Jay Bottom

Barry Faulkner

The sweat and sacrifice have far outnumbered the fleeting moments of

bliss, but Jay Bottom, a business major, has no complaint with the

rate of exchange.

A junior in his final season of football at USC, the 6-foot-3,

225-pound walk-on out of Corona del Mar High is scheduled to

graduate, after seven unit-packed semesters at the school, in May.

In addition to his degree, he could also take home a national

championship ring, should the Trojans, ranked No. 1 in both major

polls, take care of Michigan in the Rose Bowl Jan.1.

But even if the Wolverines, or the controversial BCS boondoggle

that left the Trojans out of the Suger Bowl, intervene, Bottom is

thankful he passed up scholarship offers from smaller schools in

order to assume a smaller on-field role in what has become a grand

collegiate experience.

“There were times when I was worried about whether I made the

right decision,” said Bottom, who is counting down his practice

sessions before his final game in Pasadena. “It was not only coming

to USC, but spending all the time you spend to play football in a

program like this. I wondered if I could have done something else

with my time. But, it was during a postgame party last season after

the Orange Bowl (a 38-17 victory over Iowa, Jan. 2), that I realized

all the hard work had finally paid off. Staying up all night with my

teammates at the hotel, before heading to the airport, was just very

gratifying to know that all the stuff I’d done meant something.”

Bottom, the Pacific Coast League Defensive Player of the Year as a

senior in 1999, followed older brother Alex, also a football walk-on

one year ahead of Jay, to USC.

But, in a broader sense, the younger Bottom followed his heart to

the Los Angeles campus.

“I had scholarship offers to other schools, like Cal Poly [San

Luis Obispo] and maybe I could have become a big-time player there,”

Bottom said. “But after visiting my brother one weekend during his

freshman year, I realized I really wanted the USC experience. How

could you not want to come here? The whole experience here is just

phenomenal.”

After a semester at Concordia University in Irvine, Bottom entered

USC, stepping onto the spring practice field and into an alternate

reality.

“I got my rear end kicked,” he recalled. “I had lost 20 pounds

from high school, so I was a 205-pounder going against guys who

weighed 300-plus. Some of them were five years older than me and had

been some of the best high school players in Southern California. It

was surreal stepping into the same drills with them.”

As he beefed up his body, Bottom also found solace in a

competitive spirit that propelled him not only in the trenches, but

in the classroom.

“I’m overly competitive,” he said. “You can ask my fraternity

brothers who have played basketball against me. I might get beat to

the basket, but I’m not one for giving up very easily. You might beat

me, but I guarantee you’ll have some bruises to show for it.”

Soon, Bottom was faring better on the football field, earning a

spot on the traveling roster for games, including at Notre Dame, and

playing in three contests.

“I remember going onto the field for the first time,” he recalled.

“I was so excited, I totally forgot my assignment. I just kept saying

to myself ‘I’m in. I’m in. Don’t jump offside.’ ”

As a sophomore, he dressed for every home and away game and played

in all but a couple.

This season, after he missed the opener at Auburn with an infected

heel, has been more of the same. He has played some on special teams

and rotated in on defense at end and tackle.

“This season is the stuff you dream of,” he said. “Winning every

week and, now, being in the unique situation of being in a Rose Bowl

with a chance to win a national championship. We have a chance to

accomplish everything we could ever hope to accomplish.”

With football, school -- including at least 18 units per semester,

beyond the normal load of 12 or 15 -- and a social life centering

around his fraternity, Bottom said he sleeps only about four or five

hours a night, in order to squeeze everything in.

He plans to travel after graduation, before settling into the

business world, and he looks forward to a less-hectic schedule than

his college years.

But he also believes his willingness to strive for his

accomplishments will translate into success in whatever field he

chooses.

“All I’ve ever done is work hard,” he said. “I’ve experienced the

pure joy of playing college football and I think I can apply some of

the lessons I’ve learned to the business world. It may take a while,

but If I keep working at it, I believe success is going to happen.”