USC football: Trojans up with sun to finish bye-week workouts

USC concluded its bye-week workouts early this morning, giving players nearly three days off and coaches a chance to recruit before preparations begin for their Nov. 28 game against UCLA.

Receiver Jordan Cameron, offensive lineman Nick Howell and safeties Jawanza Starling and T.J. McDonald had the most productive weeks, Coach Pete Carroll said.

"That’s a great example of what we hope to have happen in a week like this -- that guys take advantage of it, seize the opportunity and help their cause and help us get better," Carroll said.

I'll have more later at latimes.com/sports.

--Gary Klein

Photo: Pete Carroll watches his team play against the Stanford Cardinal on Nov. 14. Credit: Gary A. Vasquez / US Presswire.

USC fans need to look on the bright side

This hasn't been a good week for Trojan fans. Ever since USC's 55-21 loss to Stanford on Saturday, the Trojan faithful have had to endure a harsh heaping of trash talk and uncaring words -- from Cardinal fans no less.

But if USC fans are to overcome this Rose Bowl blocker of a loss, they need to look on the bright side. Check out the following music video to see what USC will and won't have this winter:

Sorry, I just had to throw another log on the fire. Hey, it's not like the Trojans lose to Stanford every other year or something. Oh, wait a minute...

-- Austin Knoblauch

Wednesday's poll: Who are the two best running backs in USC history?

Vote now and let your voice be heard, then leave a comment letting us know why you voted the way you did.

-- Houston Mitchell

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Bleacher report: Pete Carroll has a new enemy: Jim Harbaugh

From the Bleacher Report:

If you grew up in Ohio, chances are you still reserve a good deal of hatred for Bo Schembechler; it's Woody Hayes if the tables are turned.

These days, the Red River Rivalry brings the collective Oklahoma and Texas blood to a boil hotter than their chilies, with Bob Stoops and Mack Brown hanging over the pot.

This past weekend, Pete Carroll and USC fans found a new Public Enemy No. 1: Jim Harbaugh and his Stanford Cardinal.

USC fans will surely have Harbaugh firmly held in a special cold, dark place in their hearts after making the classless decision to embarrass Pete Carroll and the USC Trojans.

With a victory clearly in hand after a fourth-quarter thumping of USC on both sides of the ball, and on the heels of a pick-six, Harbaugh sent his Cardinal offense back to the ball for a two-point conversion with the score 48-21.

USC football: Pete Carroll says Matt Barkley remains the starting quarterback

Freshman Matt Barkley, who had four turnovers Saturday in USC's 55-21 loss to Stanford, will remain the Trojans' starting quarterback, Coach Pete Carroll said Sunday.

Carroll said he and his staff have a "clear thought" that Barkley gives the Trojans the best chance to win.

"We see the potential, the playmaking, the mentality and all the stuff we're looking for," Carroll said.

Barkley completed 21 of 31 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown against Stanford, but he lost a fumble and had three passes intercepted. The Cardinal converted every turnover into touchdowns.

Barkley has passed for 11 touchdowns with 10 interceptions this season.

Sophomore Aaron Corp and junior Mitch Mustain will get more snaps during bye-week practices, but when asked if he was considering replacing Barkley, Carroll said, "No, he needs to keep playing."

I'll have more later at latimes.com/sports

-- Gary Klein

Photo: Matt Barkley. Credit: Kirby Lee / US Presswire

Wait: There IS a way USC makes the Rose Bowl, if you also believe in goblins

After further review, a popular term in college football this year, there is an extremely remote chance USC could still earn the Pac-10's Rose Bowl bid this year.

Earlier Sunday, Pac-10 spokesman Jim Muldoon said he could not find a scenario in which USC could qualify for the Rose Bowl. But, Muldoon said, sportswriter Bud Withers of the Seattle Times found a route for the Trojans.

It involves, get this, a six way at 6-3.

How it works:

Oregon loses to Arizona and Oregon State

Stanford loses to Cal

Oregon State loses to Washington State, beats Oregon

Arizona beats Arizona State and Oregon, loses to USC

USC beats UCLA and Arizona

Cal beats Stanford and Washington

All teams finish 6-3, then you compare records against the others. Arizona, Oregon State and USC are 3-2. Cal, Oregon and Stanford at 2-3 are eliminated.

USC wins a three-way tiebreaker against Arizona and Oregon State.

