2011 Usc Trojans Football
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2011 USC TROJANS FOOTBALL SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE • HER 103 • LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90089-0601 TELEPHONE: (213) 740-8480 FAX: (213) 740-7584 WWW.USCTROJANS.COM TIM TESSALONE, DIRECTOR FOR RELEASE: Aug. 29, 2011 2011 SCHEDULE (0-0) NO. 25 USC FOOTBALL OPENS 2011 SEASON AT HOME AGAINST MINNESOTA DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT Sept. 3 Minnesota 12:30 p.m. (ABC) FACTS Sept. 10 Utah 4:30 p.m. (Versus) USC (0-0 overall) vs. Minnesota (0-0), Saturday, Sept. 3, 12:30 p.m. PDT, Los Angeles Coliseum. Sept. 17 Syracuse 5 p.m. (FX) Sept. 24 at Arizona State 7:15 p.m. (ESPN) Oct. 1 Arizona TBA THEMES Oct. 13 (Th.) at California (S.F.)6 p.m. (ESPN) The No. 25-ranked USC football team, in its first season under the Pac-12 Conference Oct. 22 at Notre Dame 7:30 p.m. (NBC) umbrella, opens its 2011 campaign at home against Big Ten opponent Minnesota in a Oct. 29 Stanford 5 p.m. (ABC/ESPN) clash between teams that share near-similar colors. Troy has won its last 13 openers and its Nov. 4 (Fr.) at Colorado 7 p.m. (ESPN2) past 11 games against Big Ten squads. It’s the beginning of a 3-game homestand for the Nov. 12 Washington 12:30 p.m. (ABC/FSN) Trojans (the last time that Troy started with 3 home games was 1998) and the first of 7 Nov. 19 at Oregon 5 p.m. (ABC) Coliseum games for USC in 2011 (the most since also having 7 in 2000). The Trojans scored Nov. 26 UCLA 7 p.m. (FSN) 3 unanswered touchdowns in the second half last year to overcome the Golden Gophers PAC-12 STANDINGS in Minnesota, the teams’ first meeting in 30 years (USC has been nationally ranked in each of the 7 meetings). Second-year USC head coach Lane Kiffin spent his teen years at PAC-12 OVERALL Minnesota’s Bloomington Jefferson High while his father, Monte Kiffin (currently USC’s assistant W L W L head coach), was an assistant with the Minnesota Vikings. USC, which begins its second SOUTH (and final) year banned from post-season play because of NCAA sanctions, is coming off ARIZ 0000 an 8-5 season in which it lost twice on field goals at the gun. The Trojan offense, which looks ASU0000 to continue the improvement it showed last year in yardage and scoring, features some of COLO 0000 the nation’s best at their positions, including QB Matt Barkley, sixth on USC’s career passing USC0000 UCLA 0000 chart and seventh on the total offense list after hitting 63% of his passes with 26 TDs last UTAH 0000 season, and 2010 Freshman All-American WR-RET Robert Woods, Troy’s leader last fall in NORTH receptions, all-purpose yards and kickoff returns (he had a scoring kick return to spark last CAL0000 year’s comeback at Minnesota). Among USC’s other key returning starters on offense are ORE0000 OT Matt Kalil, C Khaled Holmes and FB-TE Rhett Ellison. The Trojan defense aims to improve OSU0000 upon a 2010 campaign that saw it surrender more total yards per game and TD passes STAN 0000 than ever. Facing this challenge are such defenders as S T.J. McDonald (the team’s 2010 WASH 0000 tackle leader), DEs Nick Perry, Wes Horton and converted linebacker Devon Kennard, DT WSU0000 Christian Tupou, LB Chris Galippo and CB Nickell Robey (USC’s top interceptor in 2010). AP POLL USA TODAY POLL USC hopes the exceptional play it had on special teams in 2010 (i.e. 7 blocked kicks) carries over to 2011. Minnesota will be making its first visit to the Coliseum since 1979. The Gophers 1. Oklahoma 1. Oklahoma will be led by a new head coach, Jerry Kill. Fifteen starters return from last year’s 3-9 2. Alabama 2. Alabama squad, including converted WR MarQueis Gray at quarterback, RB Duane Bennett, WR 3. Oregon 3. Oregon Da’Jon McKnight and LBs Gary Tinsley and Keanon Cooper. The game will be shown live 4. LSU 4. LSU regionally on ABC-TV. USC has added a Spanish language radio broadcast this year in 5. Boise State 5. Florida State addition to its flagship 710 ESPN Radio. 6. Florida State 6. Stanford 7. Stanford 7. Boise State 8. Texas A&M 8. Oklahoma State RANKINGS 9. Oklahoma State 9. Texas A&M USC is ranked 25th by AP (the Trojans are not eligible to be ranked in the USA Today poll). 10. Nebraska 10. Wisconsin Minnesota is not ranked. 