Sunday, August 30, 2009

Congrats

We have to say congratulations to our new starting quarterback, Matt Barkley!

Barkley recently won the starting job over RS Sophomore QB Aaron Corp. Although my sympathies go out to Aaron, Barkley worked his butt off.

We wish him luck!

Jimoke Bio: Eric Ziskin



Name: Eric Ziskin
Hometown: Calabasas, CA
Why a Jimoke: Awesome opportunity to be involved with one of the best programs in the nation
Hobbies: Playing sports, working out, collecting sneakers
Potential Career: Head of Marketing for big company or Assistant Athletic Director of Football
The good thing about being a Jimoke is: Seeing the young players develop over the season and get better
Class/How many years Jimoking: Junior, 2nd

Saturday, August 29, 2009

San Jose St. Next

After this week's mock preparations in practice and in today's scrimmage, the Trojans are beginning to focus their attention on the Spartans of San Jose State!

Monday's "Tell the Truth"-themed practice will kick off the opening week of the season. And the Jimokes are reaching the peak of excitement.

After today's mock-game that was extremely close to the real thing, in terms of preparation and activities, we are ready for the big time!

Fight on!...and...Beat the Spartans!!

Mock Week Complete

First of all, much apologies for the Jimoke blog absence. I have busy getting some school materials straightened out. (Yeah, I forget we have class, too).

But, today was a busy day for the Jimokes! This afternoon, the Trojans had a mock-game to prepare for the season. To prepare for San Jose St.

The Jimokes arrived at the Coliseum at 7am for the 12:30 kickoff and finally finished their duties near 5:00. It was truly a Jimoke-like game-day.

We had to battle the near 100-degree heat that was shadowed over the Coliseum field, and a few of us got burned somewhat badly. Danny looks more like a tomato than a Jimoke, and my face/neck got destroyed by the sun. Not good.

Tomorrow morning, the Jimokes are coming in to Heritage at 8am to distribute the travel gear for all the players and ourselves! Although an early morning after another, we are excited to get our coveted travel gear! It is something we look forward to each and every year!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Break Time

It's a busy time for a USC Jimoke right now.

After Camp was culminated on Saturday night with the Salute to Troy, the Trojans have yet to practice. The players were given Sunday off, as well as Monday, to get accumulated to their daily class schedule.

Today was the official beginning of the new school year at USC, so it sure was nice not to have 4-5 hours of football in the midst of everything.

But tomorrow is another day. And although it was nice to have a break from the sun, all of us Jimokes were puzzled on what we were supposed to do for the afternoon hours. We were lost souls in the desert.

Tomorrow we get back to the daily grind. And all of us can't wait to get back to Howard Jones! Strange? No, I think not.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Jimoke Bio: Matt Anzueto



Name: Matt Anzueto
Hometown: Paramount, CA
Why a Jimoke: A chance to be part of the premier football team in the nation
Hobbies: Playing cards, playing sports
Potential Career: I can be anything I want to be
The good thing about being a Jimoke is: Being at all the practices and getting to know the players
Class/How many years Jimoking: Junior, 1st

Friday, August 21, 2009

Approaching the End

The end of Fall Camp is nearly here. Tomorrow marks the final official day of Fall Camp for the 2009 campaign.

After tireless, 12-hour days for the past two and a half weeks, the Jimokes will soon get a break from football.

But tomorrow is no shortcut of a day. The set day includes a legit Two-a-Day with a 9am practice and a 3pm scrimmage/practice. It's going to be tiring and hot.

Following the busy day, the Trojans are putting on their annual Salute to Troy. With donors and fans their for dinner, the 2009 Trojans will be introduced. At the event, the Jimokes will be working very hard, and working behind-the-scenes to help make the even run as smoothly as possible!

Hope to see you out at practice tomorrow! Last two of Fall Camp!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Jimoke Bio: Michael Nebgen



Name: Michael Nebgen
Hometown: Smithtown, NY
Why a Jimoke: To help SC bring back the championship!!
Hobbies: TV, chillin, wiffleball
Potential Career: GM of the New York Mets
The good thing about being a Jimoke is: Getting to wear all the same gear as the players
Class/How many years Jimoking: Senior, 1st

Keep on Rolling

The Jimokes have a little break right now in between the morning walk-thru and this afternoon's full pads practice.

