Hot Hot Heat

Today's practice was great, as we are approaching game day on Saturday! It was also one of the hotter ones we've had since the beginning of summer camp. Today's temperature reached 96, and everyone on Howard Jones sure felt it. The heat got to all the players, coaches, and Jimokes. Hopefully Mother Nature will cool down the weather for us in the coming days before Oregon and USC play in the Coliseum! 

There is bad news. The heat will not leave us tomorrow, as we are expecting another 96 degree day!

Jimoke Football

After the short practice, most of the Jimokes played an hour long game of pigskin. An offensive battle made the game go into overtime at 28-28. A defensive battle ensued, as the team of Serrano, Toper, and Burkhard defeated Wagner, Ziskin, and Cochran. Eloy Ledesma was all time offense, so he gets no accolades in the victory, although his firepower was effective on both ends. Wagner caught four touchdowns in the losing effort, two of which came off deflections from Serrano. Brent Cochran was a valuable quarterback for the losing team as he was able to place may balls "on the money". David Toper was a quiet contributor to the winning team, grabbing some important catches, including ones that set up big touchdowns. 

Play of Game: On 1st and 10, Brent Cochran threw a 35 yd beauty to Brian Wagner who was running a post corner route. He lobbed it in the air, as John Serrano was draped all over Wagner. Yet Wagner was able to haul in an amazing one handed grab and run a few more yards downfield to the 1 yard line! 

Player of Game: John Serrano. He was able to haul in three touchdown grabs for the winning effort! His quickness could not be defended. (HONORABLE MENTION): Eloy Ledesma; he was all time offense so he couldn't be chosen, but had a great game, except for a few mental slipups.

The game was heated throughout, as football brings out the best of the Jimokes. There was enough trash talking during the game, so you know we get competitive. On the second to the last play of the game, there was much argument with John Serrano grabbing a touchdown in bounds, which blew steam from some members on the other team, especially Wagner. The call was overturned [through instant replay], but the game was decided on the next play anyways as Ledesma ran it in from 15 yards. It's nice to not have a controversial call decide the game. [Ed Hochuli]

"Tell the Truth" Monday

Monday's practice was short and sweet, as the tempo was great! The players, coaches, and jimokes were all flying up and down the field, taking out rage from the days off. This week begins the first back to back games of the whole season, as we have had bye weeks in between the first three games. The intensity and sense of urgency is going to be brought by the Jimokes, making sure we are doing everything we can to help the team!

Back to Work

Today, the Trojans are going back to work to recover from the loss to Oregon State and to prepare for Oregon. After a three day hiatus from football, the Jimokes are ready to go back to practice! For some, it has been nearly a week since they have been with the team. There needs to be a good week of practice, as we prepare for Oregon, because Saturday's game is huge in showing how we can rebound following a tough defeat. 

#9

The AP and Coaches' Poll has just been released for Week 5, and the Trojans have slipped to #9. With the five other upsets in the top 25 that occurred Saturday, we got a little leeway, especially because #3, #4, and #9 all lost, giving us a few extra spots. 

The breakdown of the teams in front of us: 4 are in the Big 12, 2 in the SEC, and then Penn State and BYU. It seems that the teams in the Big 12 and SEC may beat each other up, giving us a shot to rise in the polls. We will see how this all plays out, but I am sure, there is an inevitability that there will be more problems with the BCS [non]-playoff process. 

The Time Off

The Trojans have the weekend off and don't report practice until Monday. During this time, they will think about the loss and Monday they will get back at it! In the meantime, an abundance of great college football games are on today!

Equipment Truck Unloaded

The Equipment Truck made its long drive down from Oregon back to USC last night and through today, arriving here at around 7:30. As the Jimokes were a little short-handed, we were able to get it done fairly quickly, although the pace was definitely slowed down by the crushing defeat. A couple of us Jimokes, including myself, misunderstood when the truck was arriving. I thought it was arriving with the plane, so we stayed up until the team arrived -- around 3:30 a.m. Now that the entire team, staff, and equipment is back from Corvallis, it is now officially time to prepare for the Ducks!

Moving On, Looking Forward

The Trojans had a tough loss last night, but that can't mean we can give up. A true test of a team is one that will bounce back up when fallen to the ground. The Trojans fell to the ground last night and they need to bounce back next week vs. Oregon! To keep a national title hunt in the picture, we need to run the table, and do it in style. The Trojans need to make this loss a lesson--although Stanford should've been the lesson -- and come into every game like it was the championship! Eight days to Oregon!

This is when all Trojans need to FIGHT ON!

Tough Defeat

While the Trojans seemed fully prepared for the conference opener, they were not able to stop the running game, specifically the man who stands at 5'6". Rodgers' elusiveness was able to escape many tackles,  and it seemed all his runs were up the middle. Mark Sanchez's interception thrown late in the game really hurt the chances of a comeback as the Beavers took a 13 point lead with just over two minutes to play. We were able to salvage one more touchdown, but a failed onside kick was the final straw for the USC Trojans. 

Here We Go...