11. Wisconsin 11. Nebraska 12. South Carolina 12. South Carolina 13. Virginia Tech 13. Virginia Tech 14. TCU 14. Arkansas 15. Arkansas 15. TCU 16. Notre Dame 16. Ohio State 17. Michigan State 17. Michigan State 18. Ohio State 18. Notre Dame RADIO-TV—Live regional TV: 12:30 p.m. (PDT), ABC, Live internet streaming: USCTrojans.com, live 19. Georgia 19. Auburn Carter Blackburn, Brock Huard, Shelley Smith. KSPN-AM pre- and post-game show, live game stats 20. Mississippi State 20. Mississippi State Live local radio: 8 a.m. (PDT), 710 ESPN Radio and delayed game telecast. 21. Missouri 21. Missouri (KSPN-AM), Pete Arbogast, Paul McDonald, John Lane Kiffin USC Football Weekly: 4:30 p.m. 22. Florida 22. Georgia Jackson, Steve Mason, Colin Cowherd, Jeff Biggs, (PDT), Sunday (Aug. 28), Prime Ticket, Lindsay Soto, 23. Auburn 23. Florida Brandon Hancock, Darrell Rideaux, Harvey Hyde, John Jackson, Petros Papadakis. 24. West Virginia 24. Texas Garry Paskwietz, Mark Willard, Keyshawn Johnson Trojan Talk: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (PDT), Tuesdays, 710 25. USC 25. Penn State (includes four-and-a-half-hour pre-game and 3-hour ESPN Radio (KSPN-AM), Max Kellerman, Marcellus post-game shows). Five other stations are included Wiley, Lane Kiffin. on the USC radio network: KSPA-AM 1510 in Ontario/ Trojan Brunch: 9-11 a.m. (PDT), Sundays, 710 ESPN San Bernardino County/Inland Empire, KXPS-AM 1010 Radio (KSPN-AM), Mark Willard, Harvey Hyde, Drew USC FOOTBALL in Palm Springs, KVEN-AM 1450 in Ventura, KSZL-AM Belzer. 1230 in Barstow and Fox Sports Radio AM 1340 and USC Trojan Talk: 7 p.m. (PDT), Thursdays, KSHP- 11 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 1400 in Visalia/Fresno. Fans also can hear the live 710 AM (1400), Harvey Hyde, Kevin Shaw (also 9 a.m., 31 BOWL VICTORIES ESPN Radio broadcast on www.USCTrojans.com, on Saturdays, KCAA-AM 1050). Fans also can hear the 156 ALL-AMERICANS SIRIUS XM satellite radio (Channels 85) or by dialing 1- live KSHP broadcast on www.kshp.com. 6 HEISMAN TROPHY WINNERS 800-846-4675 ext. 5933. Live Spanish-language local radio: 12:30 p.m. 446 NFL PLAYERS (PDT), KTNQ-AM (1020), Adrian Garcia Marquez, 22 ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS Jorge Caamano, Alex Russo. 1 2011 TROJAN FOOTBALL SERIES seconds). The No. 2 Trojans opened 1968 USC VS. MINNESOTA (5-1-1) USC leads its series with Minnesota, 5-1-1. by beating the No. 16 Gophers in the rain in Last year in Minneapolis, WR Robert Minneapolis, 29-20, with O.J. Simpson 1953 W 17- 7 H Woods returned a kickoff for a touchdown running for 236 yards and 4 TDs (including 1955 L 19-25 A 1965 T 20-20 H to jumpstart the Trojans and TB Allen the final 2 scores of the fourth quarter to 1968 W 29-20 A Bradford ran for more than 100 yards as No. overcome a deficit). Troy was No. 1 when 1979 W 48-14 H 20 USC stormed back in the game’s final 21 it thumped Minnesota, 48-14, in the 1980 W 24- 7 A minutes to beat Minnesota, 32-21, before a Coliseum in 1979, with current USC radio 2010 W 32-21 A near-capacity crowd of 50,442. It was the analyst Paul McDonald quarterbacking an teams’ first meeting in 30 years and came offense that rushed for 311 yards. The most in 1-year-old TCF Bank Stadium in recent meeting was in 1980, a 24-7 road Minneapolis, a city where USC head coach win for the No. 5 Trojans, as Marcus Allen Lane Kiffin spent his teenage years. It was ran for 216 yards and a pair of long USC’s 19th consecutive non-conference touchdowns. win, 13th straight non-league road victory and 11th win in a row over a Big Ten OPENERS FUN FACT I opponent. After Minnesota took a 14-13 USC’s record in all season openers is 87-23- USC has had just 5 lettermen in its history lead with 5:47 remaining in the third quarter 8 (.771), with 36 shutout victories. Troy has from Minnesota: TE Dominique Byrd of on a 31-yard TD pass from QB Adam Weber won its last 13 openers and 15 of the last 17. Minneapolis, 2002-05 (Breck HS), LB Dan to WR Da’Jon McKnight (following a USC In season openers at home, the Trojans are Deckas of Edina, 2008-09 (Edina HS), FB interception), Woods returned the ensuing 59-16-7 (.762). (One of those wins was later Thomas Bert Sherman of St. Paul, 1931, FB kickoff 97 yards for a score (the longest kick vacated due to NCAA penalty.) Glenn Souers of Moorhead, 1950 return by a Trojan since Chad Morton went (Moorhead HS) and TE-QB Nick 98 yards for a TD against Purdue in 1998 IN THE COLISEUM Vanderboom of Medina, 2003-06 (Breck and the first scoring kickoff return by a USC USC has a 410-128-27 (.750) all-time record HS).