There's an elephant in the room. The Pankey injury has been hush hush so far. Nobody wants to discuss it because they're afraid what atrocities might be muttered.

Screw that. I'm just going to come out and say it: I gave my lady Beav a screaming high five when Keith Pankey went down. I know that sounds terrible, but many times the truth is painful. I can't be the only one. Come on, fess up.

Anyway, my questions are twofold:

1. Does celebrating injury make me/us bad people?

2. Who is to blame?

I'll try to reason out my own questions, but by all means add input.

In regard to #1, yes, celebrating injury makes you/me a jerk. But were we truly celebrating injury, or were we celebrating the defense getting faster and stronger? I think it was the latter. I mean, I don't really care if Keith Pankey is injured or healthy, so long as he's not near the field. Therefore, I was not truly celebrating the injury, just what the injury represents. That is, improved play. Must I have compassion for every player who wears the uniform? That seems equally ridiculous as saying every player should care about this blog.

Tackling question #2, if we fans do look like jerks, then the head coach is to blame for that. Injury was the only thing that was going to remove Keith Pankey from that game. I'm not going to beat myself up or feel guilty because Riley can't figure out his personnel.

Anyway, this is the one place on the internet where you can stomp the elephant. Repeat after me, "F it. We're better off without Pankey, and I was glad when he went down." The truth feels good. It's okay; it's going to be alright.

G'morning, Beavlettes.

You know the routine by now. Here is your place to have a voice and rant about the Beavers effort versus the Trojans. Hopefully enough of you still care about the season so I'm not left talking to myself. And hopefully Marc Tyler isn't as big and fast as he looks on film. *Gulp*

Let's have some fun today, since the game may not provide it.

Over/under on the number of Keith Pankey whiffed tackles: 5

I'm taking the over!

Over/under on the number of Keith Pankey tackles for a loss: 1

I'm taking the under on this one!

Me and the lady Beav are celebrating Thanksgiving today since she'll be out of town on Thursday. Nothing like wallowing in the gluttony of pumpkin pie to curb misery. "Another touchdown, another slice" is my motto for the day. Come on, Beavs, show up and keep me svelte. Seriously though, be cautiously optimistic, but have the gin by your side and ready to go.

Landing a big time recruit, Darryl Jackson, seems to have reignited the fanbase. People have stepped off the ledge, and are now wondering if it will parlay into signing Devon Moreland as well. My opinion is it's highly possible.

In town for this weekend's games are WR Mike Thomas, CB Stefan McClure, and DE Rusty Fernando. All three are highly regarded prospects, so this is a big game for more reasons than one.

On the field, I expect an inspired effort. The Beavs tend to play better when there's no pressure on them. Fans for the most part have accepted they won't be going bowling, so the players should be relaxed but also little chippy from all the bad press. It should make for a good mindset within the team. Weather could play a role in this game as well, and the local boys will have that advantage coupled with the home-field crowd. And we know how well they've played USC (especially at home) over the last few years. Dare I predict an upset? Well, it wouldn't be a major one–USC is only a 3 point favorite in the game.

The key to the game will be the offensive line ("no duh, Angry"). Seriously, though, USC has mass on the defensive line that could, theoretically, make life hell for the Beavs. So the easy pick is USC in this game, but the Beavs have a handful of intangibles working for them, and that should keep it close. This has the feeling of a wacky game, with a late score deciding it one way or the other. It's good to know Vegas agrees.

Buckle up, Beavlettes–as much as we want to say we've written off the season and don't care, we'll all be pinned to our seats come kickoff.