Stepping Stone
At the risk ofkilling the exhilarating, even therapeutic, buzz that USC generated for itselfwith a 32--18 Rose Bowl victory over Michigan on Monday, could there have beenanyone in the Trojans' cardinal and gold who didn't find himself consideringwhat might have been? As giddy as they were over dismantling the Wolverines,the Trojans and their fans might also have been wondering if movie producer andUSC alum George Lucas, the grand marshal of the Tournament of Roses parade,could create some of his cinematic magic and allow the Trojans to travel backin time, to their emotionally scarring 13--9 loss to UCLA early last month onthe very same field.
As they exchangedtheir helmets for Rose Bowl championship caps in the cool of the Pasadenaevening, the USC players had to know that if they had produced against UCLAeven a fraction of the all-around excellence with which they overpoweredMichigan, they would be preparing to play for an even greater title this Mondaynight in the BCS championship game. "It's disappointing because we know wecan play with anybody," said coach Pete Carroll, "but at the same time,winning the Rose Bowl is a very satisfying feeling."
It had to be abit maddening as well. Where had the Trojans who showed up on New Year's Daybeen during an underwhelming 10--2 regular season? Where was this calm,confident John David Booty, the USC quarterback who threw for 289 yards andfour touchdowns in the second half against Michigan? Where was this maraudingTrojans pass rush, which hounded Michigan quarterback Chad Henne relentlesslyand sacked him six times (21/2 by blitzing linebacker Brian Cushing, thedefensive MVP of the game)? "Oh, man, I'm going to ask myself that question100 times," said USC center Ryan Kalil, "but it doesn't do you anygood."
The Trojans muchpreferred to concentrate on their performance against the Wolverines, which wassolid, efficient and, in the case of junior wideout Dwayne Jarrett, downrightspectacular. Jarrett, voted the offensive MVP of the game, caught 11 passes for205 yards and two touchdowns, the second score coming on a 62-yard pass playthat essentially snuffed out Michigan's hopes for a comeback after theWolverines had cut the USC lead to 19--11 early in the fourth quarter. Jarretttwisted defensive backs into pretzels with double moves, making them look likecollege kids covering an NFL receiver, which he will very soon be. "Greatplayers make big plays in big games," said Booty, "and Dwayne's a greatplayer."
While the Trojansfelt a sense of redemption with the victory, the loss deepened the wound theWolverines (11--2) suffered in their 42--39 loss to No. 1 Ohio State in theirregular-season finale. The two schools used the long layoff after thedevastating ends to their regular seasons to do some emotional repair work. USCwas particularly humbled by the way UCLA had shredded what had been a stellaroffensive line, putting constant pressure on Booty and so thoroughly rattlinghis protectors that the Trojans were flagged for five false-start penalties.Three of those calls went against senior tackle Kyle Williams, who was socrushed by his mistakes--and the criticism he received from bloggers andfans--that he abruptly left the team for a day.
At the time, theteam said his absence was for "personal issues." After the Rose Bowl,Williams said, "It was a Kyle day. I took some Kyle time." Although hesays he never planned to quit the squad permanently, it did take Williams'sfather and friends and the USC coaching staff to help persuade him to end hisleave after one day. Carroll gave him the book The Inner Game of Tennis andurged him to read the parts that dealt with handling the stress of competition.The Rose Bowl victory, in which Williams worked to keep Michigan's All-Americadefensive end LaMarr Woodley away from Booty, helped Williams forget about hisperformance against the Bruins. "I could probably replay the UCLA game inmy mind until I'm 80, but I'm not going to do that," he said. "I'm justgoing to think about this one."
The Wolverines'collective psyche was just as fragile in the wake of their Ohio State loss. Itwasn't just that the defeat had cost them a spot in the national championshipgame; the Buckeyes had also made them question their identity as a dominantdefensive team by rolling up 42 points and 503 yards, more than doubleMichigan's average yards allowed over the first 11 games (231.5). SomeWolverines watched the Ohio State game tape repeatedly, looking for flaws to becorrected, while others took the opposite approach. "I watched itonce," says linebacker David Harris. "Any more than that would havebeen too painful."
The Rose Bowlwasn't only a test of which team could more effectively deal with its recentpast, it served as an indicator of which has the more promising future.Michigan and USC will be among the favorites for next season's title. "It'sprobably the biggest bowl game for next year, and everyone knows that,"said Wolverines running back Mike Hart. Several of Michigan's key juniors haveindicated they plan to return for their senior seasons, including Hart, Henneand tackle Jake Long. Sophomore receiver Mario Manningham will be back aswell.
