Game Preparations Have Begun

As stated earlier, after practice, the Jimokes completed the 7-pad check and polished all the helmets for game day. Now that those objectives are completed, we will turn to putting on all the game day jerseys tomorrow morning. 

Thursday Again

It is already Thursday again! Today marks the last full practice of the week, and tonight, the Jimokes will polish/buff the helmets and do the 7-pad check. Now that we are really in the middle of season (with no bye weeks), it gets really exciting as the week of practices go by fast with Saturdays looming around the corner. 

Jimoke Football

Once again, after practice, some of the Jimokes played some football. Today pitted the offense managers vs. the defense managers with Matt Burkhard as the all-time QB. The offense managers included David Toper, John Serrano, and Brian Wagner, while the defense managers were Eloy Ledesma, Adam Kossoff, and Eric Ziskin. The defensive side was able to haul in a few touchdowns with everyone scoring touchdowns. The offense managers did the same, with one handed catches occurring all over the field! 

Play of the Game: Adam Kossoff leaps up for an interception with a pass intended to David Toper, but (for lack of a better word) stupidly runs into the end-zone where he was tackled, resulting in a safety, and ultimately costing them the game. 

With the game nearing an end, the defense had one shot to tie it up: a 35 yard field goal. Eloy Ledesma kicked it solidly, but just went short as the ball went off the bottom crossbar. The defense was oh so close, but just couldn't capitalize on the opportunities throughout. 

Gotta love Jimoke Football...

COMING SOON!

Coming Soon: Soon, we will have Jimoke Bios of all 12 student managers, detailing background, major, and what makes them want to be a jimoke, so stay tuned!

Middle of the Week

As we are approaching game day again, we have hit the middle of the week. With only two more padded practices remaining (including this afternoon), everyone is getting excited for Arizona State! This weekend's game brings a little more excitement, as parent's weekend has approached the campus already. Most students' parents will be at the game this weekend, so all the Jimokes are getting prepped!

Jimokes in the Game (vs Oregon)

Here are some photos from Saturday's game that have some of the Jimokes in the background:

(Photos courtesy of Joe Andras and Ben Malcolmson)

First "Monday" Practice

Today marked the first actual "Tell the Truth" Monday Practice of the season. Regularly, Monday practices after games are slower paced with no pads, and 40 minutes shorter or so. Due to the two bye weeks we have already had and the odd Thursday game last week, we finally have reached the first Monday practice. Starting tomorrow, we are back to full pads and going at it hard! Saturday is Arizona State!

Back to Business

Tomorrow the Trojans will be back to business as we begin to practice for Arizona State on Saturday in the Coliseum. 

More Saturday Photos...

Bouncing Back

The Trojans bounced back from a loss to Oregon State with a convincing win against the 23rd ranked University of Oregon. The offense was able to explode and here are some photos to document the experience through a Jimoke's perspective. 

Coach Comm

With the aforementioned Coach Comm, the offense got a break from locker room set up to get it ready for the primetime game. Here are some photos from Coach Comm: 

Bubble Gum Chew-Off

Every Friday, the Jimokes do a chew off after the walk thru to decide who (offense managers or defense managers) does Coach Comm (coaches' communications device) the day after, during game day preparations. During Coach Comm, half of the managers make sure it is up and running, and ready to go for the game. We always have position battles (like OL vs DL or RB vs DB). This week pitted Daniel Mai (RB) vs Benji Silva (D Floater). The object is to be the first person to blow a bubble with 10 pieces of gum in their mouth. In an excited battle, Mai was able to pull it off, giving the offensive Jimokes the opportunity to set up the Coach Comm yesterday! Here are some photos from the battle:

It has been a While...

It has been a few days since the last post, due to some busy days, including a huge victory over Oregon on Saturday. While we were gone, USC blasted the Ducks for a 44-10 victory, that showed off every asset of our offense, and defense.

Kickoff Forecast

Tomorrow, the temperature is supposed to be at 62 degrees at kickoff, with showers beginning in the second half. Bring some warm clothes and be prepared for what's to come.

Jerseys on Shoulder Pads

Earlier today, the Jimokes went in to the equipment room and put all the game days jerseys on the shoulder pads. This gets everyone excited for the game, as the final preparations are starting. 

Polishing the Helmets

As explained earlier, every Thursday night before a game, the Jimokes polish the helmets. Here are some pictures of last night: (Photos courtesy of Brent Cochran)

Last Full Speed Practice

Today, as all Thursdays are, marked the last padded practice for the Trojans before their game on Saturday. They are a little shorter, but the intensity is always there, as it was this afternoon! Tomorrow will consist of a quick hour long walk-thru, followed by the Jock Rally, culminating in departing for the team hotel. 

On Tap for Today

Earlier today, some of the Jimokes loaded up the equipment truck with the trunks and drove to to the Coliseum in preparation of game day. By doing this, we don't have to haul everything over to the Coliseum on game day, and we can place our attention to locker room set up and other key factors. After today's practice, the Jimokes will do the standard 7-Pad check and also polish/buff the helmets for the game. We will have photos posted later on the helmet process. 51 hours to KICKOFF!

Jimoke Ball...Again

Once again, some of the Jimokes played a little football after a big practice. An intriguing 3x3 matchup pitted Burkhard, Toper, and Ledesma versus Cochran, Serranno, and Wagner, making it a matchup of "return Jimokes" versus "rookie Jimokes". A game that I believe matches up beautifully, showed once and for all that the rookies are an athletic bunch. The final score was 35-21, with 5 touchdown passes from Brent Cochran; 3 went to Serranno, 2 to Wagner. 

The best effort in the game came on defense, however, as the rookies were successful on two 4th down stops to win the game. We scored on all five possessions, but the vets weren't able to salvage any points in two of their possessions, proving they didn't have enough to combat the explosive offense of the rookies.

Player of Game: Brent Cochran; Brent threw for 5 touchdowns and over 200 yards in the air to give the rookies the victory. He also showed some mobility scrambling between defenders for a 15 yard run late in the game. 

The Life of a Jimoke

While all of us Jimokes love what we do and are fully committed to football in the fall semester, each one can never forget why they are here: academics. With 25-40 hour work weeks plus other school organizations, much of the night is used for studying. It's a small price to pay to be a USC Jimoke.