Peristyle Podcast - USC Trojan Football Discussion

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The college football playoffs are in play if USC can take down Notre Dame Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

In this edition of the Peristyle Podcast hosts Ryan Abraham and Connor Morrissette (aka "Triple Double") are back to discuss the massive win over Michigan on Saturday night in the Coliseum and how the Trojans are looking to keep the momentum going in South Bend against Notre Dame. After being labeled as "soft" following the loss at Illinois, head coach Lincoln Riley used the bye week well, circling the wagons and getting his guys ready for a tough test against the Wolverines. By the end of the evening USC was unquestionable the tougher team, winning the battles at the line of scrimmage and resetting the expectations for the remainder of the season.

The guys discuss what they liked from the Trojans victory over Michigan and how they were able to bounce back after that disappointing loss in Champaign. They also give an update on the dire injury situation with the top two running backs Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders out and an offensive line that has been using a different lineup every week. There were also some national recognition for safety Bishop Fitzgerald following his two interception performance and walk-on running back King Miller who carried the load with 158 yards and a touchdown against Michigan. Miller has been special and he will likely get the first start of his career at Notre Dame.

Ryan and Connor were both impressed with what USC was able to do Saturday night in the Coliseum against Michigan and both are looking for a similar effort in South Bend against the Fighting Irish. It is one thing to put it together at home, but it would mean a lot more if the Trojans could play well on the road against a ranked opponent.

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Helium Boys Podcast: USC lands major win over Michigan, Notre Dame road drought and horror movie tropes Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

Shotgun Spratling and Chris Trevino return to the podcast medium to break down USC's massive win over then No. 15 Michigan at home in the Coliseum, giving Lincoln Riley his first signature win in the Big Ten era.

Shotgun spends his 'Two-Minute Drill' talking about the impressive performance by USC's offensive line, which continues to play well even without two season-opening starters. Chris uses his time to talk about the electric atmosphere in the Coliseum and to praise Trojan fans for their impact on the game.

The podcasting duo then dive into "Stock Up, Stock Down," which includes the defensive front, Lincoln Riley, kicker Ryon Sayeri and more. The duo also discusses injuries to the running back room and the play of walk-on running back King Miller, who finished with 158 yards and a touchdown, and the dramatic second-half appearance from Bryan Jackson.

USC's top running backs Waymond Jordan Jr. and Eli Sanders were both carted off the field in the first half with injuries, leaving USC with zero healthy scholarship tailbacks. Sanders will miss the rest of the season while Jordan Jr. will be out four-to-six weeks with ankle surgery.

The Helium Boys dive into the second half of the show to preview USC's big road rivalry matchup with No. 13 Notre Dame. This could be the final game in the rivalry for the near future as the two teams do not have a deal to play in place beyond 2025. USC sent an amended offer late this summer toward a multi-year extension, which is more in line what the Fighting Irish wanted, but there has been no acceptance.

Coach Harvey Hyde on USC's bounce back victory over Michigan in the Coliseum Oct 13, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of the Peristyle Podcasts hosts Ryan Abraham and Coach Harvey Hyde are back together talking about the Trojans impressive 31-13 victory over Michigan Saturday night in the Coliseum. Both teams came into the contest at 4-1 and both were looking to make a statement to the rest of the Big Ten conference. For USC, the need was greater after suffering that last second loss to Illinois on the road two weeks ago, and head coach Lincoln Riley used the bye week well to prepare his guys who put together their most complete performance of the season.

Coach Hyde gives his thoughts on what the Trojans did differently on the defensive side of the ball to force more stops and shut down what was a very potent Michigan run game. He also talks about the penalty situation, a nagging issue for this USC squad that became a non-factor on Saturday with only three yellow flags thrown at the Trojans and non of them on defense.

Coach Harvey Hyde has been part of the Peristyle Podcast since 2008 and in the USC football world he is an expert on X's and O's, personnel, coaching philosophies and recruiting.

Please follow Coach Hyde on X, Facebook and Instagram at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@CoachHarveyHyde⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or go to his website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HarveyHyde.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for all his his content, including Vegas & Southern California radio shows.

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Make sure you check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠USCFootball.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for complete coverage of this USC Trojan football team.

