Some Final Rose Bowl Notes

As reported yesterday, versatile USC fullback Stanley Havili is academically ineligible for tomorrow’s game. Will it make a difference?

Only in game planning, not in the final outcome.

Havili, who has played injured quite a bit this year, has been missing from the lineup for long stints during games. In many of those instances, outgoing offensive coordinator, Steve Sarkisian, has had to make adjustments on the fly.

For this year’s Rose Bowl, Sarkisian has had an entire week to make those adjustments and has reliable replacements to count on. Rhett Ellison, a dependable tight end with good hands and excellent blocking skills, has filled in for Havili along with true freshman, D. J. Shoemate, who converted over to fullback from defensive back, and Havili’s regular backup, Adam Goodman, who has been injured, himself, this season.

There is little that Sarkisian can’t do effectively between those three that he could do with Havili.

The other day I mentioned that running back Stafon Johnson and wide receiver Damian Williams both looked as though they were 100 percent. That was certainly good news. Well, today Williams had even better news. He said that he would definitely be back in the Cardinal and Gold next season.

Now, let’s finally lay something to rest: the supposition that in the last two Rose Bowls USC did not play the best team from the Big Ten.

That is a supposition that Penn State fans seem to be hanging their hopes on.

Two years ago, Ohio State battled Michigan up and down the field at the end of the season. The game could have gone either way but wound up going to the Buckeyes.

The way that Florida manhandled Ohio State in the title game and the way USC took it to Michigan in the Rose Bowl showed that there was very little separation between the two Big Ten teams.

Last year, if you remember, Illinois actually beat Ohio State late in the season, proving they were the better team. Again the subsequent bowl results showed that Ohio State certainly was no better than Illinois.

Of course, this does not mean that USC will have the same result with Penn State as it did with Michigan and Illinois. What it does mean is this. Pete Carroll always prepares his team to play at their best, to compete at their highest level regardless of the opponent.

Okay, sometimes they fall short and have an occasional poor game like they did against Stanford last year or an occasional poor half like they did against Oregon State this season.

But for Penn State fans to think like Bob Flounders of the Harrisburgh Patriot News that USC will only bring its B-game tomorrow is absolutely ridiculous.

The Trojans are as ready to play on both sides of the ball as I have seen them all year. If Penn State wins, it won’t be because USC didn’t come prepared and ready to play with their A-game.

Pete Carroll has not been preparing this team for the past month to play Michigan or Illinois. If anything that Carroll doesn’t let his teams do, it is to look back. That goes for wins as well as losses.

For the past seven years under Carroll, USC has only prepared for and played one game – their next one.

Speaking of preparing for games, Mike Riley didn’t do a very good job of it in the Sun Bowl. Even without the Brothers Rodgers, his Beavers left at least 14 points on the field. Still, the Beavers beat Pittsburgh 3-0 in what had to be the most incompetently coached offenses so far this bowl season.

Anyway, the Oregon State victory makes the Pac-10 a perfect 4-0 in post season games. If USC wins tomorrow, the Pac-10 will have won all of its bowl matchups. Quite an accomplishment for a conference considered “soft” by many.