USC has a chance today to further solidify their place in the Pac 10 and the BCS hunt if they take care of business against Arizona State today. Forget about Carpenter it doesn't matter whether he plays or not SC needs to play their game and keep focused.

Try as I might unfortunately I wil not be online for the enitire thread today due to having to go into work later this afternoon. I will probablybe on for the 1st Qtr. only. If anybody TiVo's it and can burn a DVD of the game let me know.

Leave your questions, comments or general rants here.

FIGHT ON!

Things are different with ASU this year. With virtually the same team they seem to have regressed after having a pretty good season in 2007.

SC has faced this type of situation before so we all hope that they have will be in the proper mind set.

USC is a 29-point favorite over Arizona State today at the Coliseum. That should send chills through any Trojans fan, let alone coach Pete Carroll.

No. 5 Ohio State? No problem, a 32-point blowout. No. 23 Oregon? A 34-point cruise/snooze.

But Oregon State, a 25-point underdog? Let's not go there. And who can forget Stanford, last year's 41 1/2-point underdog.

Should USC be worried?

Well maybe not worried but they need to be mindful that no team is a pushover.

ASU is coming off 3 straight losses in which they have scored just 44 points. They are 82nd in the country in scoring offense, averaging 23 points per game.  They rank 69th in total offense at 354 yards per game, and that is mostly because of their rushing offense that ranks 114th in the country (last in the Pac-10) at 85 yards per game. In the past two games they have rushed for a combined 75 yards. The running game is just not as balanced as it was last season. The passing game is a different story, as ASU actually has some pretty good receivers. When Carpenter is healthy and when he has time he can get the ball down the field, they rank 21st in the country at 269 yards per game. 

With this being virtually the same ASU team as they faced last season you know SC has to be thinking about how they can get after Carpenter/ASU like they did last year on Thanksgiving day.

With the Sun Devils visiting the Coliseum on Saturday, the USC pass rushers sense an opportunity.

Defensive end Kyle Moore has studied videotape of last season's matchup in Tempe, Ariz., where his predecessor, Lawrence Jackson, had four of the Trojans' six sacks.

"Hopefully I can run some of the same moves," Moore said. "Get a few sacks too."

The Sun Devils rank as the worst rushing team in the Pac-10, averaging of 85.4 yards. They have lost three straight games and might have to play without starting quarterback Rudy Carpenter, hobbled by an ankle injury.

The Trojans, meanwhile, are averaging three sacks a game.

The lopsided numbers make USC defensive tackle Fili Moala wax psychological.

"It's not like they have any slouches on their offensive line," he said of Arizona State. "I think it's just a matter of the morale of the team. Any team, if you continue to lose, you're always going to be down a little bit and people might get you."

The problem has been that Carpenter has pretty much become a pinball the past couple of seasons with a less than stellar offensive line. Last season ASU gave up 55 sacks, so far this season they given up just 12. Carpenter was pounded last weekend and he came out of it with badly sprained ankle. So now the question begging to be answered is a simple one…is Rudy Carpenter healthy enough to start? He has been listed a “very doubtful” so if he can’t go the starting job falls onto Danny Sullivan. Sullivan hasn’t played much this season having has completed just 1-of-8 in passing for -1 yard this season. He has the talent, SC recruited him, but he hasn’t had much experience playing behind the pretty sturdy Carpenter. We have seen this type of scenario before with Stanford’s Tavita Pritchard last season so SC better be prepared and focused as you know ASU will looking for lightning to strike twice.

Sullivan, like Carpenter, loves to throw the ball and he has four targets to throw it to. Chris McGaha, Kyle Williams, Kerry Taylor and Michael Jones offer Sullivan a chance to move the ball down field. If the ASU running game sputters look for Sullivan to put it up often. His biggest and probably most effective target is Jones. He leads the team in both receptions and yardage, with 26 grabs for 376 yards and a touchdown. He is also considered their best receiver in the red-zone. McGaha is considered the best pure receiver on the team. He has a lot of speed so SC needs to wrap him up quickly to reduce his yards after catch. He actually had a long run after catch last season against SC. But while McGaha can break it Kyle Williams is a speedster and leads ASU in 21 yards-per-catch having two 100+ yard receiving games.

