2008 USC Trojans football team From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



2008 USC Trojans football Conference Pac-10 Ranking BCS #5 Coaches #4 AP #6 2008 record 5–1 (3–1 Pac-10) Head coach Pete Carroll Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian Offensive scheme Multiple Defensive coordinator Nick Holt Base defense 4-3 Home stadium Los Angeles Coliseum (c. 93,607, grass) Seasons « 2007 2008 Pac-10 Football Standings Conf Overall Team (Rank) W L W L #4 USC 3 - 1 5 - 1 Oregon 4 - 1 6 - 2 Arizona 3 - 1 5 - 2 Oregon State 3 - 1 4 - 3 California 3 - 1 5 - 2 Stanford 3 - 2 4 - 4 UCLA 2 - 3 3 - 5 Arizona State 1 - 3 2 - 5 Washington 0 - 4 0 - 7 Washington State 0 - 5 1 - 7 As of October 25, 2008 • Rankings from Coaches Poll v d e The 2008 University of Southern California Trojans football team (variously "Trojans" or "USC") will represent the University of Southern California during the college football season of 2008–2009. The team will be coached by Pete Carroll and play their home games at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Contents [hide] 1 Before the season 1.1 Pre-season outlook 1.2 Recruiting class 1.2.1 Transfers 1.2.2 Departures 1.2.3 Offseason news 2 Schedule 3 Roster 4 Coaching staff 5 Game notes 5.1 Virginia 5.2 Ohio State 5.3 Oregon State 5.4 Oregon 5.5 Arizona State 5.6 Washington State 5.7 Arizona 5.8 Washington 5.9 California 5.10 Stanford 5.11 Notre Dame 5.12 UCLA 6 Rankings 7 Statistics 7.1 Team 7.1.1 Scores by quarter 7.2 Offense 7.2.1 Rushing 7.2.2 Passing 7.2.3 Receiving 7.3 Defense 7.4 Special teams 8 References 9 External links [edit] Before the season See also: American football rules and American football strategy [edit] Pre-season outlook See also: 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings#Preseason polls The Trojans finished the 2007 season with a decisive Rose Bowl victory, #2 ranking in the Coaches Poll and #3 ranking (with one first-place vote) in the AP Poll.[1][2] In January 2008, immediately after the bowl season, USC was ranked at #4 by Sports Illustrated online and #5 by ESPN.com; the general opinion was that while the Trojans were facing key player departures, the losses were mitigated by the overall talent level of the program. Georgia was ranked as the early pre-season #1 team.[3][4] Sports Illustrated and ESPN.com soon revised their rankings to #3 and #4, respectively, after nearly all draft-eligible juniors decided to remain with the program instead of entering the NFL Draft.[5] Going into the spring, USC ranked as the premiere team in the Pac-10 Conference, taking advantage of a deep talent pool, including a number of talented running backs holding over from the previous season.[6] The Trojans' biggest question entering spring practices was who would take over the starting quarterback position from John David Booty.[7][8] Junior Mark Sanchez entered spring practice as the acknowledged leader, having started three games the previous season due to an injury to Booty, winning two; however, Arkansas-transfer and former Razorback starter Mitch Mustain had the most college game experience, having started and won eight games for the 2006 Razorbacks team his freshman year while putting on an impressive performance on the scout team in the 2007 season during the NCAA-mandated waiting period.[9] Both Sanchez (2005) and Mustain (2006) were considered the top quarterback in the nation coming out of their respective high school classes.[10] The Trojans entered spring with a number of qualified running backs, but not quite as many as in 2007. Battling for the starting position were top returners Junior Stafon Johnson (673 yards) and sophomore Joe McKnight (540 yards); but challenging them would be redshirt sophomore C.J. Gable, who started five games as a freshman in 2006 and the first two of 2007 before a season-ending injury, junior Allen Bradford, as well as previously injured redshirt freshman Broderick Green and Marc Tyler.[11] All six running backs earned Parade or USA Today All-American honors in high school, four earned both.[12] Questions remained around the wide receivers, who had struggled with consistency the previous season; all starters returned, with special attention focused on Arkansas transfer Damian Williams, who caught 19 passes for the

Razorbacks in 2006 but sat out 2007 along with fellow Arkansas teammate Mustain.[13] The offensive line was hit hard by graduation, returning only one starter. The defense lost several important players to graduation, but the linebacker corp returned key players such as Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga.[11] By the end of spring practice, the USC coaching staff announced that Sanchez would be the designated starting quarterback going into fall camp.[14][15][16] A crowd of 22,000 watched the Trojan Huddle, USC's spring game that ends spring practices, where Sanchez, Mustain and redshirt freshman Aaron Corp all performed well against Trojan defenses; the White team defeated Cardinal, 39–36, in double overtime.