Some of the Jimokes stayed at Heritage to nap in our locker room, while others ventured out to their residences.

Either way, these couple hours that we have off are taken very seriously and no minute is wasted. Time is valuable during Fall Camp.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

A Lot to Catch Up On

The past two days have been pretty busy for the Jimokes. Monday morning, we moved out of Flour tower--where the entire team stayed for ten nights--and into our new housing for the upcoming school year.

The morning was also declared off for the Trojans for the moving process, leaving us to deal with only one practice in the evening.

Monday night was the second intrasquad scrimmage of Fall Camp--and the first at the Coliseum. The coaching staff clearly referred to it as another rendition of "Monday Night Football." With the lights on, the sky dark, and the players rocking, it was a fun atmosphere to be a part of.

As far as today went, Coach Carroll was generous enough to give the Trojans another morning off--the third in as many days. With that morning off, most of the Jimokes finished unpacking and settling in to their new residences.

The Trojans then suited up for a half pads practice this afternoon. After a nearly 48 hour break from the practice field, Howard Jones was able to rest up, get water, and avoid the onslaught of cleats that repeatedly give the field a beating.

Tomorrow we will get back in the usual Two-A-Day format with a morning walk-thru at 9am and a full pads practice at 3pm. Get ready!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Jimoke Bio: Jarone Ashkenazi


Name: Jarone Ashkenazi
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Why a Jimoke: Because I want to pursue a career in sports and experience USC Football
Hobbies: USC football, sports, TV, music, chillin
Potential Career: Sports agent/manager
The good thing about being a Jimoke is: Being with the football team and seeing what happens before game day
Class/How many years Jimoking: Junior, 1st

Move-Out Day

Tonight marks the final day of the team residing in Flour Tower. After ten nights in the residence hall, the Jimokes are moving out to their respective housing units for the upcoming school year tomorrow morning.

Since move-out time is at 8am, the Trojans have another morning off tomorrow. The coaches have given the Jimokes and players plenty of time to move into their new place.

Tomorrow will also consist of a couple more important events:

The Trojans will take their team picture tomorrow afternoon. But there will also be an intrasquad scrimmage at the Coliseum tomorrow night at 7:30pm!

The Jimokes are very excited about both, especially the scrimmage. It will be our first time back on the Coliseum field since last Spring.

It is an open scrimmage, so everyone is allowed--and encouraged--to come out and support the Trojans tomorrow night!

Hope to see you there!


Good Day for the Jimokes

This morning was a much needed break for the Jimokes.

In last night's team meeting, Coach Carroll announced that the Trojans had the morning off, leaving only one practice for the day!

This led the Jimokes to participate in a wide range of activities, including taking trips back home and sleeping in. The morning off was very well deserved and a delight for the Jimokes.

The afternoon practice went smoothly; not much to talk about.

In other news, Coach Carroll called Danny by name today. It was pretty sweet! Good for you, Danny!


Friday, August 14, 2009

Jimoke Bio: Kory Augustus



Name: Kory Augustus
Hometown: Compton, Long Beach, Inglewood, CA
Why a Jimoke: Couldn't make the team! LOL!
Hobbies: Reading what I want to read and all type of ill activities!
Potential Career: NFL Player
The good thing about being a Jimoke is: Laughing it up with these guys and listening to "Bubbly" together
Class/How many years Jimoking: Junior, 1st

Lost Dog

Today was a day that these twelve Jimokes may remember for a long time.

When coming out to set-up for the early morning walk-thru this morning, a small Chihuahua-type dog starting sprinting down the sideline of Howard Jones field.

With a major effort by Mike Nebgen and myself, we trapped the lost dog in a corner of a shed. However, the journey was just beginning with the newly named Pepper.

The dog--who we believe is lost from its owners--was so scared and startled that she was shaking uncontrollably. And as a dog lover myself, I was sad to see it.

