Stanford running back Toby Gerhart on Stanford's record-breaking 55-21 win over USC this afternoon:

"It feels great. That's a testament to our offensive line. They get after it week in and week out. We feel like we can run power on anybody and get after anybody.

"This is something we'll always remember, you know? Come down here to the Coliseum and put up big points and win."

"It feels good to come down here, put up good numbers and maybe show them a little bit that they missed out on me."

Stanford just scored to take a 55-21 lead with two minutes to play at the Coliseum.

It's the most points the USC football team has ever allowed at home.

Toby Gerhart has 178 yards and three touchdowns rushing.

The biggest previous home loss in the Pete Carroll era was by 5 points.

Stanford has now won in consecutive trips to the Coliseum. It has been the visiting victor in USC's last three home losses.

Oregon State football coach Mike Riley on facing, and upsetting, the Trojans in recent years:

"Oh I don't know, you know it takes a great effort. I have a ton of respect for the school and the program and the work Pete has done and that's just personal. I think that it's either going to bring out this best in you or bury you and I'm just proud we've competed well and there have been good football games in general.

I think the whole USC deal with the last few years has made everybody in the conference either have to rise up or fall way behind and it's been good for everybody. Its one of those deals that you got to go year by year and you can't rely on anything in the past. We just look at it as a great challenge and a great opportunity for our team to get better and grow."

(on this year's team)

"Well, they're very impressive to watch as we study them on tape.

I think they're defense as always is really, really strong and very aggressive. I'm very impressed with their front, they don't give people many breaks. They're high energy and really hard to block, and that's going to be a key factor in the game. If you can ever get to it and throw, their secondary is really aggressive and good too, so there's all sorts of factors there that are big.

Offensively, they've got that balance going with a really good running game. I've really, really been impressed with Matt Barkley. I thought in the last game he played with a ton of poise, made some really, really big throws that were, you know they had some people around them and he was pacing in the pocket. All those parts are real and I think they look obviously like a really good team."

USC coach Pete Carroll Tuesday on the unveiling of the BCS standings. The Trojans sit No. 7, behind Cincinnati and Iowa:

"No. I really have the same stance that I've had forever. This is the first time that they unveiled, you know, the information, and this is really the most the least meaningful time of all, because we're so much in the middle of the season. You know, there's a lot of football. When it gets down to the last week, it makes a difference. Until then it doesn't have any bearing on anything to me.

I know there's a lot of people talking about it, and I guess that's why they do it."

USC coach Pete Carroll Tuesday on the unveiling of the BCS standings. The Trojans sit No. 7, behind Cincinnati and Iowa:

"No. I really have the same stance that I've had forever. This is the first time that they unveiled, you know, the information, and this is really the most the least meaningful time of all, because we're so much in the middle of the season. You know, there's a lot of football. When it gets down to the last week, it makes a difference. Until then it doesn't have any bearing on anything to me.

I know there's a lot of people talking about it, and I guess that's why they do it."

USC coach Pete Carroll on Saturday's visit of Oregon State, which shocked the Trojans last year in Corvallis:

"Q. What has Oregon State been able to do against you guys better than anybody else? Scheme wise, position wise?

"They've been really effective against us on both sides of the ball. They've been able to give us problems and they've had good fortune at their place two of the three times. Jumping out on us early offensively. You know, we fell behind 21-0 last year at one time.

They executed really well. Their guys played great football. They played just as tough as anybody we've played on that day. And we had trouble staying up with them, you know. The tempo of the game was set by their side of the football and their guys. And their crowd had a lot to do with it, you know, and they did a great job of it.

It wasn't just because it was a Thursday night game, they did it to us on Saturday, in the afternoon, and the sunshine.

I have tremendous respect for Mike and what he does, and their scheme and their approach. You know, they're an interesting team when you watch them year in and year out, because they have their games. You wonder how could this team play like this had and play at the other end of the spectrum. They struggle with a couple of games this year early.

As we saw them last year, remember, we came off the Penn State game and the Hawaii game last year. In the Penn State they looked terrible in that game...got blown away. And they came back and played a pretty good game against Hawaii. Then they played the game of the year for themselves against us.

So we have a lot of respect for them in that they can figure out their ways. They can get their kids right. They can give us issues that can upset us and allow us to play right. So hopefully we'll be able to overcome that here at the coliseum, and we'll figure out what happens next time around when we play them up there."

Following his eight catch, 117-yard, two-TD performance in Saturday's epic loss to USC, Notre Dame receiver Golden Tate has been compared to Hall of Famer Lynn Swann by USC coach Pete Carroll:

"He's a great player now. He really is. He's a true play maker. He has extraordinary confidence in his own ability to make things happen. The catch he makes over the middle when he holds the ball away from T.J. or Josh, that's an amazing grab. The presence to know to keep the ball away, that was big time.

His ability to play with great speed on the deep ball. But the best part of the deep ball that he caught was he elevated at the end of all of that. He was running full speed 40 yards down the field, and he hit it and got up off the ground and needed every bit of that elevation to make the play.

That's big time stuff. That's reminiscent of Lynn Swann going over top guys in Super Bowls. Those are fantastic athletic demonstrations. He's a great player. We kind of held him down, to tell you the truth. We were fortunate. We did a lot of stuff on keep him under wraps. A couple of times they caught it on our one on ones and we tried it, and we covered them. But the one time he did get us."

St. Bonaventure High product Greg Christine, the resurgent guard for the University of Washington, broke his fibula in today's dramatic win against Arizona, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.

Oak Park High product Sean Westgate blocked his second career punt in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon at Stanford.

From the resulting field position, Kai Forbath kicked a field goal to pull UCLA within 24-16 with 4:16 to play at the Farm.

The standout sophomore contributed to two touchdowns on special teams as a freshman, returning a blocked punt for a score in his debut against Tennessee and blocking a punt that Glenn Love recovered for a touchdown against Cal.

From UCLA Sports Information:

"UCLA head football coach Rick Neuheisel announced today that four players have been suspended from the team due to a violation of team rules and will miss this Saturday's game against Kansas State.

Sophomore cornerback Courtney Viney, freshman running back Milton Knox and freshmen wide receivers Morrell Presley and Randall Carroll will sit out the Kansas State game. The players will participate in team practices during the suspension.

"When you are a member of a team, you have a special commitment to the entities that make up that unit and to those that you represent," said coach Neuheisel. "When someone falls short in that regard, there have to be consequences, and then, we move on." "

From UCLA Sports Information:

"UCLA head football coach Rick Neuheisel announced today that four players have been suspended from the team due to a violation of team rules and will miss this Saturday's game against Kansas State.

Sophomore cornerback Courtney Viney, freshman running back Milton Knox and freshmen wide receivers Morrell Presley and Randall Carroll will sit out the Kansas State game. The players will participate in team practices during the suspension.

"When you are a member of a team, you have a special commitment to the entities that make up that unit and to those that you represent," said coach Neuheisel. "When someone falls short in that regard, there have to be consequences, and then, we move on." "

From the UCLA release:

"Saturday's UCLA football game at the Rose Bowl versus San Diego State will be played as scheduled, it was announced this afternoon.

'Based on the current and projected information regarding conditions at the Rose Bowl provided to us by the AQMD (Air Quality Management District) and Pasadena city officials, including fire and health personnel, and after consultation with our medical staff, we are confirming that the game will be played as scheduled,' said UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero. 'We will continue to monitor the situation in conjunction with city officials in Pasadena and the AQMD.'

'Based on recent air quality measurements from a monitor stationed at the Rose Bowl this week and expected weather conditions Saturday, it should be game on for UCLA,' said Barry Wallerstein, AQMD Executive Officer.

My USC football preview: Goal is to finish close to home

My UCLA football preview: Bruins ready for fresh start

With Rudy Carpenter no longer in Tempe, senior Danny Sullivan will open the season as Arizona State's starting quarterback.

After a strong spring, Camarillo High product Samson Szakacsy was pushing Sullivan for playing time before his throwing arm became sore last month.

"He had a great spring," said Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson Tuesday. "He was 100 percent and he was really battling for that job. About two weeks into camp, he started to get some soreness in the tricep.

"That bothered him and continues to bother him.

"I would like to think that as we go through the week, he'll throw it and may have a chance to play on Saturday."

With Szakacsy's health in question, freshman Brock Osweiler, rather than redshirting, will get a taste of the action Saturday against Idaho State

"You have to, that arm has been hurt off and on since he's been here. You can't depend on that. You have to find a quarterback that will be there."

Pete Carroll's typical optimism shone thorough when asked Tuesday about true freshman quarterback Matt Barkley, who will start the Trojans' season opener Saturday afternoon at San Jose State.

"Way beyond the expectations that we had for a first-time quarterback."

"I'm not real worried about having to limit what we're doing and we're going to be vulnerable because of it."

USC coach Pete Carroll lacked his normal optimism when speaking about the Trojans' linebackers Tuesday morning.

"That's a questionmark for us," said Carroll. "Hopefully, that'll be an adequate group and we'll have a chance to be an OK team."

Perhaps Carroll had just finished reading this article, which seems to say that Carroll has wrote off this season and is focusing on 2010.

Seems slightly ridiculous, right?

Rob Gronkowski, Arizona's star tight end, remains slowed by a back injury.

"We're going to evaluate him week to week," said Arizona coach Mike Stoops Tuesday. "We're going to make sure with him that he's symptom-free before we put him out there."

Gronkowski was the first team All-Pac-10 and third-team All-America last year, catching 47 passes for 672 yards and 10 TDs despite missing the first three games.

Kickoff may be at 4:45 p.m., but darkness will fall earlier on the Rose Bowl Saturday. Between San Diego State's new coaching staff and UCLA's young roster, both coaching staffs are having to work a bit harder to prepare for the opening game:

"It's as in the dark as I've ever been with regards to preparing for another program... It's an interesting time that's compounded by the fact that we're playing with so many young guys.

"There will be a bunch of coaches running around working hard on Saturday."

Head coach Rick Neuheisel on the chance UCLA could start two freshmen and two sophomores on the offensive line Saturday against San Diego State:

"It is what it is. We've got a host of young players invovled in our two-deep.

"They haven't been given these jobs by default. They've earned them. You just have to trust them.

"More than worrying about it, I'm more excited about their chance to develop... I think they've got such tremendous futures."