Tunnel Vision: Trojans get their signature Big Ten win against No. 15 Michigain in the Coliseum Oct 13, 2025

Show notes

On this latest edition of Tunnel Vision USCFootball.com's Ryan Abraham, Connor Morrissette (aka "Triple-Double") and Chris Trevino are back in studio taking about how this USC football team finally put a complete 60 minute effort together, taking down the No. 15 Wolverines 31-13 Saturday night in the Coliseum. It was an extremely important game for head coach Lincoln Riley, and following that disappointing loss to Illinois he used the bye week to get his Trojans ready for what was going to be a toughest test against Big Ten powerhouse Wolverines. The Men of Troy defensively passed that test with flying colors, holding Michigan to just 109 rushing yards and 316 total yards. The offense was exceptional as well, putting up 489 yards with walk-on tailback King Miller rushing for 158 yards (8.8 per carry) and a touchdown.

The crew talks about how clean of a game USC played, even with a pair of offensive turnovers. The Trojans only had three penalties on the night, none on the defense, and allowed Michigan to convert just 2 of 9 on third down.

This is the podcast version of our Tunnel Vision video show.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CLICK HERE for 30% OFF an annual VIP membership to USCFootball.com!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Make sure you check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠USCFootball.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for complete coverage of this USC Trojan football team.

Tunnel Vision: Previewing USC's important home contest against Michigan Oct 10, 2025

Show notes

On this latest edition of Tunnel Vision USCFootball.com's Ryan Abraham, Connor Morrissette (aka "Triple-Double") and intern India Otto are back in studio taking a detailed look at USC's next opponent, the Michigan Wolverines. After Michigan's early season road loss at Oklahoma, the Wolverines have been playing better football and bringing along five-star freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood. USC had a great 4-0 start to the season before getting derailed at Illinois two weeks ago. Both teams have aspirations of making the college football playoff, but a loss on Saturday likely would derail those dreams.

For the Trojans, this is easily one of the most important games in Lincoln Riley's tenure. With a bye week to get healthy and work on some of the Trojans defensive issues, it is imperative that Riley's squad comes out and plays good, clean football against one of the biggest brands in the Big Ten. USC has yet to have a signature win in its new conference and could get one if the Trojans can take care of business Saturday in the Coliseum.

The crew talks about what USC was able to do during the bye week to get healthy while getting ready for Michigan, what some of the major matchups are against the Wolverines and finish the show with their score predictions for the game.

This is the podcast version of our Tunnel Vision video show.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CLICK HERE for 30% OFF an annual VIP membership to USCFootball.com!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Please review, rate and subscribe to the Peristyle Podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Make sure you check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠USCFootball.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for complete coverage of this USC Trojan football team.

Composite Two-Star Recruits: Major visitor weekend for USC vs. Michigan, 2027 Crystal Ball and salsa Oct 09, 2025

Show notes

The Composite Two-Star Recruits podcast returns from a bye week break to talk about the major visitor weekend for USC's massive home game against No. 15 Michigan, a new 2027 Crystal Ball and salsa recipes.

TIME STAMPS

(0:00): Gerard Medical Corner, Random Voicemail No. 1

(13:08): USC Recruiting Weekend vs. Michigan

(31:26): Random Voicemail No. 2

(44:57): Updated 2027 Target List, Crystal Ball

(55:27): Random Voicemail No. 3

(01:08:10): Random Voicemail No. 4, Illinois Loss

(01:42:40): NCAA Another Juco Loss

(01:55:17): Listener Questions

Trojans prepare to take on Michigan after getting healthier during the bye week Oct 08, 2025

Show notes

In this edition of the Peristyle Podcast hosts Ryan Abraham and Connor Morrissette (aka "Triple Double") are back to discuss how the Trojans used the bye week to get healthy and prepare for one of the most important games on the schedule, a home contest against the No. 15 Michigan Wolverines. After USC fell to Illinois as a touchdown favorite, Saturday's Coliseum matchup against the powerhouse in Maize and Blue becomes an almost must-win situation for Lincoln Riley's squad, especially with road trip to South Bend on deck.

The guys go over some of the key matchups for this game, including a powerful Michigan ground game that could keep Jayden Maiava and the USC offense off the field for long stretches at a time. The Wolverines also rank in the top-20 in most of the major defensive categories, including forced turnovers and passes defensed. If Michigan can slow down the Trojan run game, it could come down to Maiava outdueling the stingy UM secondary.

Ryan and Connor really want to the Trojans play a clean football game, limiting the major mistakes and forcing Michigan to outplay and outscore USC in the friendly confines of the Coliseum, far away from Ann Arbor.

