-calls on holding that were obvious that the announcers pointed out. One very noticeable Michigan lineman hold lead to a rushing TD. You are not going to see every hold as an official, but there were holds that were so obvious, out in the open where the ball carrier was at, you wonder what the officials were looking at. Was it luck or just plain bad officiating? I hope this doesn’t go unnoticed by the powers to be…..
I also felt that Herbstreit and Fowler ignored commenting on the numerous missed calls, even though over-reffed games are a bummer. I understand they have to play some politics to keep their high-profile, and usually well-done jobs. Maybe they just missed stuff like the refs seemed to. But I was disappointed to see UW get the short shrift from both the refs and the announcers in this regard IMO, even though I thought MICH was just too overwhelmingly tough for UW last night. Were we just tilting at windmills? Don’t think so. I also don’t think we’re gonna hear any… Read more Β»
Mich has done a great job of limiting what UW wants to do. With that, their offense is limited or this would be a blowout.
Michigan DL and DBs are bad ass
No joke. The DBβs tackled like crazy. All those crossing routes and screens were small gains.
Penix was off. His passes went high several times when if catchable they would have been scores and WA would have been in the game. Not his best night. Michigan offense simply has a great O line.
Mich made it look easy on opening drive.
and when they started throwing easy stuff for McCarthy on 1st down
Michigan is really good at every phase … no reason LR cannot build something like this
Colin Cowherd — “If Lincoln Riley doesn’t win this year, he may be in trouble.”
I think LR certainly, and deservedly, has more runway than 2024. But 2025 needs to be a big winner, unless Jen Cohen secretly doesn’t like him.
What does he mean by winning? A winning record? Top 6 in the conference? Make the playoffs? I think LR with the new defensive staff and no CW, can get USC to at least 8 wins, possibly 1 or 2 more. 9 wins certainly 10 wins gets SC in the playoffs.
USC had a winning record in 2023, and we still looked horrible against anyone decent. We even looked bad against some bad teams.
I don’t think USC will be a top 12 team in 2024, and I think Cowherd means vastly improved per the eye test, as opposed to any specific number of wins, especially with our new B1G schedule, which kicks off with LSU in Vegas.
But USC also can’t afford to get totally humbled by ND, UW and UCLA again in 2024. Wins against rivals go a long, long way. Just ask Terry Donahue.
Who will win tonight’s amazingly well-matched NC game? The Athletic’s expert predictions for Michigan-Washington. Michael Penix, Jr, looks like the game decider… Nicole Auerbach (MICH): I’m sticking with my preseason pick, even though the electrifying Washington offense certainly gives me pause. But the Wolverines will win the way they have all year — by dominating both lines of scrimmage… Jayna Bardahl (UW): I’m admittedly nervous about the Huskies’ run defense, but I’m trusting their offense will pick up the slack. Michigan hasn’t faced an offense as equipped as Washington’s through the air. Michael Penix Jr. and company will be too much to keep up… Read more Β»
I have very high hopes for USC’s new LB coach, Mike Entz, from NDSU Why did Entz leave a head coaching position for the LB coaching spot at USC? — “Just an opportunity for me to continue to grow and develop. I wouldn’t leave NDSU for just anything. I’ve had other opportunities along the way and they just didn’t maybe spark my interest, or the timing wasn’t right. This was a unique opportunity for me and my wife. “To me, USC’s a top-five program in the country. And you know, when USC is playing good football, college football is a… Read more Β»
The failures of this season for USC comes down to Alex Grinch and Caleb Williams. The phrase I would describe to both is, “over thinking it”. Grinch seemed to want to be the defensive guru to match LR’s rep on offense. He turned what could have been a passable defense into as confused bunch of players I’ve ever seen. Caleb is Sam Darnold with infinite more talent. He tried to hard to show he was the greatest college QB ever. He tried too hard too many times to make the impossible play. The one thing the Holiday showed me was… Read more Β»
Read a couple of places that Eric Henderson would take our DLine coaching spot. Not sure why he would leave the Rams, but that would be a big boy hire again. If Riley and Lynn get this done it would be huge. Itβs all rumors right now, but there is some smoke.
Seems like a real possibility. If so, a good sign that LR is taking his staff coaching spots more seriously. Since Henderson’s good enough for Super Bowl winner Sean McVay, I’d say he’s good enough to improve USC. Henderson has been the Ram DL/run game coordinator since 2021, and their DL coach since 2019. The 10-7 Rams are a hot team to watch right now and have won four in a row. WR Puka Nacua, at one time committed to USC and a prep fave of mine, has already broken the NFL records for most catches and receiving yds by… Read more Β»
in my know nothing opinion, if we get this hire, we are in the discussion for best defensive staff in the country. Riley saw the light and is taking big swings!