On top of that, when attempting to pet her, she snapped back. Ferociously.

After calling Animal Control and USC's DPS in the middle of the day, there was still no resolution with the recovery of this dog.

And when the Jimokes came back out for this afternoon's practice, she was still there. After the practice/scrimmage, we met with the dog one more time to see what would come out of it. But to no avail.

Fortunately, we ended the night with a final call to Animal Control who was on their way to recover the lost puppy.

It was clearly not what the Jimokes expected to deal with when waking up this morning. No, it wasn't.

End of Scrimmage

The Jimokes went through their first scrimmage of Fall Camp this afternoon. Howard Jones was rocking, with plenty of fans coming out to support the Jimokes--Oh, I mean the Trojans.

Not only were the fans out, but the stadium music was being blasted across the field to get the players acclimated to actual game-time effects.

The scrimmage was an easy one for the Jimokes to handle. And somewhat of a break for some. Aside from a few Jimokes who had rather important duties, the others didn't have to do the usual "run-and-gun" practice style that make us work as hard as we do.

We are already gearing up for another big day tomorrow: Two-A-Day!

This is what USC Football is all about!

Back at It

After the first Two-A-Day in Fall Camp yesterday, the Jimokes and Trojans are back at it again with a walk-thru this morning. We are heading out for some breakfast now and then back on to Howard Jones.

Later this afternoon will be a full-pads scrimmage on Howard Jones. We are very excited about it!

I'll be back on later and post about the day.

Jimoke Bio: Jason Ellenberg



Name: Jason Ellenberg
Hometown: Manhattan Beach, CA
Why a Jimoke: I love sports and I wanted to be a part of one of the best teams of all time
Hobbies: Golf, painting, following the Lakers, Dodgers, Chargers, and everything USC
Potential Career: Sports Psychologist for the Lakers
The good thing about being a Jimoke is: Free food and gear, being shoulder to shoulder with the players on the field
Class/How many years Jimoking: Sophomore, 1st

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Jimoke Bio: Danny Palkovic


Name: Danny Palkovic
Hometown: Mission Viejo, CA
Why a Jimoke: I enjoy the smell of freshly cut grass....and I love football
Hobbies: Tennis, basketball, poker, stand-up comedy
Potential career: Rocket scientist/ stand-up comedian
The good thing about being a Jimoke is: being up close with the best college football team in the country; free meals at Galen Center
Class/How many years Jimoking: Sophomore, 1st year


The Fifth Day

The Jimokes had another successful day on Howard Jones. It was an unbelievably hot day, that caused us to start sweating the minute we walked out to the field.

In other news, as I stated earlier, the new Jimokes are really catching on fast with how the practices go. It's great to see them pick it up so quickly!

The newcomers are even getting some "love" from the coaches.

Kory has now been nicknamed "Juice Man," thanks to LB coach Ken Norton, Jr. In yesterday's practice, Coach Norton was jumping around and pumping up his players, saying, "Who's got the juice?" In this morning's walk-thru, Kory walked up to Coach Norton and mysteriously said, "I got the juice, Coach." Later on in the walk-thru, he was servicing the coaches with Gatorade and handed one to Coach Norton. Norton replied with a casual, "Thanks, Juice Man." We all had a good laugh and enjoyed Kory's story.

We are planning on getting to bed early tonight--or at least at a decent time--due to tomorrow's big day.

Tomorrow is the first official Two-A-Day format of practice. While the first few days of Fall Camp have consisted of two practices, one of those two has been technically referred to as a Walk-thru, where balls are not permitted and coaching cannot last more than an hour.

Tomorrow will consist of a 9am practice and a 4pm practice! Let's get ready and hope to see you out there!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Jimoke Bio: Gavin Williams

Today begins a new feature for the Jimoke blog. The next twelve days, including tonight, we will begin to post the Jimoke bios of the 12 student managers that anchor the USC Football team.

With full pictures, background info, and personal hobbies, you now can feel more personal with the Jimokes!

Here's are first: Gavin Williams.



