For many Trojan fans and ND haters, they expected USC to roll into South Bend, pick up and easy win, and head out without anymore injuries. Well the game has not been played yet and already the USC players and coaches are rattled. On their flight from Los Angeles to South Bend they
encountered so much turbulence that it threw numerous passengers from their seats.
USC's football team, coaches and staff endured several terrifying minutes as their chartered flight to South Bend plummeted amid a severe thunderstorm, forcing the pilot to abort his first landing attempt.
About 125 people, including 82 players, coach Pete Carroll and most of the coaching staff faced a harrowing end to their trip across the country for Saturday's game.
"There was a moment there when I was thinking, 'This is it,' " Dennis Slutak, USC's director of football operations, told The Los Angeles Times.
USC did arrive but the rough ride did injure one player,
At their hotel, senior defensive end Lawrence Jackson said he was going to see the team trainer because a Popsicle stick had pierced the inside of his mouth during the drop.
I was all set to make some distasteful jokes about the turbulence around South Bend being caused by Charlie Weis eating Taco Bell earlier in the day, but I thought I should hold off. Fortunately for USC, that will be the roughest thing they will face this weekend.
