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The Trojans will kick off their 2013 redemption tour with an August 29th trip to Oahu, where they’ll play the newly-renamed Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii, led by familiar face Norm Chow. USC has opened as 19-point favorites for the Thursday night season opener, but the Warriors should be an improved team in year two under Chow, as they return a ton of starters and gain the eligibility of six transfers.

We kick off our 2013 season preview series, with a look at Hawaii…

Hawaii by the numbers:

2012 Record: 3-9 (1-7 in Mountain West)
18 Returning Starters: 9 on offense, 9 on defense
Key Returners: WR Billy Ray Stutzmann, LB Art Laurel, RB Joey Iosefa, DB John Hardy-Tuliau
Key Losses: DL Paipai Falemalu, DB/KR Mike Edwards, DL Haku Correa, OL Blake Muir

Player to watch: QB Taylor Graham

Last year, Norm Chow gave the keys of the offense to Sean Schroeder, an immediately-eligible graduate transfer from Duke. This year, they’ll finally have the services of Taylor Graham, who transferred to Hawaii from Ohio State after the arrival of Urban Meyer in Columbus. Graham was the 14th ranked pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2010 according to Rivals, and is much more physically able to run Chow’s west coast and semi-vertical passing offense than Schroeder. In spring ball, Graham took the reins at quarterback, though Chow maintains that the job has yet to be won. Should Graham take the first snap on August 29th, he’ll be set to make his first collegiate pass, the exact same situation that Schroeder was in a year ago against USC.

Hawaii’s 2013 outlook

The Rainbow Warriors finished 2012 ranked 101st in passing offense, a mark that they’ll be desperately looking to improve upon this season. At the skill positions, they look to be in a position to make a step forward in Chow’s system, with Graham at quarterback and Billy Ray Stutzmann back for yet another season at wide receiver. But, as the USA Today’s Paul Myerberg pointed out last month, Hawaii will live and die this season on their offensive line. The Warriors were 118th in the country in sacks allowed last year, lose lineman Blake Muir, and have a plethora of injuries. As Myerberg pointed out, a scantly-used converted defensive end had five sacks in the spring game, which doesn’t bode well at all for the offense. Defensively, Hawaii returns plenty of talent, including linebacker Art Laurel and safety John Hardy-Tuliau, which signals an improvement of an already respectable defense for a 3-9 team. The Warriors were third in the nation is pass defense in 2012 and even though they lose shutdown defensive back Mike Edwards, they have the depth to be able to fill in the hole. The defensive line will be an area of concern for Hawaii, as they lose Paipai Falemalu and Haku Correa. Junior Beau Yap will anchor the line and if he can account for some of the lost sack production in Falemalu, Hawaii could be a team that is strong enough against the pass that they force teams to be one dimensional. The only problem? They cannot stop the run. Air Force did exactly that to Hawaii last year, playing the entire game with a one dimensional offense and running on literally every down. They didn’t attempt a single pass. And right on cue, the Falcons putting up 338 yards on the ground, enough for a 21-7 win. They say games are won in the trenches, and that’s not a welcome phrase for Hawaii, who are decent everywhere but up front, on both sides of the ball. Look for another struggling rebuilding year for the Bows, though they’ll be better than last year.

What happened last year:

The Trojans entered the season opener against Hawaii last year ranked No. 1 the AP poll and were looking to prove to the pollsters that they deserved to be there. On the surface, they did that, beating the Warriors 49-10 after jumping to a 35-0 halftime lead. But for USC, there were plenty of flaws in their Week 1 performance, especially on the ground. The Trojans ran for just 81 yards on 23 attempts, despite Hawaii finishing 2012 ranked 88th in rush defense. Plus, Hawaii laid the ground work for a successful strategy in defending the tandem of Marqise Lee and Robert Woods. The Warriors, led by defensive backs Tony Grimes and Mike Edwards, crowded Lee and Woods all game long, physically pushing them off of their routes down field. The physicality enabled Matt Barkley to utilize an underneath game through the air, as Hawaii wasn’t going to be beat deep, and they took four practically intentional pass interference penalties to ensure that. The same strategy was deployed by Notre Dame in the final regular season game of the year, only it was targeted primarily on Lee, as the Irish took two intentional pass interference penalties on Lee during the Trojans’ final drive.

Early Prediction: USC 37, Hawaii 13

USC’s offense will likely be sporadic to start with, as it’s not only the season’s first game, but it will be the first game of the post-Barkley era. Hawaii will presumably attempt to bog Lee down as much as possible, giving the Trojans time and space to work out new wrinkles in the offense, in addition to Silas Redd. Defensively, the Trojans return the entire front seven and whether it’s Graham or Schroeder under center for the Rainbows, a weak offensive line will make it awfully hard on Hawaii, even with a rookie USC secondary to bait the deep ball. Trojans should win comfortably, though it’ll be far from flawless. The Fighting Chows will be ready.