ASU doesn’t use their tight ends much as they have only have 100 yards receiving between them. Most of the time they will use their TE’s for blocking because they don’t use a fullback and as the numbers show that hasn’t exactly helped the running game. The secondary will have their hands full if Carpenter/Sullivan has time to throw. But that is the central question will the QB have time to throw?

As I mentioned earlier the running game has been absolutely atrocious in their past two games they have gained only 75 yards combined. For the most part Dimitri Nance and Keegan Herring have split the running duties but Nance has carried more of the load recently because Herring has missed portions of 3 games due to a hamstring injury. Nance is also more of a power back and Erickson has asked him to do more east-west running trying to turn the corner. Nance will have a tough time trying to make that work against SC’s fast defense and this is where the key to the game lies. SC is going to stop the run and put pressure on Carpenter/Sullivan to get rid of the ball quick. That means it’s going to be on the DB’s to contain the receivers. If the QB has to get rid of the ball quick that could mean some mistakes and that means turnovers. SC’s defense has to make sure that they don’t over run the play in front of them; that is where they can get beat by leaving someone uncovered. I don’t think that will happen but thy have to guard against being over confident because of the perceived weakness of the ASU Offensive line.

As for the defense…outside of the 461 yards that they allowed against UGA they have held all other opponents to under 350 yards per game.

Here is how the numbers stack up. ASU ranks 46th in the country in scoring defense, allowing 20 points per game.  They are 42nd in total defense with 324 yards allowed per game, they are 52nd in rushing defense at 128 yards per game and 51st in passing defense with 196 yards per game.

The Defensive line is ASU’s strength with two great pass rushers in Dexter Davis and Luis Vasquez . Davis has been compared to Oregon’s Nick Reed in regards to his size and speed and dhe will always be in the play. Because of all the attention that Davis will get look for Vasquez to make the most of any one-on-one blocking that he will come against. Lawrence Guy had a big game against Cal and he leads the line with 22 tackles, 3.5 for a loss.

ASU’s linebacker corps took a big hit when MLB Gerald Munns stepped away from the team this season to deal with a personal matter. Morris Wooten is his replacement and there is significant drop off between the two. Mike Nixon and Travis Goethel shore up the outside LB positions. Nixon, who is good in coverage leads the team with 40 tackles and has an interception, Goethel is second in tackles on the team. It will be interesting to see how the LB’s adjust to this type of running attack, if they have to come up to help support the line in defending the running game it will put a lot pressure on the secondary.

SC wants to establish the run in the worst way for the obvious reasons...it opens the playbook for them.

USC's offense over the years has relentlessly emphasized a balanced attack, but with a twist.

"It's based on balance," Carroll said. "It's 50-50 by the end of the year."

But here's the unwritten rule of thumb that Byrd uncovered.

"We're at our best whenever we're aggressively running the ball ... whenever we have an aggressive running back who gets those extra yards," Carroll said. "That's exactly how it's designed to work."

That suits the running backs just fine.

"We have no problem with that," Stafon Johnson said. "That's always our game and we like that responsibility."

Offensive guard Jeff Byers, a brainy guy in his second year of an MBA program, sees the flip side of that.

"When we're able to pass it then, it helps our run game even more," Byers said.

But first things first.

"It's critical for us (to run the ball)," offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said this week. "It's our mind-set."

It’s the classic cliché…to set up the pass you have to establish the run and one of the big weapons will be Stafon Johnson.

Stafon really has come a long way!

Omar Bolden leads the ASU secondary and is considered the 2nd best defender on the team. Bolden is cocky and flamboyant but his flamboyance can be exploited by tempting him into making some risky plays. He likes to try and jump routes going for the INT but the downside is if he misses he could get torched. Bolden has a bit of a history with USC fans in how he chose ASU over USC in his recruitment and it left a bad taste in some fans mouths.

In early 2007, Bolden was a prized recruit at Ontario Colony High. He announced his choice of schools -- as so many players do -- on television. With family and friends gathered around, he placed three caps on the desk in front of him: Washington, Oregon State and USC.

One by one, Bolden pushed them away until only USC remained.

"I'm thinking it might be . . .," he said, picking up the cardinal-and-gold hat as if to put it on.

But then he flipped it away and said: "Nah, I ain't going to be no Trojan."

In a scene that still plays on YouTube, he reached behind his back, produced an Arizona State cap and announced that he was headed for Tempe.

If his actions seemed disrespectful -- fans in USC chat rooms were not amused -- well, there was a back story.

Bolden grew up a Trojans fan. The feeling was mutual, but USC coaches wondered if he could qualify academically. Though he tried to assure them, they hesitated to offer a scholarship.

"They could have handled the situation differently," he now says. "They chose not to."

Right...SC decides to wait on offering Bolden because of academics and he says they could have handled it differently? While I am no expert I feel pretty sure in sayng that the academic standards between USC and ASU are quite different so just becuse he was cleared academiclly by ASU doesn't mean he would have been cleared by USC. Seems to me some has some growing up to do...

Being from Ontario you know Bolden is going to want to make a big play in front of his hometown crowd. On the other side it a different story both Terrell Carr and Pierre Singfield have been spotty in their play this season. Singfield opened the season as the starter but Carr started the past two games. With as good as Bolden is on the other side it’s a safe bet that Sanchez will try to exploit this tandem on a regular basis.

Last week SC had to deal with Oregon’s Patrick Chung at Safety this week the have to deal with Troy Nolan. As one of the better safeties in the Pac-10 Nolan has a knack for getting to the ball. He is tough to throw deep against so if Sanchez plans on trying to pick apart ASU’s secondary like he did Oregon’s he is going to have to go through Nolan and that is no easy task. Opposite Nolan is true freshman Clint Floyd from Crenshaw High. This would only be his second start so I would look for Sanchez to try and exploit his inexperience as well forcing him to make plays.

It could get really ugly for ASU and fast if SC keeps their emotions in check and methodically sticks to their game. Focus on today and don't look ahead and you could see some great football today. If Carpenter doesn't play SC needs to treat Sullivan as if he was Carpenter and expect him to make the same plays that Carpenter would. This really isn't anything new for USC...treat this game like tOSU or Oregon and things should go their way but they have to play within themselves and not make stupid plays or commit costly penalties.

Do that and I think SC will be fine...

From The P-E College Blog.

Just in, USC Coach Pete Carroll told his Trojans team at the final Friday walk-through the Mark Sanchez will start at quarter back Friday against Arizona State.

Here's the word. It's on Carroll's www.uscripsit.com blog.

Sanchez to start Saturday
10-10-2008 3:57 p.m.

Mark Sanchez will start at quarterback in Saturday's game against Arizona State, Coach Pete Carroll announced this afternoon.

The decision comes only six days after Sanchez suffered a left knee injury in the third quarter of last week's game against Oregon. The redshirt junior returned to practice Wednesday and participated in nearly all of Thursday's workout.

"Mark has bounced back from this injury in great fashion," Carroll said. "He's fought back all week and is ready to go."

Not really a surprise...

Obviously I don't know how this process shakes out but it would seem to me that this should have been taken care of sooner.

With the start of USC basketball practice only a week away, NCAA officials said Friday they had yet to receive a waiver application that would determine forward Alex Stepheson's eligibility.

The news came as a surprise given that Stepheson and USC coaches have talked about expecting a decision from the NCAA any day.

Who is a sleep at the switch here? I would have thought that this would have been priority #1 once Stepheson commited to USC. We can really use an experienced player like Stepheson right now so it is perplexing to me that things seem to be getting done at the last minute.

Of course I would just love to know what "paperwork" the NCAA needs to get this done....

From The LA Times...

It looks like Everson Griffen got his head screwed on straight.

Everson Griffen is angry. He wants his starting defensive end position back at Southern California.