Name: Gavin Williams
Hometown: Union City, CA
Why a Jimoke? I want to be part of the best college football team in the US
Hobbies: Bird-watching, TV, YouTube
Potential Career: Software Engineer???
The good thing about being a Jimoke is: Getting to be on a field where USC greats practiced.
Class/How many years "Jimoking": Sophomore, 1st

An Uneventful Day

Another day of practices has been completed for the Jimokes. And nothing extraordinary happened.

The Jimokes were everywhere they needed to be at every time.

As the Fall Camp continues to roll on, the Jimokes are really improving and getting the hang of it. Including the new guys. We are really molding into one solid group!

Another day tomorrow!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Jimokes at their Finest

During these grueling Camp days, the Jimokes have some extra time to think of smarter ways to improve on the field.

And off the field.

In between the two practices, and having many minutes of downtime, the Jimokes have created yet another interesting way to pass their time. And in this way, they are capitalizing on rest time.

Check out this picture, which shows Eloy Ledesma and myself, of some of the Jimokes lounging on semi-circiel agility bags, usually reserved for Offensive Line reps:

(Photo courtesy of Brent Cochran)

Another Day!

The Jimokes have returned to the dorms after Day 3. Today consisted of another morning walk-thru, and the first padded practice of the new season!

It was another good day for the Jimokes, who are definitely starting to feel somewhat tired of the longing Fall Camp. But nearly two weeks still remain, so we got to keep on going!

It's going to be fun!

In other news...

1st year Jimoke Danny Palkovic had a near death experience on the practice field in the afternoon practice. During a Special Teams drill, Danny went to place a football at the line and in the middle of the play. However, as he hustled across the field, a fairly large man in Taylor Mays railed Danny to the ground. "It was devastating," says Danny.

It was clearly a moment to remember in Jimoke history, especially in Danny's eyes. Hang in there!

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Day 2 in the Books!

The Jimokes just returned back in our residence hall after another day full of football duties.

The walk-thru in the morning to the nearly three hour practice in the afternoon proved to be another test for the preparation and readiness for us. And we came through!

The equipment was ready when it needed to be ready and all the Jimokes were flying across the fields. It's a rush!

We are ready for Day 3!



Saturday, August 8, 2009

That's a Wrap!

Day 1 of Fall Camp 2009 is officially over.

After a near three hour first pracitce this afternoon and a nice dinner at Galen Cafeteria, the Jimokes just settled back into Flour Tower for the evening.

The practice was long and under a scorcher, but ran very successfully thanks to the leadership of head man Adam Kossoff.

The players were anxious to get on the field to play with footballs, as were the Jimokes!

With a couple hours to ourselves tonight, we are resting up and gearing up for another day tomorrow!

See you tomorrow! Fight On!

Mid-Day

It's just after 2:00 in the afternoon, and the Trojans/Jimokes are resting in between practices. This morning was the team's Walk-Thru No. 1, while 4pm will be Practice No. 1.

The morning walk-thru was pretty uneventful, which is what we like!

After the practice, some of the Jimokes got up in the film lifts and reattached some wind flags on top of the goalposts; something that caused some to suspend their fear of heights.

The upcoming practice will be over two and a half hours, so we will be back later tonight to update on the first day of practice!

Friday, August 7, 2009

Jimokes Settling In

With the rest of the day off, the Jimokes are free to do anything they want. So, of course, we spend our time playing around. Even video games.

In the midst of an intense NCAA Football 10 Tournament, the Jimokes are ready for football in all aspects of the game!

Check out a few of these pictures, courtesy of Brent Cochran and myself:




Jimokes Have Arrived at USC!

Today marks the beginning of the 2009 USC Football campaign!

The Trojans, including us Jimokes, have moved into the on-campus Flour Tower to prepare for the upcoming season!

The next ten days will revolve only around football, and the Jimokes are ready! Today is more of a lax day, as we spent yesterday and most of this morning preparing everything on the field for camp. For us, it's all about the preparation!

Tomorrow morning will be the first official walk-thru at 11am, and the first practice at 4pm.

We hope you can venture your way down to Howard Jones field and watch the Trojans gear up for yet another season!

Stay tuned for various posts per day about the Trojans! Fall Camp is here!