USC Morning Links: Hitting the reset button, midseason grades and more links

USC hit reset button with Ed Orgeron, and it feels good

(Bill Dwyre | Los Angeles Times)

"It was just a few ticks of the clock before midnight Thursday when Ed Orgeron blended his own feelings into those of USC football fans. “Today, I woke up happy,” he said, “and I’m not a happy guy.” Friday morning, most USC fans, who had been like Orgeron, woke up the same."

USC Football: Midseason Grades for Players and Coaches

(Rick McMahon | Bleacher Report)

"After the Trojans floundered under Lane Kiffin, athletic director Pat Haden made the change to the more enthusiastic Orgeron, hoping that he could infuse the the men of Troy with the kind of excitement that might salvage the year. Orgeron rewarded his AD with a 38-31 victory over Arizona Thursday evening and along with that, gave a skeptical fanbase something to find optimism in for the rest of this year’s campaign. But can the Trojans keep it going? Will Orgeron and company be able to make some noise in 2013 and possibly make it to an important bowl game?"

USC football: Lane Kiffin takes high road in ESPN interview

(Gary Klein | Los Angeles Times)

"Former USC football coach Lane Kiffin said Saturday that viewing the Trojans’ 38-31 victory over Arizona  n Thursday “was like watching some else raise your kids.” Kiffin, in his first public comments since being fired on Sept. 29, took the high road during an interview  with Chris Fowler on ESPN’s “College GameDay” show in Seattle. Kiffin said he had “a great passion” for USC and Trojans players and coaches. “To have that taken away is very hard,” Kiffin said. “It’s been a very hard two weeks.”"

Notre Dame vs. USC Football: Rivalry Week Has Arrived

(Evan Budrovich | Conquest Chronicles)

"The honeymoon period has quickly come and past as the Trojans set their emotionally fired-up sights on tackling the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Saturday in South Bend. Following their first practice since Sunday afternoon since defeating Arizona by seven points, coach Orgeron preached the importance of staying in the moment for this upcoming tilt of fringe top-25 competitors. “We realize that this is a rivalry game,” said Orgeron. ‘We have a lot of respect for our opponent. We need to take care of what we can control: the fundamentals and the style of play.”"