[17] With a number of talented linebackers, the Carroll and defensive coordinator Nick Holt began experimenting with using a 3-4 defense variation implementing the "Elephant Position", which features a hybrid end/linebacker position.[18] The Trojans had used Cushing in the Elephant position during the 2006 season before returning to their traditional 4-3 during the 2007 season. In the 2008 variation, the position was filled by senior Clay Matthews, a former walk-on.[19] After spring practices finished across the nation, Sports Illustrated revised its rankings and placed USC as the #3 team, behind Georgia and Ohio State; while ESPN ranked the Trojans #4, behind Ohio State, Georgia and Oklahoma.[20][21] The running back tandem of Stafon Johnson and Joe McKnight was compared to the "Thunder and Lightening" combination of LenDale White and Reggie Bush, with McKnight mentioned as a top ten Heisman Trophy contender going into the fall.[15] At the Pacific-10 Conference media day, the Trojans were the near-unanimous pre-season pick to win the conference. USC took 38 of 39 first-place votes; California, which were picked to finish fourth in the overall standings, received the other vote.[22] This was USC's sixth year in a row as the favorite to win the conference title, the longest streak since the Trojans 18-year run from 1965–1982.[23] On the release of the preseason Coaches' Poll, USC was ranked #2 in the nation, behind the 2008 Georgia team: Georgia received 1438 points with 22 first-place votes while USC received 1430 points with 14 first-place votes. Meanwhile, the 2008 Ohio State team was ranked third with 1392 points but an equal number of first-place votes with 14.[24][23] The preseason Associated Press (AP) Poll ranked USC #3 in the nation, behind Georgia and Ohio State. USC received 12 first-place votes and 1490 points, compared to Georgia's 22 first-place votes and 1528 points and Ohio State's 21 first-place votes and 1506 points.[25] Both polls added to the interest in the OSU-USC game on September 13. A major concern arose in the first week of fall camp, when Sanchez suffered a dislocated left kneecap while warming up for practice. Trainers were able to immediately put the kneecap back into place, but the injury sidelined Sanchez and threw his availability for the season opener at Virginia (and beyond) into question. As a result, Mustain and redshirt freshman Aaron Corp began alternating repetitions with the first team offense and competing for the possible starting spot.[26][27][12] After missing nearly three weeks, Sanchez was cleared to play in the opener on the final day of fall camp; Corp was selected as his back-up.[28][29] The biggest issue facing the team entering the season was how the rebuilt offensive line would perform, though it had improved over the course of fall camp.[30][31] Sanchez, Cushing, offensive lineman Jeff Byers, and senior safety Kevin Ellison were elected team captains by their teammates.[32] In the week preceding the regular season, all twelve experts polled by ESPN picked USC to win the Pac-10 conference, and three expected them to make it to the BCS National Championship Game with two expecting them to prevail.[33] All seven experts polled by Sports Illustrated picked USC to win their conference, with three forecasting them in the Championship Game

with one selecting them to prevail.[34] Rivals.com's panel of four experts unanimously picked USC to play in the title game.[35] [edit] Recruiting class USC brought in a top-10 recruiting class in 2008. [edit] Transfers Shane Horton, the brother of 2008 recruit Wes Horton, transferred from UNLV and would be required to sit out one season by NCAA rules. Steve Gatena, former United States Air Force Academy Class of 2008 Cadet, transferred from UC Davis where he started as an offensive left tackle. Gatena was required to sit out one season by NCAA rules. However, due to his academic standing as a graduate student, Gatena was granted a one time transfer exception for pursuing his academic career. Jordan Cameron, the uncle of Matt Leinart's son with USC basketball player Brynn Cameron, transferred in from Ventura College.[36][37] A former freshman basketball player from Brigham Young University, Cameron attempted to transfer before the 2007 season to also play football as a wide receiver.[38] However, when some of Cameron's units from Brigham Young did not transfer to USC, he needed to withdraw and attend Ventura College, missing the season but with the option to try and rejoin the team in 2008 (regardless, he would have been ineligible to play in 2007 due to NCAA transfer rules).[39] [edit] Departures In addition to graduating starting senior 2007 All-Americans Sam Baker (offensive tackle), John Mackey Award-winner Fred Davis (tight end), Sedrick Ellis (nose tackle), and Keith Rivers (linebacker), as well as first team all-conference defensive end Lawrence Jackson, 2006 first team all-conference quarterback John David Booty and second team all-conference defensive back Terrell Thomas, the Trojans also lost junior All-Conference offensive guard Chilo Rachal to the 2008 NFL Draft. Pac-10 conference honorable mention offensive linemen Drew Radovich and Matt Spanos, tailback Chauncey Washington, and linebacker Thomas Williams also departed.