Sanchez And Jets Over Patriots, Palmer And Bengals Over Packers

For Trojan fans this has not been a good weekend, with Aaron Corp less-then-stellar start at quarterback and the loss to Washington.  But USC quarterbacks playing in the NFL had much better weekends.

Mark Sanchez led his New York Jets into the home of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots and came away with a 16-9 victory.  Sanchez went 14 for 22 with 163 yards and 1 touchdown.

Carson Palmer lead took his Cincinnati Bengals to Leambeau Field and came away with a 31-24 victory.  Palmer went 15 for 23 for 185 yards and 3 touchdowns.

So not everything is bad for USC fans.  Just think if Sanchez would have stayed for another year at USC, the Huskies would not have had a chance.

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Mark Sanchez Rookie Of The Week In NFL

Former Trojan quarterback, and current Jets QB, Mark Sanchez has nominated for NFL Rookie of the Week.  Go here to vote and check back Friday afternoon to see who wins.

Sanchez’s stats:

Sanchez recorded the third most passing yards for a rookie in Week 1 in NFL history, completing 18 of 31 passes for 272 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a passer rating of 84.3 in the Jets’ 24-7 win over the Houston Texans. Sanchez led a Jets offense that gained a total of 462 yards and controlled the ball for nearly 39 minutes.

So much for Coach Carroll not being happy about Sanchez leaving, it did leave the job open for Matt Barkley.

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GQ Mark Sanchez

Former Trojan QB Mark Sanchez, after being drafted No. 5 by the NY Jets, has now posed for GQ.

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USC Football: 2009 NFL Draft Results

The Men of Troy faired very well in the 2009 NFL draft.  As expected, four Trojan linebackers were chosen.  What was not expected, by some, is the order with Rey Maualuga going behind both Cushing and Mathews.  This may be more of a reflection of the NFL’s move away from inside linebackers rather than Maualuga’s skill level. 

This is the list of USC players drafted this year:

• Mark Sanchez – New York Jets, Round 1, No. 5 overall
• Brian Cushing -Houston Texans, Round 1, No. 15 overall
• Clay Matthews – Green Bay Packers, Round 1, No. 26 overall
• Rey Maualuga – Cincinnati Bengals, Round 2, No. 38 overall
• Fili Moala – Indianapolis Colts, Round 2, No. 56 overall
• Patrick Turner – Miami Dolphins, Round 3, No. 87 overall
• Kaluka Maiava – Cleveland Browns, Round 4, No. 104 overall
• Kyle Moore – Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Round 4, No. 117 overall
• David Buehler – Dallas Cowboys, Round 5, No. 172 overall
• Cary Harris – Buffalo Bills, Round 6, No. 183 overall
• Kevin Ellison – San Diego Chargers, Round 6, No. 189 overall

Not a bad showing for USC.

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Mark Sanchez No. 1 Quarterback In 2009 NFL Draft

According to Mike Mayock of NFL Network, former Trojan Mark Sanchez is the top quarterback prospect in the 2009 NFL Draft.

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USC Football: 2009 Quarterback Race

In January Mark Sanchez announced he would be leaving USC to enter the NFL.  This left a gaping hole at quarterback for the Trojans.  There are three possible players to fill that void. (No disrespect intended to the very athletic and talented Garrett Green).

• Aaron Corp – Class of 2007.  Saw limited play in 2008.
• Mitch Mustain – Class of 2006.  Transfer from Arkansas, where he had a number of starts in 2007.
• Matt Barkley –  Class of 2009.  True freshman from Mater Dei HS (same HS as Matt Leinart), where he was the only freshman to start in the modern era. 

Over at USCFOOTBALL.COM, they have devised a rating system to rank the quarterbacks during spring practice. 

As of 1APR09, Corp was followed by Mustain and Barkley. 

Dreadnaught’s prediction for 2009: Corp will be the starting quarterback.  For what it is worth, Mark Sanchez also thinks Corp will be the new quarterback for the Trojans.

