Fitting encore
Palmer follows up Heisman with Orange Bowl MVP
Posted: Friday January
03, 2003 12:12 AM
Updated: Friday January 03,
2003 2:31 AM
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Carson
Palmer tosses an orange to the USC crowd at Pro Player
Stadium. AP |
MIAMI (AP) -- Carson Palmer has yet another trophy for his
shelf: Orange Bowl MVP.
The Heisman Trophy winner dominated his duel with Heisman
runner-up Brad Banks, throwing for 303 yards and a touchdown to
help No. 5 Southern California beat No. 3 Iowa 38-17 Thursday
night.
Palmer led scoring drives of 79, 80, 99, 85 and 61 yards,
helping the Trojans to a 16-minute advantage in time of
possession. They mounted long touchdown marches on their first
three possessions of the second half to blow open a game that was
10-10 at halftime.
"I knew I'd have a target on my chest coming into this game,"
Palmer said. "Brad Banks was as deserving as any of the
candidates, and because of that I knew they were going to be
coming after me. I think we slowed them down a little bit."
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Days
of Glory |
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The
largest margins of victory in USC's bowl history (26 wins,
15 losses): |
|
Year |
Bowl |
Opponent |
Result |
|
1995 |
Cotton |
Texas Tech |
55-14 |
|
1933 |
Rose |
Pittsburgh |
35-0 |
|
1930 |
Rose |
Pittsburgh |
47-14 |
|
1973 |
Rose |
Ohio
State |
42-17 |
|
1945 |
Rose |
Tennessee |
25-0 |
|
2003 |
Orange |
Iowa |
38-17 |
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Banks was limited to 204 yards passing and failed to lead the
Hawkeyes' normally high-powered offense to the end zone until the
final minute. Their biggest play came when C.J. Jones returned the
opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, an Orange Bowl record.
Southern California (11-2) beat a Top 25 team for the seventh
time this season. USC won its final eight games and snapped a
nine-game winning streak by Iowa (11-2).
"We didn't think it would be this easy," said Mike Williams,
who caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Palmer. "After the
kickoff, they didn't do anything."
The Trojans outscored UCLA, Notre Dame and Iowa 134-51 over
their final three games, a showing that might be impressive enough
to vault them to second in the final rankings behind the Fiesta
Bowl winner between No. 1 Miami and No. 2 Ohio State. That would
be USC's highest finish since 1979.
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Senator on the sidelines |
MIAMI (AP) -- Florida Sen. Bob Graham donned an
orange-and-white vest and long white socks with black
stripes Thursday night as he worked with the chain crew at
the Orange Bowl.
Graham, who is considering a bid for the Democratic
nomination for president, carried the down and distance
markers and helped
measure first downs during the game between Iowa and
Southern California.
The former Florida governor has spent one day a month
during the past 27 years working different jobs, including
firefighter,
counterterrorism agent, chicken plucker and garbage
hauler. This is his 386th work day.
Graham, 66, said he felt physically fit enough to complete
his duty and expected a competitive game.
"Sports, and definitely football, is a big part of
Florida," Graham said. "You have to be totally impartial
and be fair to everyone as a referee. In politics, you can
be partial." |
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"We're playing terrific football right now," coach Pete Carroll
said. "We'd like to just keep on going."
Palmer completed 21 of 31 passes, feasting on a defense that
ranked last in the Big Ten against the pass. His 65-yard bomb to
Kareem Kelly set up Southern Cal's first score, but mostly Palmer
made short throws to keep drives alive.
"He was the better quarterback tonight," Kelly said. "The
Heisman showed up."
Banks, a Florida native who had dozens of relatives watching
from the stands, went 15-for-36 and threw his first interception
since Oct. 19.
"It was just a great ballclub we faced tonight," he said. "They
had a great game."
Iowa's muscle was a concern for Southern California coming into
the game, but instead the fleet Trojans wore down the Hawkeyes.
USC gained 363 yards in the second half to finish with 550.
"They weren't used to our speed," Kelly said. "We're a
second-half team, and we came out with a lot of fire."
