Other Bowls Are Thorny

The numbers “7-5” are painted large and white on the grass at the entrance to the USC practice field, a reminder of what the Trojans’ record will be if they defeat Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl.

This is a football program with a proud history in the postseason, an unmatched 20 victories in the Rose Bowl. Only Alabama has more bowl wins overall.

Yet, for all their success in Pasadena on New Year’s Day, the Trojans are a mediocre 5-6 when they venture to less glamorous games farther from home. USC coaches have seen their careers end with lackluster performances in the Florida Citrus and Freedom bowls.

Most recently, the Trojans appeared uninterested and unprepared when they lost to 16-point underdog Texas Christian at the 1998 Sun Bowl.

“We weren’t too fired up about playing TCU in El Paso,” quarterback Carson Palmer says. “Nobody really wanted to go.”

This time around, the mood is noticeably improved.

Las Vegas is a sexier destination than West Texas. Equally important, the team is on a four-game winning streak and eager to keep a good thing going. As Palmer says, “it’s great to play another game.”

Coach Pete Carroll, for his part, says past bowl disappointments have nothing to do with his first-year staff and its plans to rebuild the program.

“This is an important game for us,” he said. “I’m just thinking about how good it’s going to be.”

If the Trojans are to win, however, they must buck a trend.

Their postseason history beyond the Rose Bowl started well enough with a 1924 victory over Missouri in the long-defunct Christmas Festival. But for many years, USC played under conference rules that sent the regular-season winner to the Rose Bowl and everyone else home. This all-or-nothing policy remained in effect until 1975.

At that point, the late John McKay was in his final season and his team, after starting strong, finished with four losses.

The legendary coach reflected his program’s attitude: Each season began with visions of another Rose Bowl and anything else seemed a disappointment. McKay initially wanted to stay home, but USC accepted an invitation to the Liberty Bowl and defeated Texas A&M;, 20-0.

The Trojans’ problems in lesser bowls began soon after. First came a loss to Penn State in the 1982 Fiesta Bowl, then another to Alabama in the 1985 Aloha Bowl. In 1987, an invitation to the Florida Citrus Bowl was such a letdown that the coach, Ted Tollner, was fired before his team reached the game.

“I tell them they’re here to play the best damn game they can play and not be caught up in my particular situation,” Tollner said beforehand. “Whether that works or not I don’t know.”

It did not--USC lost, 16-7, to a talented Auburn team. But if these defeats were disappointing, they were nothing compared to what came next.

At the 1990 John Hancock Bowl, Coach Larry Smith and quarterback Todd Marinovich got into a nationally televised shouting match on the sideline as USC lost to Michigan State.

Two seasons later, Smith was forced to resign after the Trojans were upset by unranked Fresno State in the Freedom Bowl at Anaheim Stadium, a loss the late Times columnist Jim Murray likened to the U.S. Marines being repelled by Grenada.

“It’s an ignominy they might never live down,” Murray wrote. “What was USC doing in a Freedom Bowl to begin with?”

Certainly there are fond memories from other bowl games, such as quarterback Rob Hertel throwing four touchdown passes in a wild 47-28 victory over Texas A&M; at the 1977 Bluebonnet Bowl. And Keyshawn Johnson catching eight passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns in a 55-14 drubbing of Texas Tech at the 1995 Cotton Bowl.

The Trojans also had another trip to the Freedom Bowl, in 1993, where they defeated Utah. But for this season’s team, the only bowl memory is the Sun Bowl, and it is not pleasant.

Finishing that season with a victory over Notre Dame, the Trojans hoped to face Kansas State in the Alamo Bowl. Purdue--a team USC had defeated earlier in the season--went to that game instead and, as cornerback Antuan Simmons recalled, “that was pretty disappointing for us.”

The Sun Bowl opponent was TCU, which had not won a postseason game since the late 1950s. The Trojans could not handle the Horned Frogs’ option offense, at least not at first, and fell behind 21-3 by halftime.

The sluggish offense was held to minus-23 yards rushing and USC lost, 28-19.

Three years later, Carroll shakes his head at the mention of that game.

“I wasn’t here,” he says. “Don’t know anything about it.”

His veteran players remember it well. Within hours after defeating UCLA this season and clinching a bowl bid, they talked about the experience to younger teammates. “We brought it up because the seniors know what happened,” tight end Kori Dickerson said.

If nothing else, some players are using the sour memory to motivate them for Christmas Day. They want to improve USC’s postseason record away from the Rose Bowl.

“It was embarrassing to get spanked by TCU on national television,” Simmons said. “We did it once, we’re not going to do it again.”

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Beyond Pasadena

RECORDS

USC in all bowl games: 25-14

In the Rose Bowl: 20-8

In other bowl games: 5-6

*

BOWL BREAKDOWN

1924 Christmas Festival: USC 20, Missouri 7. Among biggest wins in early history of program.

1975 Liberty Bowl: USC 20, Texas A&M; 0. John McKay went reluctantly but got final victory.

1977 Bluebonnet Bowl: USC 47, Texas A&M; 28. Rob Hertel passed for four touchdowns.

1982 Fiesta Bowl: Penn State 26, USC 10. Marcus Allen held to 85 yards and offense shut down.

1985 Aloha Bowl: Alabama 24, USC 3. Trojans fell apart in game tied 3-3 at halftime.

1987 Florida Citrus Bowl: Auburn 16, USC 7. Ted Tollner coached final game as a lame duck.

1990 John Hancock Bowl: Michigan State 17, USC 16. Todd Marinovich and Larry Smith argued on sideline.

1992 Freedom Bowl: Fresno State 24, USC 7. Loss to unranked Bulldogs cost Smith his job.

1993 Freedom Bowl: USC 28, Utah 21. Trojans defeated team they now face in Las Vegas.

1995 Cotton Bowl: USC 55, Texas Tech 14. Keyshawn Johnson had 222 yards and three touchdowns.

1998 Sun Bowl: TCU 28, USC 19. Players say they didn’t want to play this game.

* Alabama holds NCAA record with 28 bowl wins