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Since the Super Bowl started, many former USC Trojans have made their mark on the biggest game in football. Some of these Trojans have had Hall of Fame careers, others have had their Super Bowl performance define their legacies. Nonetheless, many Super Bowls in the past have had a Trojan making an impact on the game.
Here is my breakdown of the USC Trojans' best Super Bowl stars:
Mike Garrett lost to the Packers in his first Super Bowl appearance, but he made sure to make his second appearance count. Garrett helped propel the Chiefs to victory over the Vikings in Super Bowl IV. Garrett had 1 rushing touchdown on 11 carries and 39 yards on the ground. While also being a factor in the passing game, posting 2 catches for 25 yards. Garrett is quite the pioneer for USC football.
Before there was Drake London and Amon-Ra St. Brown and other great current receivers from USC, there was Lynn Swann, a famous Pittsburgh Steelers receiver who dominated in the league as a former Trojan. Some of his biggest plays came in the biggest games of his career. In Super Bowl X, Lynn Swann had 4 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown. He created a legacy in the Super Bowl during his time with the Steelers. He followed that dominant showing with another great performance in Super Bowl XIII, with 7 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. He made a catch in that game to beat the Dallas Cowboys that will be remembered forever.
Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen put on a show in Super Bowl XVIII, as he ran for 191 yards on 20 carries and had two rushing touchdowns. One of his rushing touchdowns will go down as one of the best plays in Super Bowl history, as it was a 74-yard touchdown run. Marcus Allen dominated at USC, and he opened the door for other great running backs, including Reggie Bush.
Another Hall of Famer, but on the defensive side of the ball, Lott made his presence felt in Super Bowl XVI. He finished that game with a total of 6 tackles, and he continued striking fear into his opponents' hearts with every bone-crushing tackle. That ended up not being the only Super Bowl that Ronnie Lott appeared in, as Lott was also great in Super Bowl XIX and XXIV. Having a combined 4 tackles in both playing his part in two lopsided victories and great defensive performances by the 49ers defense.
It was a defensive-dominant showing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII, but Keyshawn Johnson still made a huge impact. Hall of Famer Johnson posted 6 catches for 69 yards second on his team in that game, but a couple of his catches made big dividends for the offense in that matchup. Another star receiver for USC made his mark on the biggest game in football.
Troy Polamalu, just like Ronnie Lott, put together elite showings in multiple Super Bowls. Polamalu made 5 tackles in his first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XL. In Super Bowl XLIII, Troy made his fair share of plays, tallying up 2 tackles and a pass deflection. He did his part in helping secure a victory over an electrifying Arizona Cardinals offense. Polamalu put a stamp on his great career, securing two Super Bowl rings.
Junior Seau, although he had a sad story, his career will forever be memorable. He was a huge part of Bill Belichick's success with the Patriots' defense during his tenure in New England, and he displayed that in Super Bowl XLII. Eli Manning was forced to win that game due to the great play by linebackers such as Mike Vrabel and Junior Seau, who closed the door on the Giants' run game featuring Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. Seau registered 4 tackles in the game, and it was just another showing where he made his presence felt.
Reggie Bush was one of the most prolific college football players of all time, and he had a great legacy at USC. That legacy and that success propelled him to early success in the NFL, getting drafted by the Saints and reaching the Super Bowl right out of the gates in his NFL Career. In Super Bowl XLIV, Bush had 25 yards on the ground and 38 yards recovering. Not his usual star production, but he still made his impact, helping the Saints' offense have a spark.
Nobody else topped Malcolm Smith's performance against the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. Smith had the greatest impact on winning for the Seahawks and he won Super Bowl MVP as a result. Smith had 10 tackles in this game, a fumble recovery, 1 pass deflection, and a memorable 69-yard interception return for a touchdown. If you remember nothing else about Malcolm Smith, his play in the Super Bowl that year will be unforgotten. He also ended up getting a huge payday after that game as a result of his performance.
Underrated Trojan receiver Nelson Agholor made an impact at many destinations, but he may have made the biggest impact on the Philadelphia Eagles. In Super Bowl LII, Agholor led all receivers with 8 catches for 84 yards. He was a reliable weapon for backup quarterback Nick Foles, and he helped the Eagles pull off one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history.
Former Trojan running back Ronald Jones may have had a shorter run as a contributing back in the league, but in Super Bowl LV, he played a role in the Buccaneers' victory. In that game, Jones and Leonard Fournette gave the Chiefs' defense hell. Fournette ran for 89 yards on 16 carries and scored a touchdown. Ronald Jones finished the game with 61 yards on the ground on 12 carries. It was a well-balanced rushing attack featuring the former Trojan.
Juju Smith-Schuster, USC Trojan legend, went on to have some legendary moments in his first Super Bowl appearance. He made multiple game-winning plays to help the Chiefs secure their second Lombardi trophy in 4 seasons, along with his 7 catches for 53 yards. Only Kelce was the more effective weapon for Mahomes in this game.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Super Bowl all-stars from USC football in 59 years of NFL action
Continue reading...
