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Halle-freakin-lujah.
Finally, for the first time since the inception of this web site, the Football Bruins have actually "BEAT SC." Consider the curse lifted, as the Bruins have finally extinguished the trojans' 7-year Reign of Terror.
We are among the many who didn't think this was possible. It was possible, but it wasn't easy. It went down to the final play, where a wild Hail Mary got batted around and could have been snagged by a trojan for a game-winning dash to the end zone.
And a minute earlier, the trojans were driving for the game-winning score when Linebacker Eric McNeal tipped and Intercepted a John David Booty pass in the Red Zone to put the Bruins in control.
So the trojans COULD have won, but they didn't. And it wasn't a fluke. The Bruins were more physical throughout, give or take a couple of hits on Bruins that were running out of bounds. The Bruins were also more fired up. You could see it right from the start of the game, despite the Bruins starting with a three-and-out.
The Offense never really got in rhythm, except for a long drive in the 1st quarter where QB Pat Cowan did most of the damage on the ground. Cowan did an amazing job of scrambling and avoiding pressure, and also dived in for the Bruins' only TD. He threw a few bad passes, but for the most part, kept it away from the trojan defenders. He made no huge mistakes that would come back to bite him. And he led the team in Rushing with 55 yards, while Chris Markey got 51. A couple of huge Cowan scrambles were the difference in the game, and it makes Karl Dorrell look pretty good for sticking with Cowan BECAUSE of his mobility.
Cowan was aided by the great hands of Marcus Everett, who made several key plays, but it was the Bruin Defense that gets the Game Ball.
Besides Eric McNeal's game-saving play, the Bruin Defense controlled the Line of Scrimmage all night, holding sc to 55 yards Rushing and NO points in the Second Half.
Because of a Safety (on a Bruin Holding penalty in the end zone), the trojans led 9-7 at Halftime. But the Bruins pressured Booty into several mistakes in the Second Half, shutting sc out after Intermission, thus snapping sc's National Record of 63 straight games scoring at least 20 points.
With this stunning loss, sc is knocked out of the BCS Title Game, while either Michigan or Florida gets to squeeze in, in the trojans' place.
Who could have predicted that Karl would outcoach Carroll? But he did, with the help of a brilliant Defensive scheme by Defensive Coordinator DeWayne Walker, who used to work with Pom Pom Pete. Obviously, he was paying attention to Petey's tendencies, because the Bruins were always one step ahead of the trojan Offense.
Bruce Davis and Justin Hickman kept Booty constantly moving out of his comfort zone, and Reggie Carter also made life tough on Booty. Booty was getting spanked on almost every passing play, while sc averaged less than 2 yards a carry as a team.
The Bruins blitzed at the right times, and got pressure from their 4-man rush as well, and they gave up only one really long-yardage play. They also stuffed sc on two different 4th down tries. Yes, it was a little of the Pete Carroll arrogance that led to the Fall of troy. Hopefully, this choke won't stop him from jumping to the NFL and the Arizona Cardinals next season.
Now if you want a good laugh, grab a copy of the latest Sports Illustrated, which has a nice breakdown of the Ohio State - USC BCS Title game.
And if you want a good smile, check out the 22 CAPTIONED photos below, and watch for more, for a long time to come.
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