BERKELEY -- Experience Trojan football in this special inside report from the locker room and on the sidelines before, during and after USC's 30-3 victory over California on Saturday at Memorial Stadium:
Come together
Before every kickoff, the Trojans came together for an "all hands on deck" huddle, and the energy generated carried the team through the dominating victory.
"We've got to bring the juice," running backs coach Todd McNair said in the middle of one of those huddles during the second quarter. "Every one of us out here -- we've got a long way to go."
Odds and ends
Here are some random notes from the sideline and in the locker room during the game:
- It got rather cold and breezy on the sidelines as the game progressed, and many players donned long sleeves during halftime to combat the chilly temperatures. The quarterbacks even had jackets to wear while on the sideline, much like baseball pitchers on the base paths.
- For the fourth straight game, the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" became the theme song for the Trojans on Saturday night, as players sang and hummed the catchy tune on the sideline and in the locker room repeatedly throughout the night. And to top it all off, the Trojan Marching Band even started playing it, which certainly fired up the players.
- The locker room smelled like popcorn because of its proximity to the stadium concourse and concession stands.
At the half
Even though the Trojans held a 20-0 lead at halftime, the coaches and players pushed for a relentless attitude to close out the game. In the tunnel on the way up to the locker room, players encouraged each other to remain fervent, saying things like "keep your focus," "we've got a whole other half to play" and "keep it up."
Then Coach Carroll delivered an extremely passionate halftime speech, one that would've made you think the Trojans were losing by 20 instead of winning by 20.
"Everybody together now, we've got to play how we came here to play," a fiery Carroll said in the locker room. "Everyone needs to bring the energy -- every single person. We've got 64 of us, and we're all in this together."
Silence is golden
With the Trojans up 23-0 early in the third quarter, Coach Carroll brought his team together on the sidelines to call attention to one of the sweetest sounds while playing away from home.
"Do you hear how quiet it is?" Carroll, giddy with excitement, yelled. "You can't hear any cheers or nothing. Let's keep it that way by the way we play!"
Relishing the win
The post-game locker room scene was pure jubilee.
"Is it cool to win here or what?" Carroll said. "That's such a great ballgame -- so dominant all the way around."
Carroll then rattled off the key stats and top players from the game, including Matt Barkley, Taylor Mays and Damian Williams, among many more. But then it was time to look ahead, to a bye week and an exciting rest of the season left to play.
"We've got a lot of work to do because we're going to get real good," Carroll said. "Can you feel our team or what?"
The Trojans then joyously sang the fight song -- three times for good measure -- as they celebrated a massive victory.
"That was a huge, huge win," offensive line coach Pat Ruel said.
Come together
Before every kickoff, the Trojans came together for an "all hands on deck" huddle, and the energy generated carried the team through the dominating victory.
"We've got to bring the juice," running backs coach Todd McNair said in the middle of one of those huddles during the second quarter. "Every one of us out here -- we've got a long way to go."
Odds and ends
Here are some random notes from the sideline and in the locker room during the game:
- It got rather cold and breezy on the sidelines as the game progressed, and many players donned long sleeves during halftime to combat the chilly temperatures. The quarterbacks even had jackets to wear while on the sideline, much like baseball pitchers on the base paths.
- For the fourth straight game, the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" became the theme song for the Trojans on Saturday night, as players sang and hummed the catchy tune on the sideline and in the locker room repeatedly throughout the night. And to top it all off, the Trojan Marching Band even started playing it, which certainly fired up the players.
- The locker room smelled like popcorn because of its proximity to the stadium concourse and concession stands.
At the half
Even though the Trojans held a 20-0 lead at halftime, the coaches and players pushed for a relentless attitude to close out the game. In the tunnel on the way up to the locker room, players encouraged each other to remain fervent, saying things like "keep your focus," "we've got a whole other half to play" and "keep it up."
Then Coach Carroll delivered an extremely passionate halftime speech, one that would've made you think the Trojans were losing by 20 instead of winning by 20.
"Everybody together now, we've got to play how we came here to play," a fiery Carroll said in the locker room. "Everyone needs to bring the energy -- every single person. We've got 64 of us, and we're all in this together."
Silence is golden
With the Trojans up 23-0 early in the third quarter, Coach Carroll brought his team together on the sidelines to call attention to one of the sweetest sounds while playing away from home.
"Do you hear how quiet it is?" Carroll, giddy with excitement, yelled. "You can't hear any cheers or nothing. Let's keep it that way by the way we play!"
Relishing the win
The post-game locker room scene was pure jubilee.
"Is it cool to win here or what?" Carroll said. "That's such a great ballgame -- so dominant all the way around."
Carroll then rattled off the key stats and top players from the game, including Matt Barkley, Taylor Mays and Damian Williams, among many more. But then it was time to look ahead, to a bye week and an exciting rest of the season left to play.
"We've got a lot of work to do because we're going to get real good," Carroll said. "Can you feel our team or what?"
The Trojans then joyously sang the fight song -- three times for good measure -- as they celebrated a massive victory.
"That was a huge, huge win," offensive line coach Pat Ruel said.
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