Here is my breakdown of the USC Trojans' best Super Bowl stars:
Mike Garrett
Mike Garrett lost to the Packers in his first Super Bowl appearance, but he made sure to make his second appearance count. Garrett helped propel the Chiefs to victory over the Vikings in Super Bowl IV. Garrett had 1 rushing touchdown on 11 carries and 39 yards on the ground. While also being a factor in the passing game, posting 2 catches for 25 yards. Garrett is quite the pioneer for USC football.
Lynn Swann
Before there was Drake London and Amon-Ra St. Brown and other great current receivers from USC, there was Lynn Swann, a famous Pittsburgh Steelers receiver who dominated in the league as a former Trojan. Some of his biggest plays came in the biggest games of his career. In Super Bowl X, Lynn Swann had 4 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown. He created a legacy in the Super Bowl during his time with the Steelers. He followed that dominant showing with another great performance in Super Bowl XIII, with 7 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. He made a catch in that game to beat the Dallas Cowboys that will be remembered forever.
Marcus Allen
Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen put on a show in Super Bowl XVIII, as he ran for 191 yards on 20 carries and had two rushing touchdowns. One of his rushing touchdowns will go down as one of the best plays in Super Bowl history, as it was a 74-yard touchdown run. Marcus Allen dominated at USC, and he opened the door for other great running backs, including Reggie Bush.
Ronnie Lott
Another Hall of Famer, but on the defensive side of the ball, Lott made his presence felt in Super Bowl XVI. He finished that game with a total of 6 tackles, and he continued striking fear into his opponents' hearts with every bone-crushing tackle. That ended up not being the only Super Bowl that Ronnie Lott appeared in, as Lott was also great in Super Bowl XIX and XXIV. Having a combined 4 tackles in both playing his part in two lopsided victories and great defensive performances by the 49ers defense.
Keyshawn Johnson
It was a defensive-dominant showing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII, but Keyshawn Johnson still made a huge impact. Hall of Famer Johnson posted 6 catches for 69 yards second on his team in that game, but a couple of his catches made big dividends for the offense in that matchup. Another star receiver for USC made his mark on the biggest game in football.
Troy Polamalu
Troy Polamalu, just like Ronnie Lott, put together elite showings in multiple Super Bowls. Polamalu made 5 tackles in his first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XL. In Super Bowl XLIII, Troy made his fair share of plays, tallying up 2 tackles and a pass deflection. He did his part in helping secure a victory over an electrifying Arizona Cardinals offense. Polamalu put a stamp on his great career, securing two Super Bowl rings.
Junior Seau
Junior Seau, although he had a sad story, his career will forever be memorable. He was a huge part of Bill Belichick's success with the Patriots' defense during his tenure in New England, and he displayed that in Super Bowl XLII. Eli Manning was forced to win that game due to the great play by linebackers such as Mike Vrabel and Junior Seau, who closed the door on the Giants' run game featuring Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. Seau registered 4 tackles in the game, and it was just another showing where he made his presence felt.
Reggie Bush
Reggie Bush was one of the most prolific college football players of all time, and he had a great legacy at USC. That legacy and that success propelled him to early success in the NFL, getting drafted by the Saints and reaching the Super Bowl right out of the gates in his NFL Career. In Super Bowl XLIV, Bush had 25 yards on the ground and 38 yards recovering. Not his usual star production, but he still made his impact, helping the Saints' offense have a spark.
Malcolm Smith
Nobody else topped Malcolm Smith's performance against the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. Smith had the greatest impact on winning for the Seahawks and he won Super Bowl MVP as a result. Smith had 10 tackles in this game, a fumble recovery, 1 pass deflection, and a memorable 69-yard interception return for a touchdown. If you remember nothing else about Malcolm Smith, his play in the Super Bowl that year will be unforgotten. He also ended up getting a huge payday after that game as a result of his performance.
Nelson Agholor
Underrated Trojan receiver Nelson Agholor made an impact at many destinations, but he may have made the biggest impact on the Philadelphia Eagles. In Super Bowl LII, Agholor led all receivers with 8 catches for 84 yards. He was a reliable weapon for backup quarterback Nick Foles, and he helped the Eagles pull off one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history.
Ronald Jones
Former Trojan running back Ronald Jones may have had a shorter run as a contributing back in the league, but in Super Bowl LV, he played a role in the Buccaneers' victory. In that game, Jones and Leonard Fournette gave the Chiefs' defense hell. Fournette ran for 89 yards on 16 carries and scored a touchdown. Ronald Jones finished the game with 61 yards on the ground on 12 carries. It was a well-balanced rushing attack featuring the former Trojan.
Juju Smith-Schuster
Juju Smith-Schuster, USC Trojan legend, went on to have some legendary moments in his first Super Bowl appearance. He made multiple game-winning plays to help the Chiefs secure their second Lombardi trophy in 4 seasons, along with his 7 catches for 53 yards. Only Kelce was the more effective weapon for Mahomes in this game.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Super Bowl all-stars from USC football in 59 years of NFL action
Continue reading...
