With a Little Help From His Friends, Peete Gets Job Done

Rodney Peete has had better games statistically, but the USC quarterback’s coach and some of his teammates will long remember his performance Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

Considering that he was hospitalized at midweek with the measles and had minimal practice time, he played beyond expectations in USC’s 31-22 victory over UCLA that clinched a Rose Bowl berth for the Trojans.

“I’ve been around football for a long time, but Rodney’s performance was one of the greatest efforts I’ve ever seen,” USC Coach Larry Smith said. “It was a superhuman effort. If that wasn’t a Heisman performance, I don’t know what it is.”

Peete had a solid game, completing 16 of 28 passes for 189 yards and 1 touchdown without an interception.

USC split end Erik Affholter, who caught Peete’s short pass in the second quarter and turned it into a 29-yard touchdown play, expressed his admiration for Peete, his friend and golf partner during the summer.

“I can’t say enough about Rodney,” Affholter said. “He’s an incredible athlete. He wasn’t feeling 100%, but he gave more than 100%.”

Affholter said that Peete’s missed practice time disrupted some communications between them for a while Saturday in regard to UCLA’s defensive schemes.

He added, though, that Peete settled down and played as if he had been working with the team the entire week.

“I know how much the game meant to him, and he didn’t want to let everybody down,” Affholter said. “He wasn’t feeling well, but he found something within himself.”

Affholter added that Peete told him Wednesday that he would be with the team on Saturday and that the message provided an emotional lift for the Trojans.

Smith also praised his team for handling the distractions of the past week.

“A lot of credit has to go to (backup quarterback) Pat O’Hara,” Smith said. “We still had to practice, and we had good practices because he executed.”

As for the game, Smith said: “Defensively, we took charge in the second half and did a fine job. Offensively, we just tried to mix it up and make the big play. I think the running of Aaron Emanuel really inspired all of us. Overall, it was just a great team effort.

“We have one game left and it’s a big game and there’s no turning back now. It’s full speed ahead.”

Smith was referring to the final regular-season game next Saturday when second-ranked USC encounters top-ranked Notre Dame.

Of course, unbeaten USC still has another game, a Jan. 2 meeting with Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

Although USC was harassed by UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman’s passes for most of the game, it countered with big plays from Affholter, Emanuel and tight end Paul Green.

Affholter caught only 3 passes. However, his touchdown reception in the second quarter provided USC with a 14-3 lead, and UCLA couldn’t catch up.

Peete threw a short pass to Affholter on the sideline. UCLA free safety Eric Turner dived for the ball but missed. Affholter then put a slick move on cornerback Darryl Henley and went down the sideline for a touchdown.

“I just went inside and outside, and (flanker) Gary Wellman screened off Henley a little bit,” Affholter said.

“Because Erik is a third-down guy (possession-type receiver), people underestimate him,” Peete said of Affholter’s speed.

Emanuel suffered a severe ankle injury Sept. 24 against Oklahoma and missed 5 games before playing last week against Arizona State.

But he’s back to full speed and power now. He was simply running over UCLA defenders as he gained 113 yards in 27 carries and scored 2 short-yardage touchdowns.

On his touchdown runs of 4 and 3 yards, he simply blew though big holes created by the offensive line.

Emanuel said he weighs 215 pounds now, 15 pounds less than when he played in 1986 before he was suspended from the team for an altercation with another student.

“I just want to defeat the first guy trying to tackle me and run hard,” said Emanuel, who added that it was frustrating for him to be sidelined with his injury and be unable to contribute to the team.

With tailback Scott Lockwood unable to play most of the second half with a recurring ankle injury, Emanuel was called upon time and again to sustain drives, and he responded.

Another victim of a badly sprained ankle, Green, also contributed. Like Emanuel, he was injured against Oklahoma, sat out 5 games and played only briefly against Arizona State.

Green set up 2 touchdowns. He caught a 13-yard pass from Peete that set up USC’s second-quarter touchdown that gave the Trojans a 21-9 lead. Then, in the third quarter, he caught a 30-yard pass, carrying it to the 8-yard line. Emanuel later scored his second touchdown, giving USC a 28-16 lead.

If there was a turning point in the game, it occurred in the fourth quarter, when Henley tried to hand the ball to teammate Marcus Turner after he caught a punt.

Instead, Henley fumbled, with USC’s Mike Serpa recovering at the UCLA 34-yard line. The Trojans soon improved their lead to 31-16 on Quin Rodriguez’s 21-yard field goal.

USC cornerback Chris Hale, who tackled Henley, said he wanted to make sure that the cornerback didn’t get away from him.

“I just kept my eyes on his waist,” Hale said. “I didn’t see the fumble until I was on the ground.”

UCLA gambled and lost on a gimmick play with 6:30 left. There was, however, another play that could have been a turning point in UCLA’s favor. Instead, USC prospered.

On 4th and 1 (actually inches) at the USC 33-yard line early in the fourth quarter, USC gambled for the first down. Peete tried the center of the line, was stopped and then bounced outside for a first down.

“I was doing a lot of praying then,” Smith said. “That was a mighty big play.”

Asked if he considered a punt while protecting a 28-16 lead, Smith said: “Oh, sure, I almost called time out and sent the punt team in. But doggone it, in a game like this, it’s a matter of inches, and you have to have you-know-what to go after it. In a game like this, you have to be aggressive in your calls--and when it’s 3 or 4 inches, you have to find a way to get it.”

USC got it (first down) and a lot more later--the Rose Bowl bid and the prospect of playing Notre Dame for a possible national championship next Saturday at the Coliseum.