[40] [edit] Offseason news On the Monday after the 2007 UCLA-USC rivalry game, a 24–7 Trojans victory, embattled Bruins head coach Karl Dorrell was fired.[41] His replacement was former UCLA quarterback Rick Neuheisel, who held previous head coach positions at both Colorado and Washington where he led teams to overall successful records but his departures coincided with NCAA investigations at both universities.[42] Within a month on the job, Neuheisel attracted attention by hiring former USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow as his offensive coordinator. While with Trojans from 2001–2004, Chow led the offense to the 2003 and 2004 national championships and saw quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart win the Heisman Trophy.[43] The hire of Chow injected a new level of drama to the rivalry that had somewhat stagnated under Dorrell.[44][45] [edit] Schedule The Sporting News ranked the schedule as the toughest in the Pac-10; ESPN.com ranked it as the fourth toughest in the conference.[46][47] ESPN.com ranked the nonconference schedule as the fifth most difficult in the nation, noting that if Virginia had a good year it would be the toughest.[48] Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance August 30* 12:30 p.m. at Virginia #2 Scott Stadium • Charlottesville, VA ABC W 52–7 64,947 September 13* 5:00 p.m. #5 Ohio State #1 Los Angeles Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA ABC W 35–3 93,607 September 25 6:00 p.m. at Oregon State #1 Reser Stadium • Corvallis, OR ESPN L 27–21 42,839 October 4 5:00 p.m. #20 Oregon #9 Los Angeles Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA ABC W 44–10 82,765 October 11 12:30 p.m. at Arizona State #9 Los Angeles Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA ABC W 28–0 84,956 October 18 12:30 p.m. at Washington State #4 Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA FSN W 69–0 25,118 October 25 7:15 p.m. at Arizona #4 Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ FSN W 17-10 November

1† 3:30 p.m. Washington Los Angeles Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA FSN November 8 5:00 p.m. California Los Angeles Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA ABC November 15 4:00 p.m. at Stanford Stanford Stadium • Palo Alto, CA Versus November 29* 5:00 p.m. Notre Dame Los Angeles Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 December 6 1:30 p.m. at UCLA Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA ABC *Non-Conference Game. †Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Pacific Time. [edit] Roster Wide Receiver 1 Patrick Turner - Senior 7 Vidal Hazelton - Junior 8 Ronald Johnson - Sophomore 9 David Ausberry - Sophomore 14 Garrett Green - Junior 17 Travon Patterson - Sophomore 18 Damian Williams - Sophomore 23 Jordan Cameron - Sophomore 28 Drew Ness - Freshman 46 Sean Calcagnie - Sophomore 47 Scott Stephens - Sophomore 49 Robbie Boyer - Freshman 80 Brandon Carswell - Freshman 81 Spencer Vigoren - Sophomore 82 Duron Sylvester - Sophomore 83 Brice Butler - Freshman 87 Preston Cavignac - Sophomore Center 50 Abe Markowitz - Freshman 61 Kristofer O'Dowd - Sophomore 67 Micheal Reardon - Freshman Offensive Guard 53 Jeff Byers - Senior 64 Garrett Nolan - Junior 66 Matt Meyer - Freshman 74 Zach Heberer - Sophomore 77 Thomas Herring - Junior 78 Khaled Holmes - Freshman Offensive Tackle 68 Butch Lewis - Sophomore 70 Tyron Smith - Freshman 71 Charles Brown - Junior 72 Martin Coleman - Freshman 73 Steve Gatena - Junior 75 Matt Kalil - Freshman 76 Nick Howell - Junior Tight End 40 Rhett Ellison - Freshman 86 Anthony McCoy - Junior 88 Jimmy Miller - Senior 89 Blake Ayles - Freshman Quarterback 6 Mark Sanchez - Junior 15 Aaron Corp - Freshman 16 Mitch Mustain - Sophomore 19 Chris McCaffery - Freshman Tailback 2 C.J. Gable - Sophomore 4 Joe McKnight - Sophomore 13 Stafon Johnson - Junior 21 Allen Bradford - Junior 22 Curtis McNeal - Freshman 26 Marc Tyler - Freshman 29 Broderick Green - Freshman 39 Chris Fornataro - Freshman Fullback 10 D.J. Shoemate - Freshman 31 Stanley Havili - Sophomore 39 Alfred Rowe - Sophomore 41 Matt Hillier - Senior 45 Adam Goodman - Junior Defensive Tackle 44 Christian Tupou - Sophomore 56 Alex Parsons - Junior 75 Fili Moala - Senior 90 Derek Simmons - Sophomore 91 Jurrell Casey - Freshman 94 Armond Armstead - Freshman 95 Lawrence Miles - Senior 98 Da'John Harris - Freshman 99 Averell Spicer - Junior Defensive End 8 Nick Perry - Freshman 67 Michael Reardon - Freshman 79 Andrew Weiss - Senior 81 Gerald Washington - Senior 84 Kyle Moore - Senior 92 Trey Henderson - Freshman 93 Everson Griffen - Sophomore 96 Wes Horton - Freshman 97 Malik Jackson - Freshman Punter 25 Billy O'Malley - Sophomore 44 Greg Woidneck - Senior Cornerback 1 T.J. Bryant - Freshman 7 Cary Harris - Senior 15 Kevin Thomas - Senior 22 Jim Abbott - Senior 24 Shareece Wright - Junior 25 Daniel Harper - Freshman 30 Brian Baucham - Freshman 45 Omari Crittenden - Sophomore 48 Matthew Jordan - Junior Linebacker 6 Malcolm Smith - Sophomore 10 Brian Cushing - Senior 17 Michael Morgan - Sophomore 35 Uona Kaveinga - Freshman 37 Jordan Campbell - Freshman 43 Kaluka Maiava - Senior 46 Ross Cumming - Sophomore 47 Clay Matthews - Senior 52 Luther Brown - Junior 54 Chris Galippo - Freshman 57 Nick Garratt - Junior 58 Rey Maualuga - Senior 59 Dan Deckas - Sophomore Safety 2 Taylor Mays - Junior 4 Kevin Ellison - Senior 19 Drew McAllister - Freshman 23 Shane Horton - Sophomore‡ 26 Will Harris - Junior 27 Marshall Jones - Sophomore 28 Justin Hart - Junior 34 Spencer Spiegel - Freshman 36 Josh Pinkard - Senior 36 Robert Erickson -

