USC is super stoked about being in the Sun Bowl. Yes, they are playing a 6-7 Georgia Teach team after starting the year #1 in the country, but they should be thankful for the opportunity to even play in a bowl game after their crappy coach "led" them to a 1-4 finish on the year.
USC was late to the bowl dinner last night, late to team practice today, and some of the players are showing uncommon contempt for their hosts in El Paso:
First LB Tony Burnett tweeted, "Georgia Tech!? El Paso, Texas!? New Year's Eve!? F*ck My Life"
Then DL Leonard Williams tweeted, "Out here in El Paso. Sh!t city but glad I can enjoy this moment wit the USC family."
I lived in El Paso for 5 years and can attest that the Sun Bowl Committee and the entire city treats the bowl teams extremely well during their time in El Paso (even going to far as to serenade them with mariachi bands upon arrival at the airport). USC is looking a gift horse in the mouth, and needless to say I don't see USC being invited back to the country's second-oldest bowl game for a while.
Midwest values are different, simple and plain. You know neither JT nor Urban would conduct themselves like this.
Agreed that the way a team conducts themselves comes from the top (head coach) on down.
It's too bad these kids don't see the opportunity they have to fly/travel/accomodations free, be the 'talk of the town' and quite frankly, enjoy a setting that is a world different than L.A.
But, we can't hold Kiffikins' responsible for the players tweets, thats like saying Coach Meyer was banging out Cardale's tweet about playing school.
Either way, shitty to see them not embrace the chance to play in a bowl game.
True, true. However, Kiffin could set a better tone by treating the bowl game seriously by getting the team to the bowl dinner and bowl practice on time. The contempt Kiffin is showing toward the Sun Bowl and the city is obviously being emulated by the players. Kiffin is supposed to be a leader (and role model?) for these kids. What a crappy leader IMO.\
Judging form the Twitter responses from El Pasoans, the Sun Bowl just turned into a home game for Georgia Tech.
"I don't see USC being invited back to the country's second-oldest bowl game for a while."
I can guarantee Lane and USC alike would be perfectly content if they never played in the Sun Bowl again too.
EDIT-I mean that the Sun Bowl is a lesser bowl game and USC is the type of program that doesn't expect to be there. Not sure why the outrage.
4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off
No outrage from me. You're right.
Yeah, absolutely. They should still conduct themselves better, though, than what they seemingly have. It's their own fault that they're in the Sun Bowl.
Class of 2010.
Just becuase it doesn't have a B1G tie-in and tOSU hasn't played there doesn't mean it's crap. The Sun Bowl has a ton of tradition as the country's 2nd oldest bowl game (started in 1935) and most major teams have played in it at some point (Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida State, USC, Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Auburn, Oregon, etc.).
It's obviously not a BCS game, but it's a step up from the Belk Bowl, Beef O'Brady's Bowl, etc. The stadium is carved into a mountain, the sky is always blue on game day, temp often in the 60s...it's a great venue for a bowl game.
In fact, I saw USC lose to Michigan State at the Sun Bowl in 1990 (17-16...super suspenseful the whole way). USC is 0-2 in the Sun Bowl, and here's hoping they fall to 0-3!
Not to defend USC here, but there have been multiple stories now saying the reason they were late for dinner was b/c their flight was delayed, and they told Sun Bowl officials they would be late/may not make it.
Not saying anything about the player tweets, but just the dinner issue
http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2012/12/27/usc-lane-kiffin-sun-bowl...
Thanks for linking that. I had not seen that explanation. The El Paso Times newspaper didn't note that explanation. That explains the dinner, but not being late for practice today. Oh well.
USC, just like every school, has the option to turn down an invite to a bowl game. They could've turned down the Sun Bowl.
BTW: Matt Barkley not gonna play for USC in the bowl game.
University of
Spoiled
Children
That apparently applies to their coach as well...
Sense of entitlement playing for USC. Its one thing to have swagger. Its another thing to be an a$$hole. You can tell which category USC fits under. Over privileged narcissistic under achievers who think their sh*t don't stink.
I used to be able to tolerate USC. not anymore
I was in L.A. back in the late 1990's, and IMO, it was a sh!t city.
Had more fun in the El Paso area years later, but that was camping in the Guadalupe Mountains then White Sands. The stop over in El Paso for hot meal and warm shower was relaxing.
A di*k is a di*k, be he a Midwestern di*k or a coastal di*k. Lane Kiffin is, undeniably, a giant di*k. I know of no one, and I mean no one, who likes Kiffin. If I look hard enough I can find someone who likes Saban or even that goofball Les Miles... but its unanimous regarding Kiffin. He's a di*k, and he continues to prove he's a di*k even in El Paso. A classless program being led by a classless man...
I'm from El Paso (and I'm currently here in El Paso) with my family over Christmas break. This isn't the first time that a big name team (mainly players) has ripped the city. Tourist wise, I'll admit, there is not as much as you would find in L.A., Miami, and other big cities like that. But the Sun Bowl does an outstanding job of hospitality and many people are very apprecitative of the opportunity to play here. There is usually a large local turnout for the game and you can imagine that most of them will be rooting for Georgia Tech.
It's true... We really are a bunch of nuts!
Go Bucks!
Nothing lane kiffin does shocks me anymore. He's a giant douche, and I can't for the life of me figure out how he keeps finding jobs. Sure, we all know who his dad is. Don shula was a hall of fame coach...look how awesome his sons were as football coaches. Not very good. Monte is a great defensive coach. Lane is just a weasely, lyin' ass snake oil salesman. Perfect fit for USC...overrated assbag coaching stellar class after stellar class down. I wanted to punch pete carroll in the face every time I saw him. But at least he could coach. And he didn't coach his kids down. I can't stand lane kiffin. Or USC.
Lane Kiffin is a D$$che Bag and so is his overrated team!! What else would you expect from the guy.He poisons every program he's ever been at. His players are just following suite.
SCOTTC.
Don't sleep on Georgia Tech. If you haven't seen a triple option team, it is a tough gameplan to prepare for.
~Because we couldn't go for three~
I just switched my bowl pick from USC to Ga Tech. Without Matt Barkley and with negative leadership from Kiffin, I'm thinking Tech will take advantage and humiliate USC. (Maybe that's wishful thinking on my part, but I'm putting my bowl pick where my mouth is.)
USC is getting what they deserve with the Kiffin hire. Running a program that was the preseason favorite into the ground. Shameful, but well-deserved.
Real fans stay for Carmen.
Just before SC got rolling on their tear, they made fun of Utah and Fresno State in 2 minor bowl games, and if my memory serves me, they got their asses handed to them both times.
Here's hoping that history repeats itself.
Well Lane gets what he deserves. He's in a shit bowl because he can't coach his 5* recruits to 10 or more wins to get a bcs bowl. He is a crap coach who teaches his team no respect. Players should be happy to be in a bowl or etiquette would say act like you're happy, its not like they played to be anywhere different.
Wherever you are, there you be!
Interview where Kiffin stomps feet and storms off after an injury comment/question. I checked out of USC there, will reconsider them when they get an adult to run the program. Kiffins a bitch.
I think it's more indicative of the fact that Kiffin doesn't have control over his team. Regardless of whether they're excited to be there or not, Urban would have reprimanded his kids for saying such things the way he did Cardale. I don't know if Lame is just laissez faire or a poor disciplinarian, but there's a reason a team with that much talent is in the Sun Bowl.
No surprise that all my USC fan friends in California hate Kiffin and hope he gets the axe soon.
"There is a force that makes us all brothers, no one goes his way alone." --Woody Hayes