USC-Ohio State: A Walk-On Shall Lead Them

You need to realize one thing about sportswriters, especially those in the national media, who don’t cover a specific team. Instead they cover one another. When the writers at the top pick out a player or two, all the others follow, and it snowballs from there.

Look at the cover of Sports Illustrated 2008 College Preview edition. Who do you see? Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga and Mark Sanchez.

And the universities promote the same players that the media have singled out, and rightly so. Why shouldn’t they want national recognition for their players.? Look at the USC Football Yearbook with their four All-American candidates, Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, Kevin Ellison, and Taylor Mays, on the cover.

Do they deserve to be there? Of course. Will they have an impact in this game? You better believe it. Are they the keys to a USC victory?

Not really.

What about Mark Sanchez? Isn’t he in the Heisman watch now? Yes, sportswriters have penciled him in after one exceptional game. And Maualuga, Cushing, Ellison and Mays have been singled out nationally because of their huge hits. Just type in any one of their names in a You Tube search and you’ll see what I mean.

This is not to discount their importance to USC’s No. 1 ranking or their importance to the game on Saturday. But the one player, who more than anyone else on the team, most exemplifies Pete Carroll’s winning philosophy of Turnover Football, is a former walk-on, Clay Matthews, Jr.

If that name sounds familiar, it should. He is the fourth member of his family to play football for USC, which includes his father, Clay (1974-77), an All-American linebacker, who played for the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons from 1978 to 1996.

His brother, Kyle, was a safety on USC's 2003 national championship team. His uncle, Bruce (1980-82) was an All-American offensive guard at USC and is considered an NFL ironman, playing 19 years for the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans from 1983 to 2001. His grandfather, Clay Sr., was a three-sport letterman at Georgia Tech in the 1940s and played with the San Francisco 49ers in the 1950s.

Matthews, a fifth year senior actually plays two positions. He is way too versatile for just one. A turnover and sack specialist, if there is such a thing, Matthews operates either as a defensive end or a linebacker depending on the defensive set.

Although he is not always a starter, one thing is certain. When No. 47 is on the field, Ohio State had better account for him because he forces fumbles, deflects passes, and makes sacks or just causes so much disruption that quarterbacks lose their focus.

The 6'3", 240-pounder is blazing quick and has more moves than Dancing With the Stars. Offensive linemen and blocking backs turn around to see their quarterback on the turf and shrug, "Where did Number 47 come from?"

If the Buckeyes concentrate on Maualuga and Cushing, Todd Boeckman will be seeing No. 47 in his sleep Saturday night.

And it’s not just Boeckman that needs to be concerned. But Chris Wells or whoever the Buckeyes have at running back will need to secure the football. Although Matthews didn’t grow up on a farm, he has a natural affinity for pigskin. Wherever that baby goes, Matthews will find a way to get his hands on it.

And remember, this guy has NFL pedigree.

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