Sophomore 49 Ryan McMahon - Freshman Long Snapper 62 Chris Poussan - Freshman 63 Christian Putnam - Junior 85 Cooper Stevenson - Sophomore Place Kicker 18 David Buehler - Senior 30 Joe Houston - Sophomore 38 Jordon Congdon - Junior -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sources: 2007 USC Trojans Football Media Guide, 2008 USC Football Alphabetical Roster ‡ indicates that the player is a transfer who is ineligible to play 2008 season but is allowed to practice with scout team Players who left the team are struck out [edit] Coaching staff Pete Carroll, Head CoachNearly the entire USC coaching staff returned from the 2007 season, with the only change being a different Graduate Assistant working with the secondary.[49] Name Position Year at USC Alma mater (Year) Pete Carroll Head Coach 8th Pacific (1973) Steve Sarkisian Offensive Coordinator Quarterbacks 7th 2001–2003, 2005–Present BYU (1997) Nick Holt Defensive Coordinator Defensive Line 6th 2001–2003, 2006–Present Pacific (1986) Todd McNair Running Backs Special Teams Coordinator 5th Temple(1988) Brennan Carroll Tight Ends Recruiting Coordinator 7th Pittsburgh (2001) John Morton Wide Receivers Passing Game Coordinator 2nd Western Michigan (1992) Ken Norton Jr. Linebackers 5th UCLA (1988) Pat Ruel Offensive Line 4rd Miami (1972) Rocky Seto Secondary 10th USC (1999) David Watson Defensive Line 3nd Western Illinois (2001) Chris Carlisle Strength and Conditioning 8th Chadron State (1985) [edit] Game notes [edit] Virginia See also: 2008 Virginia Cavaliers football team 1 2 3 4 Total Trojans 21 3 14 14 52 Cavaliers 7 0 0 0 7 The Trojans opened their season by visiting the University of Virginia Cavaliers of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) under Al Groh in the first ever game between the two programs and first USC game in Virginia.[50] Virginia went 9–4 in 2007, but off-season losses to both the NFL and unexpected issues left the Cavaliers ranked fifth-out-of-six teams in the ACC's Coastal Division in the preseason.[51] Five UVA players were arrested during the off-season and five other players were dismissed from the team because of academic reasons.[52] The game was described as possibly the biggest home opener for Virginia at Scott Stadium.[53] Groh noted that he was pleased the game opened his team's schedule due to USC's ability and the general distraction it would otherwise pose to conference play: "It's as good a time as any in that we only wanted to play it in the first game, and they only wanted to play it in the first game." Virginia entered the game having gone 3–4 in opening games under Groh.[51]Virginia will become the 34th state (plus Japan) where the Trojans have played football.[53] USC entered the game favored by 19.5 points.[54] Scoring three touchdowns in the first quarter was all USC needed to beat up on the Cavaliers at their home field. Quarterback Mark Sanchez threw for 338 yards, CJ Gable ran for 73 yards, and Ronald Johnson had 78 yards in receiving. The No. 3 Trojans got off to a good start, thanks to the Virginia turnovers. USC continued their undefeated streak in openers away from home under Carroll.[55] [edit] Ohio State See also: 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes football team 1 2 3 4 Total Buckeyes 3 0 0 0 3 Trojans 7 14 14 0 35 After a bye week, the Trojans hosted the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference under head coach Jim Tressel. USC or Ohio State had played in five of the last six BCS title games.[56] The non-conference game between two perennial powers had potential national championship implications for either program.[57][58] A historic rivalry existed between the two teams: Between 1968-84, they met six times in the Rose Bowl and determined the eventual

