Paul Loeffler: Why the 'Dogs can do it
Posted: 11/16/2005 8:56:05 AM
by Paul Loeffler, CBS 47 Sports Director
The last time USC lost a football game, the Red Sox were still bemoaning the "Curse of the Bambino," we thought the game of "red state, blue state" had something to do with Ohio State and Michigan, we were yet to hear NASCAR's most eloquently-crafted "Race for the Chase," and the Save Mart Center was still under construction.
The Trojans' 32-game win streak is older than my daughter, and I'm not alone in thinking it's gotten old enough. Notre Dame has had three chances to stop the streak, as have most of the schools in the Pac-10, and proud programs like Oklahoma, Michigan, and Virginia Tech have all fallen futilely short. So who in his right mind would think a team from the weakened WAC could be the one to crack the armor of college football's most dominating dynasty in decades? Pat Hill, that's who, and I, for one, don't think he's crazy (at least not for that reason).
Football is a game of momentum, and that holds true for a series, a quarter, a game, a season, and in Hill's case, nine years of putting his stamp on a program. Bouncing back after a flag-filled heartbreaker in Eugene, the Bulldogs have been steadily crescendoing toward a thunderclap, and a win in the Coliseum would provide the ultimate lightning strike for Hill's big picture as well as the 2005 snapshot. Confidence-building wins against New Mexico State, Idaho, and Utah State set the stage for Hill's first win at Hawai'i, which in turn helped spur the monkey-chasing victory over Boise State. The next step seems fairly obvious, albeit easier said than done.
Receiver Adam Jennings likens the prospect of a Bulldog win to the "I shook up the world!" moment of young Cassius Clay dethroning Sonny Liston. The David and Goliath references will be more plentiful this week than SUVs in USC's student parking lot, and I'll be shocked if the "Rocky" theme isn't audible in the Fresno State section Saturday. But whether by sling, in the ring, or hearing Jim Sweeney sing, the one thing all the great underdogs in history have in common is a sincere, abiding belief that the seemingly impossible dream is not just possible, but destined to unfold.
It's not cockiness, and it's not a reflection of any disrespect for the Trojans and what they've accomplished. Coach Hill, his staff, and his players know they are in for the challenge of their careers, but they're convinced they're up to the challenge. Not only is this the most physically talented team of Hill's tenure, it is undoubtedly the most focused and mature. Having to grow up in a hurry is never fun, but in time, the dividends arrive, and Fresno State is starting to reap the benefits of hard knocks. Think about the names embroidered above the numbers that have produced the unforgettable plays for this team. Pinegar, Mathis, Williams, McIntyre: to a man they've had to persevere and believe in themselves when snowballing circumstances threatened to crush their dreams.
For defensive dynamo Garrett McIntyre, a winless senior season in high school and the absence of a single scholarship offer could have been enough for him to hang up his cleats. But he kept the dream alive, went from walk-on to WAC all-star and has had his determination tested again his senior season by injuries, only to turn in his best performances in the biggest games. Do you really think he'll disappoint on the biggest stage of his life? When asked if he had Heisman winner Matt Leinart's picture on his dartboard all summer, McIntyre told me, "No, but I did have Zabransky's picture on my dartboard until last week, now I can take it down." All that intensity and focus, and a quick wit to boot. No wonder he was named Academic All-District 8 this week.
The toughness of Wendell Mathis was forged on an otherwise uneventful evening in Visalia. The Merced native had already been through some bumps in the road, having left the Valley for UCLA, then transferred closer to home after the Bruins changed coaches. As the Bulldogs scrimmaged at Central Valley Christian that night, Mathis met the first real challenge to his manhood, and turned it into the tenacity we see now every week. Plenty satisfied with the carries he had gotten and the hits he'd taken, Mathis was ready to come out, but Coach Hill wouldn't let him leave the field, and the anger and indignation only turned to determination for a runner who at that point had no reason to think he'd garner many carries behind Dwayne Wright and Bryson Sumlin. You know the rest of the story - Wright's injury against Kansas State gave Mathis the opening he was waiting for, and we all know how fast he hits a hole. The football fire still burns fiercely in Mathis, and now it's been refined and put in proper perspective with the birth of his daughter earlier this season.
Paul Pinegar's a father too, now, but that's just the latest in a string of growing up in a hurry moments for the senior, who is now six years removed from his senior season at Woodland High. After a greyshirt year and a redshirt year, Pinegar was thrown into the fire as a freshman when Jeff Grady got hurt. Capping that season by piloting the 'Dogs to a bowl win over Georgia Tech, Pinegar was riding high until an offseason crash on the way back from a casino started a string of learning experiences that have contributed to the #13 we watch today. A pectoral injury was next in line, followed by calls for his benching during the dark days in the middle of the 2004 season. Now a husband, a father, and a survivor of 41 games of highs and lows, cheers and boos, there isn't much the Trojans can throw at him that could trump what he's already been through.
Pinegar, Mathis, and McIntyre have been toughened by time and focused by fire, and there are another dozen Bulldogs that could illustrate similar variations of that same persevering theme, but it's hard to find any player who has shouldered a bigger burden than junior receiver Paul Williams. In less than a year, he lost his mother, his father, and the brother he was closest to in age and in spirit, Curtis. Paul had grown up watching Curtis play at Coalinga High, then Bullard, then the University of Washington. On a rainy day at Stanford Stadium, a collision left Curtis paralyzed from the neck down, and relying on a ventilator for breathing. It was a gutwrenching and faith-testing time for the tight-knit Williams family, but a silver lining was that it brought Paul and Curtis closer together. Curtis moved back to Fresno, living with older brother David, a former Fresno State receiver. That was close enough to go watch Paul play for the Avenal Buccaneers, and developing Paul's talents became one of Curtis' consuming passions. In person and on the phone, they'd talk technique, training, and strategy. One of Paul's considerations in choosing Fresno State over Washington was the fact that Curtis would be able to come to all his home games. The family had dealt with the catastrophic injury and was making the best out of a situation no one had ever wanted or asked for, and just when they started to settle into their new reality, Curtis died. Paul had lost his brother, his hero, and his best friend, and he had to deal not only with that heartache, but with the growing expectations of stardom from a Bulldog fan base that had seen David's talents as a receiver, and then brother James (J.D.) become a first-round draft pick as a defensive back.
It hasn't been easy, and he hasn't done it alone, but faith, family, and that fire you can see deep in his eyes have carried him through those trials and accelerated his maturation. With his broad shoulders, long stride, increasingly honed focus, and strong hands, he has become the big play threat the Trojans will be focused on Saturday, and like his aforementioned teammates, Paul has been through too much to be intimidated by the guys in scarlet and gold.
The Bulldogs have the strength, the speed, the coaching acumen, and the team chemistry to compete on the field, but why are they specially suited for snapping Southern California's streak? Because from their blue-collar coach to their persevering players, they're not afraid of the Trojan juggernaut. They've had their worlds shaken and turned upside down, and they dare to believe, not just dream, that Saturday is their time, the Coliseum is their place, to shake up the world.
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