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Make sure you check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠USCFootball.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for complete coverage of this USC Trojan football team.

Helium Boys Podcast: USC refocuses off bye week for No. 15 Michigan, shark cage diving & ranking monsters Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

Shotgun Spratling and Chris Trevino return for another episode of the Helium Boys Podcast off a long bye week for the Trojans.

Chris spends his 'Two-Minute Drill' talking about the marquee blue-blood matchup that will be happening in the Coliseum this weekend, a sold-out game. Shotgun takes the time to discuss his bye week activities, which featured him attending a college football game off the clock. The two analysts spend the first half of the show breaking down No. 15 Michigan (4-1, 2-0), including its elite run game and run defense.

No surprise that Michigan is powered by the run game on offense, currently No. 16 in the nation at 237.8 yards per game and 6.39 yards per carry, sixth in the country. Michigan has rushed for 17 touchdowns, tied for eighth in the country with USC. Alabama transfer Justice Haynes currently leads the Big Ten with 654 rushing yards and eight scores, third in the conference. Jordan Marshall is averaging 5.2 yards per carry as the backup with three rushing scores as well.

After a break, the Helium Boys talk a little bit about their recent Top 30 Most Important Trojans midseason re-rank, looking at some of the biggest risers and fallers. They also take on some listener questions with some Take It or Leave It. Finally, Shotgun is asked to blind rank some iconic Halloween and horror monsters and discusses shark cage diving.

In-season re-rank of USCfootball.com's Top 30 Most Important Trojans for 2025 Oct 05, 2025

Show notes

Shotgun Spratling and Chris Trevino are back together for a special behind-the-scenes edition of the Helium Boys Podcast. The Helium Boys work through the process of compiling and debating an in-season re-rank of USCfootball.com's Top 30 Most Important Trojans' list after five games of action.

For the last six seasons, the USCfootball.com staff has counted down the Top 30 Most Important Trojans in a series of offseason articles leading up to the kickoff of fall camp. But we've never attempted an in-season re-rank, so this was a little bit of a new endeavor building off a familiar foundation.

As always, each USCfootball.com staff member submits his own list of whom he/she believes will be the most important Trojans. Considerations for the rankings factor in a number of items including positional depth, prior stats, overall talent, projected development and expectations. The only guidance we try to follow is that the most important factor for placement is if this particular player was lost for the season, how detrimental would it be to the team and the overall success of the season. The individual lists are submitted and compiled before Shotgun and Chris come together to sift through the information, debate and assemble the official USCfootball.com rankings.

In this podcast, the Helium Boys give you a peek behind the curtain, allowing you to listen in on the re-rankings discussion as we sift, sort and come up with our final rankings for our first-ever in-season re-rank.

There were some notable high risers, including the tight ends who have been much bigger weapons than we anticipated. There were also a couple of players that had been in position battles that have taken the starting mantle and excelled. There also have been some players whose importance declined through a lack of impact play.

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USC Triple-Double: JuJu Watkins to redshirt; Jaden Brownell talks married life, transition to L.A. Oct 02, 2025

Show notes

The USC Triple-Double Podcast -- the Peristyle Podcast's basketball-focused podcast -- returns with co-hosts Shotgun Spratling and Connor Morrissette (aka Mr. Triple Double) breaking down the latest news and notes surrounding the USC men's and women's basketball programs, including JuJu Watkins announcing that she will redshirt this season to focus on her recovery and rehab from a torn ACL and a banged and bruised men's team practicing without its three top players.

The podcasting duo are also joined by 6-foot-9 Samford transfer Jaden Brownell, who talks about how his basketball journey has taken him from Salt Lake City to Chicago to Birmingham and now back to the West in Los Angeles. He discusses how the preseason practices have been going for the Trojans and what he needs to do to earn minutes on a roster that has a unique blend of big men.

Brownell talks about his relationship with Musselman and how different the practices have been at USC compared to Brownell's previous collegiate stops. He also discusses how he has adjusted to life in Los Angeles as a new husband after getting married a couple months ago and gives his thoughts on who is the team's best bowler.

After a break, Shotgun and Connor discuss what has been seen from a couple of recent practices, including one where the Trojans ended up down four players by the end of the session. The podcasters then discuss what the Women of Troy will look like this season without Watkins, especially with a challenging schedule expected.

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Make sure you check out ⁠⁠⁠USCFootball.com⁠⁠⁠ for complete coverage of this USC Trojans basketball and football teams.

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