Sam Arslanian

Outside the Pocket: It’s crunch time for USC

Beating up on a mediocre team is one thing a good football team does. USC did just that against Arizona on Saturday, but to prove their worth, the Trojans need to do more than pound the Wildcats.

Christon and Mauga step up amid injuries as USC blows out Arizona

Few teams are deep enough to sustain as many injuries as USC has this season, and even fewer are talented enough to blow out a team with its second-stringers. The Trojans found a way to be a part of that exclusive group as they dominated Arizona 41-14 Saturday night — despite suffering six injuries to an already hampered team.

Outside the Pocket: Close loss to Notre Dame is a win for Trojans

A three-point loss in a fourth-quarter thriller against Notre Dame was not only unexpected from USC, it seemed impossible. Anything less than a blowout was a win for USC.

Second-half performance not enough for Trojans

Notre Dame was expected to pummel USC — a recovering USC roster should have stood little chance to the No. 9 team in the nation, especially on its home turf. But the game was far from a blowout. The Trojans showed fight for the first time in the last two years, keeping the game close through the final minutes but ultimately fell 27-30 in a fourth-quarter thriller.

Reggie Bush could return to USC in 2020

Reggie Bush could soon return to USC. An internal operating procedure put in place by the NCCA’s Committee on Infractions in 2017 says that any prior dissociations handed out would be limited to a 10-year period.

Outside the Pocket: A way too early prediction at the Pac-12 championship

If you want to place a bet on a Pac-12 game this season, just flip a coin. Skill, strategy and rankings do not matter. In the latest development of this wildly confusing season, Stanford beat then-No. 16 Washington.

Outside the pocket: Leave Helton alone, for now

The number of USC fans online who want head coach Clay Helton fired after every loss could fill up the Coliseum. Imagine that, a full Coliseum. Trojan Nation is quick to dismiss its team after a loss; it is unbelievable.If USC loses, Twitter becomes a firestorm of “fire Helton,” “fire Graham Harrell,” “fire Traveler,” and “bring George Tirebitter back from the dead, so we can fire him too.”

USC falls to Washington on the road in offensive battle

“Defense wins championships.” It’s one of the most common sayings in sports. That could have been the case for the No. 21 Trojans in their matchup against No. 17 Washington on Saturday, but the offense, hampered by injuries, failed to produce. The Trojans fell 28-14 in a matchup defined by missed opportunities.

Outside the Pocket: Washington game will come down to UW defense

If you are a USC fan, please stop by your local drug store for a blood pressure check.USC lost its second-string quarterback in freshman Kedon Slovis Friday night. Usually, when you lose a quarterback on the second play of the game against the No. 10 team in the country, you are cruisin’ for a bruisin’. That was definitely not the case as third-string quarterback Matt Fink stepped in.

USC upsets No. 10 Utah as Fink makes 2019 debut

For the second time this season, Trojan fans at the Coliseum held their breath as a USC quarterback laid on the turf with an injury. Freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis left on the second play of the game with an apparent head injury, thrusting third-string redshirt junior Matt Fink into the QB spot. In his 2019 debut, Fink rose the occasion, posting 351 yards, a 70% completion percentage and three touchdowns en route to USC’s 30-23 win over No. 10 Utah Friday night.

About Sam Arslanian

Sam Arslanian is a junior studying journalism at USC's Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism and is the sports director of Annenberg Media. He has a passion for digital and social journalism. He has also worked for the Daily Trojan as the sports editor for the student-run paper. He is, unfortunately, a fan of Detroit sports.

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sarslani@usc.edu

USC Annenberg Media