National Champion in three of those contests.[59][60] The teams had not faced one another since September 29, 1990, when Todd Marinovich led the Trojans to a 35–26 victory in Ohio Stadium in a game that was called because of a thunderstorm with 2 minutes 36 seconds to play.[56] By the end of the 2007-08 season, the game garnered interest as a possible early-season battle between top-10 teams.[4] By the beginning of the season it was named as the most anticipated regular-season game of 2008.[61][62] The winning team was assumed to have an inside track to the national title game, though, given recent trends in the title game, the loser also had a reasonable chance as well.[63] In naming it the top potentially season-defining game of 2008, Sports Illustrated highlighted a theme of credibility: Ohio State enters the game trying to move past the BCS title game losses of the previous two seasons and USC enters trying to show it remains highly competitive with its new starting quarterback and four of five new players on the offensive line.[64][61][65] The game was also viewed as a possible Heisman Trophy showdown, primarily between Ohio State's running back Chris "Beanie" Wells and USC's Sanchez.[66] During the preseason Pac-10 Media Day, Carroll noted that "It's games like this that make us."[67] The Buckeyes featured a combination of quarterbacks: Fifth-year senior and All-Big-Ten quarterback Todd Boeckman continued to start for the Buckeyes, however in 2008 he was supplemented by highly regarded true-freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor. The combination aimed to use Boeckman's prowess as a classic drop-back passer with Pryor's speed and ability to scramble for yards.[68] The Trojans had particular concerns about Pryor, who had many of capabilities that made previous athletic scrambling quarterbacks, such as Dennis Dixon, Jake Locker and Vince Young, difficult for the defense to contain.[69][70] The Buckeyes came in with a strong defense, led by All-American and Butkus Award-wining linebacker James Laurinaitis and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins.[71] Both linebacking corps, highlighted by the Buckeyes' Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman as well as the Trojans' Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing, were considered the best in the country.[72][73][74] One of the major storylines entering the game surrounded the health of Ohio State's star running back, Beanie Wells. Well injured his foot in the Buckeyes' opener, and sat out the second game of the season. Early during the week of the game he was cleared to play against the Trojans; however by the Thursday his presence assessed as doubtful after he experienced soreness in his foot one day after returning to practice.[75][72][76] Although scheduled for the third week of the season, the game was the primary focus of fan and media attention for both programs. Ticket prices rose to levels from $100 to $5,000 apiece.[77] The game received heightened attention in national sports news when USC alumnus and starting quarterback for the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals, Carson Palmer told a radio show "I cannot stand the Buckeyes and having to live in Ohio and hear those people talk about their team, it drives me absolutely nuts [. . .] I just can't wait for this game to get here so they can come out to the Coliseum and experience L.A. and get an old-fashioned, Pac-10 butt-whupping." While Tressel defended Palmer's comments as those of fan, Ohio State fans were incensed.[78] In the week before the game, Buckeyes wide receiver Ray Small stated that USC lacked the "class" of Ohio State, noting that "[A]t Ohio State, they teach you to be a better man. There, it's just all about football," further nothing that he felt that USC was "not even serious about the game."[79][80] Sideline passes were in high demand, with celebrities such as Denzel Washington and Jamie Foxx in attendance.[81] USC and Ohio State opened the preseason

ranked No. 2 and 3 in both the AP and Coaches Polls, swapping positions in each.[24][25] After the Trojans' strong performance against Virginia, USC rose to No. 1 and Ohio State ranked No. 3 in both polls.[82][83] However, after Ohio State struggled in their week 2 win against an unregarded Ohio team, they fell to No. 5 in both polls while USC remained No. 1.[84][85][86] By game week the Trojans were considered 10-point favorites.[87] Ohio State at USC [edit] Oregon State See also: 2008 Oregon State Beavers football team 1 2 3 4 Total Trojans 0 0 14 7 21 Beavers 7 14 0 6 27 The Trojans began their Pac-10 Conference schedule on the road against the Oregon State Beavers, under head coach Mike Riley, in Corvallis, Oregon. On their previous visit to Reser Stadium, during the 2006 season, the Beavers defeated the Trojans, 33–31, in a major upset; as such, the game was mentioned in the preseason as a possible upset for the Trojans.[88][65] Freshman Jacquizz Rodgers (#1) ran for 186 yards and two touchdowns for OSU, USC quarterback Mark Sanchez (#6) passed for 227 yards, and Damian Williams (#18) caught 80 yards for the top ranked Trojans in an upset loss.[89] [edit] Oregon 1 2 3 4 Total Ducks 7 3 0 0 10 Trojans 3 24 10 7 44 See also: 2008 Oregon Ducks football team Before the season the game was named a game of interest and the second most interesting Pac-10 game to watch after Ohio State-USC, in part due to the potential battle for the top of the conference.[62][65] [edit] Arizona State 1 2 3 4 Total Sun Devils 0 0 0 0 0 Trojans 7 14 0 7 28 Entering the season, Arizona State was named as a possible challenger to USC's dominance of the Pac-10.