For the Trojans,although Jarrett is expected to turn pro, Booty and All-America tackle SamBaker have said they plan to return for their senior years, meaning USC couldhave seven starters back on offense and 10 on defense. Their Rose Bowl victorymight just propel the Trojans to the preseason No. 1 ranking for 2007. "Itold the guys that next season began tonight," said Carroll. In otherwords, Trojans, forget about what might have been and think about what couldbe.
EXTRA
BCS Busters
Behind the scenes with Boise State before and afterthe Broncos' upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
ONLY AT SI.COM
Playing to Perfection
Boise State's shocking win over Oklahoma in the Fiestacapped a wild first two weeks of bowl play
THE ROSE BOWL was the most anticipated of thepostseason games leading up to this Monday's national championship showdown,but it wasn't even the best game played on New Year's Day. That honor belongedto the Fiesta Bowl, where Boise State (13--0) guaranteed there would be atleast one unbeaten team this season with a shocking 43--42 overtime defeat ofOklahoma. The Sooners had rallied from a 28--10 third-quarter deficit to tiethe game at 28 with 1:26 left, then appeared to have won it on the next playfrom scrimmage when cornerback Marcus Walker intercepted a Jared Zabransky passand returned it for a touchdown. But the Broncos scored on a 50-yardhook-and-ladder play on fourth-and-18 with seven seconds left. In overtimeOklahoma scored and kicked the extra point to go ahead 42--35, only to haveBoise answer with a pass from wideout Vinny Perretta to tight end DerekSchouman on fourth-and-two plus Ian Johnson's two-point conversion run on aStatue of Liberty play. Here are the highs and the lows from the other 25 bowlgames played through Jan. 1, along with a projection of who'll be on therise·and who's due for a drop-off‚in 2007.
Best and Worst
Best Comeback At halftime of the Insight Bowl, TexasTech coach Mike Leach told his players that they had a chance to make history.Then the Red Raiders did just that. Texas Tech·staged the biggest rally in bowlhistory, overcoming a 38--7 deficit in less than 20 minutes to tieMinnesota‚before winning 44--41 in overtime. Red Raiders quarterback GrahamHarrell (above) threw for 445 yards, 275 after halftime. Two days later Gopherscoach Glen Mason was fired.
Worst Timing Missouri·called timeout to challenge anOregon State touchdown with 22 seconds left in the Sun Bowl. Beavers coach MikeRiley was ready to kick the game-tying extra point, but given the additionaltime to think about it, he decided to go for two. Yvenson Bernard burrowedacross the goal line, giving Oregon State‚a 39--38 victory.
Best Early 2007 Heisman Statement Colt Brennan threwfor 389 yards and five touchdowns in the second half and set the Division I-Arecord for TD passes in a season (58) as Hawaii·beat Arizona State‚41--24 inthe Hawaii Bowl.
Worst Listener Coach Jeff Tedford wanted him to take aknee, but third-string QB Steve Levy handed the ball to running back BryanSchutte for a late three-yard touchdown as Cal·whipped Texas A&M‚45--10 inthe Holiday Bowl. Tedford said Levy "had explicit instructions to kneel,but he kind of gave in to the pressure of the huddle."
Best (and Worst) Gamble Some players from Alabama‚werespotted at a Bossier City, La., casino in the days leading up to theIndependence Bowl, but coach Mike Gundy made such establishments off limits toplayers at Oklahoma State·. The Cowboys beat the Crimson Tide 34--31.
Worst End to a Spectacular Friday On a day thatproduced nail-biting finishes in the Insight, Liberty, Music City and Sunbowls, Maryland‚ controlled the ball for almost 40 minutes in a ho-hum 24--7win over Purdue· in the Champ Sports Bowl.
Senior Moments
•Do-it-all safety Eric Weddle (below) led Utah‚Äöto a25--13 victory over Tulsa¬∑in the Armed Services Bowl, finishing with sixtackles, a forced fumble, 56 yards rushing, a touchdown and an interception onthe game's final play.
•Big-play linebacker Chuck Taylor intercepted twopasses in the second half as Georgia¬∑rallied from an 18-point halftime deficitto beat Virginia Tech¬∑31--24 in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Taylor's first pickoffset up the tying score; the second, which he returned to the Hokies' one-yardline, led to a touchdown that put the Bulldogs up by 10.
•Tailback Tony Hunt ran for 158 yards on 31 carries asPenn State¬∑ beat Tennessee¬∑(20--10) in the Outback Bowl. Hunt finished hiscareer as the third-leading rusher in the history of the program.
