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  • Scott Ross, USC All-American Linebacker, Dead at 45

    Scott Ross, USC All-American Linebacker, Dead at 45

    Scott Ross, a former All-American linebacker and brief NFL player, has died. Ross was 45.

    Police say Ross was found dead in a car parked near a church. According to The University of Southern California, Ross died of heart failure. The LA Times says that although there were no signs of foul play at the scene, officials will await a toxicology report before making any final determinations.

    His accomplishments while playing for USC include:

    Ross was a 3-time All-Pac-10 first teamer (1988-90), winning All-American first team acclaim as a senior in 1990 when he was named USC’s team MVP, Most Inspirational Player and Defensive Player of the Year. He played in the 1988, 1989 and 1990 Rose Bowls (USC beat Michigan in the 1990 Rose Bowl), as well as the 1990 John Hancock Bowl. He participated in the East-West Shrine Game and Hula Bowl following his 1990 senior season.

    He was then drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 1991, but only played a handful of games with the team.

    After claiming that he “sustained multiple repetitive traumatic impacts and concussions, for which he was never treated by a physician while he played in the NFL,” Ross joined a large lawsuit against the league in 2012. Ross claimed to have suffered from “severe memory loss, cognitive dementia, and…chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a condition caused by repetitive sub-concussive and/or concussive blows to the head.”

    CTE is most commonly found in athletes who play contact sports, like football, hockey, and boxing.

    Ross leaves behind a 13-year-old daughter.

    Image via USC Trojans, Twitter

  • Cookie Monster Stars in Wolf of Sesame Street

    Wolf of Wall Street didn’t win the Oscar for best picture, but it did indeed rock. A couple of USC film students shared those same thoughts but decided to do a little tribute of their own with a creative Wolf and cookies mashup…And I mean lots of cookies.

    I mean it makes sense, right? Both titles end in the same word. Why wouldn’t you want to combine the movie and the children’s show?

    In the short clip (I know-I wish it was longer too) Cookie Monster plays Leonardo DiCapro’s role while his close buddy Elmo fills in for Jonah Hill.

    I think the parallel between Cookie Monster and DiCaprio’s insatiable hunger for more makes the Sesame Street character a perfect shoe-in for the coveted role of Wall Street guru Jordan Belfort.

    Matthew McConaughey even makes an appearance too!

    Wolf of Sesame Street features our favorite childhood characters swearing and partaking in a world beyond the quaint, alphabet-learning, fuzzy realm in which we once lived in.

    So without further ado, check out the insanely wild, curiously fun Wolf of Sesame Street. Oh, and by the way, the clip isn’t really that suitable for work.

    And apparently, cookies weren’t enough.

    Image Via YouTube

  • Lane Kiffin to Interview for Alabama OC Position

    And the coaching carousel continues. While much clamor has been made concerning the massive amount of firings and hirings occurring in the NFL, coaching changes have been relatively quiet on the college side of the equation. Cue Lane Kiffin.

    Wednesday, reports surfaced that Alabama’s offensive coordinator, Doug Nussmeier, was planning to take the same position at the University of Michigan. Thursday, those speculations were confirmed.

    Upon learning of the opening present at one of college football’s premier schools, sports pundits, analysts, and fans across the nation began conjecturing about who would replace Nussmeier as Alabama’s new offensive coordinator. In all of the names one could have listed for said position, Lane Kiffin would most likely have been one of the last choices.

    Despite the slim likelihood of the situation, CBS Sports reported that Lane Kiffin is scheduled to interview for the open offensive coordinator position at Alabama as early as today.

    Kiffin’s name popping up for this position comes as such a surprise due to his lack of success as a coach at both the collegiate and professional levels. Kiffin’s most recent coaching position was at the historic University of Southern California, where Kiffin was fired in the middle of his 4th season after his team was defeated by Arizona State by a score of 62-41. During his 3.5 year stint at USC, Kiffin led the Trojans to a subpar record of 28-15.

