Damian Williams News

Damian Williams Dec. 6, 2009 USC will meet Boston College in the Emerald Bowl game at AT&T Park.

Get an inside look at USC's win over UCLA. University of Southern California head coach Pete Carroll, right, shakes hands with UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel following their NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov.

It was just a coincidence of course, the dark skies and pouring rain that descended Monday on Los Angeles, to dump rain really, really hard just as the USC football team congregated in Heritage Hall for a look back-look forward team meeting.

Several USC juniors will consider making themselves available for the NFL draft after the Trojans play a bowl game later this month.

USC defensive back Josh Pinkard has a lot to remember from his six years at USC: winning a national title and losing a national title, winning three Rose Bowls and losing two seasons to injury.

When Juron Criner stretched and stumbled across the goal line for Arizona's go-ahead touchdown, the half-empty Coliseum fell into a gloomy silence that matched the dark clouds above Southern California's once-intimidating stadium.

The UCLA football program currently has two immediate goals: regain national status and beat cross-town rival USC.

Posted Today at 12:10 am in Featured , Football , Sports This is it. For USC's senior class, Saturday will be its last hurrah at the Coliseum.

The only play that mattered in Saturday night's USC-UCLA game continued to be the main talking point Sunday with Trojan players less diplomatic than coach Pete Carroll about its significance.

The officiating crew cautioned Pete Carroll during halftime at last season's Rose Bowl.

USC's regular-season finale against Arizona on Saturday will be the last Coliseum appearance for Trojans seniors.

At an on-campus UCLA pep rally last week, Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel talked bravely about beating USC.

In retrospect, and with abye week to let things settle, perspective and acceptance became the latest stages in what's been a season-long grieving process for USC and its fans.

Malcolm Smith returned one of Southern California's three interceptions 62 yards for an early touchdown, and the 24th-ranked Trojans regained their defensive pride while maintaining their city dominance with a 28-7 victory over UCLA on Saturday night.

Kristofer O'Dowd is used to being in the middle of the action, so you can imagine how difficult the past several weeks have been for USC's junior center, who has been stuck watching from the sideline.

With so much attention on injuries to wide receiver Damian Williams and tight end Anthony McCoy, USC's defensive line got a boost this week with the return of tackle Averell Spicer.

LOS ANGELES - Matt Barkley spent the bye weekend with family and friends in Orange County, celebrated his grandfather's birthday and tried to forget three rough weeks that have seen the USC freshman quarterback's stock drop dramatically and the Trojans' dominance of the Pac-10 come to an abrupt end.

Damian Williams, USC's leading receiver and punt returner, continues to be a question mark heading into Saturday's showdown against UCLA.

He has been around this program longer than most, Jeff Byers officially becoming a USC Trojan in the summer of 2004, when Matt Barkley was 13 years old.

Southern California receiver Damian Williams has returned to practice after missing the Trojans' last game with a sprained right ankle.