Bad News for Him: Trojans Didn’t Waver

At stake here probably was a feel-good, made-for-TV movie, maybe a book deal: “Bowl Games Are a Snap for the Towel Waver,” and at the very least a leadership role in a seminar to help Pacific 10 coaches.

When Thursday night’s Orange Bowl began, the only coach to win a bowl game this postseason in the Pac-10 was the Towel Waver, the Bruins’ academic advisor and sideline cheerleader who replaced fired Bob Toledo and then guided UCLA to a Las Vegas Bowl victory.

Washington State, Oregon State, Arizona State, Oregon and Washington had lost bowl games in the past few weeks by an average of 17 points.

Now I would never put Pete Carroll in the same class as the Towel Waver, so of course I had USC pegged to lose to Iowa.

*

IN FACT, I had called UCLA’s Ed Kezirian earlier in the day to congratulate him on his singular achievement, and he corrected me, predicting USC would beat Iowa. I’m telling you, the guy is good, really good, probably ending this season as Division I-A’s only undefeated coach/prognosticator.

He might also be Division I-A’s only towel waver, taking to heart Toledo’s plea for more help from the Bruins’ 12th man and exhorting the faithful in such a relentless and annoying way game after game.

But then in eight previous coaching assignments as an assistant under UCLA coach Terry Donahue, the Bruins went 8-0 in bowl games, giving Kezirian an overall 9-0 mark in postseason competition. This is the kind of thing that lands people on David Letterman, and I’m not talking about “Stupid Human Tricks,” although I suspect Dave would have had him wave the towel for the audience.

That’s why I think it’s terrible the lengths USC went to steal the spotlight from the Towel Waver. The Trojans had a nice year, had already thumped the Bruins, and USC fans already had enough ammunition to remain obnoxious for another whole year no matter what happened here. So why ruin a terrific story?

“I think Pete Carroll is doing a really good job,” the Towel Waver said before USC went on to demolish Iowa. “That’s a good team.”

Two days ago Carroll was talking about the Trojans’ belly flop in the Las Vegas Bowl after last season, saying there were so many distractions there, including slot machines and blackjack tables right there when the players got off the elevators. He could have used the Towel Waver.

Somehow Kezirian pulled it off, dropping his towel for the first time since 1994 and putting on headsets.

“One of the equipment guys asked me with about two or three minutes to go if I wanted my towel,” Kezirian said. “I wasn’t sure that was the way to go. I didn’t like the circumstances, but the kids were so great and the coaches did such a great job, and even my wife enjoyed being First Lady for a couple of weeks. But now it’s back to being Mrs. Towel Waver.”

It might have been different, of course, had USC cooperated and taken a tumble here, leaving the Towel Waver as the Pac-10 Coach of the Moment.

But now it’s going to be nothing but “I told you so,” and probably aimed at a particular “so and so,” and if I heard Carroll correctly on the Orange Bowl championship stage, “We’re just getting started.”

I hope he’s talking about winning games and not rubbing it in the faces of those who might have doubted this day would ever come. You know how sensitive some people can be.

*

FINALLY a good reason for all those people to hold up those two fingers: USC fans can now chant, “We’re No. 2” behind the University of Miami.

*

PEPPER RODGERS, 19-12-1 in three years as UCLA’s coach, including a 55-18 victory over Iowa in 1973, was at the Orange Bowl with his boss, Washington Redskin owner Daniel Snyder. The Redskins need a quarterback desperately and had several members of the front office here, presumably to take a closer look at Carson Palmer.

If the Redskins successfully negotiate a trade to put them in position to select Palmer, he will be working with newly elevated offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, the former Trojan assistant many fans blamed for Palmer’s poor play while working on Paul Hackett’s staff.

*

FORMER USC receiver Keyshawn Johnson (Tampa Bay) appeared on the sideline wearing a John Elway jersey. I guess every kid grows up wishing he could have played for Stanford.

Rodney Peete (Carolina) and Tony Boselli (Houston) joined Johnson. O.J. Simpson must have been off somewhere looking for the murderers.

*

THE MIAMI Herald printed the predictions of 21 sportswriters before the game with a dozen of them favoring Iowa. Times columnist Bill Plaschke guessed the Trojans would win in three overtimes by the score of 52-48. Tough to win in overtime by four points, but I didn’t see any other way USC was going to win.

*

TODAY’S LAST word comes in e-mail from Bslbc69:

“You’re still the lame UCLA butt kisser. Quit being jealous of O.J. Simpson because he can and always will get more ladies than you can ever dream of.”

I agree with you; he’s a real lady killer.

*

T.J. Simers can be reached at t.j.simers@latimes.com