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USC Football: Taylor Mays To Return To USC

The Men of Troy will be without the services of Mark Sanchez, as he has decided to move on to the NFL.  That is the bad news.

The good news is that Trojan free safety Taylor Mays will return to USC for 2009 season.

That is bad news for players in the Pac-10, as evident by this video:

USC Football: Quarterback Mark Sanchez To NFL

Trojan quarterback Mark Sanchez to leave USC and move on to the NFL.  Coach Pete Carroll is not happy about the decision.

Dreadnaught prediction: the starting quarterback for next season will be Aaron Corp.  Not to take anything away from Mitch Mustain or Matt Barkley, but Corp will be the man for 2009.

Corp on Sanchez:

I’m not going to say I’m as enthusiastic as Mark is at times, but I can be.

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Video of Mark Sanchez’s press conference:

Rose Bowl: USC Over Penn State Final Score

No matter the score, this was a great game.  Two storied programs, both in the top ten college football programs of all time.  Two great coaches.  JoPa  is JoPa, and Coach Pete Carroll is on his way to be one of the best ever.  There was nothing but class displayed by both teams.

The final score was 38-24, with USC on top.  But, if there was a program and a coach to lose to it would be Penn State and JoPa.

Taylor Mays was one of many Trojans having a huge day on defense. 

Mark Sanchez passed for 412 yards. 

ESPN is saying, “Southern California made a strong case of its own to be No. 1.”

The Trojans continue their dominance of the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl.

• 2004 – USC over Michigan 28-14
• 2007 – USC over Michigan 32-18
• 2008 – USC over Illinois 49-17

We will not talk about the Texas game in 2005.

Great game.

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USC Washington State: Final Score 69 – 0

The Trojans were favored by 42 points.  They covered and then some.  USC scored 41 points during the first half.  The final score: USC 69, WSU 0.

 

Mark Sanchez had 5 TD passes.

USC had three running backs, Green, Johnson, and Gable, all with over 100 yards.

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Pete Carroll Outstanding Coach; Better Person

USC football coach Pete Carroll has amassed an extraordinary record at SC.  But what is even more impressive is his philanthropic work.  Earlier this year, Coach Carroll ensured that his special assistant, Ricky Rosa, received a Rose Bowl ring.

Now Coach Carroll has invited Ryan Davidson, a 15-year-old boy battling cancer, to practice,

On this day Carroll walked Ryan onto the field and showed him a player/coach-only close-up view. When practice ended QB Mark Sanchez came over and escorted Ryan into the middle of USC’s postpractice huddle, where the players cheered his name.

Ryan and his family will be at the Coliseum for Saturday’s game against Arizona State.

USC Football: Mustain Number 2 Quarterback

Mitch Mustain has moved to number 2 on the depth chart for the Trojans.  Mustain was behind Mark Sanchez, Garrett Green, and Aaron Corp before the Oregon State game.  Looks like completion for quarterback is still fierce at SC.

Also on the in Mustain news,

The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit accusing the University of Arkansas of mishandling an investigation over e-mails critical of former quarterback Mitch Mustain.

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H/T: inside usc

USC Football: Quarterback Depth Chart For Oregon State Game

For the USC v Oregon State game, the USC depth chart for quarterbacks looks like this:

1. Mark Sanchez
2. Garrett Green
3. Aaron Corp
4. Mitch Mustain
   

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USC Football: Sports Illustrated Cover

Three Trojans grace the cover of Sports Illustrated: Brian Cushing, Mark Sanchez, and Rey Maualuga.

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USC Football Update: Mark Sanchez Named As Starting Quarterback

After taking a redshirt year in 2005, then serving as the backup for John David Booty in 2006 and 2007, it appears that Mark Sanchez will get his opportunity to lead the Men of Troy for the 2008 campaign. On 16APR08, Coach Pete Carroll named Sanchez as the starter, after the bulk of spring practice ended. Given the wealth of talent at the quarterback position for USC – Mitch Mustain, Aaron Crop, and incoming Matt Barkley – it was not a forgone conclusion. Best of luck to Sanchez.

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