Top Ten Tweeters Trojans Fans Must Follow! - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

Oregon fans are a bit scared of Barkley and the Trojans.

I, naturally, felt inspired enough to write my own letter to Matt Barkley about the upcoming match-up in Eugene. I would, admittedly, hope that the freshman phenomenon focuses more on the other guy’s letter. It would certainly fire me up.

Dear #7,

I feel like someone should apologize. It really isn’t fair for you to go through this. Maybe the blame falls on Mike Garrett. It’s his fault that you had to tip your hand so early, if we’re being honest. He’s the one who agreed to a home and away against Ohio St, with the away coming during your freshman year. It would have been so easy to do what the other teams do and schedule Charleston Southern, Toledo, or Boise St. for non-conference play. You would have done the same as you did against San Jose St and everyone would have kept on saying that you’re still an unproven freshman who hasn’t seen a real defense or hostile environment.

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Two Letters to Matt Barkley - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

4:50 We’re settling down around the plasma screen. This is college football viewing at its finest: a bunch of fanatics with plenty of tacquitos, chips, and the holy elixir: Diet Mountain Dew (it apparently has more caffeine than regular).

Lee Corso’s jowls are almost as alive as the 106,000 fans. Pete Carroll is on the pre-game interview and he sums up the one true key for USC: “We don’t need to play the game of our lives or do things outside ourselves. I just tell them to do what they’re capable of and if we do that, we’re pretty tough to beat.” It seems like it’s the Trojans’ game to lose, especially after OSU’s close call with Navy. The only questions that remain seem to center on freshman quarterback Matt Barkley’s ability to handle the electric Ohio Stadium atmosphere.

As the ESPN team breaks it down, the raucous crowd in the horseshoe periodically drowns them out. The band takes the field and Frank Cosenza on sousaphone dots the I of the scripted “Ohio” that the band spells out. It’s truly one of the most unique and special sights in all of college football. For a moment, the hype, the 24/7 coverage, the kids leaving after three years, the corporate sponsorships, the computer-selected champions, and all the other stuff your grandpa complains about fall out of the picture, leaving only the billions reasons why we wait for months for a bunch of college kids to start playing ball.

5:01 YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE! Brent Mussberger’s classic line and the sight of the players saying their pre-game prayers in the endzone after taking the field keeps the feeling going. The teams and fans sing the national anthem and the captains shake hands. USC wins the toss and differs. Carroll (in his second interview) once again hits on an important point: “every game we play is a championship game.” It’s true. So much is made of how badly the Buckeyes (and the Big 10) need to win this game, but the truth is that “Uncle Pete” doesn’t get to consider 2009 a true success unless it ends with an undefeated season and national championship. The Oregon State game last year proved that the Trojans are putting the entire year on the line for every game they play, big or small. The special teams take the field and the most hotly anticipated intersectional game of the season gets underway.

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JB’s Journal: USC 18 – Ohio State 15 - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site