SPORTS> North America
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SPORTS> North America
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USC in full bloom in Rose Bowl triumph
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-01-04 09:32 PASADENA, California: Southern California scored on five consecutive possessions in the first half to set up a 38-24 win over Pennsylvania State in college football's Rose Bowl on Thursday. Trojans quarterback Mark Sanchez passed for 413 yards and four touchdowns and USC dominated on defense. USC scored four touchdowns and a field goal on consecutive first-half possessions for a 31-7 halftime lead against a team that had allowed only 12.4 points per game during the regular season. Out of the mix for the national championship - Florida and Oklahoma will play the decider next week - the Trojans could only wonder what might have been had they not lost at Oregon State in September. "With all due respect, those are two great programs, I don't think anybody can beat the Trojans," USC coach Pete Carroll said. Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech 20 Cincinnati 7 In Miami, Virginia Tech downed Cincinatti in the Orange Bowl to join Southern California and Texas as the only schools to win 10 games in each of the past five seasons. Darren Evans had 28 carries for 153 yards and a touchdown and Tyrod Taylor rushed for a score for the Hokies, who forced Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike into a season-high four interceptions. Pike threw for 239 yards and a touchdown, but had his night marred by the pick-offs and getting stopped on a fourth-and-goal in the fourth quarter. Virginia Tech became the first Atlantic Coast Conference team to win a bowl game since Florida State beat them for the 1999 national championship. Capital One Bowl: Georgia 24 Michigan State 12 In Orlando, Florida, Matthew Stafford threw three touchdown passes in the second half to lead the Bulldogs over Michigan State. Stafford was just 6-for-14 and an interception in the first half. After that, he looked more like the quarterback that NFL teams covet in going 14-for-17 and the three scores in a span of 18 minutes. Stafford was picked as the game's MVP, completing his performance by showing a nice touch in threading a 21-yard TD pass late in the fourth quarter. Stafford set a single-season school record with 25 touchdown passes. Outback Bowl: Iowa 31 South Carolina 10 In Tampa, Florida, tailback Shonn Greene rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Hawkeyes trounce South Carolina. Greene, who sat out the 2007 season because of academic problems, ran for more than 100 yards in all 13 of Iowa's games and scored in all but one. He finished with school single-season records of 1,850 rushing yards and 20 TDs. He said after this game he will pass up his senior season and enter the NFL draft. Iowa won for the sixth time in seven games while South Carolina lost its last three while being outscored 118-30. Gator Bowl: Nebraska 26 Clemson 21 In Jacksonville, Florida, Joe Ganz threw for two touchdowns, Alex Henery kicked four field goals and Nebraska beat Clemson. Nebraska ended the season with a four-game winning streak and had success in a January bowl game for the first time in nine years. It capped quite a turnaround for the Cornhuskers, who missed the postseason in 2007. Agencies |