"Of course I'm angry, but angry like I need to get better on the field," said Griffen, a sophomore who starred at Avondale Agua Fria High. "It's action. No talking. Just show what I can do."

Griffen is hoping to reassert himself with Arizona State coming to Los Angeles on Saturday.

It doesn't matter if Pete Carroll's demoting Griffen was intentional or not...it sent a strong message and the message was received.

Lets hope it turns into some solid consistent play by Griffen.

ESPN's Ted Miller asks a legit question...

USC went from dominant to dreadful once before, so it's fair to ask if the Trojans might again be caught staring at their own reflections in the mirror with struggling Arizona State coming to town.

The Trojans buried Ohio State, then flopped at Oregon State. They then redeemed themselves with a 44-10 crushing of Oregon last weekend.

Now what?

Good Question!

As I have said in the past I will never look past a team ever again, not after Stanford.

As I read through a number of write-ups I keep seeing where people are saying that SC is just going to unload on ASU and pile it on.

Which Southern California will Arizona State see this weekend?

The Trojans who hope to improve to 4-1, or the Trojans who hope to improve to 4-1 and roll up excessive points with the intent of impressing voters whose polls impact the BCS standings?

I tried. Really. BCS detoxification. Algorithm exorcism. Garlic necklaces to ward off the ugly BCS thoughts that sucked the life out of my love for college football. I thought I had rid myself of Bowl Championship Series bashing until a point spread of 27 1/2 for Saturday's ASU game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum left me wondering if it reflected a disparity in talent or a disparity in talent plus the likelihood that the Trojans will pour on the points (under the guise, of course, of securing the backup quarterback some important fourth-quarter reps.)

That could very well be the case with Carpenter out but we have seen 1st time QB's come into the Coliseum and come out with a win...You know, Stanford.

Now that SC has punched in the mouth I am hopeful that they will do their best to keep their intensity up. ASU is down right now and they have a lot of the same problems that they had last season and when you couple that with Carpenter probably being out it could line up to be a rout but again we have been down that road before.

Pete Carroll seems to think that this time it's different now that the team is in the middle of conference play.

"I think this is a different situation," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "We're right in the middle of the conference right now. I'm hoping that we're going to find out if we can elevate to the kind of level and consistency that we've played with for years around here. That's by taking every game as if it's so darn important, strictly a championship opportunity."

Sanchez starting will also give the team an emotional boost as he has become the teams natural leader. But if for some reason Sanchez can't go Mitch Mustain has progressed far enough along that he should be comfortable and effective at running the offense.

He traveled more than 1,500 miles from Arkansas to Los Angeles to become USC's starting quarterback. Spent more than a year learning a new offense. And went up and down the depth chart with hopes of sticking at No. 1.

Saturday's game against Arizona State at the Coliseum might have been Mustain's opportunity.

But Mark Sanchez has recovered from a knee injury that briefly sidelined him during last week's victory over Oregon and provided Mustain with his first taste of real playing time for the Trojans.

So Mustain waits. And prepares. He is content, for now, knowing he is one play away from getting back onto the field and leading the offense.

"Certainly, this is the best spot I've been in since I got here," he said this week.

All we want this team to do is to live up to their potential and put in a solid effort.

It would appear that the team has settled in after that terrible Oregon St. loss and that they have put their best attitude forward. We saw what they could do against an Oregon team with a pretty good defense but now they can't let up when they face a team who may be without their leader starting a virtual unknown at QB.

Things are clicking pretty good with the receiver play vastly improved, the running game is pretty effective and the defense for the most part is doing some stellar work. With how the team has played at home this year I think SC wins on Saturday but I expect nothing. SC just needs to play their game...the game like we saw against Ohio State and Oregon an they should be fine. The question is will they be up for it?

With this weekend's game against Arizona State we took some time out to have some Q&A with one of newer SBN Blogs House of Sparky...

1.The big question last season was how would the offensive line do at protecting Carpenter. We all saw how much that unit struggled against SC last year, how have they improved if not where are they deficient?