Coaches' Corner
•In his last game as offensive coordinator at FloridaState¬∑, embattled Jeff Bowden sparked the Seminoles' 44--27 win over UCLA¬∑inthe Emerald Bowl with a fourth-quarter fourth-and-nine call that resulted in a30-yard TD pass from Drew Weatherford to wideout Greg Carr.
•Coaching in his final game at Miami‚Äö, Larry Cokerreportedly cried in the locker room before the MPC Computers Bowl. TheHurricanes sent their fired coach out a winner with a 21--20 victory overNevada‚Äö, avoiding their first losing season since 1997.
•Bret Bielema, the 36-year-old coach at Wisconsin¬∑,capped his first season with a school-record 12th victory, a 17--14 win overArkansas¬∑in the Capital One Bowl.
•Can there be any consolation in a 38--8 whipping?Former BYU coach Gary Crowton, now the offensive coordinator at Oregon‚Äö,recruited many of the players for a Cougars team that won its 10th straightgame, crushing the Ducks in the Las Vegas Bowl. BYU¬∑got all the incentive itneeded when, at a press conference during the week before the game, Oregoncoach Mike Bellotti said the Cougars "couldn't compete with the mid-levelteams in the Pac-10."
Young Guns
•Colt McCoy threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns asTexas¬∑beat Iowa‚Äö26--24 in the Alamo Bowl. McCoy tied the Division I-A recordfor touchdown passes by a freshman, with 29.
•Playing most of the game without star running backSteve Slaton, sophomore quarterback Pat White ran for 147 yards and twotouchdowns and threw for two more scores as West Virginia¬∑rallied to edgeGeorgia Tech‚Äö38--35 in the Gator Bowl.
•Freshman quarterback Dan LeFevour accounted for 231yards and two touchdowns as Central Michigan¬∑beat Middle Tennessee State¬∑31--14in the Motor City Bowl.
Turnarounds
•Playing before more than 40,000 of its fans,Kentucky¬∑ upset Clemson¬∑28--20 in the Music City Bowl. Wildcats coach RichBrooks, whose job was rumored to be in jeopardy at midseason, led Kentucky toits first bowl victory since 1984 and its first eight-win season in 29years.
•Boston College‚Äöextended the longest active bowlwinning streak to seven games with a 25--24 victory over Navy¬∑in the MeinekeCar Care Bowl. The Eagles were down by two and out of timeouts when theMidshipmen fumbled on an option play at their own 40 with 1:43 left. Six playslater Steve Aponavicius (above) kicked a career-long 37-yard field goal for thewin.
•Continuing his stellar play after a midseasonbenching, Blake Mitchell threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns as SouthCarolina¬∑beat Houston‚Äö44--36 in the Liberty Bowl. In 18 quarters afterregaining his job, Mitchell completed 69% of his passes for 1,469 yards and 10TDs.
Two Cases for the Defense
•TCU¬∑held the nation's leading rusher, Garrett Wolfeof Northern Illinois‚Äö, to 28 yards on 20 carries in a 37--7 rout in thePoinsettia Bowl. The Horned Frogs have nine starters back on defense nextseason.
•After allowing touchdown drives of 80 and 73 yards ontwo of the four opening possessions, Auburn¬∑limited Nebraska¬∑to 64 yards on theHuskers' last eight series and held on for a 17--14 win in the Cotton Bowl.
First-timers
•Ray Rice (above) ran for 170 yards and a touchdown asRutgers¬∑ routed Kansas State¬∑37--10 in the inaugural Texas Bowl. It was thefirst bowl victory in the 137-year history of the Scarlet Knights' program.
•In the New Orleans Bowl, Troy¬∑earned its first bowlwin, 41--17, over a team from Rice¬∑that made its first postseason appearancesince 1961.
•South Florida¬∑got its first bowl victory, 24--7, overEast Carolina¬∑in the Papajohns.com Bowl. The Bulls were five for five on fourthdowns; the conversions set up 17 points.
•In the first bowl game played in the Land ofEnchantment, San Jose State¬∑beat New Mexico‚Äö20--12 in the New Mexico Bowl. TheSpartans (9--4) eclipsed their win total for the previous three yearscombined.
PHOTO
Photograph by Peter Read Miller
A CUT ABOVE The Wolverines had no defense for Jarrett, who hauled in 11 passesfor 205 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
TWO PHOTOS
NICK DOAN/ICON SMI (HARRELL); L. SCOTT WAMBSGANSS/WIREIMAGE.COM (WEDDLE)
TWO PHOTOS
CHUCK BURTON/AP (APONAVICIUS); DAVE EINSEL/AP (RICE)