El Cholo tonight

The Jimokes are getting a little reward tonight.

After a couple months of non-stop action--and non-stop work--our head equipment manager is treating us to a dinner.

Following practice tonight, instead of going to our regular Galen Dining Hall, we will be going to El Cholo for a Mexican feast!

We are so happy--and so thankful! It's been a while since I've had a nice Mexican feast, that's for sure!

Pics from USC-Washington State!

It was definitely fun for USC to get back to their winning ways this past weekend. Here are a few quick photos from the game this past weekend:

Eloy Ledesma walking out a headset for CoachComm

Eric Ziskin putting decals on a helmet

View of the locker room

Coach Carroll addresses team upon arriving at Coliseum

Creative look at the Coliseum, the "pylon pic."

The Coliseum from the top of the peristyle end

Trojans in stretch period

During a timeout, the Trojans get rest on the field

27-6. Victory!

Prayers for Stafon Johnson

In a very tragic incident this morning, Stafon Johnson required throat surgery this afteroon. After a heavy dumbbell used for bench-pressing slipped out of Johnson's grasp, it landed on his throat.

He was immediately cared for and rushed to a local hospital, where he underwent a 7-hour surgery.

Please keep No. 13 in your prayers.

Stafon Johnson's GW touchdown vs. Ohio State

Doctors are simply hoping he can regain his speech capabilities in the nearing months.

Please pray for him. For all the latest and most recent news following Stafon Johnson and his recovery, stay constant with the USCRipsIt blog.

Fight On, Stafon!

Follow on Twitter

Two Jimokes are active on Twitter. Head Manager Adam Kossoff and myself are spearheading the technology revolution and have been on Twitter for months now.

To follow us, check us out:

Adam Kossoff Brian Wagner

Bear With Me

I may not be posting as much as I usually do this week, as I have an enormous amount of school work that I have to complete.

Please bear with me, as I will try my best. And I will be blogging in Berkley this weekend!

Thanks for following!

Another Win!

Last night was another big win for the Trojans, as they won 27-6 over Washington St.

It was a great night to be back in the Coli, and to win a game under the lights is pretty special. Everyone, including players, coaches, and staff were stressing that all week!

Next week is Cal. All of our attention is now towards the Golden Bears!

Game Day Today!

Well, after a three-week absence, the Trojans are finally back in the Coliseum! Tonight's 7:15 game against Washington St. is an important one, nonetheless.

On the rebound, the Trojans are hoping to perform perfectly--and make as few errors as possible.

We will be doing our best, and are certainly excited to be back on our home turf.

We are set to arrive at the Coliseum around 1:00pm later this afternoon to begin our game day preparations. The locker room will be all set, and we are all thrilled to once again see our home locker room! (It's been a while since we last were here...)

Fight On!

The Day Before

Today is The Day Before. That is before game-day, of course!

Today is a great day to be a Jimoke! The atmosphere around Heritage Hall is always exhilarating, as fans flock the center of USC Football on campus.

We are about to begin loading the equipment truck, as a few of the Jimokes will be out on the field for the walk-thru.

Later tonight, the team will head to their team hotel for the night--and the majority of tomorrow--leading up to their arrival at the Coliseum tomorrow evening, which is set for about 5:20.

We're getting ready! Beat the Cougars!

Tired Jimokes

I wanted to get this video out before it gets too late. During Fall Camp, everyone associated with the football team here gets exhausted. Practice after practice in the hot August heat can be exhausting.

For the Jimokes, we would usually have an hour or so of downtime in between duties of the two practices.

Here is a quick video taken from Head Manager Adam Kossoff in the middle of August. He walked into our locker room and was much surprised to see the squad completely knocked out!

Enjoy!

And here's a quick photo of Danny Palkovic and myself. Sharing the couch!

Helmets!

Tonight is the weekly Helmet night for the Jimokes.

After another nearly 100-degree day on the practice field, the Jimokes will spend an extra hour or two cleaning and polishing the helmets in part of our preparations for game day!

Tonight is just another weekly activity that we take part in! And while it may seem boring and repetitive, it's a time where we get to really spend some great time with each other while watching some college football and/or listening to some tunes.

We really enjoy helmet night!

