The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 28, 2002, Image 8
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