They are still very rough around the edges. Dennis Erickson tried rotating in new blood at right tackle for the Cal game, removing redshirt freshman Adam Tello who struggled against the blitz. It didn't help, and Rudy has been pressured consistently since the UNLV disaster. They need to improve their pickups. It is only natural for new O-linemen to find it difficult to gel against experienced front sevens, and USC has the best linemen and linebackers in the Pac-10. The complete lack of a run game is partially the O-line's fault, but I wouldn't rest it entirely on them; Dimitri Nance has been putrid and looks like he has been afraid of punching through holes when he has the chance.

The consensus might be wrong. We have seen a lot of plays where Carpenter just couldn't get through his progressions quickly enough, leaving receivers open long enough so that coverage could make plays on the balls he finally throws. A good example of this was last week's pass to Kyle Williams, where Rudy just took too long to see him, and was picked on a waffling throw. I haven't seen much "improvement" from his junior to his senior season, but he has always been gritty and motivational towards his teammates. With that said, he also motivates the other team to beat the tar out of him.

Danny Sullivan has a strong arm. He's a big guy, and he's not afraid of contact. But truth be told, no one really knows what he can do; we saw him tear up Texas during the 4th quarter of the Holiday Bowl last year, but lets be honest: that was not a sample you can rely on. I don't think anyone ever expected that he would be a starter in the Pac-10, but we're still interested in seeing how he differs from Rudy Carpenter. If he plays within himself and makes short, concise throws, we could be looking at an efficient passing game based on slant and out routes.

5. The USC offensive line is going to have to keep an eye on DL Lawrence Guy. He seems to be getting it done with a sack and six tackles who else on the defense should SC be worried about?

Well, to be frank, ASU's defense has been fairly mediocre this year. We lost Justin Tryon to the Redskins this year, and Omar Bolden has had to play #1 corner in his stead. Unfortunately it seems like he wasn't quite ready for that duty, and passing games have exploited our secondary's weaknesses. If I had to pick a player, I would say Dexter Davis. He is a bad man, makes quarterbacks pay when he can get past the O-line. Since USC doesn't have the best O-line at this point in time, they could be at a loss to stop Guy, Davis, and DE Luis Vazquez, who all love eating up the running lanes.

Best of luck to you, however.

You can find our answers to their questions here.

Well, thankfully its been a while but unfortunately its time for another Injury Clinic write-up.

Earlier this week it was revealed that TB Allen Bradford has a labral tear in his hip. This is a NEW injury in regards to its name recognition but it has been around for a while.This is the same injury that has also affected a number of other SC players recently.

The orthopedic community has done a much better job at identifying the injury and the treatment options has significantly improved.

So, lets take a look at it.

First, the Anatomy...

- - a basal surface which connects the labrum to the acetabular bony rim

- - an internal articular surface which is in continuation with the articular surface of the acetabulum

- - an external surface where the hip joint capsule attaches.

A network of blood vessels enter the outer third of the labrum on the external surface only. The lack of blood supply to the inner two-thirds is thought to impede healing after injury. Free nerve endings are found throughout the acetabular labrum but are most densely packed in the anterior and superior quadrants.

The main function of the acetabular labrum is to improve hip joint stability in two ways. Firstly it deepens the hip socket, providing it with extra structural support. Secondly it partially seals the joint to create a negative intra-articular pressure which counteracts any distractive (pulling-apart) forces.

A second important function of the acetabular labrum is to increase joint congruity. After removal of the labrum the frictional force between the femoral and acetabular articular surfaces is increased by up to 92%, showing that the labrum plays an important role in the even distribution of forces across the articular surface.

This is not the same type of injury as say a meniscal tear in the knee. That sort sort of injury is usually the direct result of a traumatic twisting of knee.

From the Mayo Clinic's website.

 Photo Credit: Hospital for Special Surgery

A tear in your labrum, known as a hip labral tear or acetabular labral tear, can result from injury, repetitive movements that cause wear-and-tear on your hip joint, or degeneration, such as from osteoarthritis.In many cases, a hip labral tear causes no signs or symptoms and doesn't require treatment. Occasionally, however, a hip labral tear may cause pain or a "catching" sensation in the hip joint.