Turnover Wednesday!

Today is Turnover Wednesday! Or "hump day" for the Jimokes!

Just three days remain until USC takes on Washington State! We are all highly anticipating this game. The Trojans need to bounce back!

We will be on hand, helping them in all ways we can.

Getting Back At It

After the rough upset this past weekend, the Jimokes return to Heritage Hall this afternoon.

Luckily, since we are finally back home, Monday isn't spent on Cromwell. We get to be on Howard Jones today, allowing us to forgo transporting all the equipment next door.

The week to build up after a loss begins today. Let's get after it!

That Was a Rough One

The Jimokes are back in Los Angeles after a rough trip to Washington.

Some of us--who traveled separately from the team--arrived in Seattle some four or five hours before the team arrived on Friday afternoon. That gave us a chance to tour the campus of the University of Washington, which was absolutely breathtaking.

We really enjoyed the campus and its many sightseeing opportunities.

Apart from that aspect, the trip was unpleasant. A frustrating game, indeed.

But one other good thing came about for the Jimokes: We performed spectacularly in our Jimoke duties. The locker room was stunning, the helmets shining as ever, our equipment was in full force, and the game balls stayed as dry as an Arizona desert, although rain was trickling down on Husky Stadium.

It is comforting to know we didn't contribute to the mishaps on the field.

Hopefully we can continue our work and the Trojans will bounce back come Saturday. Back at the Coliseum!

Departing Early

Some of us Jimokes are up early: 5:30am, in fact.

In a few hours we will be up in Seattle, awaiting the arrival of the Trojans and other Jimokes! See you up there!

REMINDER: Tomorrow is the 1-Year Anniversary

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of the USC Jimokes blog.

Helmets Tonight, Awaiting Seattle!

The Jimokes welcome back tonight as the weekly "Helmet Night," after last week's long trip to Columbus forced us to do them on Wednesday night.

Again, it is our full intent to make sure the helmets look as "poppin" as ever. For those of you who watched the USC-Ohio State game last week on television, how did the helmets look? We always love hearing how they were, so we can improve for the next week or maintain an exceptional job.

Tomorrow, the Trojans will be on their way to Washington with a 2:15pm flight. Aside from the four Jimokes that will be traveling with the team, there a few more making their way up there!

Brent Cochran, Eloy Ledesma, Eric Ziskin, and myself are all leaving campus in the early morning to arrive in Washington by noon. We will meet up with the team and traveling Jimokes upon their arrival, including the Friday evening walk-thru.

The other four Jimokes will appreciate our help. It will make for more availability to coaches during the game, and a quicker and more efficient locker room set-up.

Equipment Truck On Its Way

This morning, some of the Jimokes checked in for duty at Heritage Hall a little earlier than usual. Now that we are in conference play, the away games are much closer to USC's campus.

Because of the close proximity, instead of loading all the equipment trunks on the plane--requiring some extra hassle, we have sent the equipment truck on the road already.

This morning, half of the Jimokes loaded the truck with most of the trunks, and then the two drivers were off. After a 24-hour trip, they will arrive in Washington, where they will meet two assistant equipment managers, Tre Limbrick and Seth Svendsen.

And upon our arrival on Friday afternoon, the equipment trunks will be in Washington's visiting locker room. As Jimokes, we love this!

Game Day Photos

As I write this post tonight, I still haven't gotten over what happened this weekend! It was a game--and a memory--that I will never forget!

Here a few photos of Game Day!

With the "I'm In" sign firmly in place, the Jimokes can take the field

Upon arrival, the Trojan defensive line has a pre-game huddle

The Trojans during stretch period

Ohio State, including Terrelle Pryor, runs down the field

Ohio State huddles around midfield

View of Ohio Stadium from USC sideline

Ohio State fans

Ohio State huddle in the middle of the game

106,033 people! New Stadium Record!

Last image of The Horseshoe. Band playing as fans exit.

Recap of USC-Ohio State

The game was insane. The atmosphere was electric. The game had the perfect ending.

The Drive--as it is now called--will be etched into the rich history that is USC.

With a stadium rocking for 59 total minutes without sitting down, being on the sidelines was exhilarating. And that last minute of silence in The Horseshoe was the most gratifying.

