Comparing Super Bowl 49 With 2006 Rose Bowl and More USC Football News

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1st & 10:

Super Heartache… The Seattle Seahawks’ loss in the Super Bowl to the New England Patriots in the final minute was heartbreaking. So was USC’s loss to Texas in the 2006 BCS National Championship game.

The comparisons should end there.

So, of course, that’s exactly the comparison that was made after Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson’s pass at the goal line with the Seahawks in scoring position as time wound down. Instantly, 2nd and 1 was compared to 4th and 2. Two Pete Carroll failures late in a championship game.

Except they’re not the same thing. First of all, 4th and 2 was a choice. The Trojans could have punted, but they elected to go for it. Part of that choice was putting their trust in Lendale White, the bruising short-yardage back. Unfortunately White came up short.

Yes, Heisman-winning tailback Reggie Bush was on the sideline, but it was a short-yardage situation and White was the obvious choice to carry the ball, regardless of the revisionist history that forgets how dominant he was.

The Seahawks weren’t making a choice. They were simply running a play. And that play also involved leaving an outstanding running back out of the picture. Except where running Marshawn Lynch would have been the obvious plan, like it was with White, Seattle opted for the not-obvious choice. They threw the ball and unfortunately, they too came up short.

Ultimately it comes down to this: If you praise “Big Balls” Pete Carroll for his gutsy calls in other areas, then you must accept both plays for what they were. One was a vanilla play-call which didn’t work. The other was risky, but out-of-the-box play-call which also didn’t work.

In Other News…

• It looks like USC is set to hire Oklahoma State’s Bob Connelly to replace Tim Drevno as the offensive line coach. The pick has been described as underwhelming. (Reign of Troy)
• Clancy Pendergast has finally found a new job, reportedly set to take a position with the San Fransisco 49ers. (Reign of Troy)
• USC hosted their Elite Junior Day Saturday and handed out a bunch of new scholarship offers for 2016 in the process. (Reign Of Troy)
• Trojan linebacker target Porter Gustin spent the weekend with Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes, casting doubt on his commitment decision Tuesday. (Reign Of Troy)
• Need a refresher on USC’s scholarship math for 2015 or the NCAA sanctions? Lindsey Thiry has you covered in her latest mailbag. (LA Times)
• Junior Seau was posthumously voted into the NFL Hall of Fame Saturday. (RipsIt Blog)
• O.J. Simpson and Marcus Allen check in at No. 5 and No. 4 respectively in Greg Wallace’s list of best Heisman Trophy winners of all-time. The presence of Johnny Manziel and Cam Newton on the list without Matt Leinart represented is and interesting choice. (Bleacher Report)
• You might have missed it in all the Super Bowl hoopla, but USC basketball hit rock bottom with their 67-39 loss to Utah. (OC Register)
• Caroline Deisley has 3 Points of interest regarding the loss. (RipsIt Blog)
• Jake Davidson also took a look at the Trojans growing pains on the hardwood. (Daily Trojan)

Reign Of Troy Radio:

The latest episode of Reign of Troy Radio zeroes in on recruiting, with host Michael Castillo and Josh Webb of USCFootball.com and Barkboard.com chatting up the Trojan hot board and answering listener questions.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Stat of the Day:

Tom Brady joined Joe Montana as the only three-time Super Bowl MVP winners in NFL history.

Tweets of the Day:

So many we had to cover them all separately.