See how easy it is? Of course, the dealbreaker in this scenario is Oregon State losing to Washington State.

-- Chris Dufresne

chris.dufresne@latimes.com

USC football: A fan's look back at the Stanford game

It was early in the fourth quarter Saturday, moments after another Stanford touchdown, when a message featuring USC Coach Pete Carroll appeared on the video board at the Coliseum. One lucky person, Carroll said, would be able to text a question to him that he would answer.

I didn’t bother to reach for my cellphone, but this would have been my question: What in the name of Paul Hackett is going on with the Trojans? Not since the miserable Hackett days have USC fans had to sit through such an embarrassing performance at the Coliseum as the 55-21 loss to the Cardinal.

How do you describe what Stanford did to USC? How about “shame, embarrassment, nausea and a feeling of emasculation?”

Those aren’t my words, but part of a quote from Ben Malcolmson, the Trojans’ official blogger. First off, full credit to Stanford for coming into the Coliseum and imposing its will from the start. The Cardinal looks like a rising power in the Pac-10. That should satisfy the moronic Stanford fan who last week criticized my description of Oregon “imploding” in its 51-42 loss at Stanford.

By the way, idiot, my family is Dutch, not German.

Toby Gerhart deserves consideration for the Heisman Trophy and Andrew Luck
showed just how skilled he is as a quarterback.

USC football: Trojans receivers step up in Damian Williams' absence

Lost in USC's 55-21 defeat by Stanford was the play of the Trojans' receiving corps, which turned in a mostly solid performance in Damian Williams' absence.

Williams, who has a team-best 45 receptions, was sidelined because of a high-ankle sprain suffered against Arizona State.

Redshirt freshman Brice Butler started in his place and caught six passes for 96 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown early in the third quarter to pull the Trojans to within 21-14.

Junior Ronald Johnson had a team-high seven catches for 69 yards. Junior Travon Patterson had his first receptions since the season opener, catching two passes, including one on third down that kept alive the Trojans' first scoring drive.

The Trojans had hoped that senior tight end Anthony McCoy's return from an ankle injury would jump-start the offense. But McCoy was limited to one catch for seven yards. 

-- Gary Klein

Photo: Brice Butler. Credit: Stephen Dunn / Getty Images

USC football: Pete Carroll's November streak is history

Pete Carroll's November winning streak ended with the Trojans' 55-21 loss to Stanford.

The Trojans had won 28 consecutive November games under Carroll since he became coach in 2001.

The November dominance helped the Trojans finish the 2001 regular season strong and then propelled them to two national titles and seven consecutive Bowl Championship Series bowl games.

After the Stanford loss, Carroll said of his success in November, "I never really have known why that even existed" but said, as a competitor, he loved the phenomenon.

“Loved the fact that we finished … in a manner that made us unique and separated us and allowed us to do a lot of great things at the end of the year," he said.

After this week's open date, the Trojans have one more November game, against UCLA. The Trojans finish the season Dec. 5 against Arizona.

Carroll is 5-1 in regular-season games in December. USC defeated Oregon State at the Coliseum in 2003. The other five games were against UCLA, the Trojans' only loss a 13-9 defeat at the Rose Bowl in 2006.

-- Gary Klein

For what it's worth: USC officially eliminated from Rose Bowl race

USC football's sky and status kept falling when the Trojans dropped 11 positions to No. 22 in today's Associated Press poll while it was confirmed that Pete Carroll's team had been officially eliminated from the Rose Bowl race.

"I can't find any scenario where USC gets to the Rose Bowl," Pac-10 spokesman Jim Muldoon said in an e-mail today.

The Trojans (7-3, 4-3) could still claim a share of the Pac-10 title in a multiple-tie situation but cannot earn the automatic bid to Pasadena.

Thus, USC's streak of seven straight Bowl Championship Series appearances is over, but you might have guessed that after Saturday's 55-21 home loss to Stanford.

The best postseason game available to USC appears to be the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31. Oregon and Stanford, which both defeated USC, can finish no worse than 6-3 in the Pac-10, while 6-3 is the best USC can finish.

USC is currently tied with Cal for fifth place in the conference race, with the Pac-10 having arrangements with six bowl partners.

Other options for USC include the Emerald Bowl, against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent on Dec. 26, the Las Vegas Bowl versus the Mountain West on Dec. 22 or the Poinsettia Bowl against the Mountain West on Dec. 23.

-- Chris Dufresne