EppsNet

OK, but I’m more of a college football fan so here’s a picture of Reggie Bush at USC:

• REG-GIE! REG-GIE! REG-GIE! #
• RT @capricecrane: Remember: It's not over till the fat lady sings. Or until you tell her she's fat. Then it's over. Except for the running. #

• RT @ArashMarkazi: http://twitpic.com/xzktx – The Pete Carroll era is officially over. #

NEW YORK (AP) — From the first practice in training camp until the last game, Brian Cushing was a tackling machine for the Houston Texans.

That’s exactly what the team sought when it chose the linebacker from Southern Cal 15th overall in the draft last April. What the Texans also got is The Associated Press 2009 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Cushing was a runaway winner in balloting by a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. Cushing received 39 votes Tuesday, easily beating Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd, who had six, and became the second Texans linebacker in four seasons to win the award. DeMeco Ryans took it in 2006.

— Texans LB Cushing named top rookie – NFL News – FOX Sports on MSN

I will mostly miss him because his teams were lousy and I enjoyed watching them lose.

— Dashiell Bennett

It hasn’t been a great season for Pete Carroll and the Trojans — but they’re still three touchdowns better than UCLA.

FIGHT ON!

Oregon has 80 different uniform combinations this season.

Like always, USC has two — home and away.

— University of Southern California Official Athletic Site

• RT @LAMase: #USC Coach Carroll press conf: "It was nice to beat Notre Dame twice." #

Optimism is still full. It’s a full trough here at UCLA.

One thing that will keep us from it happening is if we start to believe it’s not on the right track. Those of us in the trenches, I expect everyone to fall in line with that. But the leader of the ship has to tell you it’s gonna land. That’s all I know how to do.

— Coach Rick Neuheisel

Notre Dame really believed this was going to be the year they ended the losing streak to USC. The university had pre-authorized the tearing down of the goal posts if the Irish won . . .

• RT @TrojanWire: THIS JUST IN: Mark Sanchez threw his keys to the valet after the game. A guy walking by caught them, drove off in the car. #

We hope to keep this thing going. It’s a big deal to us. It’s special. So we’ve got to hang onto it next time around when they come to our place. We have to get after it and see if we can keep the thing going. Because it’s very special for the SC family to continue to be on top of this rivalry.

— Pete Carroll

FIGHT ON!

Hi everybody! It’s me, Lightning!

I’m excited because this week is USC vs. Notre Dame, the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football!

I love USC because my owner went to USC. Hooray! I hate Notre Dame. Grrrrrrrrr!

Do you know what I do when Notre Dame beats USC? Neither do I because I’m only six years old.

— Lightning

My son’s a junior in high school now . . . tonight he went to a school homecoming dance instead of watching the USC-Cal game with his dad.

Sing it with me:

The cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon . . .

This morning he went with his mom to buy a dress shirt and a tie. When they’d narrowed the choice down to two ties, he took a photo of them with his phone and sent them to the girl to see which one would go better with her dress . . .

• RT @sportsguy33: My postgame question 4 Tony Sparano: "Tony, that's one of the worst coaching jobs I've ever seen. I dont have a question." #
• When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it: http://bit.ly/rJ4kd #
• RT @diablocody: "I learned JavaScript, so my personal website is getting really dynamic." #1999IceBreakers #

Ladies and gentlemen, your University of South Carolina Gamecocks:

It was HOT today at the Coliseum — not quite as hot as it’s been all week, and there was a bit of a breeze — but it was HOT.

During the game, there was a roar behind us that sounded like a jet flying past outside the stadium. The second time it happened, my son figured out what it was.

When the Goodyear blimp flew over the west end of the stadium, it cast a moving shadow over the stands (see photo). The roar was a rolling cheer from sweltering people who all of a sudden found themselves in the shade for a couple of seconds . . .

There were some San Jose State fans at the game . . . as we were walking in, we saw a guy wearing a blue and gold T-shirt that said “The Only Trojan I Need Is On My D*ck”

(The asterisk was actually on the shirt. Wouldn’t want to offend anyone.)

“Enjoy the game,” I said to him.

Final score: USC 56, SJS 3.

We had good seats at the USC game today — Section 13, Row 1, right next to the field.

Now you might say, like my son did, that they would have been better on the 50-yard-line, but there are a couple of good things about those seats.

One is that they’re right next to the tunnel where the players come on and off the field, as do the song girls, the band and Traveler, so you get to interact with people — talk to the girls, high-five the guy on the horse, etc.

The other good thing is that the Trojans scored 6 out of 8 touchdowns in the west end zone right in front of us.

That’s my wife, me and a kid who looks a lot like my son except that he’s smiling. If you’re wondering about all the empty seats, the photo was taken near the end of the fourth quarter of a 56-3 game when a lot of people had already left.