Many hip labral tears cause no signs or symptoms. Occasionally, however, you may experience one or more of the following:

• A locking, clicking or catching sensation in your hip joint
• Pain in your hip or groin
• Stiffness or limited range of motion in your hip joint

The labral tear in the hip is not something that just happens because of repetitive motion or join reaction forces. It is usually caused by Femoro-acetabular impingement (FAI). Other reasons for FAI are capsular laxity, dysplasia, and trauma.

From the Hospital for Special Surgery website.

Femoro-acetabular impingement (FAI) occurs when the ball (head of the femur) does not have its full range of motion within the socket (acetabulum of the pelvis).

Impingement itself is the premature and improper collision or impact between the head and/or neck of the femur and the acetabulum. This causes a decreased range of hip joint motion, in addition to pain. Most commonly, FAI is a result of excess bone that has formed around the head and/or neck of the femur, otherwise known as "cam"-type impingement. FAI also commonly occurs due to overgrowth of the acetabular (socket) rim, otherwise known as "pincer"-type impingement, or when the socket is angled in such a way that abnormal impact occurs between the femur and the rim of the acetabulum.

The reason orthopedic surgeons have become better at diagnosing and treating this injury is because of better MRI capabilities. Once they have identified it they then can address a specific course of treatment.

 

Symptoms and Diagnosis:

The presentation of acetabular labral tears is very inconsistent but the most common complaint is a sharp groin pain after trauma. Other possible sites of pain are the anterior thigh, greater trochanter and buttock region. Other symptoms include clicking, locking and ‘giving way’ of the hip. The pain may be reproduced in sport by weight-bearing activities that require twisting, such as kicking a football.

Examination of the hip is often entirely normal with a full range of movement. There are specific tests for a labral tear. The impingement test (flexion, adduction and internal rotation of the hip joint) commonly produces pain or a clicking sensation when an antero-superior tear is present. The McCarthy test involves flexing both hips and then extending the affected hip patients with a labral tear will feel a catch. Passive hyperextension, abduction and external rotation elicit pain with a posterior tear.

Treatment- Non-Surgical:

Non-surgical treatment is always the first choice in treating these types of injuries Many labral tears may become asymptomatic, and these do not need specific treatment. However, for athletes with persistent pain from labral tears, there are many treatment options. Physical therapy is used to improve hip range of motion and strengthen the muscles around the hip joint. Pain medications such as anti-inflammatories can be used to decrease inflammation around the labrum and provide pain relief.

Treatment- Surgical:

Hip Arthroscopy

If non-surgical treatment is not effective then surgery is often indicated. The most effective way to address this injury is Hip Arthroscopy. This is very similar to the technique of Knee Arthroscopy but the set up and and actual procedure is much more involved.

As you can see, this is a little more involved than a typical knee arthroscopy. From HSS

From the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA)

Arthroscopic management consists of debridement and repair. The goal of arthroscopic debridement of a torn hip labrum is to relieve pain by eliminating the unstable flap tear that causes the observed hip discomfort. The surgical technique of a hip labral tear repair depends on the nature of the labral injury. There are at least two distinct types of acetabular labrum tears.

Type I consist of a detachment of the labrum at the zone of transition to the articular hyaline cartilage and require reattachment to the acetabular rim, usally with anchor.

On the other hand,Type II tears are intrasubstance splits with one or more cleavage planes can be repaired with a suture lasso technique and a bioabsorbable suture.

Images of the arthroscopic repair.

This is a great video of the procedure.

From the Southern California Orthopedic Institute (SCOI)

Post-operative Care:

After the surgery, the patient will be on crutches for two to six weeks; this is determined on a case by case basis. Physical therapy is used to improve the hip range of motion and muscle strength around the hip. Once a patient is free of symptoms and has regained their strength, they can return to play, which is usually between two and six months, depending on the extent of the injury.