LOS ANGELES — The USC football program’s sound system is at it again.
Two weeks after blasting crowd noise to prepare for the Penn State “White Out” game, the Trojans’ new speakers blasted House of Pain’s “Jump Around” through the air surrounding the Bloom Football Performance Center on Wednesday afternoon and it’s even been played during meetings, quarterback Jayden Maiava said.
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The song is a tradition at Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium, where No. 16 USC (6-1 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) will take on the Badgers (4-2, 2-1) on Saturday (4:30 p.m. PT).
“I actually like the song, so it turns me up,” safety Alex Graham said. “I really be jumping on the sideline when I’m in the game. Jump around, literally. But I enjoy it. It’s gonna be a fun one this week.”
The “Jump Around” tradition was born nearly three decades ago, during the Badgers’ homecoming game against Purdue on Oct. 10, 1998.
They played the song during a scoring drought in the fourth quarter and, as Wisconsin fans claim, it created an energy shift big enough to disrupt the Boilermakers and their quarterback, Drew Brees.
Many of the Trojans will be visiting Camp Randall for the first time, including head coach Lincoln Riley. Tight end Tucker Ashcraft is the most familiar with the environment, having spent three seasons at Wisconsin before transferring to USC.
“I think it was helpful that we’re able to play in an environment like we did a couple of weeks ago, with all the crowd noise (at Penn State),” defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren said. “We’ve done a great job preparing for that in practice with the crowd noise.
“I talked to Tucker Ashcraft about the environment, everything. He’s looking forward to it. We’re going to be prepared for it.”
USC has gotten its longest road trips of the season out of the way after traveling to Rutgers to open Big Ten play on Sept. 19 and to Penn State for the Oct. 10 game. Both games were somewhat close, with the Scarlet Knights losing by a touchdown and Penn State falling by eight points.
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The Trojans have already matched their away game win total from last season, when they went 2-3 on the road. It’s also an improvement from the 1-4 away record during the 2024 season.
“We’re capable of doing it,” safety Prophet Brown said. “We’ve had some tough road fights in us. Obviously, we want games to be blowouts, but they’re not always going to be that, especially at this level. And so for us to have that will and finish off games, I think it’s giving us confidence heading into this next stretch.”
AVAILABILITY REPORT TAKEAWAYS
Eleven players were listed on USC’s initial availability report, which was released on Wednesday evening.
Receiver Terrell Anderson was among the players listed as “out,” meaning he will sit out a second straight game because of injury.
Tight end Mark Bowman, receiver Luc Weaver and defensive tackle Jide Abasiri were listed as “questionable,” while defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart and linebacker Jadyn Walker are “probable.”
Last week’s bye allowed players to rest and get healthy, including VanSumeren, who was a game-time decision on Oct. 3 against Washington and ended up playing in that one.
VanSumeren called it a “Benny Hinn” week, referencing a joke one of his previous coaches used to make about players healing seemingly miraculously during a bye week.
“Went and saw Benny Hinn, got right,” VanSumeren said with a laugh. “It was good to have that time, but I’m itching to get back out there. Not playing for a week, it fires you up. You want to get back out there.”
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