USC football: Trojans off to rough start etiquette-wise at Sun Bowl

As part of Sun Bowl game activities in El Paso, Texas, USC and Georgia Tech are scheduled to visit Ft. Bliss on Thursday afternoon.

The question: Will the Trojans be on time?

They should be to help counter the perception they are lacking in social graces.

On Wednesday night, the Trojans arrived about an hour late for a dinner that was to involve both teams and bowl officials. Georgia Tech Coach Paul Johnson and his team were leaving as the Trojans arrived.

A USC athletic department spokesman said the Trojans’ tardiness was because of their late arrival at the airport, which pushed back the start of practice and its return to the team hotel before departing for the dinner. The spokesman said USC apprised bowl officials of its delays.

Nevertheless, it seems probable that Johnson and his staff will use the perceived slight as motivation.

The Trojans were already trying to put other missteps behind them.

USC linebacker Tony Burnett tweeted remarks about El Paso this month, including “no one wants to be there New Year’s Eve.”

Burnett and Coach Lane Kiffin later apologized for the remarks.

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams also tweeted a negative comment about El Paso on Wednesday. Williams removed the comment from his feed and apologized.

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