CINCINNATI (AP) -Yeah, sure, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer expects to start the season opener Sunday against the Denver Broncos. Ho-hum.
What about that other game this weekend, the one the whole state of Ohio is talking about?
“It’s a tough call, but I still think my boys are going to take care of business,” Palmer said Wednesday.
He means USC, of course.
Palmer and three other Bengals – linebacker Keith Rivers, defensive end Frostee Rucker and rookie linebacker Rey Maualuga – have a rooting interest behind enemy lines this weekend. They form their own little chapter of Southern California boosters in Southern Ohio.
With their alma mater coming to Columbus the play the Buckeyes on Saturday, the USC alumni aren’t hiding their allegiances. They do have to be careful with their comments, though. It’s not good to alienate fans who like the team wearing scarlet and gray as well as the one in tiger stripes.
Better to be diplomatic.
ption for a touchdown in the Trojans’ 35-3 win in California last September. “You’ve got a lot of Bengal fans that at the same time are Ohio State fans, so you don’t want to lose your Ohio fans.”
Palmer wasn’t quite so circumspect last year, and he heard about it.
Before last season, he told a Los Angeles radio station that it drove him crazy to hear all the talk about Ohio State when he’s in Cincinnati. Palmer said he couldn’t wait for the teams to play so the Buckeyes could “get an old fashioned Pac-10 butt-whipping.”
Buckeye fans were irate, and Palmer later issued a statement saying his comments were intended mainly for a California audience. He explained that he “got a little fired up, as all good fans will do.” But he didn’t back down, predicting the Trojans would win 42-17.
It was 35-3, even more lopsided than he expected.
So, what about this year?
“This year’s a little tougher to judge,” Palmer said Wednesday, “especially because of the way Navy played them last week and with a rookie at quarterback (USC freshman Matt Barkley), it’s always tough to gauge. But when you’ve got Terrelle Pryor, you’re always in a game.”
lost, Palmer would have worn a Jim Tressel sweater vest to the stadium.
The Trojans won, and the columnist showed up with paint on his face.
When Palmer spotted the columnist on Wednesday, he was ready to make another bet. The columnist declined, citing Ohio State’s narrow 31-27 win over Navy in its opener.
“Well, I’m 0-for-1 in here,” Palmer said. “There’s no Ohio State guys in the locker room, and I don’t think anybody around town wants to bet me. I do have a neighbor that’s got an Ohio State flag waving outside their house, but I don’t have any bets yet.”
The Bengals will be in team meetings Saturday, making final preparations for their opener against Denver, when the Trojans and Buckeyes play, so they won’t get to follow the game very closely. Everyone around them will know their rooting interests.
Rivers has a USC memento on the shelf of his locker. Maualuga has three Southern Cal baseball caps displayed on the second shelf of his locker, right next to his orange, striped Bengals helmet.
Last year, Maualuga played a big role in Southern Cal’s dominance. He returned one of Todd Boeckman’s passes 48 yards for a touchdown with 2:49 to go in the first half, pushing the score to 21-3. That pretty much ended Ohio State’s chances.
big moment for me. And walking off that field with a victory – it felt good to be 2-0 following that. It was exciting.”
Maualuga was careful not to make any inflammatory comments about this year’s game, summing up his thoughts by saying, “It’s going to be a huge game. I can’t say more than that.”
Would he say more if there were no reporters around?
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “Definitely!”
Add A Comment