Team Receives a Lecture on Penalties

USC’s trouble with poorly timed and unnecessary penalties isn’t getting better as the season goes on.

“You can’t do this and win games,” Coach John Robinson said Tuesday. “We went down, player by player on Sunday, and said, ‘You cannot do this.’ ”

USC had three personal fouls and three illegal blocks among 15 penalties for 156 yards against Notre Dame.

“Our passion overcame our better judgment in some of those cases,” Robinson said. “I think it was partly playing the game with emotion, and maybe some inexperience.

“I think the one that was just awful was Aaron Williams’ penalty when it was third down and a million and we gave them a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down. That one really hurt.”

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Receiver Mike Bastianelli said he is scheduled to meet with school officials today about his suspension over questions regarding how much help he received from an athletic department tutor on a paper he turned in two years ago as a freshman.

“I want to get it resolved before I say anything,” Bastianelli said. “Before I talk about it, I want to know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Bastianelli was held out of the Notre Dame game and Robinson said Tuesday that “we expect to have that solved this week.”

NEXT FOR USC

Who: Oregon

Where: Coliseum

When: Saturday, 7:15 p.m.

TV: Fox Sports West

Radio: KLSX-FM (97.1)