The Trojans have defended extremely well coming out of the gates in the second half. After two great defensive stops, Mark Sanchez led two TD drives with touchdown passes to Ronald Johnson and Damien Williams, respectively. The score is now 21-14, and we're coming back!

Shocking

The first half has come to an end, and nothing has gone well for the Trojans. Jacquizz Rodgers is running all over us, through the middle of the line, and destroying our defense. He has 117 yards and a TD at the half. Our offense can't get it done, through the air or the ground, as Joe McKnight had a fumble, and we only had one pass 10+ yards downfield. The halftime adjustments need to be important because we need to come out with intensity! The key play was with :04 seconds left in the half, as Kevin Thomas had a ball go right through his hands and into the arms of James Rodgers for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead.

GAME TIME!

Game time has finally arrived. With two weeks of solid preparation, the Trojans are ready to compete! Kickoff is just minutes away! 

Wishing I Was There...

Now that we are approaching game time (90 minutes until kickoff), I am, along with the rest of the Jimokes, wishing I was in Corvallis, Oregon for the PAC-10 opener for the Trojans. We're hoping everyone is enjoying it up there, and looking for a Trojan victory! 

FIGHT ON!

Preparing the Locker Room

The Jimokes are currently in the visitor's locker room at Oregon State. They will spend multiple hours putting the jerseys on the shoulder pads. polishing the helmets one last time, and making sure the pants and the accessories are all at their specific places. We take so much pride in our locker room set up and the players definitely appreciate it. 

{A picture of LB Rey Maualuga's locker vs. Ohio State}

Resting Up

The Trojans had a successful night upon arriving in Corvallis, with a rain - filled walk thru. Once they made it to the hotel, they went through the regular meetings and had a late night snack (which seems more like a meal). They have already had their bed checks, and they are resting up for the big game tomorrow night!

As of right now, 18 hours until kick-off!

UPDATE: Team Just Landed

Through my traveling correspondent, Eric Ziskin, we know that the Trojans just landed safely in Eugene, Oregon just minutes ago. They will board buses and head to Reser Stadium for a quick walk thru tonight, and then have their meetings at the hotel. 

Game Updates

Be sure to check into the blog tomorrow at 6 pm, as I will be doing a game day analysis during the live game. 

Final Touches

The Trojans will have their final walk through at 11:15, before departing for Corvallis. Following practice, they will get dressed, and head to the buses, which will take them to LAX. The Jimokes will load another equipment truck (this one will go on the plane) full of the 7 Pads, helmets, and shoulder pads, along with all the cleats, and other miscellaneous apparel that the players use. With a two hour flight, they are scheduled to arrive around 4:00. 

Successful Practice at Cromwell

With the last full pads practice until Oregon State, the Jimokes had a good practice today at the Cromwell field. It is always a daunting task to move all the equipment over there, but we were able to do it with no hassle. Also, as we are on a new field, there are always concerns with the coaches where everything is located, including each position's designated area for individual drills. However, the smart Jimokes were able to handle it and be on their toes for any changes. Again, the field goal post gave us more problems before practice, but the Jimokes took care of it.

New Record

The Jimokes, half of them albeit, recorded a record time today in preparing helmets and doing the 7 -Pad check. They completed the usually long process in only about 30 minutes! Congrats to them! 

Your Voice Can be Heard!

I am always looking to improve my blog for the betterment of the Jimokes. With that being said, any new ideas or comments about the blog itself are encouraged, and would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. 

You can email anything to uscjimokes@hotmail.com

Getting Ready for Cromwell

The Jimokes are all getting ready for their first practice on Cromwell field for the season. The AstroTurf field is going to be a good opportunity for the Trojans to get accustomed to the field they will play on Thursday night. The Jimokes will have to carry all the equipment from Howard Jones Practice Field to Cromwell, making our regular set up a little longer than usual. 

Heading to Cromwell (way up above) while leaving Howard Jones (above)

Game Preparations

Tomorrow, after practice, the Jimokes will do a 7-Pad Check and polish the Helmets for game day. The 7 pad check is to make sure each traveling player has their 7 pads for the game. The 7 pads are: two knee pads, two hip pads, two thigh pads, and one tailbone pad. After that is completed, the Jimokes will turn to the helmets. A long, but exciting process, is polishing and buffing the helmets, while also making sure the traditional sticker is in place. USC Football is often highlighted on primetime and national television, and that is the case for our game on Thursday. We take pride in how e make our helmets look, and tomorrow is the primary coating of polish, before the traveling Jimokes will finish it up the day of the game on Thursday!

Jimoke Bowl Championship

After the great practice today, the Jimokes played a 45 minute match that consisted of 10 of the Jimokes (sorry, Benji and Daniel) The 5 on 5 game was overly dominated by us. (Matt B, John Porter, Eloy Ledesma, Adam Kossoff and Brian Wagner) The final score was 35-28, but we won it earlier than the game ended, with the other team pushed to keep the game to continue. 

Highlights: 

Matt Burkhard threw a perfect pass on the left side to Wagner for a 40 yd TD to put us ahead for good.

For the first play of the game, Matt B threw a perfect pass to Adam Kossoff who ran a post route to take it for 6!