We’ve been fielding your questions for our Mailbag Monday feature, so let’s celebrate the start of the work week by getting right into the burning topics of USC Football, as editor Michael Castillo answers your questions.

Steve (@scurryn) from Twitter asks: If they play in the Pac-12 championship game and a bowl, would USC be the first team to play a 15-game schedule?

Michael: After doing a fair bit of research, should that scenario play out, the Trojans would be the third team to play a 15-game schedule. BYU went 14-1 in 1996, while Kansas State went 11-4 in 2003. And it’s worth noting, that ironically, BYU’s 15th game ended up coming against Kansas State in the 1997 Cotton Bowl. Go figure. In the years they played 15, both teams played season-opening games to begin their season, in addition to playing in their conference championship games, followed by bowl games. Participants of games like the Pigskin Classic, the Kickoff Classic and the BCA Classic were granted an extra game, because they were scheduled one week prior to the beginning of the season. In addition to that, BYU and Kansas State benefited from an additional game by different means. BYU played at Hawaii to grant an additional game, while Kansas State got help from the calendar. In 2003, due to an extra weekend at the end of August, all of college football was able to play 12 games instead of the then-commonplace 11 games. The result of the extra games meant that BYU and K-State started their campaigns on August 24th and 23rd, respectively. Starting next year with the College Football Playoff, playing 15 games in a season is a likely feat for the two participants of the national championship game, should they play in a conference championship.

Ryan(@LARyanInPHX) from Twitter asks: Will USC be more like the 2008 Trojans or the 2012 Trojans?

Michael: Neither. Both of those teams had full returning units poised to win a national championship, and they played out their seasons very differently. The way it looks now, this USC team looks an awful bit like 2011 bunch. Just like then, the Trojans enter the season with a talented quarterback –whoever that may be– that is unproven, along a single stud receiver, a banged up senior running back, some new faces on defense and a very backloaded schedule. USC opens the season with an offensive gameplan that everyone in the world knows is coming, which is Wittek/Kessler/Browne to Lee, repeated over and over and over again. The 2011 team was the same way, with the highly concentrated Barkley to Woods connection early in the season, which saw Robert Woods set a record for receptions in the season opener against Minnesota. USC used a string of three home games early in the season to struggle with a one-dimensional offense, slowly work Marqise Lee in as a second option in the passing game and find ways to add more and more dimensionality as the season progressed. This year, with Woods gone, it’ll be much of the same, as they’ll need time to groom Nelson Agholor, Darreus Rogers or Victor Blackwell as the yang to Lee’s ying. And like in 2011, they have a manageable early schedule with three straight September home games leading into a dangerous road tilt with Arizona State that could exploit a weakness in the USC defense. Sound familiar?

Monte from Facebook asks: Why isn’t more emphasis put on recruiting cornerbacks?

Michael: There is, it just has been a position that hasn’t panned out for USC for a long time, as it’s literally the only position in which the Trojans have never had an All-American. When Pete Carroll got here in 2001, his goal was to turn USC into Cornerback-U and that never happened. Instead, the Trojans have had a slew of talented safeties like Troy Polamalu, Taylor Mays, Kevin Ellison and T.J. McDonald, three of which were recruited by Carroll. Under Kiffin, cornerback has definitely been a position of emphasis, but the on-field play has yet to show it, other than Nickell Robey’s three seasons. In 2011, Kiffin had a hole at corner opposite of Robey and he went out to get Isiah Wiley, who was fantastic before running into academic issues. In 2012, they signed Kevon Seymour and Devian Shelton and they got Chris Hawkins as an early enrollee this season. Looking ahead, the No. 1 player on USC’s recruiting board is a corner, Adoree’ Jackson, whom the Trojans are believed to be the favorite for at this point. So the problem isn’t that USC is looking to stock other positions, but that they’re getting burned both in recruiting and development. Jalen Ramsey, a five-star corner, was committed to USC for seven months before de-committing on the eve of Signing Day this February, handcuffing the Trojans. They spent months and months prioritizing Ramsey and not Priest Willis or Jermaine Kelly. Had the Trojans not been under recruiting sanctions, you would have to imagine that they might have snagged one of those guys, in addition to Hawkins.

James(@jarquin_james) from Twitter asks: Is there a possibility that Ty Isaac plays wide receiver this year with low numbers at the position, since we have too many running backs?

Michael: Probably not. He’s too big and physical of a running back to give up to the receiving corps, though reduced numbers could certainly warrant more packages with tight ends and backs split wide, including Isaac. Should there be more injuries at receiver, if anyone, look for Su’a Cravens to get a shot at receiver before Isaac, much like Marqise Lee being used sparingly in the secondary.

Eric(@Afrojazzeric) from Twitter asks: Will Silas Redd get over 1,000 yards this year?