    Before he was coach at USC, Kiffin coached at the University of Tennessee for one season, going 7-6. And before coaching at Tennessee, Kiffin was fired from his position as head coach of the Oakland Raiders after leading the pro team to an abysmal record of 5-15.

    But perhaps the news should not have been much of a surprise, once one looks at the facts. Before taking the position at the Oakland Raiders, Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at USC under current NFL coach Pete Carroll. In his first year as offensive coordinator at USC, Kiffin helped the Trojans break multiple PAC-10 offensive records, such as total offense, first downs, points scored, touchdowns and PATs. That team also put up 50 or more points a school record 7 times. (Albeit, Kiffin was aided by the offensive talents of Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, and Steve Smith.)

    Adding even more credence to Alabama interviewing Kiffin is the fact that Kiffin met with Alabama head coach Nick Saban preceding Alabama’s match-up against Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl in order to discuss Alabama’s offensive strategy for the game.

    Following shock and surprise from fans and media once they learned of this meeting, Saban spoke the praises of heeding the advice of Lane Kiffin, stating:

    “There’s only a few people out there that you have an opportunity to do it with. Lane is a really good offensive coach and I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. Just to come in and brainstorm a little bit, get some professional ideas with our guys, is a real positive thing, so I don’t know why there’s any reaction to it to be honest with you. I’m really quite surprised.”

    While news that Saban personally likes Kiffin’s professional style offense seemingly cements the fact that Kiffin will be Alabama’s newest offensive coordinator, other options are being explored as well, including former Alabama quarterback Freddie Kitchens.

    There will be critics regardless of who Alabama hires, so logic says hire whoever the best candidate is and let the naysayers naysay. When all is said and done, Kiffin may be the best option available, despite his poor record as head coach and antagonistic personality.

    Image via YouTube

  • Jon Gruden Does Not Want NFL Job

    ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden has no interest resuming the position of head coach. Five coaches lost their jobs, which has created open positions in Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota, Tampa Bay and Washington where Gruden has been listed as a potential option. Prior to joining ESPN in 2009, Gruden was the head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the Oakland Raiders. Ironically, during Gruden’s first year with the Buccaneers the team won Super Bowl XXXVII, defeating the Raiders. Though Gruden achieved great success at a young age (he was 39 at the time of his Super Bowl win, which made him the youngest coach to earn that honor) he has no interest in becoming a head coach now.

    On Monday, Gruden spoke with the Pioneer Press. “I don’t want to be considered for any of these jobs. I don’t want to be considered for anything. There are plenty of good candidates out there. I’m just sick for the guys who can no longer coach their teams. I’m hoping to do the best I can to hang on to my job,” he said.

    There have been rumblings that Jon Gruden’s younger brother, Jay, (who is the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator) may be offered a position. Jon shared the following: “He’s happy to be at Cincinnati and excited to be in the playoffs. I can’t speak for him. I’m not going to. They’re in the playoffs, and I’m obviously biased toward my brother.”

    Some have wondered whether Jon Gruden would be interested in returning to coach the Raiders. However, Raiders owner Mark Davis remained tight-lipped about the possibility when questioned on Monday by the Bay Area News Group. “I’ll never talk about what I’m doing in those respects. It’s such a competitive business, there’s no reason anyone should know what I’m thinking until I do it.”

    Image Via Wikimedia Commons

  • USC vs. UCLA: The Case for Ed Orgeron

    This Saturday is a big day for college football rivalries: Ohio St. vs. Michigan, Clemson vs. South Carolina, and Alabama vs. Auburn. While perhaps the Alabama vs. Auburn game is the most important football game of the year, the USC vs. UCLA game does not lack its own drama and import.

    There are multiple things on the line in the Southern California match-up. Firstly, both teams are fighting to finish the season on a strong note and contend for the best bowl game possible. USC comes into the game having won 6 of their last 7 games after going 3-2 under former coach Lane Kiffin. UCLA, on the other-hand, comes into the game having gone 3-3 in their last 6 games after starting 5-1 and at one time being ranked in the top 10 nationally. Considering both teams compete head-to-head in the PAC-12 South division, one can be sure that their respective bowl game selections will highly depend on the outcome of this game.

