Woods: USC's title dreams undone by penalties

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Southern California's national championship dreams are dead, and Robert Woods believes it's because the Trojans have too much pride. Stick

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Southern California's national championship dreams are dead, and Robert Woods believes it's because the Trojans have too much pride.

Stick with him here: The All-American receiver says pride and team togetherness are why 18th-ranked USC leads the nation in penalties.

When the Trojans (6-2, 4-2 Pac-12) spent too much of their time sticking up for their teammates with late hits and other shenanigans, they commit penalties - 82 of them, in fact.

Woods' teammates have their own theories about this surprising lack of discipline from a team that had no significant penalty predilections last year.

Coach Lane Kiffin can't believe he's still talking about the problem two-thirds of the way through the Trojans' season, but it hasn't gone away. USC committed 13 penalties for 117 yards last weekend at Arizona.