To clinch the game on defense, Eloy Ledesma tipped away a pass that was intended for Joe Gibson on 4th down! Victory!

Jimokes who are Headed to Oregon State

Those Jimokes who are going to Corvallis on Wednesday for the Trojan's game are:

Matt Burkhard

David Toper (traveling himself)

Benji Silva

Eric Ziskin

Adam Kossoff

Brent Cochran (traveling himself)

Daniel Mai (traveling himself)

Have fun Jimokes!

Portable Field Goal Post

The Jimokes, once again, delat with the portable field goal on Cromwell. The frustration continued with this, but now that it is finished, we feel great. It was used today as the kickers kicked from interesting places on the field, including 180 degrees from it. It will also be used tomorrow, as the whole football team will be on the field, in preparation for the astroturf field at Reser Stadium.

Breakthrough

Sophomore Jimoke Eric Ziskin had a breakthrough with his relationship with Defensive Line Coach, Dave Watson today. We congratulate Eric for his accomplishments! 

Monday or Wednesday?

Although it's a Monday, it is a Wednesday for USC Football. Due to our game on Thursdays, the practice schedule has moved up a few days to be properly prepared with no drastic changes as game day emerges.

Jimoke Bowl

The Jimokes have started a daily tradition of playing a little football before practice begins and after the practice field is set up. Today pitted the athletic Joe Gibson, IQ of Daniel Mai and the speed of Jon Porter against the arm of Brent Cochran, the elusiveness of John Serranno, and the talent of Brian Wagner. Unfortunately, my team lost 35-28, as Jon Porter ran in from 20 yards on "5th" down to seal the victory! Brent threw for four touchdowns on the losing side. The game will undoubtedly continue tomorrow!....And I am sure some more Jimokes will want to play too.

Back at It

The Jimokes were back at practice as the Trojans started their early week in preparation to Oregon State on Thursday. A very long practice made everyone tired at the end it. Not to mention, we had to fix a goalpost. The goalpost is portable, and is used when the Trojans practice on Cromwell Field, the track field that has artificial turf. Oregon State's field is artificial turf, not natural grass (like the Coliseum) so we will practice on Tuesday on Cromwell to get accustomed to the feel. 

Countdown until Oregon State: 4

Sore Mouth

Fellow Jimoke Jon Porter had his wisdom teeth pulled out earlier this week and has been out of commission for the week. But he is ready to come back for Sunday. Said Jon about his situation, "I got better today." 

Offensive floater John Serrano replaced Jon in Wideout and QB drills during the past few practices.

Introducing the 2008 USC Jimokes...

These are the twelve people that help USC football prepare for the whole season and are fully committed to the experience:

Matt Burkhard, Senior -- Head Manager

David "Flash" Toper, Senior

Eloy Ledesma, Junior

Adam Kossoff, Junior

"Uncle" Brent Cochran, Senior

Benji Silva, Senior

Daniel "Dr." Mai, Senior

Joe Gibson, Junior

John "Lil John" Serrano, Sophomore

Eric "EZ" Ziskin, Sophomore

Jon "JP" Porter, Sophomore

Brian "BWags" Wagner, Sophomore

The Equipment Truck is Off to Corvallis!

This morning, half of the Jimokes and members of the equipment room staff loaded up the USC truck. The truck contains all the heavy trunks full of anything you can think of to make the visiting trip to Corvallis as pleasing as possible. Extra gear, game attire, training bikes, and more are going to make it in Oregon in a few days, right as the team flies in.

Taking a Break

The football team has a couple days off before going back on the practice field on Sunday. We start a day early for preparing the game week, seeing as we play Oregon State on Thursday. The coaches are off recruiting today and tomorrow, and for the most part, us jimokes are off as well. 

Starting Sunday, we will begin to prepare for the Beavers!

More Amazing Photos!

Stunning Images from USC/Ohio State

Here are some stunning images from the game this past

 weekend from the perspective of a USC Jimoke:

Duties of a USC Jimoke

Typically, no one really knows about the USC Student Managers. We are the people behind the "stage" of the football team. Some of our main obligations are to prepare shoulder pads for practice and set up/close down all practices, while going 110% during the practices. It is a very time committing job, requiring 5 hours a day, not including game days, which last 12 hours for a home game. Game days are definitley the days we look forward to! All 12 of us are assigned to duties during the game, whether it be helping coaches, assistant coaches, ball boys, etc. 

We are 12 students who are fully committed and love USC Football! This is a voluntary position, with all of us getting an amazing experience!

(My name is Brian Wagner. I am a sophomore at USC and a first year manager for the football team.)

6 Weeks into the Season

While many people think there have been only a few weeks of the college football season, the USC football team, and the Jimokes, have been hard at work at full speed since August 5. Fall Camp was a busy time full of 2-A-Days. We have only had 2 games as we approach the fourth week of the college football season, so we are all anxious for our games. One week until Oregon State!

Welcome!

Welcome everyone to the official blog of the University of Southern California Jimokes of USC Football. Jimokes refers to the Student Managers of the USC Football Team. It is a definition that originated with our program some years ago, and still continues to represent us. This blog will show you unique perspectives seen by only a lucky few every year. Enjoy!