The matchup was dubbed the Rose Bowl of the East because
Pasadena is the more traditional postseason reward for both teams,
but USC thrived in the unfamiliar setting. Justin Fargas rushed
for 122 yards, including touchdowns of 4 and 50 yards. Williams
caught six passes for 99 yards, including his 14th touchdown
reception of the season to tie an NCAA freshman record.
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Fargas shines in final game |
MIAMI (AP) -- Huggy Bear's son was a star in his own right
Thursday night.
Southern California tailback Justin Fargas, whose father,
Antonio, played that character on the Starsky and Hutch
TV show in the 1970s, provided a perfect ending to his
college football career.
Bowling over tacklers at times and dodging and darting
past them at others, Fargas rushed for 122 yards and two
touchdowns in the
No. 5 Trojans' 38-17 Orange Bowl victory over No. 3 Iowa.
His star turn came against a proud Hawkeyes' defense that
had given up an average of just 68.2 yards rushing a game
this season,
second fewest in the nation.
Fargas carried 20 times in the Trojans' well-balanced
attack, and scored on runs of 4 and 50 yards.
Seen as the Trojans' future tailback and Heisman contender
in the late 1990s, Fargas had some things go awry earlier
in his career.
Regarded as one of the nation's most promising runners
when he came out of high school in the Los Angeles suburb
of Sherman Oaks
in 1998, Fargas already had promised USC coach John
Robinson he would play for the Trojans.
But when Robinson was fired after the 1997 season and
replaced by Paul Hackett, Fargas decided to instead go to
Michigan.
After three mostly disappointing years -- which included a
seriously fractured leg -- with the Wolverines, he
transferred to
USC to play for Pete Carroll, who had replaced Hackett.
Fargas had to miss one year, serving on the Trojans' scout
team, to become eligible for his senior season.
He had shown promise as a freshman at Michigan, but he
broke his lower right leg in the 11th game. He redshirted
the next season
while recovering from three operations to repair the
broken leg. |
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After Jones scored on the opening kickoff, more than 40,000
Iowa fans in attendance had little to cheer about.
"USC is a great team with a lot of speed, and that's something
we didn't handle too well," Iowa receiver Maurice Brown said.
While Iowa fans sat mostly silent, such former Trojans stars as
Keyshawn Johnson, Tony Boselli and Rodney Peete rooted from their
team's sideline. There were no sightings of O.J. Simpson, who
lives in Miami and showed up at a USC practice last week.
The Hawkeyes were hurt by 13 penalties, two turnovers and
several missed opportunities. In the first half they had
first-and-goal at the 2 and at the 1, but they came away with only
three points from the two possessions.
A sack by Matt Grootegoed stymied the first threat, and Iowa
settled for a 35-yard field goal by Nate Kaeding.
The Hawkeyes earned a first down at the 1 with 10 seconds left
in the half, but after Banks overthrew Brown in the end zone, they
sent in the field goal team. Consecutive false-start penalties
pushed the ball to the 11, and Bernard Riley then blocked
Kaeding's 29-yard attempt, ending the half with the score tied.
"That was tough, coming down there and not putting up any
points," Banks said. "That was something we really needed."
Iowa never recovered from that deflating sequence. USC took the
lead for good by driving 80 yards on the first possession of the
second half and scoring on Williams' acrobatic catch.
A punt then pinned the Trojans at their 1, and on third down a
scrambling Palmer was stopped short of a first down. But Bob
Sanders was flagged for a late hit, sustaining a drive that ended
with Fargas' long touchdown sprint.
Another Iowa punt was followed by another USC score, Sultan
McCullough's 4-yard run.
"We got better as the game when on," Carroll said. "It was
really pleasing."
Playing for the first time since Nov. 16, the Hawkeyes still
managed a quick start. Jones took the opening kickoff at the goal
line, broke into the clear thanks to a block by Jermelle Lewis and
scored untouched.
The Trojans quickly came back. Palmer's first pass was negated
by a penalty. His second was the long strike to Kelly, setting up
Fargas' 4-yard touchdown run.
USC spent much of the second quarter in Iowa territory but
couldn't score until the final 72 seconds, when Ryan Killeen
kicked a 35-yard field goal after Lewis lost a fumble at midfield.
Copyright 2003
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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