2008 Rose Bowl USC Trojans v. Illinois Fighting Illini. Rey Maualuga brings the wood. Juice Williams gets smashed by the hardest hitting linebacker in college football.
7 years later, and I can say, I'm proud to have been smashed on this play. Haha... Such an honor to play in the 2008 Rose Bowl. Epic season in Illini Football history.
How am I just seeing this comment 3 years later?! Obviously, I'm a Trojans fan but I loved watching you in college. You took that hit and got right back up. Hope life after football has treated you well. You were definitely a gamer and had my respect well before the Rose Bowl.
Mays, Cushing, Maualuga, Griffen, Turner, Havili were all 5 stars AND #1 rated at their position... and depending on which ranking you go by (rivals, scout, espn, etc), you could even add Stafon Johnson, McKnight, and Ronald Johnson to that list too
thank you for posting this, i'm an SC fan from Illinois so if you can imagine the shit i took throughout december, but i just sat back and told them they were dreaming. my favorite part of the game was this sack
Illinois beat Ohio State because of superior team speed. However, SC beat Illinois (badly) because of not just superior team speed, but insanely superior team speed. As noted, OSU has many returners, which means they'll be pretty much the same team. SC is arguably even faster and more talented now then they were in the Rose Bowl. Even though OSU played Florida and LSU, I don't think they have any idea what they're gooing to see in September. USC's speed is unlike any other team's.
USC has the hardest hitting linebacker in the nation and if you happen to get past him in the secondary we have the hardest hitting safety in the nation (Taylor Mays) look him up he's here on youtube also.
History lesson for the SEC. Since 1999: The Pac-10 (head to head) is 11-7 vs the SEC, including 4-2 since 2005. The teams you ask? SEC teams: LSU, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, Bama, Miss State, Ole Miss Pac-10: Oregon Oregon State, ASU, Zona, USC, UCLA, Cal, Wazzu Eat that dose of reality.
Playoff would be great. 8 teams (auto bids for the SEC, Big 12, Big 10, ACC, and Pac 10 champs) and 3 at larges. Or 12 teams with the same auto bids plus one from the Big East, one for the best-of-the-rest of conference champions, and 5 at larges (top 4 seeds - 1st round byes).
Not to mention that in 2004, a Derek Anderson quarterbacked Oregon State team (who finished 8-5) went into (defending BCS Champ) LSU at Tiger Stadium with Nick Saban and lost 23-22 in OT. How? The Oregon State kicker missed THREE PATS, including the one to send it into a 2nd OT. LSU does not make the return tript to Corvallis the next year. Hmmmm........
I really hope the Chargers get him. Sure Wilhelm and Cooper are good, but we need more heat in the linebacking corps of the Chargers defense, especially for someone to get through the lines.
I hope the Lions are smart enough to draft this guy instead of ANOTHER WR. Calvin Johnson is sick, we dont need anymore WR's and none of these QB's comin in seem too convincing of being NFL quality IMO.
I respect Illinois for trying to revive the Big 10 with dynamic spread offense under Ron Zook. It was his guys in Florida that won the NC for Urban Meyer in 06. As an SC man I feel we have now axes to grind with the SEC. Auburn in 03 and a lower tier Arkansas isn't the kind of dominance we should be looking for. How about USC vs. Florida, UGA, LSU, rematch Auburn, and Tennessee who happens to love playing the Pac 10. Plus Big 12 south is a tough division. Fuck ND, the Big 10, and "tradition".
yup its true... whats crazy is they said he cut a few pounds and is faster now... also, lookout for Manti Te'o who will most likely sign with SC, as well as Vontaze Burfict... Tailback U is about to be Linebacker U (sorry Penn St)
agreed! i wish SC could be playing those SEC teams to settle the score once and for all.. instead, the SEC has a crap OOC Sched and SC is stuck with the Big 10 and ND games..
I agree, he really isn't that great, but he is the perfect fit for Meyer's offense, and he has ridiculous weapons around him that, when used correctly, are almost unstoppable. Thankfully, he won't take away Archie's legacy this year.
I don't remember Ole Miss being ranked last year, when U of F lost to them. Truth is; there is a SEC bias. But the Pac 10 went undefeated in Bowls last year, did the SEC?
probably because of things like Ohio State being 0-9 against the SEC, and teams like MIchigan, Illinois, and Penn State losing the rose bowl EVERY year. no BCS wins.
To be honest, I like the ESPN 16 team format. It would be fair for teams like Boise State and TCU (teams that don't get enough credit). Because we have seen in the past, Boise State is the TRUTH! So is TCU. or Teams like Utah, who on any given Saturday can wipe the floor with the SEC, Big XII, or Pac 10. I still feel that USC is the Best in College football, it's an opinion. But these games will never be played under the current format. So if a SEC homer would beg to differ, it's ok.
He may be the hardest hitting linebacker in the country, but in the NFL he won't be a 3-down linebacker - he lacks the coverage skills in the passing game, despite his massive hits in the running game.
he has a sweet arm, and maybe america will be reminded for a fifth straight time why oklahoma doesn't belong in BCS bowl games. Didn't u USC fans realize that when u gave them a 36 pt ass whooping. That was worse than the last 2 years combined. And now they're back against a ridiculously talented team thats gunna be healthy (hopefully) unlike last week. This game is gunna get out of hand.
@SogekingSchofield503 they killed Penn State and Michigan when they played them @ the rose bowl. It took Oregon going to the Rose bowl for a Big Ten team to win.
#9 USC beat #3 Auburn in 2002 & 2003 (17-14 & 23-0). The next year after that head to head USC schedules VA Tech in DC (23-14 win). What does Auburn do after being beat at home by SC 23-0 in 2003? Auburn schedules powerhouses: The Citadel (1AA) Louisiana Tech Louisiana Monroe If USC embarassed you two years running (including 23-0 at Jorday Hare with Rodgers, Jacobs, Ronnie Brown, Cadillac, Jason Campbell, etc) what makes you think a year later they were "gypped" out of a title shot?
