Iowa, Greene run all over Gamecocks
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| McClatchey Newspapers Photo by Erik Campos
South Carolina's Jasper Brinkley tries to tackle Iowa running back Shonn Greene in the second half of the Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday, January 1, 2009. Iowa defeated South Carolina 31-10. |
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — All-American running back Shonn Greene saw no reason to delay the inevitable. Even before taking the field for the Outback Bowl, he figured he was ready to test his skills on the next level.
A stellar performance in Iowa’s 31-10 rout of South Carolina on Thursday just reinforced Greene’s decision to skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft.
“Basically it was my performance this season. A hundred yards every game, and this last game — against a SEC team, great defense and all that — I don’t think there’s really a lot more I can do here,” Greene said. “I think I pretty much did my damage on the college level.”
The 235-pound junior from Sicklerville, N.J., went from carrying couches to pay rent while he was out of football for academic reasons in 2007 to setting Iowa single-season records with 1,850 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns — the last three in the Outback Bowl.
Described by coach Kirk Ferentz as a humble team player, Greene ran for 121 yards on 29 carries. He gained at least 103 in all 13 of Iowa’s games, scored in all but one, and won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back.
“I’m proud of the way he’s handled his recognition and accolades,” Ferentz said. “He’s going to be extremely valuable and a great asset to any team that’s smart enough to take him next year.”
Teammates think the timing for Greene’s departure is right, too.
“He could come back. ... But personally, I don’t think he could have a better season than he had this year,” defensive tackle Mitch King said.
“He might have run for 2,000 yards, 30 touchdowns, you never know. Why does he need to? He’s going to be drafted high. He’s going to make a lot of money. He’s going to do well. That’s a no-brainer.”
Iowa (9-4) won for the sixth time in seven games since losing three straight to fall to 3-3. South Carolina (7-6) lost three straight down the stretch while being outscored 118-30.
Greene scored on a pair of 1-yard runs to help Iowa build a 21-0 halftime lead, then added an 11-yarder to make it 31-0 late in the third quarter. South Carolina scored on Chris Smelley’s 10-yard TD pass to Jared Cook and Ryan Succop’s 48-yard field goal in the fourth.
After struggling offensively in lopsided losses to Florida and Clemson, Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier decided to start quarterback Stephen Garcia, a highly regarded redshirt freshman from Tampa who was the centerpiece of his recruiting class in 2007.
But Garcia, who nearly undermined his career with two arrests and an underage drinking citation, turned the ball over four times in the first half and was replaced by Smelley after going 9-of-18 for 79 yards and three interceptions.
“I thought he would play a little bit better, but maybe he just wasn’t ready,” Spurrier said. “Maybe that’s the answer.”
The 20-year-old’s homecoming and third career start turned sour in a hurry. His first pass was intercepted and returned 29 yards to set up an Iowa touchdown, then the dual-threat quarterback fumbled on his first run to give the Gamecocks turnovers on two of their first four offensive plays.
The next two South Carolina possessions ended with interceptions. After Bradley Fletcher picked off Garcia in the end zone, Iowa drove 80 yards to take a 21-0 lead on Greene’s second touchdown.
“I can’t take a lot from this. The way it ended was not the way it was supposed to go. It’s pretty frustrating for me, playing in my home city and to not do well,” Garcia said. “I’ve just got to get better. Losing a bowl game in general is pretty frustrating, but doing so in my hometown in front of my family is worse.”
It’s the second straight season South Carolina has not played well down the stretch. The Gamecocks lost their last five games of 2007 to finish 6-6.
Besides five turnovers, South Carolina had a 46-yard field goal taken off the board because of a penalty for not having enough players on the line of scrimmage. Succop’s second try from 51 yards was short and wide, and the score remained 24-0.
“Ten men on the field for a field goal,” a frustrated Spurrier said. “I don’t know why we just couldn’t play the game the way you’ve got to play to give yourself a chance to win.”
Other Bowls
No. 5 Southern Cal (12-1) beat No. 6 Penn State 38-24, Rose Bowl.
No. 16 Georgia (10-3) beat No. 19 Michigan State 24-12, Capital One Bowl.
No. 21 Virginia Tech (10-4) beat No. 12 Cincinnati 20-7, Orange Bowl.
Nebraska (9-4) beat Clemson 26-21, Gator Bowl.