It’s about time after he wasted a shot with generational Caleb Williams at a possible fantastic USC year on Alex Grinch, et al. It’ll be a while before LR lives that one down. JMHO.
For sure, itβs gross. Would we all forget (or forgive) if we make playoffs and have a deep run this year? My expectations are so much better than a month ago, but Iβm also glass half full guy and very pro Riley.
I’m a glass-half-full guy who is not so pro-Riley. Personally, forgiveness has nothing to do with it for me. I always enjoy looking forward much more. The rearview is for the birds, and thankfully, USC’s 2023 is in the books and LR’s been thoroughly humbled by the entire CFB world, not just USC fans. Hopefully, LR learned a lot about his weaknesses, not all of which were restricted to his Grinch decision. He’s trying to move forward in many ways, which is all he can do. Everybody loves a winner, and when LR starts winning again, he’ll be loved, like… Read more Β»
That Utah loss was a killer … and had every opportunity to beat Udub, even with Grinch giving up 300 yds to a guy averaging 70 yds a game
Chris, I have no doubt at all he would be a good hire, but what happened with the splash hire from Michigan who was putting players into the nfl regularly? Shaun Nua is not a bad coach. He was like the others, under Grinch, who directed he wanted speed, not size on the D line. We all know that was a failure as it appears D lines need to be anchored with 300+ lbs players in the middle. Now with a new DC who understands size matters, especially going into the B1G, Nua can do what he does best, coach… Read more Β»
Caleb’s a great QB who did not have a great year while still flashing frequent signs of being great, as well as great indecision and QB immaturity, on a not-so-great team with not-so-great coaching against some great 2nd half-of-the-season competition. As far as Caleb too often changing the play on the LOS as many have complained, how much of that was LR, and how much was Caleb? If anyone knows, I’d sure like to know the answer to that. In either case, and regardless of who was at fault (probably both), LR should have put the brakes on all of that nonsense before USC’s offense started drowning in Caleb’s own weirdness and bizarre inability to make much quicker downfield decisions after… Read more Β»
CW not running killed this O .. he ran it vs Udub and SC scored at will but he knew it was a national game
I don’t mean to be so hard on Caleb. I’m sure he has worked hard to get to where he is. But that offense could have been the #1 offense in the country last year. They had more than enough talent to run the same type of offense where the QB gets the ball out of his hand quickly that Washington and Oregon ran. They had Washingtons O-Line listed as the best in the country. Most of those stats are based upon how many sacks they allowed. But the reason why Penix was not sacked much was because of how… Read more Β»
Fortunately, redshirt JR OL Jonah Monheim (Moorpark, CA; 6-5, 300) looks to be returning to USC.
Monheim has been acknowledged as one of six Hidden Gem Draft prospects named by 33rdTeam — and is the only one who hasn’t declared for the Draft.
the33rdteam.com
Heβs most likely going to be our center or a guard. Paige will be LT, not sure who will be RT. Iβm sure Noa and EP will be the other two interior guys.
In case you hadn’t heard, OU added former USC OT Michael Tarquin (6-5, 300), who was not able to stick as a Trojan starter, via the transfer portal… Justin Martinez (The Oklahoman) — NORMAN — The Sooners added some experience to their offensive line on Saturday. OU secured a commitment from USC transfer Michael Tarquin. The redshirt SR began his career at UF and has started 28 games at multiple positions. Tarquin made 20 starts at UF, which he split evenly between LG and LT. He then made all eight of his starts at USC at RT. Tarquin’s versatility should be invaluable… Read more Β»
They say Tarquin was good at Florida. For some reason, he just didn’t fit in at SC.
I’m glad he’s gone. Looked bad on a bad USC O-line. OU can have him. Nothing like a new two-time transfer to give you confidence in your already depleted OL.
I’m with the Holiday Bowl guys! ο»Ώβο»Ώ
Doesn’t get much better than a day when SC wins, and ucla loses to a Cal team that had lost about 20 straight conference games. I hope the SC team we saw on Saturday is indicative of what the rest of the season will look like.
USC has an RPI ranking of 96. They can’t afford anymore losses the rest of the regular season. They certainly need wins against Oregon ASU and AZ.
Tough Times In Westwood
Bill Plaschke (LAT) — Look, itβs been a tough year for the usually gregarious and accessible Mick Cronin (who failed to show up for the press post-game last night after losing to lowly CAL). We get it. The Bruins are 6-9 and in last place in the Pac-12 and have lost four in a row at Pauley Pavilion for the first time in 21 years and are surely driving this good man nuts, we understand.
latimes.com
Absolutely heartbreaking. ππ