Notre Dame Week 2008 - Friday
We are less than 24 hours away from game time. Here are some more tidbits about the Trojans and the Irish:
Team Stats: Here are the Trojans' team stats for 2008. Here are Notre Dame's.
Team Weekly Releases: USC Notre Dame
Game Photos: Here are my photos from South Bend in '07.
Recruits: In 2002, Reggie Bush famously changed his mind about where to go at the USC/Notre Dame game. In 2004, USC had nine recruits at the Notre Dame game, including linebacker Brian Cushing and safety Kevin Ellison. Trojan juniors Terrence Austin, Allen Bradford and Butch Lewis watched the 2005 game in South Bend. Last time at the Colisum, the recruits included Kristofer O'Dowd, Everson Griffen, Chris Galippo and Broderick Green. Tomorrow night, some of the top recruits will include junior tailback Anthony Barr (Loyola), safety Byron Moore (Narbonne), OG John Martinez (Cottonwood HS, Salt Lake City), OT Xavier Su'a-Filo (Timpview HS, Provo, UT) and receiver Alshon Jeffrey (Calhoun County HS, Saint Matthews, SC).
Seniors: This will be the final home game for USC's 17 seniors, none of whom have ever lost to Notre Dame and none of whom have ever finished worse than tied for first place in the Pac 10. Two seniors have started on offense. Eleven seniors have started on the defense. The kicker and punter are both seniors, too. Josh Pinkard and Jeff Byers are both seeking an additional year of eligibility.
No. Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Birthday Cl.(Ath/Ac) Exp. Hometown(High School/JC/College)
1 TURNER, Patrick WR 6-5 220 5/19/87 Sr./Sr. 3V Nashville, TN (Goodpasture)
4 ELLISON, Kevin S 6-1 230 1/8/87 Sr./Sr. 3V Inglewood (Redondo Union)
7 HARRIS, Cary CB 6-0 180 3/22/87 Sr./Sr. 3V Pacoima (Notre Dame)
10 CUSHING, Brian LB 6-3 255 1/24/87 Sr./Sr. 3V Park Ridge, NJ (Bergen Catholic)
18 BUEHLER, David PK 6-2 225 2/5/87 Sr./Sr. 2V Anaheim (Canyon/Santa Ana JC)
36 PINKARD, Josh S-CB 6-2 210 4/2/86 Sr.*/Sr. 3V Oxnard (Hueneme)
41 HILLIER, Matt FB 6-2 210 10/17/85 Sr.*/Sr. — La Canada (Loyola/Pasadena CC)
43 MAIAVA, Kaluka LB 6-0 230 3/22/87 Sr./Sr. 3V Wailuku, HI (Baldwin)
44 WOIDNECK, Greg P 6-0 200 6/9/86 Sr.*/Sr. 2V Brea (Brea Olinda/Arizona State/Mt. San Antonio JC)
47 MATTHEWS, Clay LB-DE 6-3 240 5/14/86 Sr.*/Sr. 3V Agoura Hills (Agoura)
53 BYERS, Jeff OG-C 6-4 285 9/7/85 Sr.*/Sr. 2V Fort Collins, CO (Loveland)
58 MAUALUGA, Rey LB 6-2 260 1/20/87 Sr./Sr. 3V Eureka (Eureka)
75 MOALA, Fili DT 6-5 295 6/23/85 Sr.*/Sr. 3V Buena Park (Western)
79 WEISS, Andrew DE 6-9 230 4/11/86 Sr.*/Sr. SQ San Marino (San Marino)
81 WASHINGTON, Gerald DE 6-6 255 4/23/82 Sr.*/Sr. 1V Vallejo (Vallejo/Chaffey JC)
84 MOORE, Kyle DE 6-6 270 10/25/86 Sr./Sr. 3V Kathleen, GA (Houston County)
88 MILLER, Jimmy TE 6-5 250 3/4/86 Sr.*/Sr. 2V Thousand Oaks (Westlake)
Awards: USC linebackers Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga are among the dozen finalists for the Butkus Award. USC safety Taylor Mays was named as one of three finalists for the Thorpe Award. USC linebacker Rey Maualuga was named as one of three finalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award. USC linebacker Rey Maualuga has been named one of the five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. QB Mark Sanchez is a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award.
Do The Right Thing: A Better LA, Pete Carroll's charity, is sponsoring a toy drive. Collection boxes for new unwrapped toys or USC stuff will be in front of the statues at the Coliseum.
Game Promotions: USC’s football seniors will be saluted prior to the game while running through the Heritage Tunnel, comprised of former Trojans. USC tennis player Amanda Fink, a 2-time All-American who was the 2008 Pac-10 doubles champion and singles finalist, will be honored during the Lowe’s Senior Salute for excelling in the classroom and on the field. The USC women’s basketball team will be introduced during the game, and the top-ranked USC men’s water polo team will be highlighted.
Injuries: For the Trojans, TE Jimmy Miller (back) and TB Joe McKnight (foot) are expected to play. SNP Chris Pousson (mono), LB Luthur Brown (back) and safety Kevin Ellison (knee) are expected to be out. TB Allen Bradford (hip), WR Scott Stephens (knee), CB Shareece Wright (neck), OG-OT Martin Coleman (ankle), OT-C Michael Reardon (hip), OG Matt Meyer (foot), DE-DT Trey Henderson (knee), tight end Blake Ayles (knee) and defensive tackle Armond Armstead (hand) will not play against Notre Dame. For the Irish, CB Terrail Lambert and OG Chris Stewart are expected to play. ILB Brian Smith and WR Michael Floyd are out. OL Paul Duncan TE/FB Luke Schmidt (chronic headaches) are out for the season. TE Will Yeatman is suspended.
Blogs and Info Sites For the Trojans:
Blogs and Info Sites For Notre Dame:
God's Favorites: I think God has more important things to care about than who wins a football game, but to my fellow Catholics who seem to think that it is unholy for a Catholic to root against Notre Dame, let me remind you that Notre Dame's famous Touchdown Jesus should properly be referred to by His full name:
TOUCHDOWN JESUSCHRIST
Fight On! Here's a little game guide for you.
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