Bowl Sounds Sweet to Simmons

Of the Trojans who are excited about the program’s first bowl berth in three years, few are as appreciative as cornerback Antuan Simmons.

About a year and a half ago, Simmons was near death after having cancerous tumors removed from his abdomen. Once an All-American candidate, he redshirted last season and had to battle back to a starting position. Simmons’ comeback came full circle in the 27-0 victory over UCLA when he returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown.

“It means a lot to end your career knowing that you’ll be able to go to a bowl game,” he said. “UCLA could have been our last game, at least for the seniors.

“It’s been worth it. There was a lot of hard work along the way.”

Simmons said he was particularly happy for Coach Pete Carroll, who has the Trojans in a bowl game in his first season.

“It’s great for Coach Carroll,” he said. “He cares about his players. He gives a damn about us.”

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Left guard Norm Katnik will undergo an MRI exam on his right knee this morning after twisting it on the final play of practice Friday night. For a moment, Katnik feared that he had torn a ligament but later learned that it was sprained.

“It feels a little tight, but I’m feeling a lot better,” he said. “I was very scared. But the brace pops a lot, and that made the sound that I heard. I thought it’d be worse than it is.”

Katnik said the swelling has gone down, and Carroll said the guard would probably be ready to resume practicing this week.

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Carroll said he wasn’t surprised when he heard of Bob Davie’s firing at Notre Dame. “There have been rumors for a long time that they’d make the move,” he said. “It’s unfortunate for him and his staff that this had to happen. It just comes with the territory.”