By Bud L. Ellis
It may not be where Southern Cal is accustomed to finishing its season, but at least it’s not a long trip from home.
USC, coming off an 8-4 season in which the Trojans dropped three of its final five games, will make the trip north to San Francisco to face Boston College in the Emerald Bowl, Dec. 26 at AT&T Park.
For the Trojans, the matchup is a chance to end a rocky season for one of college football’s preeminent programs with momentum to carry into 2010. USC had qualified for BCS bowl games in seven consecutive seasons and looked poised to extend that streak, bolting to a 6-1 start before stumbling down the stretch.
But with more than two weeks before the game, the Trojans can use the extra practice time to work out the kinks from late in the season. Younger players such as freshman quarterback Matt Barkley figure to benefit from the extra practice time.
The Trojans face a Boston College team that also is 8-4. The Eagles are making their 11th consecutive bowl game appearance, and have played in the Emerald Bowl before, downing Colorado State 35-21 in 2003.
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Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 9:43 pm by bud
Tags: AT&T Park, Boston College, Colorado State, Emerald Bowl, Matt Barkley, USC
The USC Trojans (8-4) will still play in a bowl game this year after a massively disappointing season (by their standards)… but for the first time in eight years, the Trojans will not be playing in a BCS bowl, as they will face Boston College (8-4) in the Emerald Bowl on Dec. 26.
“We’re disappointed with the way we played the last half of this season, so the Emerald Bowl gives us a chance to finish the year on a positive note,” coach Pete Carroll said. “We’ll work hard to send our seniors out in the fashion they deserve. And it’ll give our younger players some extra practice time that will pay off in the future.’
The Trojans, who were a national powerhouse for most of the decade, won more Heisman Trophies, national championships, and Pac-10 championships than ever thought possible in that short amount of time.
But the Trojans couldn’t ever get the magic going this year after losing QB Mark Sanchez to the NFL Draft last season.
With Carroll taking his good old time to decide on a quarterback between Aaron Corp and Matt Barkley, the Trojans still managed to embrace their undefeatable mystique for the first half of the season, notching an 18-15 win in Week 2 against then-No. 8 Ohio State, and back-to-back wins over ranked California and Notre Dame three weeks later.
But the wheels came off for this USC team soon thereafter, as a trip to No. 10 Oregon exposed the Trojans’ defense in a way that had never happened during Pete Carroll’s tenure. The Ducks beat up on the Trojans, 47-20, in what was then the worst loss during Carroll’s time as USC coach.
Stanford didn’t make that record last long, as the Cardinal hammered the Trojans 55-21 at home to destroy all notions that USC would challenge for a BCS spot or a chance at the Rose Bowl this year.
Now, the Trojans simply hope to rebound from their latest loss – a 21-17 defeat at the hands of Arizona – to end the year on a positive note, and start looking forward to 2010 not a moment too soon.
The Trojans have never played in the Emerald Bowl before. If they have anything to say about it – this will be their only time in the Emerald Bowl, as they’ll try to find their way back into the BCS conversation next season, assuredly.
at 12:34 am by bryan