    Secondly, personal pride is on the line. Cody Kessler, quarterback for USC, stated that “When you come to USC, that’s the first thing you think of, is playing UCLA,” displaying the intensity of the rivalry between the two teams. The crosstown rivalry will feature superb athletes on both sides, each with something to prove.

    For USC, the bulk of the offense will come from their backfield. Trojans runningback Javorius Allen has scored 3 touchdowns in 3 of the previous 4 games, leading a core of tailbacks that is currently averaging 177 rush yards per game. This stat should concern Bruins’s fans due to UCLA’s difficulties in containing the run against big-name foes such as Stanford, Oregon, and Arizona.

    For UCLA, the offensive attack will rest in the hands of sophomore, dual-threat quarterback Brett Hundley. While Hundley’s total pass yardage is down from his 2012 effort (2,637 yards versus 3,745 yards), his QB rating is up 8 points and his ground-attack has shown improvement. If UCLA wants to win Saturday’s match-up, however, Hundley will most likely have to rely on his arm and attack a USC secondary which struggled against the spread-offenses of Arizona and Arizona State.

    Perhaps the most important thing on the line in Saturday’s rivalry, though, is the coaching future of USC’s Ed Orgeron. When Lane Kiffin was fired 5 games into the season, USC decided to turn to Ed Orgeron, the former head coach of Ole Miss who had come to campus with Lane Kiffin in 2010. While Orgeron was named as USC’s interim coach, he has made a tremendous case to become USC’s next head coach, leading the Trojans to a 6-1 record over their past 7 games and once again bringing national attention and big-time recruits to USC.

    With a victory against rival UCLA on Saturday, Orgeron would make USC hard-pressed to select someone else as the next head coach. That being said, with a loss to UCLA Orgeron’s fate would almost certainly be sealed. USC has already interviewed Jack Del Rio, the current head coach of the Denver Broncos. Along with Del Rio, other big-name coaches such as Kevin Sumlin, James Franklin, and Chris Petersen have expressed interest or been targeted by USC in their search.

    Whatever the outcome, the game is sure to thrill. USC is riding the momentum of turning a doomed season into a tremendously successful one, while UCLA is trying to salvage an extremely strong beginning of the season by securing 9 victories and punching their ticket to a prime-time bowl game. Due to UCLA’s struggles against the run and USC’s Cinderella-esque season behind Ed Orgeron, the edge goes to USC, but only slightly.

    Image via Twitter

  • USC Study Finds Major Expansion Of Locations Google Uses To Serve Search Results

    Researchers at USC have put together a new study looking at how Google serves information to its users, finding that the company has dramatically increased the number of locations it utilizes to do so over the past year.

    And I do mean dramatically. According to the researchers, they went from less than 200 locations in October last year to over 1,400 this past July. The number of ISPs Google took advantage of grew from 100 to 850 in that time. As the study notes, Google has been utilizing client networks like Time Warner Cable that it was already using for YouTube content to handle search and advertising.

    “Google already delivered YouTube videos from within these client networks,” said the study’s lead author, USC PhD student Matt Calder. “But they’ve abruptly expanded the way they use the networks, turning their content-hosting infrastructure into a search infrastructure as well.”

    “Delayed web responses lead to decreased user engagement, fewer searches, and lost revenue,” said Katz-Bassett, assistant professor at USC Viterbi. “Google’s rapid expansion tackles major causes of slow transfers head-on.”

    Here’s an animated gif showing the expansion over time:

    Google

    The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, Cyber Security Division. The researchers will attempt to quantify what performance gains Google is actually seeing from the strategy.

    Image: USC

  • Cordell Broadus, Snoop Dogg’s Son, Slams Former USC Coach Lane Kiffin

    Cordell Broadus, Snoop Dogg’s Son, Slams Former USC Coach Lane Kiffin

    Most people may not be aware of the kid, but nearly everyone has heard of his father. For those who don’t know Cordell Broadus, he’s the youngest son of platinum-selling rapper, Snoop Dogg. However, these days, the younger Broadus is slowly making a name for himself, but not in the music industry.

