Sunday Buzz: A Player Worth Remembering

It’s 62 days before football season. Who cares, right? But some publications do countdowns where they mention a player who wore the jersey number to signify the days before the season. The problem is they often pick the wrong player.

Here’s a No. 62 worth mentioning: Chris Foote.

He was the starting center on USC’s 1979 team, which went 11-0-1 and beat undefeated Ohio State, 17-10, in the Rose Bowl.

“It was like so many other games this year, it was like at LSU, at Cal, at Washington  — there’s just that confidence we’ll do it, no matter the situation,” Foote said. “Our offense is good at wearing people down. You can actually feel it over the course of a game. The linebacker’s not stepping up as hard, or the lineman’s not charging as hard…. We just wear them down.”

When does USC wear teams down any more?

Foote also spent 10 seasons in the NFL and two in the USFL That’s a pretty good career.

Saturday Buzz: Will USC Play On Natural Grass In 2028?

With the World Cup in full swing, it’s a reminder that USC is probably going to have play the 2028 season somewhere besides the Coliseum, which will need to have a running track removed after hosting track events at the Coliseum.

SoFi Stadium is expected to be the favored site. Maybe USC should insist SoFi install a grass field like it currently has for the World Cup in 2028. I doubt USC will insist anything, it’s not its style, but it would be a good idea to play on natural grass.

WORLD CUP VIDEO OF THE DAY

Have you seen this Channel 7 (Los Angeles) video, which has gone viral?

https://twitter.com/BosniaNTBall/status/2070749411240779933?s=20

USC Sunday Buzz: Another Notable Omission And Near Miss For Ex-President

Here’s another one for USC baseball players named to the College Baseball Hall of Fame but not the USC Hall of Fame: Pitcher Bill Bordley, who went 26-2 and won a national title in 1978.

• Jace Souza, a reserve outfielder at Texas Tech the past two seasons, has committed to USC. He hit .171 this season.

• Max Nikias says his cybertruck avoided an accident in downtown L.A. He drives a cybertruck? That USC money probably paid for it.

https://twitter.com/MaxNikias_/status/2068342345477894420?s=20

RE: https://ext.sportsbots.xyz/users/972643388959936512/statuses/2066179783604465828

USC IS BACK! #FightOn

Ro ro, fight da power

#FightOn #mtg #MagicTheGathering

Saturday Buzz: USC Season On Brink After Devastating Loss

What’s the saying about how insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

USC’s baseball season is one loss away from being over after a shocking 5-4 loss to Texas State on Friday night.

The Trojans led 4-3 going into the ninth after a home run in the eighth by Adrian Lopez.

So what happens in the ninth? An error, of course, to let a runner on base. One out later, Andy Stankiewicz inserted reliever Adam Troy, who immediately gave up a 2-run homer.

Last weekend, Troy gave up a 3-run homer to UCLA in the ninth inning of USC’s 7-5 loss to the Bruins.

Did we mention USC batters struck out 12 times?

So now USC ace Mason Edwards will take the mound today for an elimination game against Lamar. The game is at 1 p.m. and will be on ESPN+, which means few will watch it.

Lincoln Riley Says He Is A Better Coach At USC Than At Oklahoma

I didn’t see this quote that Lincoln Riley gave to CBS during his offseason rehab tour.

“I’m a lot better coach than at any point at Oklahoma,” he said.

So he is better coach, it’s just the wins and losses that are worse. Winning and losing is the least important part of coaching, apparently.

And if he such a better coach, why doesn’t he want to play Notre Dame anymore?

This is a statement that even his most ardent supporters can justfy. But I’m sure they will try.

USC Morning Buzz: Four-Star Receiver Decommits

Four-star wide receiver Eli Woodard of Temecula has decommitted from USC.

He had committed to USC in February.

• Lincoln Riley is doing his offseason spin tour with stories by ESPN and USA Today.

“It’s time,” Riley told ESPN about making the College Football Playoff. “The program’s ready for it.”

In Year 5. Riley forget to mention it would take at least five years when he got hired at USC.

And he hasn’t made the playoff in Year 5 yet either.

“I feel like I’ve got a little bit of credibility in terms of having been in part of some places that did (win) at a pretty high level,” Riley added.

“So I have at least a little bit of an idea of what I’m talking about.”

The expert at winning has lost 18 games in four years at USC. But he wants to lecture everyone about it.

USC Morning Buzz: Don’t Believe Scholarship Figure Is Set In Stone

USC says it will sign 16 recruits for the Class of 2027 and already has 14 commitments.

Do you really think if a five-star defensive tackle wants to commit after the Trojans get 16 commitments, they will tell the recruit no thanks because their class is full?

Now I don’t doubt they want to sign a small class, I just don’t think the number is set in stone. No way Lincoln Riley and Charmin Bowden say no to a recruit if they are too good to pass up.

And let’s see how the attitude changes if some of the 35 incoming freshmen decide to transfer out of USC in December. Look how many true freshman transferred out after only a semester this year.

So like everything else in recruiting — commitments, scholarships awarded, etc., — is a fluid business despite whatever gets said.