The fly back home was a lot more fun after the sweet victory. It was the most nerve-racking game I have ever been a part of, and with the late surge, it just made the victory that much sweeter!

First of all, here are a few photos of the Thursday departure, rolling into Friday's walk-thru, including some shots of beautiful Ohio Statdium:

Trojans get set to board their plane to Columbus

Jimokes unloading the equipment truck upon arriving in Columbus

Jimokes begin to prepare for the locker room set-up

Ohio Stadium. At the 50-yard line

We had some time to pose for some pictures...

Jimokes in the middle of the infamous "O"

View of The Horseshoe from the press box

Trojans huddle concluding their Friday night walk-thru

Shot of the "Horseshoe" end of the stadium

Jimokes preparing for game day by putting on the game jerseys on the shoulder pads

Later this evening, after our Tuesday afternoon practice, I will post some pictures of the most memorable game-day of all time!

Epic Trip to Columbus

Wow.

That is all I have to say after that amazing game at The 'Shoe! A tough game to play--and the most intense atmosphere I have been involved with in my life.

I didn't get to bed until 7:15 this morning after a flight back to Los Angeles just two hours after the game, but it was all worth it.

I will post some Jimoke recap of the game, including some unbelievable pictures.

Ohio Stadium is a beautiful place to play a football game. And the Trojans and Jimokes enjoyed it whole heartily.

We Have Arrived!

The Trojans have touched down on Columbus turf and are now sleeping in their hotel.

It is about 4:45am EST, but I am still on West Coast time, and just a little amped for this trip. We have a busy day tomorrow, but it won't start until around 11am. That still leaves us with a few hours of sleep. We should be good to go tomorrow!

Tomorrow, we will spend time setting up the locker room and preparing the stadium for Saturday's prime-time game.

Columbus, Here We Come

The anxiety is really building up.

After last night's helmet cleaning and truck loading, the Jimokes are getting ready for Ohio State. We are just a few hours away from a Thursday practice. Immediately following, the Jimokes will load the truck with the players' bags and depart for LAX. Are expected arrival in Ohio is 1am.

2009 USC Football Equipment Truck

Another night of helmet cleaning...

As far as blogging during the trip goes, I will do my best.

Depending on an internet connection--and available time--I will try my best to keep the blog updated with our daily activities!

Until then, Fight On!...and Beat the Buckeyes!

Awaiting Columbus

The Trojans--and Jimokes--will be departing Los Angeles tomorrow afternoon for their highly anticipated arrival in Columbus, Ohio.

USC-Ohio St. is just days away, and the anticipation is building around Heritage Hall.

Because it is a non-conference game, and the Trojans are traveling an unusually long distance, we are leaving an extra day early. That being said, the whole practice schedule is quirked.

Monday was a usual "Tell the Truth Monday" practice, as was yesterday's "Competition Tuesday." Today will also remain the same with "Turnover Wednesday."

However, for us Jimokes, our weekly schedule is moved up one day. After tonight's two-hour practice, we will polish up the helmets in preparation for Saturday night's game. While we usually do this on Thursday for home and conference road games, Wednesday seems eerily early. Because the sky will be dark, and the lights will be shining, the helmets need to be extra perfect, if that makes sense. We will make that happen!

Tomorrow's practice will be moved up to 2:30pm, and immediately following the practice, the Trojans will depart for Ohio. We are expected to arrive in Ohio at 1am on Friday morning.

Our 1-Year Anniversary Approaching

September 18 will be a special day for us.

It was on September 18, 2008 that I erected the Jimokes of USC Football blog. Since then, we have had some great movements on the blog, while giving out great insight to true fans of USC Football.

Jimoke Bio: Adam Kossoff

Name: Adam Kossoff

Hometown: Ridgewood, NJ

Why a Jimoke: To get involved with the USC athletic program and learn valuable life lessons

Hobbies: Playing and watching sports, working out, relaxing, spending time with friends and family

Potential Career: Undecided, but needs to be in Sports

The good thing about being a Jimoke is: The level of interaction with everyone in the program

Class/How many years Jimoking: Senior, 3rd

On Cromwell

To get acquainted with Ohio Stadium's field turf, the Trojans will be practicing on Cromwell Field, the track and field stadium adjacent to Howard Jones.

