Trojans hire Kiffin

The USC Trojans were rejected by several coaches when offered their head coaching position, but they finally found someone to say yes.

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Lane Kiffin quickly took the job and began the process of heading out of Knoxville.

Kiffin has plenty of ties to USC, as he was an assistant on Pete Carroll’s staff before taking the head coaching job with the Oakland Raiders.

Kiffin was hired by the Volunteers just 14 months ago and was in the process of rebuilding the program.

He should be an outstanding recruiter out in an area with a ton of talent, so USC shouldn’t see much of a drop-off.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 7:44 pm by steve

USC loses Carroll

The USC Trojans are going to be in limbo after head coach Pete Carroll announced his resignation.

The head coach resigned so that he could sign a big contract to become the new head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

Carroll had just gone through a tumultuous year with the Trojans, so it was now or never if he was going to leave.

The team fell well short of expectations and there were a few investigations into off-the-field issues with athletes.

There were also reports that he wasn’t particularly getting along with the school’s administration.

at 6:47 pm by steve

Reports: Kiffin returning to USC to replace Carroll

By Bud L. Ellis

Days after the Pete Carroll reign ended at Southern Cal, the Trojans pulled a stunner by bringing home one of Carroll’s top assistants.

According to published reports Tuesday night, Lane Kiffin is returning to Southern Cal to take over the Trojans. Kiffin worked as an assistant for six years under Carroll, who left USC last weekend to take the Seattle Seahawks’ head coaching job.

Kiffin, who coached parts of two season in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders after leaving USC, put together an entertaining one season in Knoxville. He sparked the Vols to a surprising second-place finish in the SEC East and a berth in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, where Tennessee lost to Virginia Tech 37-14 on New Year’s Eve to cap a 7-6 season.

But his season was marked by controversy, though, including several minor NCAA violations. He also constantly took public shots at his SEC rivals – in particular Florida coach Urban Meyer.

Kiffin isn’t the only one making a return to the West Coast. His father, defensive coach Monte Kiffin, and longtime USC assistant Ed Orgeron, also are making the move to Southern Cal.

—30—

Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 9:43 pm by bud

Tags: Chick-fil-A Bowl, Ed Orgeron, Florida, Lane Kiffin, Monte Kiffin, Oakland Raiders, Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks, Southern California, Tennessee, Urban Meyer, Virginia Tech

USC gets past BC, 24-13

The USC Trojans scored the first two touchdowns of the game but then had to push hard for a 24-13 victory over the Boston College Eagles in the Emerald Bowl.

The Trojans had to play without running back Joe McKnight, who was not cleared by the university in the investigation over his use of an SUV owned by a local businessman.

Quarterback Matt Barkley threw three touchdown passes and two interceptions to lead USC to the win. Throughout the game, Barkley was either helping his team mount a lead or keeping Boston College in the game.

It’s been that kind of year for Barkley, who began his job as the starting quarterback with a surprising, come-from-behind victory on the road against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

He saw the expectations rise, and he could only meet them for so long. As the season progressed, his inexperienced was exposed by the better Pac-10 teams, and USC lost a few games by big margins.

Monday, January 4, 2010 at 7:49 pm by steve

McKnight under investigation

USC Trojans star running back Joe McKnight is under investigation by the NCAA and the school for a possible violation of NCAA rules.

McKnight drove a car owned by a Santa Monica businessman who also started a Web site that praised the running back and his amazing skills on the football field.

The car was a 2006 Land Rover.

If the report is true, McKnight would have violated in NCAA rule that prohibits athletes from receiving extra benefits. It is not known exactly what consequences McKnight or the school would face if true.

McKnight has said that he has ridden in the car but never driven it before. He said that his girlfriend is the secretary of the man who owns the car, which is why he had access to it.

at 7:45 pm by steve