Pay Dirt! - USC Pros

After leading the New York Giants in both receptions & yards in Week 1, former USC Trojans WR Steve Smith gets the USC Game Ball in Week 2. Smith had a career high in receptions (10) & yards (134) and recorded his first TD of the season in a last second win over the Dallas Cowboys in the Dallas Stadium (or Colossal Coliseum) debut on Sunday night. There were also a handful of times that QB Eli Manning missed an open Steve Smith, which would have made both of his career highs even more impressive. It is great to see a former Trojan who has always worked so hard do so well at the highest professional level.

On the opposite side of the ball, CB Terrell Thomas had another impressive performance racking up 5 tackles and helping hold the Cowboys entire team to only 13 catches for 127 yards.

For the Cowboys, K David Buehler handled kickoffs like usual. It is so funny to see him line up at kicker. He can bench like a linebacker and run like a safety.

Final Score: New York Giants 33 @ Dallas Cowboys 31

Here is a quick look at a few other former USC Trojans in Week 2 action of the 2009-10 NFL Season...

Cincinnati Bengals 31 @ Green Bay Packers 24

QB Carson Palmer helped lead the Bengals to their first victory of the season narrowly missing their second defeat in the waning seconds. After a shaky start, CP was 15/23 for 185 yards, 3 TDs, and 2 INTs. He also ran for a TD.

There was a trio of USC LBs on the field and all of them had notable performances. For the Bengals, Keith Rivers had 6 tackles & Rey Maualuga had 4 tackles, including his first sack of his career. For the Packers, Clay Matthews III notched only 2 tackles, but one was for a sack and the other for a loss.

Houston Texans 34 @ Tennessee Titans 31

LB Brian Cushing showed why his was drafted so high as he led the Texans in tackles with 10, including 2 for a loss. What an impressive performance! For the Titans, RB LenDale White had only 25 yards on 6 carries, but it is hard to complain about the limited role as fellow RB Chris Johnson ran for 197 yards on only 16 carries.

New Orleans Saints 48 @ Philadelphia Eagles 22

In another blowout victory, RB Reggie Bush helped the Saints put up over 40 points for the second consecutive week. He carried the ball 10 times for 33 yards & 1 TD and caught 3 balls for 42 yards giving him 75 all-purpose yards. DT Sedrick Ellis was much more active this week with 4 tackles of his own. For the Eagles, DT Mike Patterson recorded 3 tackles.

Oakland Raiders 13 @ Kansas City Chiefs 10

QB Matt Cassel played his first game since coming back from an injury and almost led the Chiefs to their first win of the season. He was 24/39 for 241 yards & 1 TD, but threw 2 INTs. Flaunting his athleticism, he also helped the Chiefs move the ball on the ground rushing for 34 yards on 5 carries.

Seattle Seahawks 10 @ San Francisco 49ers 23

In a poor overall defensive performance by the Seahawks, there was one bright spot and that was the play of DE Lawrence Jackson. He had only 4 tackles, but 2 were sacks, another for a loss, and 2 QB hits. LB Lofa Tatupu was injured for most of the game, but still had a pair of tackles.

New England Patriots 9 @ New York Jets 16

With the help of a solid defense not allowing a touchdown for the second straight week, Jets QB Mark Sanchez played a mistake free game throwing for 163 yards & 1 TD, which resulted in a 101.1 QB Rating.

See you in Week 3...

Quick Note: I would like to give a shout-out to all the former USC Trojans offensive linemen starting this week. There are enough to field a solid starting lineup...LT Sam Baker for the Atlanta Falcons, RT Winston Justice for the Philadelphia Eagles, RG Chilo Rachal for the San Francisco 49ers (helped Frank Gore rush for 207 yards), RG Deuce Lutui for the Arizona Cardinals, and C Ryan Kalil for the Carolina Panthers. The games are won in the trenches, right?