TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Trojans Take Frustrations Out On Zook, Illini

ADVERTISEMENT

By EDDIE PELLS, The Associated Press

Published: January 2, 2008

PASADENA, Calif. - This would have been a perfect Rose Bowl for the USC Trojans, except for the one thing they couldn't control.

They couldn't pick their opponent.

The sixth-ranked Trojans routed Illinois 49-17 on Tuesday and showed the rest of the country that, yes, maybe they are the best team in college football right now.

Certainly, a better test might have come against Georgia or Virginia Tech, or maybe against Ohio State in the national title game.

But the Rose Bowl wanted a Pac-10-Big Ten matchup, and the BCS title game didn't want sixth-ranked Southern California. So, it wound up being USC-Illinois in the Granddaddy of 'Em All, and the Trojans made the Illini pay.
Freshman tailback Joe McKnight got 170 of USC's Rose Bowl-record 633 yards. The 49 points tied a record, too, and the blowout gave the Trojans 11 wins for an unprecedented sixth straight season.

They have arguably been the country's best team during that span, and might have been the best this season, too. Lacking the playoff that Coach Pete Carroll favors or the trip to the title game he lobbied for, the Trojans (11-2) will have to take this overwhelming display in Pasadena.

"Everything that was out there for us, we took," Carroll said. "The rest of it is up for discussion. But would I love to still be playing right now? Sure would. We'd go out there any time, any place, any venue and throw our football out there and see what we could do."

The game featured 1,078 yards of offense. Despite the margin, things were truly competitive for a brief moment. Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall broke a 79-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter to trim what had been a three-touchdown deficit to 21-10.

Minutes later, Mendenhall scooted 55 yards with a screen pass from Juice Williams, and Ron Zook's 13th-ranked Illini (9-4) were looking as if they might really complete the impossible dream, from 2-19 during the previous two years to Rose Bowl champions.

But two plays later, Kaluka Maiava popped the ball out of receiver Jacob Willis' hands and USC's Brian Cushing won a scramble in the end zone, one of four Illinois turnovers.

"You can't turn the ball over," Zook said. "Whether they were forced or we weren't playing with consistency and the intensity you have to have, I'm not sure."

Moments later came the play of the game, when John David Booty threw a sloppy lateral to McKnight, who didn't catch it, but was able to scoop it up on the bounce and run 65 yards. McKnight was chased down by defensive back Vontae Davis, but four plays later, Booty hit Fred Davis with a 2-yard TD pass. That made it 28-10 and the rout was on.

Booty threw for 255 yards and three scores to set a Rose Bowl record with seven career TDs.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT