Jacob Rogers is a senior left tackle for the USC Trojans. Last year he earned All-Pac-10 first-team notice for his stellar play on a line that led the conference in fewest sacks allowed. This season, he is an All-American and Outland Trophy candidate. He and sophomore tackle Winston Justice form college football's best tackle tandem. Here are his thoughts going into the Arizona game:

Rogers' File
Jacob Rogers 6-6, 300, Senior Outland Trophy Candidate All-American Candidate
Diary Entries
December 5, 2003 November 21, 2003 November 14, 2003 November 7, 2003 October 31, 2003 October 24, 2003 October 16, 2003 October 3, 2003 September 26, 2003 September 18, 2003 September 5, 2003

Nov. 14, 2003

During the bye week I got to go home and relax, spend some time with my family and watch some football. It was an exiting weekend of football with all the upsets. It was nice to be able to sit back and be a fan for once. I really enjoyed the Florida State vs. Miami game.

While I was watching the games I was watching the guy from Iowa, Gallery, and he is a pretty athletic guy. And the right tackle from Arkansas, Andrews, is a big guy and he really impressed me. They are both really talented. What impressed me with Andrews was how well he could move, especially for a big guy and how quick he was. This really gave me a chance to sit back and watch some of the other guys that are around. As a unit Virginia Tech's offensive line looked real good, but they are always strong.

As far as styles go, I think what's really good are the athletic offensive lines that are also versatile. The ones that can run block and pass block, there is just something about those teams. They are so multi-dimensional. If you look at Nebraska in the past, they were able to build championships just off of a run game. Now you have to be able to throw the ball in case you get behind, you have to be able to catch back up.

If I were coaching an offensive line I would be looking for guys that are tough, and know the position. Then you need to look for athletes. If a guy plays basketball or other sports, that always helps to be able to develop footwork and play the position. You can put weight on them and build them up, but they need to be athletic. We have done that with several offensive linemen here. It gives you versatility to pass block and run block. When you are an athlete you can get away with things that you wouldn't be able to if you didn't have the feet. I got the offensive line mentality as soon as I made the switch from tight end. In high school I had to block a lot. It was an easy adjustment. I didn't feel bad about not getting the ball. Our reward as offensive linemen isn't catching the football but going in there and having a good block.

The other day we had a rainstorm. I grew up in southern California and I have never seen anything like that. I have seen hail and rain and stuff but nothing that lasted for that long, and the way you could see the black clouds coming in it was crazy. I'm glad we don't have weather like that all the time!