USC vs. Cal Football: Weekender In Full Swing

This week we will break down some of the key story lines to the USC vs. Cal matchup in sets of five, not only for the Trojans outlook moving forward, but also assessing whats left of the final fives games on the calendar.

NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER:

USC has a 243-127-20 (.649) all-time record while playing in the month of November, and this year will have five opportunities to make history in the regular seasons' final month.

The Trojans enter November at 6-3 overall, winners of two-straight physical bouts, with chances of not only finishing the season with 11 wins but also making the Pac-12 Championship Game for the first time in the events history.

In pursuit of that success, Orgeron said earlier this week that he learned about getting better in the month of November from one of the Trojans most decorated head coaches in Pete Carroll.

During his nine year tenure on campus (2001 to 2009) Carroll's teams were 29-1 in November with their only loss coming at the hands of Jim Harbaugh's Cardinal 55-21 back in 2009.

LAST SEASON:

Thanks to a dominant defensive effort, that equalled in the number of total sacks and points scored, No. 13 USC responded well following its loss to Stanford by crushing the Bears 27-9 at the Coliseum. The offense also came to play, thanks to 100-plus yard rushing games from Silas Redd and former USC tailback Curtis McNeal.

USC's RECENT BERKELEY BEATDOWN

The Trojans lead the all-time series with Cal, which dates back to 1915 (and is uninterrupted since 1926), 64-30-5 and to that point, USC has not lost to the Bears since 2003 (Cal has averaged just 10.2 points in those games). Not to mention the fact that on the road in Berkeley, USC has won 32 of the 46 all-time meetings including the last three such outings.

IN-N-OUT SURPRISE:

Ed Orgeron has pulled out all the stops in the cuisine department from cookies to ice cream and even Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. But on Monday, the team was pleasantly surprised to burgers, fries and shakes from In-N-Out Burgers.

In a move that seemed rather interesting, given former what Oregon State Coach Mike Riley pulled off last season taking his team to the same burger joint after defeating UCLA here in Los Angeles.

Whatever the case may be, players were ecstatic about the treats and certainly want to kick off the month of November which features five games on the calendar in prime fashion.

WEEKLY FUN FACTS:

USC has played 1,183 games in its history and only twice-when Troy snapped No. 1-ranked California's 38-game regular season unbeaten streak in 1951 at Berkeley and in 2012's loss at Stanford.

Also of note, thanks to the USC Sports Information Department for this and many other fun facts we fire out each week, this Wednesday (Nov. 6) marks the 100th anniversary of the 160-acre Exposition Park that surrounds the Coliseum.

Interestingly enough however, USC did not field a football team at the land transformed and renamed Exposition Park upon its re-opening on Nov. 6, 1913, instead playing out its final year of collegiate rugby.