Unique Christmas Eve for Players

The holidays took a back-seat to football as USC and Utah spent their Christmas Eve on final preparations for today’s Las Vegas Bowl.

“We’re not in the bah-humbug thing,” USC Coach Pete Carroll said. “But Christmas is going to be a little different this year.”

Both teams had walk-throughs at Sam Boyd Stadium in the afternoon and meetings planned for the evening, so even if players had family in Las Vegas, they had scant free time.

USC cornerback Antuan Simmons found a few minutes to call his 6-year-old daughter, Terisha, in Sacramento.

“She knows this is what I do, this is my life,” he said. “She’s not going to be thinking about me, anyway. She’s got her presents.”

The only player feeling the holiday spirit was Utah safety Arnold Parker, a Las Vegas native whose parents live 15 minutes from the stadium.

“I get the whole shebang,” he said. “I get to play some football, then go straight home and open some presents.”

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USC middle linebacker Mike Pollard attended the team’s walk-through with his injured knee in a brace.

Carroll said Aaron Graham will start in the middle, but Pollard hopes to play at least some of the game.

“He’s getting dressed and we’ll see what he can do,” Carroll said.

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The last time USC and Utah met--in the 1993 Freedom Bowl--the Utes were making their second postseason appearance in almost three decades and, as Coach Ron McBride recalled, “we were in awe.”

It showed as the Trojans scored on their first four possessions for a 28-0 lead. By the time Utah got started, it was too late and USC held on for a 28-21 victory.

Since then, Utah has played in four more bowl games and McBride said USC should not expect an easy start. “We’re a much different program than we were in ‘93,” he said.

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Las Vegas Bowl executives held a Christmas Eve news conference and luncheon, events marked by dull comments from coaches and players not wanting to rile the other team.

But an executive from Sega Sports, the video game manufacturer sponsoring the bowl, wasn’t as shy.

Taking aim at sponsors of other games, chief operating officer Peter Moore commented that Insight.com and Galleryfurniture.com “have nothing to do with the game” and doubted viewers watching their bowls on television would be inspired to “buy memory upgrades or order dinette sets.”