Scouting the Rose Bowl game
No. 6 Southern California (10-2) vs. No. 13 Illinois (9-3)
When: Kickoff at 4:10 p.m. at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
TV: WLS 7 Chicago, 3:30 p.m.
Radio: WIND 560-AM, WMVP 1000-AM
Series: USC leads 10-2
Last meeting: USC won 55-3 on Sept. 7, 1996 in Champaign.
When Illinois has the ball: Look for Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Rashard Mendenhall to get the ball early and often -- and for USC's stellar front seven to pay rapt attention to wherever Mendenhall goes. "He's a true NFL-style running back," said Trojans coach Pete Carroll. "He's got a big future ahead of him, too." Mendenhall, who rushed for 1,526 yards and 16 touchdowns this year, probably needs to hit the 100-yard mark to give Illinois a chance. The Illini were 7-0 when he eclipsed the 100-yard mark, but just 2-3 when he didn't. Mendenhall managed just 88 yards in the Nov. 10 upset of top-ranked Ohio State, but the Buckeyes focused too much on him and allowed quarterback Juice Williams to have his best day. Williams was wondrous down the stretch as he piled up 906 of his 2,267 total yards (40 percent) and 10 of his 20 total scores in Illinois' last three regular-season games. Can he come close to that pace today?
When USC has the ball: With the exception of Mackey Award winner Fred Davis, the nation's best tight end, the Trojans don't necessarily have better individual skill players than any Illinois has seen this year. Here's the problem: "We've faced talent before," said Illini co-defensive coordinator Dan Disch. "We just haven't faced talent at every position before. If you commit too many resources to stop the run, the play-action game gets you. If you try to double the tight end, then their receivers get you. You've got to rob Peter to pay Paul. When they're clicking on all cylinders, they're tough to stop." The well-rounded Trojans rotate three tailbacks, led by senior Chauncy Washington, and they have combined for 1,878 yards and 16 scores. Senior QB John David Booty owns a 136.9 passer efficiency rating with 2,106 yards, 20 TDs and 9 interceptions. If there's one thing Illinois might seize upon, it's Booty's lack of mobility. Look for the Illini, who racked up 38 sacks during the regular season, to rotate 10-11 defensive linemen to keep the heat on Booty.
Willhite's prediction: This looks an awful lot like the run-up to the 2000 Alamo Bowl. Northwestern went from nowhere to a share of the Big Ten title in one year. Nebraska went from the top of the polls to a bowl game it hadn't planned on playing. In the days leading up to that game, the Cornhuskers allegedly didn't care about the Alamo and weren't going to be ready to play. That's what people are saying out here about the Trojans, but don't believe it.
Nebraska went ahead and crushed Northwestern 66-17 in San Antonio. The talent gap isn't quite as wide between the Trojans and the Illini, but there's still a significant way to go. If Illinois can't win the turnover margin by at least 2 or 3, it's going to be hard to hang with USC in what figures to be a Trojans-heavy crowd.
USC 31, Illinois 24.
-- Lindsey Willhite