2009 USC TROJANS E NOTES GAM 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: Dec. 14, 2009 2009 SCHEDULE (8-4) DATE OPPONENT TIME USC FOOTBALL BATTLES BOSTON COLLEGE IN EMERALD BOWL Sept. 5 San Jose State W 56-3 Sept. 12 at Ohio State W 18-15 FACTS Sept. 19 at Washington L 13-16 USC (8-4 overall, 5-4 Pacific-10 for fifith place tie) vs. Boston College (8-4 overall, 5-3 Atlantic Sept. 26 Washington State W 27-6 Coast Conference for second place in Atlantic Division), 2009 Emerald Bowl, Saturday, Dec. Oct. 3 at California W 30-3 Oct. 17 at Notre Dame W 34-27 26, 5 p.m. PST, AT&T Park, San Francisco, Calif. Oct. 24 Oregon State W 42-36 Oct. 31 at Oregon L 20-47 THEMES Nov. 7 at Arizona State W 14-9 It’s a West-versus-East matchup in the Emerald Bowl as a pair of 8-4 teams—USC and Boston Nov. 14 Stanford L 21-55 College—battle the day after Christmas. It’s just the third meeting between the Trojans and Nov. 28 UCLA W 28-7 Eagles, and the first in 21 years (the teams are slated to meet again in the near future). USC, Dec. 5 Arizona L 17-21 which claims one of the nation’s top bowl traditions, will be making its 48th post-season Dec. 26 Boston College 5 p.m. (ESPN) appearance and its school-record ninth consecutive, but this will be its debut in the Emerald (Emerald Bowl) Bowl. The Trojans are unranked for the first time since the end of 2001, their last season in a th PAC-10 STANDINGS non-BCS bowl. BC, which is playing in its 11 bowl in a row, is the first team to make a return visit to the Emerald Bowl (it won there in 2003). USC—winner of its last 15 non-conference PAC-10 OVERALL games—traditionally has fared well in bowls, against the ACC, at night, in December and W L W L also in season enders. Troy rarely has played in stadiums with a baseball diamond (this one ORE 8 1 10 2 is in 40,184-seat AT&T Park) and it’s an even rarer game for the Trojans in the city of San ARIZ 6384 Francisco. ESPN will show the game nationally; the first time USC ever appeared on ESPN OSU6384 was against BC in 1988. USC beat the teams’ only common 2009 foe, Notre Dame, while the STAN6384 CAL5484 Eagles lost to the Irish. After putting together a streak of 7 consecutive AP Top 4 finishes, BCS USC5484 bowl appearances, Pac-10 titles and 11-win seasons, the young, rebuilding Trojans had a WASH 4557 tougher go in 2009 while playing one of the nation’s toughest schedules (USC has lost 3 of its UCLA 3666 last 5 games). The Trojans’ up-and-down offense sports a trio of 2009 All-Pac-10 first teamers ASU2748 (WR-PR Damian Williams, OG-C Jeff Byers and OT Charles Brown) and they are joined by the WSU09111 likes of true freshman QB Matt Barkley and TBs Joe McKnight (1,000-plus rushing yards in 2009) and beefy Allen Bradford. USC’s defense, which started the season in dominant fashion until AP POLL USA TODAY POLL falling off some by midyear (it is still highly-ranked in scoring defense), features 3-time All- 1. Alabama 1. Alabama American first team S Taylor Mays and up-and-coming LB Malcolm Smith. USC head coach 2. Texas 2. Texas Pete Carroll, a Bay Area native, is college football’s second winningest active coach. Media 3. TCU 3. TCU expectations were low for Boston College coming into 2009, but first-year head coach Frank 4. Cincinnati 4. Cincinnati Spaziani guided the Eagles to an ACC runnerup finish. Like USC, BC’s offense starts a true 5. Florida 5. Florida freshman at quarterback (QB Dave Shinskie, but he’s 25 years old after a minor league baseball 6. Boise State 6. Boise State career), has a 1,000-yard running back (RB Montel Harris, who is 18th nationally in rushing), 7. Oregon 7. Oregon features a wide receiver who was the team MVP (WR Rich Gunnell, who ranks high on the 8. Ohio State 8. Ohio State school’s career receiving charts) and has an all-league lineman (OT Anthony Castonzo). 