[65] [edit] Washington State See also: 2008 Washington State Cougars football team 1 2 3 4 Total Trojans 21 20 7 21 69 Cougars 0 0 0 0 0 [edit] Arizona See also: 2008 Arizona Wildcats football team 1 2 3 4 Total Trojans 3 7 7 0 17 Wildcats 0 3 7 0 10 [edit] Washington 1 2 3 4 Total Huskies 0 Trojans 0 [edit] California See also: 2008 California Golden Bears football team 1 2 3 4 Total Golden Bears 0 Trojans 0 This game was mentioned as a possible upset for the Trojans.[65] [edit] Stanford See also: 2008 Stanford Cardinal football team 1 2 3 4 Total Trojans 0 Cardinal 0 Before the 2007 season, Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh, in his first year with the Cardinal, garnered attention by first stating that 2007 was going to be Carroll's last year at USC, then, during the Pac-10 media day, that USC "may be the best team in the history of college football."[90] The Cardinal then stunned the Trojans in a major upset, 24–23, ending the Trojans' 35-game home winning streak and causing a major obstacle to the Trojans national title hopes. During the 2008 Pac-10 media day, noted that the aftermath of the Cardinal's victory over USC was "water under the bridge."[22] Given the previous season, before the season it was named as a game to watch by ESPN.com.[65] [edit] Notre Dame See also: 2008 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team 1 2 3 4 Total Fighting Irish 0 Trojans 0 [edit] UCLA See also: 2008 UCLA Bruins football team 1 2 3 4 Total Trojans 0 Bruins 0 Before the season this game garnered interest in seeing how new Bruins' coach Rick Neuheisel would to in his battle to gain supremacy in Los Angeles.[62][65] [edit] Rankings See also: 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings Ranking Movement Poll Pre Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Final AP 3 1 1 1 1 9 8 6 6 Coaches 2 1 1 1 1 9 9 4 4 Harris Not released 7 8 5 5 BCS Not released 5 [edit] Statistics [edit] Team Team Opp Scoring Points per Game First Downs Rushing Passing Penalty Total Offense Avg per Play Avg per Game Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Avg per Game Team Opp Punts-Yards Avg per Punt Time of Possession/Game 3rd Down Conversions 4th Down Conversions Touchdowns Scored Field Goals-Attempts-Long PAT-Attempts Attendance Games/Avg per Game [edit] Scores by quarter 1 2 3 4 Total USC 0 Opponents 0

[edit] Offense [edit] Rushing Name GP-GS Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G Joe Smith TEAM Total Opponents [edit] Passing Name GP-GS Effic Att-Cmp-Int Pct Yds TD Lng Avg/G Joe Smith TEAM Total Opponents [edit] Receiving Name GP-GS No. Yds Avg TD Long Avg/G Joe Smith Total Opponents [edit] Defense Name GP Tackles Sacks Pass Defense Interceptions Fumbles Blkd Kick Solo Ast Total TFL-Yds No-Yds BrUp QBH No.-Yds Avg TD Long Rcv-Yds FF Total [edit] Special teams Name Punting Kickoffs No. Yds Avg Long TB FC I20 Blkd No. Yds Avg TB OB Total Name Punt Returns Kick Returns No. Yds Avg TD Long No. Yds Avg TD Long Total [edit] References ^ AP Top 25 - Final (Dec. 16), ESPN.com, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ USA Today Coaches Poll - Final (Dec. 16, ESPN.com, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ Stewart Mandel, Georgia Rule, SI.com, January 8, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ a b Mark Schlabach, Georgia takes top spot in early look at 2008's Top 25, ESPN.com, January 8, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ Stewart Mandel, Early look at '08, SI.com, January 17, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ Tim Griffin, Trojans loaded but searching for QB replacement, ESPN.com, February 27, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ Tim Griffin, Quarterback battles, defensive replacements key to Pac-10 spring practices, ESPN.com, February 27, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ Stewart Mandel, Spring primer, SI.com, March 6, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ Gary Klein, USC plans to have starting quarterback in place by summer, Los Angeles Times, March 26, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ Stewart Mandel, Sanchez expected to continue USC's long line of excellence at QB, SI.com, April 18, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ a b Gary Klein, USC spring football practice primer, Los Angeles Times, March 25, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ a b Ted Miller, Carroll sees no problem with wealth of RB talent, ESPN.com, August 18, 2008, Accessed August 18, 2008. ^ Ted Miller, Q&A with USC's Steve Sarkisian, ESPN.com, July 23, 2008, Accessed July 28, 2008 ^ Gary Klein, Sanchez gets the nod at USC, Los Angeles Times, April 16, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ a b Cory McCartney, Spring's biggest winners and losers, SI.com, May 1, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ Ted Miller, Once anointed as USC QB, Sanchez asserted himself, ESPN.com, July 24, 2008, Accessed July 28, 2008. ^ Bruce Feldman, Grade A(-) Performance, ESPN The Magazine, April 21, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ Ted Miller, Griffen ready to leave his mark on Pac-10 QBs, ESPN.com, May 2, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ Richard Cirminiello, Pac 10 Spring Football - What's Happening?, Scout.com, May 2, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ Stewart Mandel, Georgia exits spring as No. 1, SI.com, May 1]], 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ Mark Schlabach, Buckeyes rise to No. 1 in updated Top 25, ESPN, May 9, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ a b Gary Klein and David Wharton, USC near-unanimous choice to win Pac-10 football title, Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ a b Adam Rose, Blogging from Pac-10 Media Day, Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ a b 2008 NCAA Football Rankings - Preseason (Aug. 17), ESPN.com, Accessed August 1, 2008. ^ a b 2008 NCAA Football Rankings - Preseason (Aug. 17), ESPN.com, Accessed August 18, 2008. ^ Gary Klein, Mark Sanchez's knee injury muddies waters at USC, Los Angeles Times, August 9, 2008, Accessed August 11, 2008. ^ Gary Klein, Mitch Mustain, Aaron Corp battle for starting spot, Los Angeles Times, August 10, 2008, Accessed August 11, 2008. ^ Gary Klein, USC quarterback Mark Sanchez has uneven practice, is cleared to play, Los Angeles Times, August 27, 2008, Accessed August 27, 2008. ^ Gary Klein, Aaron Corp set to back up quarterback Mark Sanchez at USC, Los Angeles Times, August 28, 2008, Accessed August 29, 2008. ^ Ted Miller, One big issue for each Pac-10 team, ESPN.com, August 22, 2008, Accessed August 23, 2008. ^ Gary Klein, USC

football season at a glance, Los Angeles Times, August 23, 2008, Accessed August 23, 2008. ^ Gary Klein, Mark Sanchez is elected captain, Los Angeles Times, August 23, 2008, Accessed August 23, 2008. ^ Sooners, Buckeyes favored to reach '08 title game, ESPN.com, August 25, 2008, Accessed August 25, 2008. ^ SI.com's team of experts make their picks for the 2008 campaign, SI.com, August 28, 2008, Accessed August 29, 2008. ^ Roundtable: Time to pick a BCS title game matchup, Rivals.com, August 23, 2008, Accessed August 25, 2008. ^ Men's Basketball Athlete Profile - Jordan Cameron, BYUCougars.com, Accessed March 26, 2008. ^ Gary Klein, USC's Tupou has a nose in front, Los Angeles Times, April 19, 2008. ^ 2007 USC Trojan Football Media Guide (Section 3), USC Athletic Department, July 2007. ^ Scott Wolf, Trojans busy counting scholarships, San Bernardino Sun, July 26, 2007. ^ Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, Don't rush judgment on Rachal's decision, Daily Trojan, January 18, 2008, Accessed July 26, 2008. ^ Chris Foster, Bruins ready for next step, Los Angeles Times, December 4, 2007, Accessed July 6, 2008. ^ Chris Foster, Neuheisel goes back to school, Los Angeles Times, December 30, 2008, Accessed July 26, 2008. ^ Chris Foster, UCLA hires Norm Chow as offensive coordinator, Los Angeles Times, January 21, 2008, Accessed July 26, 2008. ^ Bill Plaschke, UCLA gives USC reasons to worry, Los Angeles Times, January 23, 2008, Accessed July 26, 2008. ^ Bill Plaschke, Some summer sizzle for USC-UCLA football rivalry, Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2008, Accessed July 26, 2008. ^ Matt Hayes, Ranking the nonconference schedules: Pac-10, Sporting News, June 20, 2008, Accessed June 25, 2008. ^ Ted Miller, Pac-10's toughest schedules, ESPN.com, August 25, 2008, Accessed August 25, 2008. ^ Bruce Feldman, Return of the weekly Top 10 list, ESPN.com, June 30, 2008, Accessed July 2, 2008. ^ Ted Miller, Catching up with Pete Carroll, Part I , ESPN.com, August 20, 2008, Accessed August 22, 2008. ^ USC Football Opens 2008 Season At Virginia, USCTrojans.com, August 23, 2008, Accessed August 26, 2008. ^ a b Doug Doughty, Groh glad to have Trojans as the opener, The Roanoke Times, July 23, 2008, Accessed July 28, 2008. ^ UVA Football Players Arrested, NBC29 Sports, July 28, 2008, Accessed July 31, 2008. ^ a b Jerry Ratcliffe, 30 things to know about USC, Charlottesville Daily Progress, August 23, 2008, Accessed August 24, 2008. ^ David Wharton, Virginia's football team needs some magic for opener with USC, Los Angeles Times, August 25, 2008, Accessed August 25, 2008. ^ Yes, Virginia, there is an opener for USC football team, Los Angeles Times, August 30, 2008, Accessed September 3, 2008. ^ a b Jerry Crowe, Trojans can buck recent trend, Los Angeles Times, January 10, 2008, Accessed January 10, 2008. ^ Stewart Mandel, Why a 'plus-one' was shot down; post-Perrilloux LSU and more, SI.com, May 7, 2008, Accessed May 9, 2008. ^ John Walters, Top 10 impact games, NBC Sports, June 2008, Accessed June 9, 2008. ^ Rob Oller, Trojan Wars, The Columbus Dispatch, September 9, 2008, Accessed September 9, 2008. ^ The rivalry, The Columbus Dispatch, September 9, 2008, Accessed September 9, 2008. ^ a b Bruce Feldman, Ohio State-USC tops must-see games of 2008, ESPN.com, July 21, 2008, Accessed July 30, 2008. ^ a b c Ted Miller, 2008 Pac-10 games to watch, ESPN.com, August 25, 2008, Accessed August 25, 2008. ^ Chris Dufresne, College football: Looking ahead because there's no going back, Los Angeles Times, July 29, 2008, Accessed July 31, 2008. ^ Stewart Mandel, Ten season-defining games in '08, SI.com, July 1, 2008, Accessed July 2, 2008. ^ a b c d e f g Mark Schlabach, Keep up-to-date on the best the 2008 season has to offer, ESPN.com, August 25, 2008, Accessed August 25, 2008. ^

Gene Menez, Ohio State-USC showdown will have big impact on Heisman race, SI.com, September 8, 2008, Accessed September 8, 2008. ^ Ted Miller, On stage: USC's Pete Carroll, ESPN.com, July 24, 2008, Accessed July 24, 2008. ^ David Wharton, USC will watch Ohio State-Ohio game for quarterback clues, Los Angeles Times, September 5, 2008, Accessed September 5, 2008. ^ Ted Miller, Should USC's defense be on Pryor notice?, ESPN.com, September 8, 2008, Accessed September 9, 2008. ^ David Wharton, Ohio State's forgotten quarterback, Los Angeles Times, September 10, 2008, Accessed September 10, 2008. ^ Mark Schlabach, Spotlights on quarterbacks in Ohio State-USC showdown, ESPN.com, September 8, 2008, Accessed September 9, 2008. ^ a b Cory McCartney, Game of the Week: Ohio State at USC, SI.com, September 11, 2008, Accessed September 11, 2008. ^ Adam Rittenberg, Buckeyes' linebackers a tag-team effort, ESPN.com, September 11, 2008, Accessed September 11, 2008. ^ Ted Miller, USC-Ohio State: LB matchup is scary-good, ESPN.com, September 11, 2008, Accessed September 11, 2008. ^ Gary Klein, USC not surprised that Ohio State's Wells will play, Los Angeles Times, September 10, 2008, Accessed September 10, 2008. ^ Wells sore after Wednesday workout; Tressel not optimistic, ESPN.com, September 11, 2008, Accessed September 11, 2008. ^ Gary Klein and David Wharton, Tickets to USC-Ohio State game are hard to find, Los Angeles Times, September 9, 2008, Accessed September 9, 2008. ^ David Wharton, The script in Ohio features a Vested interest, Los Angeles Times, September 6, 2008, Accessed September 7, 2008. ^ Gary Klein and David Wharton, Ohio State receiver calls out USC football program on issue of class, Los Angeles Times, September 7, 2008, Accessed September 7, 2008. ^ Bill Plaschke, To a man, Trojans should be motivated for this one, Los Angeles Times, September 10, 2008, Accessed September 10, 2008. ^ Gary Klein, Sideline pass to USC football game is the hottest ticket in town, Los Angeles Times, September 11, 2008, Accessed September 11, 2008. ^ 2008 NCAA Football Rankings - Week 1 (Aug. 31), ESPN.com, Accessed September 8, 2008. ^ 2008 NCAA Football Rankings - Week 1 (Aug. 31), ESPN.com, Accessed September 8, 2008. ^ 2008 NCAA Football Rankings - Week 2 (Sept. 7), ESPN.com, Accessed September 8, 2008. ^ 2008 NCAA Football Rankings - Week 2 (Sept. 7), ESPN.com, Accessed September 8, 2008. ^ David Wharton, Ohio State searches for upside after long weekend, Los Angeles Times, September 8, 2008, Accessed September 8, 2008. ^ Ted Miller, OSU's Chris Wells 'doubtful': possible outcomes, ESPN.com, September 11, 2008, Accessed September 11, 2008. ^ Three and out: Beavers stun USC; BCS race wide open, Associated Press, October 28, 2006, Accessed October 15, 2008. ^ AP Report ^ Chris Dufresne, USC still leader of the Pac-10, Los

Angeles Times, July 25, 2008, Accessed July 26, 2008. [edit] External links USC Athletic Department's official site USCRipsIt.com: Official website of USC Trojan football. [show]v • d • eUniversity of Southern California Schools Business • Cinema • Communication • Education • Engineering • Gerontology • International Relations • Law • Medicine • Music Research Alfred Mann Institute • Andrus Gerontology Center • Annenberg Center for Communication • Brain and Creativity Institute • Center for Biomimetic Microelectronic Systems • Center for Visual Anthropology • Center on Public Diplomacy • Information Sciences Institute • Institute for Creative Technologies • Integrated Media Systems Center • Jane Goodall Research Center • Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute • Norman Lear Center • Southern California Earthquake Center • Tomás Rivera Policy Institute • Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies • Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute Athletics USC Trojans • Baseball • Basketball • Football • Volleyball • Dedeaux Field • Galen Center • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Fight On • Spirit of Troy • Victory Bell (USC-UCLA) • UCLA-USC rivalry • Lexus Gauntlet • McDonald's Olympic Swim Stadium Media Daily Trojan • El Rodeo • KSCR • KUSC • Trojan Vision Miscellaneous Campus • Libraries • Trojan Shrine • Traditions • Faculty • Trojan Family • Trojan Knights • USC Helenes • SCions • Resident Honors Program • USC Shoah Foundation • Pacific Philosophical Quarterly [show]v • d • eUSC Football Seasons 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 [show]v • d • ePacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) Arizona • Arizona State • California • Oregon • Oregon State • Stanford • UCLA • USC • Washington • Washington State Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_USC_Trojans_football_team" Categories: Current sports events | University of Southern California | 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season | USC Trojans football seasons