This will require the Jimokes to get an early start on set-up, as we have to transfer all the equipment over to the new field.

Practice is set for 5pm tonight.

USC Upends San Jose St.

The Trojans won their first game pretty easily. After a slow start, the Trojan horse prevailed, with a final score of 56-3.

And the Jimokes had a blast!

With seven young Jimokes, and one less returner, the set-up and game-time work was definitely going to be different. But we pulled it off!

And it was a moment we will all remember!

The locker room was beautiful when the players arrived. The jerseys were tight on the shoulder pads. And the helmets were popping with excitement.

Here are a few quick photos from yesterday's victory:

The locker room turned into a masterpiece

Trojans stretching before the game

USC Captains set to take the field

View of USC student section

Shot of USC offense

Trojans Win!

The Jimokes just got finished with the season-opener! A 56-3 victory over San Jose St. gives the Trojans momentum coming into next week's battle against Ohio State.

I will be back on later to post pictures and a review of our performance as managers!

Fight On! 1-0!

Jimokes Minus One

The Jimokes will be down a man tomorrow. Although we usually have a full-man crew, Senior Jimoke Brent Cochran will not be with us.

Due to a prior engagement--a wedding for a very good friend--Brent will be absent for the Trojan's season opener.

"I'm frustrated mostly because it's ending my 16-consecutive USC games streak that I have worked so hard for, and it puts me way behind for "Jimoke of the Year!"

Brent is sad to be gone, but is with us in spirit. He is wearing last year's Rose Bowl ring during the game/wedding, so we know Brent will be with us.

Truck Loading

Part of the Friday routine for Jimokes includes loading the equipment truck.

The equipment truck holds all the players' equipment bags (shoulder pads, helmets, cleats, and pads), miscellaneous trunks, and any other important fixture to USC game-days. It's just another very important process that we are involved in.

Each new season brings in new high-class players. And each new season brings in a new equipment truck--decorated with those players.

Guys like Taylor Mays, Kristofer O'Dowd, Josh Pinkard, Jeff Byers, and Joe McKnight are part of the feature this season.

I have included some pictures from tonight's truck loading, which is quite exciting. With the Trojan Marching Band playing in the background and fans coming in from all over the area, the atmosphere is nearly game-like.

The 2009 USC Football equipment truck

Jimokes having some down time while loading the truck

The inside of the truck, loaded with trunks and bags

Sophomore Jimokes Danny Palkovic and Jason Ellenberg "Jimokin"

The back side of the truck, highlighting the 2009 media poster

Jimokes Are Ready

At this point of the season, we are just about 15 hours from kickoff. It's been long, tireless, and repetitive at times.

But we are here at last. Head Manager Adam Kossoff and Jarone Ashkenazi are at the hotel with the team tonight, witnessing the team meetings, meals, and everything leading up to game time tomorrow. It's a magical experience.

For the rest of us, we have the night off.

The Jimokes will arrive at the Coliseum at about 6:30 tomorrow morning, to prepare for the Trojans' arrival. We will make sure the locker room is set-up in perfect condition, and nothing is left undone. We are perfectionists.

We are exactly 15 hours removed until kickoff. Unbelievable.

Return of the Gum Challenge

As shown during last season, the Jimokes have a special Friday tradition.

The "newcomer" Jimokes participate in a massive gum challenge that pits one against another. (Usually an offensive Jimoke versus a defensive Jimoke)

After this afternoon's walk-thru with the team, we will have that little contest. It will be the first of the regular season.

As we get ready for the season to start, here are some pictures of last week's mock game Gum Challenge:

The Gum Challenge season kicked off last week.

Players, like RB Stafon Johnson, enjoy the Jimoke's weekly challenge

What a Night!

As mentioned in one of yesterday's posts, the Jimokes spent some time decorating the helmets for tomorrow's game!

Because we do such a meticulous job with everything, the process was long. We finally finished at around 11:15pm. It was a long process, like we expected, but it will all pay off when those helmets will be glowing come Saturday!

Here a few photos of last night's helmet festival: