Experience Trojan football in this special inside report from the locker room and on the sidelines before, during and after USC's 42-36 victory against Oregon State on Saturday at the Coliseum:
The return of Stafon
He walked in silently -- because of both his current health limitations and the element of surprise -- but it wasn't long before the locker room was filled with a buzz.
And sweet, sweet emotion.
For USC's first home game since his injury, Stafon Johnson stunned the team by showing up in the locker room before Saturday night's matchup at the Coliseum. He circled the room, shaking hands and hugging almost every player, coach and support staffer before joining in on the various pre-game meetings and rituals.
Then, just minutes before kickoff, Johnson took center stage and hopped around with the players in the team's traditionally jovial mosh pit in the center of the locker room. As his teammates chanted and sang around him, a teary-eyed Johnson was overcome with emotion -- and the locker room was drenched in it. A player who had once been the ignition for the pre-game locker room chants couldn't make a noise, but his teammates were making up for it.
Though nothing came from Johnson's mouth, plenty of energy and excitement came from his visit. As they streamed out of the locker room and down the tunnel for kickoff, the players overflowed with adrenaline and emotion thanks to their teammate's heart-warming return to the Coliseum.
His teammates went off to play the first half, and Johnson retreated to the press box, where he tweeted, "Ain't cried like that in a while... let's go boyz...."
In the second quarter, the Coliseum video board showed Johnson in the box high above the field. The crowd gave a moving standing ovation and the players raised their helmets in support. But the storybook ending to the whole night came when the clock hit triple-zero and the Trojans -- Johnson very much included -- walked out of the Coliseum with the win.
Before it all
At the top of the peristyle steps upon arriving at the Coliseum, Coach Carroll had some words to encourage his players.
"Let's love this moment," he said. "It's awesome to be here."
Then in the locker room just before kickoff, the emphasis was on unity.
"One heartbeat, stay together, all night long," Carroll said with his players encircling him, humming "Seven Nation Army" and chanting "stay together all night long." "When we do that, we're too powerful, too strong."
At the half
After the coaches shared adjustments with the offense and defense and respective position groups, Coach Carroll shared his thoughts as the Trojans bounced and chanted around him.
"It doesn't matter what we've done -- it's what we do now that counts," Carroll said. "It's about finishing."
After it all
After rattling off the key stats from the win, Coach Carroll summed up the unsatisfying victory with a few words for his team.
"That was a hard football game -- it's hard to win in the Pac-10," he said with his players surrounding him in the noticeably subdued locker room. "But every one of them we cherish, especially when we do it at the Coliseum."
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