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PATRIOTS, RAMS TO COLLIDE IN SUPER BOWL PHOTOS COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS Left: Drew Bledsoe, in relief of injured Tom Brady, led the Pats to the AFC title. Right: The Rams’ Isaac Bruce evades a defender. Bledsoe takes charge in surprise 24-17 win BY DAVE GOLDBERG ASSOCIATED PRESS PITTSBURGH — It’s nice to have a $100 million backup quarter back. Drew Bledsoe replaced an in jured Tom Brady and led the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl with a 24-17 upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game Sunday. It wasn’t a perfect performance - by the man who lost his job to Brady after being injured Sept. 23 in the season’s second game. And Bledsoe got plenty of help from Troy Brown, who returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown and was the middle man on a 60-yard return of a blocked field goal that put New England ahead 21-3 early in the third quarter. But Bledsoe, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, still did what few backups could do in a champi onship game - enter with the ex perience and arm of one of the bet ter starters in the NFL. He threw 11 yards to David Patten for a touchdown shortly af ter Brady injured his left leg to ward the end of the first half, put the Patriots in position for Adam Vinatieri’s fourth-quarter field goal, and allowed his team to hold the ball enough to avoid constant pressure late in the game. “You never want someone to get hurt, but you prepare yourself for that, and I was ready when it happened,” said Bledsoe, who signed a 10-year, $103 million con tract in the offseason. Brady said he felt fine but didn’t know yet if he could play next week. If he can, it probably will cre ate a quarterback controversy un like any other at a Super Bowl. “It’s quite a credit to him,” Brady said, referring to Bledsoe. “For 14 games, he watched, and then he comes in and has that kind of game.” Bledsoe, 10-of-2l for 102 yards, also got a lot of help from some old-timers, like Willie McGinest and Ted Johnson, who shut down Pittsburgh’s running game. Steelers running back Jerome Bettis, who returned after being out eight weeks with a groin in jury, carried nine times for 8 yards, forcing Kordell Stewart to try to carry the team. Stewart was 24-of-42 for 255 yards but also threw three inter ceptions, two in the last three min utes — by Tebucky Jones and Lawyer Milloy—that helped seal the Patriots’ victory. Stewart also threw three in terceptions in the 1997 AFC championship loss to the Denver Broncos, who went on to win the Super Bowl. Rams keep running with 29-24 victory BY BARRY WILNER ASSOCIATED PRESS ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Rams can be held down for just so long before Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and Isaac Bruce take over. When they did in the second half of the NFC championship game, the Rams earned their sec ond trip to the Super Bowl in three years. Their 29-24 victory Sunday over the Philadelphia Eagles sent the Rams to New Orleans to meet the surprising New England Patriots. Two years ago, St. Louis beat Tennessee for its first Super Bowl title. The trip south didn’t look likely early in the game as the Eagles’ stingy defense kept the Rams off balance. But in the second half, Warner, the league’s MVP; Faulk, a three-time Offensive Player of the Year; and Bruce, Warner’s fa vorite receiver, were too much. i nings lurneu in ine iniru quarter when the Rams dominat ed the clock and scored 10 points. They ran 22 of the 28 plays in the period, getting Jeff Wilkins’ third field goal, a 41-yarder, and Faulk’s 1-yard touchdown run. With his helmet ripped off on the play, Faulk fell into the end zone and the raucous crowd sensed the Eagles were through. So did the St. Louis defense, which forced a second and third straight three-and-out series. It was a powerful display by the Rams, who forced eight turnovers the previous week against the Green Bay Packers, returning three interceptions for touch downs. There were no such big plays against Donovan McNabb, but St. Louis was unyielding for much of the second half. McNabb did lead Philadelphia 48 yards and run for a 3-yard touchdown with 2:56 to go. After forcing a punt, the Eagles had one last comeback try, but All-Pro cor nerback Aeneas Williams got his sixth career playoff interception. Williams then ran all the way to his own end zone, flanked by jubilant teammates, to celebrate his first Super Bowl trip. Faulk set a career playoff high with 159 yards rushing - his 84 at halftime was a personal mark - and Bruce had eight receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown. They did so against a defense that didn’t allow more than 21 points all season and led the league in red-zone efficiency. Warner, apparently not both ered by the sore ribs that forced him to miss practice Thursday, didn’t need to be spectacular. He let Faulk and Bruce take care of that and went 22-for-33 for 212 yards and a 4-yard TD pass to Bruce. When Faulk dived in from the 1 with 6:55 remaining, he was headed home to New Orleans. McNabb was effective at times but had little chance in the deci sive third quarter as his blocking fell apart. He finished 18-for-30 for 171 yards and ran for only 26 yards — his fewest in these playoffs. Swimming CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 was the winner in the 100-yard freestyle with a mark of 51.50. The Gamecock divers added to their win column with victo ries in the men’s and women’s competitions. Senior diver Brandon Hulko won the 1-meter and the 3-meter springboard for the men. The Gamecocks took the top three spots in the 3-me ter, with senior Brad Brown coming in second and freshman Dean Emmerton finishing third. For the women’s competition, the Lady Gamecocks finished in the top three slots on both boards. Sophomore Holly Hodges won the 1-meter event with a score of 292.05. Freshman Tracey Richardson came up big in the 3 meter by scoring 314.25 for the victory. Freshman Allison Brennan placed third in both. USC will play host Friday to Georgia, the defending national champions. Alabama comes into town Saturday at 3 p.m. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocksports@hotmail.com Men’s CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 Powell, starting for the second game in a row, was limited to two points — a sharp difference from the 19 he scored against the Vols. No matter what defense the Gamecocks tried, Mississippi found ways to put the ball in the basket. It won’t get any easier for the Gamecocks, as they have anoth er big game Wednesday night against the No. 15 Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia will enter Frank McGuire Arena coming off a tough two-point loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday. “We’ve got to recover and go back to practice on Monday and play a tough Georgia team on Wednesday,” Odom said. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocksports@hotmail.com Student Organization Fair We Be dubbin1!!! Join us Thursday, January 31 From 11:00 am to 3:00 pm on Davis Field It's a new year, so make a resolution to get involved. www.sg.sc.edu Athletic Club ! Student Membership \ 4 MONTHS $129 i I I I 925 Huger SI. Columbia, SC 803.256.9001 | 1_i GAMECOCK DISCOUNT COUPON * Use Your $1.00 off * 'Maurice's BBQ Bucks! ^“er' | at any of my 11 Midland locations! One coupon per visit K£ZZ2H£r&J Job Opportunities Fraternity Spring Rush Jr 1 February 6-8 7:00-9:00 McBryde Quad Mandatory Rush Information Meeting Wednesday, February 6th @ 6:oo Russell House, Rm. 302 A Thinking about joining a fraternity? Give it a shot! For more information, call 777-3506 SCHOLARSHIP • LEADERSHIP • SERVICE •FRIENDSHIP Coach Odom January 31st 1 7-8pm Russell House Lobby 2nd Floor All students welcome Questions will be taken from the audience. Here's your chance to chat with Coach Odum! Sponsored by Carolina Productions, Department of Athletics, Department of Student Life, Russell House, University Union and Student Gamecock Club call-in show wvoc 550 RM