    Broadus is laudably ranked as the No. 6 high school wide receiver in the state of California, and a USC football prospect. According to US Magazine, Broadus has actually received numerous college offers from the likes of USC, LSU, Nebraska, and UCLA.

    So, when it comes to football – especially USC football – its safe to say he’s definitely an enthusiast who takes the game seriously. With that being said, it’s obvious the Diamond Bar High School junior felt some kind of way about former USC head coach Lane Kiffin’s approach to the game. Judging from Kiffin’s abrupt termination Sunday, Broadus isn’t the only person who disapproved of the coach’s progress. But, Broadus is probably one of the few who actually voiced his opinion.

    In a short interview with 247Sports, Broadus weighed in on Kiffin’s termination. “I feel that he should have been fired a while ago and USC is going to raise the bar now because the new coaching staff next year and I’m anxious to see what they are going to look like,” said Broadus. While he did have a point, the delivery probably could have used a little tweaking, which may be the reason Broadus took to Twitter with a more civil approach to the matter.

    Former USC head coach Lane Kiffin was terminated early Sunday morning upon returning from Saturday’s game where the Trojans suffered a 62-41 loss to Arizona. The defeat left the Trojans with a 3-2 overall season record, and a 0-2 conference standing in the Pac-12. The team has lost 7 of their last 11 games. USC’s assistant head coach, Ed Orgeron, has been appointed as the interim head football coach for the duration of the 2013 season.

     

    Image via Instagram | Cordell Broadus

  • Snoop Dogg: Son Says Kiffin Firing Was Overdue

    After the news broke today that Lane Kiffin was fired from Southern Cal, rapper Snoop Dogg’s son, Cordell Broadus, said that the firing was overdue. Broadus is being recruited by the Trojans, but hasn’t yet signed with anyone. Such a situation would be a turnoff for a lot of recruits, but it looks like Kiffin’s firing could play in the Trojans’ favor.

    Broadus told 247Sports, “I feel that he should have been fired a while ago and USC is going to raise the bar now because the new coaching staff next year and I’m anxious to see what they are going to look like.” Broadus is one of the top ten wide receivers in the Class of 2015, and in addition to Southern Cal, he has received offers from California, UCLA and Arizona State.

    Snoop Dogg’s son wasn’t the only recruit happy to hear that Kiffin was let go. Other recruits said that the firing “wasn’t a real shock” and that they “knew it was coming.” One recruit, Joseph Wicker, even said that he was “a little happy” to hear that Kiffin was fired. In the meantime, Ed Orgeron has been named the interim head coach for the Trojans and no other firings have been announced, so perhaps that well help Southern Cal maintain their current recruits.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLzUM28kBB0

    Southern Cal announced Kiffin’s firing this morning after the Trojans lost their game against Arizona State on Saturday 62-41. This puts the Trojans at 3-2 for the season, and Kiffin has won only 4 out of his past 11 games. Kiffin was hired at Southern Cal in 2010 after being the head coach at Tennessee for one season. Kiffin’s best season was in 2011, when his team went 11-2. Otherwise, his performance as the Southern California head coach hasn’t been much to speak of.

    Kiffin has never been a fan favorite, which shows in some of the comments posted to Twitter since his firing was announced:

    And in case Kiffin’s Twitter account (which is pretty much dedicated to the Trojans) gets deactivated, here is his final tweet as Southern Cal head coach:

    Image via YouTube

  • Jadeveon Clowney: Top College Player Needs Surgery

    It was reported today that South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney will have surgery at the end of the football season. The USC player, one of the top defensive players in the nation, has been predicted to be the top pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

    While Clowney has been criticized by some sports pundits for not quite living up to the Superman status he was promoted to by ESPN in the off-season, the 6-foot, 6-inch, 274-pound defensive end out of Rock Hill, South Carolina has been playing in pain. The Carolina player reportedly has bone spurs in his foot, which he says have been bothering him “a lot.” Instead of going through with the surgery now, Clowney plans to play through the pain so he can continue to be a contributor on USC’s defense.