9. Georgia Tech 9. Penn State 10. Iowa 10. Georgia Tech Spearheading a BC defensive unit that is in the nation’s Top 25 in rushing defense, scoring 11. Penn State 11. Iowa defense and total defense is true frosh Luke Kuechly, who was the ACC Defensive Rookie of 12. Virginia Tech 12. Virginia Tech the Year and is second nationally in tackles. PK Steve Aponavicius, BC’s most accurate 13. LSU 13. LSU kicker ever, owns school career records for points and PATs. Much like USC when TB Stafon 14. Miami (Fla.) 14. BYU Johnson suffered a serious throat injury in an early-season weightlifting accident, Boston 15. BYU 15. Miami (Fla.) College had to deal with off-field adversity in 2009. Eagles LB Mark Herzlich, a 2008 All- 16. Oregon State 16. Pittsburgh American first teamer who was the ACC Defensive MVP and a Butkus Award finalist, missed 17. Pittsburgh 17. West Virginia this season while battling bone cancer. Both Johnson and Herzlich are on the road to recovery 18. West Virginia 18. Oklahoma State 19. Stanford 19. Nebraska and have proved inspirational to teammates and fans. 20. Nebraska 20. Oregon State 21. Oklahoma State 21. Stanford RANKINGS 22. Arizona 22. Wisconsin USC and Boston College are not ranked by AP or USA Today. It’s the first time since the final 23. Utah 23. Arizona 2001 poll that USC has not been ranked in the AP Top 25. 24. Wisconsin 24. Utah 25. Central Michigan 25. Houston USCTROJANS.COM RADIO-TV—Live national TV: 5 p.m. (PST), ESPN, Joe on the USC radio network: KSPA-AM 1510 in Ontario/ Tessitore, Rodney Gilmore, Todd Harris. San Bernardino County/Inland Empire, FM 98.9 in Live national radio: 5 p.m. (PST), ESPN Radio, San Diego, KXPS-AM 1010 in Palm Springs, KVEN-AM USC FOOTBALL Bill Rosinski, Dennis Franchione, Joe Schad. 1450 in Ventura, ESPN 1280 in San Luis Obispo, KSZL- Live local radio: noon (PST), 710 ESPN Radio AM 1230 in Barstow, KGEO-AM 1230 in Bakersfield, 11 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (KSPN-AM), Pete Arbogast, Paul McDonald, John ESPN 790/1430 in Fresno, KBAD-AM 920 in Las Vegas 31 BOWL VICTORIES Jackson, Steve Mason, Colin Cowherd, Dave and KUIK-AM 1360 in Portland. Fans also can hear Denholm, Brandon Hancock, Curtis Conway, Darrell the live 710 ESPN Radio broadcast on 155 ALL-AMERICANS Rideaux, Harvey Hyde, Garry Paskwietz, A. Martinez, www.usctrojans.com, on SIRIUS/XM satellite radio 7 HEISMAN TROPHY WINNERS Dave Joseph (includes 5-hour pre-game and 3-hour (Channel 125/102) or by dialing 1-800-846-4675 ext. 426 NFL PLAYERS post-game shows). Ten other stations are included 5933. 22 ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS 1 2009 TROJAN FOOTBALL SERIES USC-BC IN THE FUTURE USC VS. BOSTON COLLEGE (2-0-0) USC leads its series with Boston College, 2-0. USC and Boston College are set to meet in a The teams first met in 1987 in the Coliseum, a home-and-home series in the near future. 1987 W 23-17 H 23-17 Trojan victory. QB Rodney Peete threw USC hosts the Eagles in 2013 (Sept. 14) and 1988 W 34-7 A for 248 yards with a pair of 50-plus yard TD then visits BC in 2014 (Sept. 13). passes to WRs Ken Henry and John Jackson and TB Steven Webster rushed for 119 yards USC VS. ACC as USC won its first game under new head USC has an 11-6 (.647) record against current USC-BOSTON COLLEGE STAT COMPARISON coach Larry Smith (after losing the opener). Atlantic Coast Conference teams: 3-0 versus USC BC Henry caught 6 passes for 120 yards. The loss Duke, 2-0 versus Boston College, 2-1 versus Rushing Offense 173.3 140.5 snapped Boston College’s 10-game winning Georgia Tech, 1-0 versus Clemson, Virginia Passing Offense 211.7 184.4 streak. The Eagles got to USC’s 33-yard line and Virginia Tech, 1-1 versus Miami and 0-2 Total Offense 385.0 324.9 with 3 minutes to play, but LB Delmar Chesley versus Florida State and North Carolina. USC Scoring Offense 26.7 25.8 made a tackle on fourth-and-2 to thwart last faced an ACC foe in the 2008 season Rushing Defense 131.0 104.4 them. BC QB Michael Power threw for 243 opener, a 52-7 win at Virginia. On the other Passing Defense 211.8 214.0 yards with a score and RB Jim Bell ran for 96 hand, Boston College is 4-4 against the Pac- Total Defense 342.8 318.4 yards and a TD 10: 1-0 versus Arizona State and California, Scoring Defense 20.4 19.2 Turnover Margin 0.0 -0.3 In 1988 in Chestnut Hill, No. 8-ranked USC 2-2 versus Stanford and 0-2 versus USC. The kicked off its 100th anniversary of football with Eagles last played a Pac-10 opponent in a 34-7 win in Chestnut Hill.