Michael: If Redd can stay healthy, there’s no reason he shouldn’t eclipse that mark. Just mathematically, USC plays 13 games –up to 15 games with a Pac-12 Championship Game appearance– and he averaged 75 yards per game last season, despite having three carries in two of those games. That puts him just about at the 1,000-yard mark. In Lane Kiffin’s time at USC, he’s shown a dependency on sticking to game plans and not deterring from them, which has kept him to a very two-back system, making Redd all the more likely get the bulk of the reps given his seniority and past success. Plus, without Robert Woods, the Trojans will need to run the ball more, at least initially. Look for Redd to put up similar yardage but somewhat fewer carries than his sophomore season at Penn State, in which he had 1,241 yards on 244 carries.

Mary from Facebook asks: What is the date for the Salute To Troy 2013?

Michael: A date has yet to be announced by the Trojan Athletic Fund. Here’s the website that you’ll want to check for updates, and we’ll be sure to tweet out the date when we hear it.

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To participate in our mailbag, write on our Facebook page, mention us on Twitter, or shoot us an email to ReignofTroy@fansided.com.

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Spend a day at USC, and you’ll hear the moniker Trojan Family a million times. The saying, which alludes to the tight-knit alumni base of the university, has no better literal meaning at USC than in athletics. The Trojans have had a slew of families play football at USC, from the Katniks to the Obradoviches, to current player Marquis Simmons and his brother Champ, and even the Ting twins.

Today on Fathers Day, we recognize some of the notable father and son combos in Trojan history.

USC has had just one All-American father and son duo in history, with a pair of McDonalds. In 1986, Tim McDonald was a consensus All-American with the Trojans as a safety, and was drafted in the second round of the 1987 NFL Draft. He was a six-time All-Pro defensive back in the NFL and won Super Bowl XXIX with the San Francisco 49ers. Tim’s son, T.J. McDonald lettered at USC from 2009 to 2012, earning All-American honors in 2011 at safety, just like his father, before being drafted by the St. Louis Rams in April. Both players were two-time All-Pac-12 selections, as well.

While the McDonalds may be the most-decorated father & son duo at USC, the Matthews Family is hands down the most decorated family in USC history. Clay Matthews Jr. earned All-American honors in 1977 as a linebacker at Troy, while his brother Bruce Matthews was a consensus All-American in 1982 as an offensive tackle. Clay Matthews III was left off the All-Pac-10 team in 2008 as hybrid defensive end/linebacker, but he was part of USC’s prolific linebacker corps that included Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga and Kaluka Maiava. All three players in the Matthews family were drafted into the NFL out of USC, and most astoundingly, they were all first round picks. Together, they have combined for 22 Pro Bowl selections and counting. To this day, Clay Matthews Jr. and Clay Matthews III are the only father-son duo in USC history to both be drafted in the first round.

A teammate of Clay Matthews Jr., Marvin Powell was a two-time All-American at USC, in 1975 and 1976 and earned All-Conference honors in all three years as a starter. The big offensive tackle won a pair of Rose Bowls while at USC and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994. Powell went on to be a first round pick in the 1977 NFL Draft, going fourth overall to the New York Jets, before making five Pro Bowls in 11 years as a professional. In the mid-1990′s, Powell’s son, Marvin III, lettered for four seasons at USC, splitting time between playing fullback and safety. Like his father, he too played in the NFL, getting some time with the New Orleans Saints in 1999.

Currently, just one Trojan has a father that lettered at USC, and that’s offensive tackle Kevin Graf. His dad, Allen Graf, letter from 1970 to 1972, playing on the legendary ’72 National Championship team alongside teammates like Sam Cunningham, Charle Young and Richard Wood. The Trojans went 12-0 that year, winning their games by an average margin of victory of 25 points. Allen Graf now works in the movie industry as one of Hollywood’s top stunt coordinators.

And father and son duos don’t stop with just players, as even some coaches have had notable sons. When Pete Carroll was coaching the Trojans in the oughts, he hired his son Brennan Carroll at the young age of 23. Brennan became an integral part of the Trojans’ recruiting staff, ultimately coordinating USC’s recruiting efforts before departing for the Miami Hurricanes in 2010. Carroll is now the wide receivers coach with the Canes, in addition to being their recruiting coordinator. As for Pete? Well, he won two national championships as head coach of the Trojans and took USC to an unprecedented seven consecutive BCS bowls.

Lastly, the Trojans’ most iconic pair of kin are the father and son combination of legendary coach John McKay, and his son J.K. McKay. John is the all-time winningest coach in USC history, and won plenty of games with J.K. on the field at receiver, including the 1975 Rose Bowl, which was won with a 38-yard touchdwon pass from Pat Haden to J.K. McKay. Ironically, or possibility naturally, Haden and McKay are now athletic directors at USC after growing up as best friends. As for their office? Well, it’s named after the man that recruited them: J.K’s father, John McKay.

Coach McKay was known for being one of the best quotes that college football has seen, with arguably his most iconic quip coming at the mention of J.K.. When McKay was asked about coaching his son and recruiting him, he replied both simply and honestly.

“I had a rather distinct advantage. I slept with his mother,” he said.

And with that, we at Reign of Troy, wish all you fathers out there a very Happy Fathers Day.