    “It’s painful. I’m out here playing on it, though, so I’m just trying to give everything I’ve got on it,” Clowney told GoGamecocks.com. “Who knows what’s going to happen out there? It doesn’t really bother me when I am out there much. It’s just builds up pain. The more I keep going on it, the more it bothers me.”

    After coming off three games over the past three weeks, Clowney will have a chance to rest his foot until the Gamecocks head to Florida to face UCF on September 28 since the Gamecocks have a BYE week coming up.

    While bone spur surgery is considered relatively minor and shouldn’t impact Clowney’s draft status, if his condition worsens throughout the season and he isn’t able to put up his typical tackle and sack stats, it is possible he could see his status slip a little. As long as Clowney has a decent season, though, he should remain a potential Top 5 pick, which would land him a huge signing bonus.

    In addition to the bone spur pain, Clowney has had to adjust his playing style since the offenses he has faced so far have tried their best to run plays away from him. “It’s hard out there trying to chase from the backside” Clowney said after the Gamecocks lost to Georgia last week. Even though that makes it difficult for Clowney to make as many big plays, that goes to prove just how scared the other teams are of him, as they should be, considering some of the impressive sacks and tackles the Heisman hopeful has made.

    See some of Clowney’s dominant performances below.

    “The Hit” – South Carolina vs. Michigan 2013

    “Four in a Row” – South Carolina vs. Clemson 2012

    Image via YouTube

  • USC Racial Profiling? Parties Cause Racism Charges

    Los Angeles police are no strangers to racial scandal, but now even USC students are claiming the department has racist tendencies.

    According to a Fox 11 report on the incident, two parties directly across the street from one another received very different treatment this weekend. One house party was attended by mostly white students, and the other by mostly black. When dozens of police in riot gear showed up, witnesses stated, the white party was told to quiet down while the black party was dispersed. Six people were arrested in the aftermath.

    Charges of excessive force and racial bias have been levied against the LAPD and a student protest took place on campus this week. According to the Fox 11 report, the LAPD and USC administrators will be meeting to discuss a possible forum on racial profiling.

    Los Angeles Local News, Weather, and Traffic

  • Researchers Have Created Solar Cell Paint

    Researchers Have Created Solar Cell Paint

    Researchers at the University of Southern California have created a stable, nanocrystal form of solar cells that can exist as a liquid ink. The cells could be used to paint or print onto a clear surface, turning it into a solar panel. The technology may turn out to be important, as solar energy is turned to for more of the world’s power.

    This liquid state is possible because of the extremely small size of the nanocrystals that make up the cells. The nanocrystals are four nanometers in size, meaning each one is four billionths of a meter – over 250 billion of them could fit on the head of a pin. The nanocrystals can easily be floated in a liquid solution, creating the solar cell paint.

    “While the commercialization of this technology is still years away, we see a clear path forward toward integrating this into the next generation of solar cell technologies,” said Richard L. Brutchey, assistant professor of chemistry at USC. “…like you print a newspaper, you can print solar cells.”

    Until now, one of the problems with liquid nanocrystal solar cells is that, although they are less expensive to manufacture than single-crystal silicon wafer cells, they are less efficient at converting sunlight to electricity. This is because the organic ligand molecules used to keep the nanocrystals stable and separate them from each other also insulates the crystals, making them poor at conducting electricity. Brutchey and a postdoctoral researcher at USC named David H. Webber discovered a synthetic ligand that connects the nanocrystals to help transmit current.

    The researchers also invented a low-temperature process that would allow the nanocrystal cells to be printed onto plastic without the worry of the plastic melting. In the future, this could mean flexible solar panels. Brutchey said his next plans for development are to work on nanocrystals built from materials other than cadmium, which is toxic and restricted for commercial applications.

    (via ubergizmo)