(Photo of Michael Morgan by Icon Sports Media)

License to kill Beavers by the government of the United Nations. Man, free to kill Beavers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit – ever. They’re like the Viet Cong – Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that’s all she wrote…

We are in the second half of the season. This week the Trojans face the Oregon State Beavers. A team that shocked USC last year. The loss to Oregon State was the only thing that kept Trojans out of the national championship game. The Beavers are a well coached team under Mike Riley and have some dynamic players on their roster. The Beavers won’t roll over and quit Saturday night. So how do the men of Troy win this game? In the words of Carl Spackler, with superior intelligence and superior firepower.

The superior intelligence will first need to come from our coaches. We all know that Pete is the man. He loves his job and it shows with the passion and joy he brings to it every week in everything he does. His football intelligence is starting to rub off on our new coaches. I thought Jeremy Bates called a hell of a game last week. He is finally taking advantage of his weapons and it is fun to watch. Matt Barkley looked phenomenal. What was the key to his success? In my opinion it was the play calling. On most of his passes, Trojan receivers were wide open. That is what we are used to seeing at SC, wide open receivers down the field. I hope the tradition continues on Saturday.

The superior intelligence will also have to rub off on the players. If USC plays smart football they can run the table. I think after last weeks game, the Trojans are finally starting to learn that the biggest enemy and obstacle they face each week is themselves. They are their own worst enemy. USC had five personal fouls in the second half last week. That trend cannot continue. When the Trojans limit their mistakes, no one can beat them.

We will save the superior firepower portion of thoughts of the day for our finale after the jump…

Carl Spackler, you want some SUPER FIREPOWER? Here’s some superior firepower – by the numbers:

10: tackles by Jurrell Casey against Notre Dame. Casey, an interior lineman, led the team in tackles last week, forced a fumble and even got a hit on Jimmy Whats His Name. Casey was named Pac-10 defensive player of the week.

999,999: on a scale of 1-10 my level of excitement to learn that USC is adding women’s sand volleyball as a sport beginning in the spring of 2011. I am not making this up. Why am I so jazzed? The uniforms. Enjoy:

The biggest question is what will the Song Girls wear to games? They should try and do something similar to what the cheerleaders wore at the Beijing Olympics.

Here is another good look:

1: pair of shoes that D.J. Shoemate has to fill with the loss of Stanley Havili. Havili will miss the game because of dislocated left shoulder. Shoemate should be solid. The scouting report on him is he is a hard worker that loves to hit and has great hands (he came to SC as a wideout).

(Photo by Icon Sports Media)

28: points allowed by the Trojans in their last 8 home games. That is an average of 3.5 points per game by opponents.

301: points scored by the Trojans in their last 8 home games. That is an average of 37.6 points per game scored by USC.

How’s that for some Superior Firepower by the Trojans!

14: number of combined sacks Everson Griffen and Nick Perry have this year. They are tied fourth in the nation with seven a piece. The USC defense ranks 1st in the nation with 26 sacks and has the best sack average at 4.33 per game. Oregon State has allowed 19 sacks this year.

(Photo by Icon Sports Media)

380: yards passing by Matt Barkley last week. He also had two TD passes and was named Davey O’Brien Quarterback of the Week. This kid is going to be a lot of fun to watch in the coming years. He will have his ups and downs, but man he has some serious skills. He seems laid back, calm under pressure, intelligent and level headed. Barkley should have plenty of time to throw on Saturday. The Beavers are ninth in the Pac-10 in pass defense and only have four sacks this year.

5: homeruns by Alex Rodriguez in this years AL Playoffs. Is anyone else shocked to see A-Rod tearing the cover off the ball and being so clutch in the playoffs? What is the secret to his success? I think it has to do with his new lady friend, Kate Hudson. Ever since he started dating her the Yankees have been winning and A-Rod has been ripping. Coincidence? I think not….

Somewhere the Butter Scotch Stallion is crying.

93,607: number of fans expected to be at the sold out Coliseum on Saturday. The Trojans have not had a home game in a month and have only played at home twice in the past seven weeks. USC has won 46 of its past 47 games at home. Oregon State has not won at the Coliseum since 1960.

5.17 million: number of households that watched Notre Dame lose to USC for the 8th straight year last weekend. Suck it golden domers. That is a 4.5 overnight rating for NBC. I love television and pretty much grew up in front of one, but I do not think I will ever understand how they figure out TV ratings or what a 4.5 overnight rating even means. What happens if you flip between channels, do the stats change? Do families really have Nielsen ratings boxes in their homes and how come no one ever asked me or anyone I know if they want one? Finally who watches NCIS? How is that show the most watched show in America?

47: pictures of Bar Refaeli in a bikini if you click here.

(Thank you SI.com)

67.7: rushing yards allowed per game by USC. Last years, defense allowed 87.4 rushing yards per game. This week the Trojans go up against Jacquizz Rodgers. I am sure you remember him, he ran for 186 yards on the Trojans last year. Rodgers is 5-7 and 191 pounds. He is a like shifty Barry Sanders. The guy never fumbles, for realz. He has never fumbled in his career at Oregon State. That is 454 touches without a fumble. He is averaging 116 yard per game and has the most TDs in the Pac-10 with 13. He is rested and coming off a bye week. This will be an tough match up for the Trojans. Hopefully we run up the score on them so running the ball is an afterthought.

15.5: punt return average by Damian William this year. That is the best in the conference. He also averages 77.8 receiving yards per game, third in the conference. And he looks damn good doing it.

(Photo by Icon Sports Media)

76: degrees the temperature will be tomorrow night at kick off. The best thing about living in Southern California is the weather. The second best thing is the beaches. I will leave you with Borat getting his lifeguard on…aka Sexy Drown Watch.

Some people stand in the darkness
Afraid to step into the light
Some people need to help somebody
When the edge of surrender’s in sight..

Don’t you worry!
Its gonna be alright
‘cause I’m always ready,
I won’t let you out of my sight.

I’ll be ready (I’ll be ready)
Never you fear (no don’t you fear)
I’ll be ready
Forever and always
I’m always here.

BEAT THE BEAVERS, FIGHT ON, AND HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!