ROSEN MAKES NINERS FLATLINERS

Bruin QB Josh Rosen leads Arizona back from a 12-point 4th Quarter deficit against San Francisco, with 2 TD passes, including the game-winner with 34 seconds left, to lift the Cardinals to an 18-15 victory

Usually, on a weekend when u$c loses a football game, THAT would be the news I publicize.  But this year, the trojans’ injury-decimated squad has lost FOUR games, so when Arizona State beat them 38-35, it was not earth-shattering news.  Of course it did end troy’s 19-game HOME winning streak, but that was bound to happen next month anyway, when Notre Dame comes to the Coliseum.

The Fighting Irish will be big favorites, even on SC’s turf, and Clay Helton is 1-and-11 as an underdog in his career as sc’s Head Coach.  So when sc lost to the Sun Devils, with a third-string QB taking his first snap starting for the trojans, and with their 2 or 3 best Defensive players also out injured, it just wasn’t necessary to immediately pile on.

Leave that to the “trojans-for-life.”  SC fans are clamoring for the firing of Helton, and Offensive Coordinator Tee Martin, despite all the built-in injury excuses.

Instead, I will talk about a more RARE feat:  Josh Rosen winning an NFL game.  His Cardinals were 1-6 coming into Sunday’s match-up with the 49ers, who happened to be the only team they’ve beaten this season.

But with 12 minutes left in the game, it didn’t look like Arizona was going to complete the season sweep.  They were down 15-3, and hadn’t been getting anything done Offensively.  That’s when Rosen came to life.

First he hit aging Superstar Larry Fitzgerald for a 13-yard TD.  Then, with just over 2 minutes left, the Cards and Rosen had one final chance.  And Josh made the most of it, avoiding the heavy pass rush repeatedly, and driving his team methodically down the field.  And with 34 seconds left, he found fellow rookie (and former nemesis at Texas A&M) Christian Kirk for a 9-yard TD strike.  Rosen then hit Fitzgerald again, this time for a 2-point conversion to make it 18-15.  The Niners were unable to get into Field Goal range, so the Cards prevailed.

Rosen ended the game 23-40 for 252 yards and the 2 TD’s, proving to any doubters that he has what it takes to succeed in The League, even with a weak O-Line in front of him.  Well – he must be used to that after his years at UCLA.

There was one other piece of UCLA-related news today:  The Dodgers were eliminated from the World Series today, as the Red Sox took Game 5, 5-1.  Many Dodger fans are blaming UCLA’s Dave Roberts for doing a bad job as Dodger Manager.  I won’t defend the controversial moves that he may have made, but I will say that most people feel that Boston had superior talent and would have won even if L.A. had the love child of Casey Stengel and Leo Durocher in their dugout.  Also, shouldn’t Roberts get some mercy, just for REACHING the World Series twice in a row?  What other Dodger Manager has achieved that in your lifetime?  And he did make the calls that won the Dodgers the longest game in Postseason History — the Game 3 18-inning marathon.

Speaking of historical, here are 37 more photos of the best Spirit Squad in History…