The bright lights of Los Angeles blur the stars where senior
quarterbacks Cory Paus and Carson Palmer have spent the last five
years ““ Paus at UCLA, Palmer at USC. Each shining brightly at
moments, each radiating a disappointing dull glow at others.
The sky is much clearer in Colorado where Paus and Palmer first
crossed paths at a quarterback camp following their junior year in
high school.
“About two or three days into it this big dog from
California comes in and steals a little of my thunder,” Paus,
an Illinois native, once joked.
But when then-Colorado coach Rick Neuheisel told Paus that
Palmer was his “No. 1 guy, and you are our No. 2 or 3
guy,” Paus said he appreciated his honesty.
“I know I wouldn’t be here (at UCLA) if it
weren’t for Carson Palmer,” said Paus, who chose UCLA
under the impression that Palmer was leaning toward Colorado.
Coming into camp five years ago, Paus was the star but was
quickly eclipsed by Palmer, who possessed the assets that
can’t be acquired: size and speed (Palmer is 6-foot-5, Paus,
6-2).
Now is no different. As seniors in college, it is Palmer who is
the big dog, Palmer whose size makes him stand out, Palmer who is
now a Heisman candidate.Â
“He was pretty much the same as he is now: Big, tall,
strong,” Paus remembered. “All that stuff that is
giving him publicity and making people take notice of him
now.”
And while Paus excelled at the beginning of the 2002 season, his
moment to shine was cut short, this time by a season-ending ankle
injury against California on Oct. 19.
Now it’s freshman quarterback Drew Olson who is left to
tell Carson Palmer camp stories.
“We were there at the Elite 11 quarterback camp every day
together,” Olson said. “Great guy, real helpful. He
didn’t act like he was above everybody.”
Olson, a true freshman, will be starting the biggest game of his
collegiate career tomorrow. Whether he leaves an impression of his
own is yet to be decided. Paus will do his best to make sure that
Olson does.
“I didn’t know Cory before I got here, but this year
everyone has commented that his leadership skills are so much
better than before ““ for whatever reason, for what he went
through in the past,” freshman scout team quarterback Brian
Callahan said.
“Cory has helped bring Drew and Matt along more quickly.
It’s almost like having a second coach. How many true
freshmen are playing in the Pac-10, let alone winning three
games?”
Those leadership skills were hard-earned: what Paus and Palmer
share is how rocky their college careers have been since those high
school days in Colorado.
Until this year, Palmer had been cast as a huge waste of
potential ““ all the tools of a prototypical NFL quarterback
with none of the brains. His poor decision-making left him with as
many interceptions as touchdowns (39) and a 16-16 record as a
starter going into his senior season with no Pac-10 title or bowl
victories.
Paus had a similarly spotty record, going into his senior year
14-14 as a starter. After a transitional year starting as a
redshirt freshman, he would have led the Pac-10 in efficiency
rating with 145.8 and 250.9 passing yards per game as a sophomore;
Paus didn’t qualify because he only appeared in eight
games.
Plagued by injuries his entire career, he was hampered by a
thumb injury as a junior although he did not reveal the injury
until he re-jammed the thumb after the team’s first loss and
Paus’ first interception of the season at Stanford in October
2001.
Paus’ greatest run-in with media pressure came last Nov.
15, two nights before the ‘SC game when local media revealed
to UCLA head coach Bob Toledo that Paus had two drunk-driving
related offenses pending. It came out in the papers that Friday
morning, a week and a half after tailback and Heisman candidate
DeShaun Foster’s extra-benefits suspension.
“(Carson and I) have grown and had to deal with the Los
Angeles media and the pressures of playing early,” Paus said.
“Those things all go together.”
What ensued that Saturday was the worst game of Paus’
career and the most lopsided Bruin loss against ‘SC since
1930, a 27-0 shutout. The offense did not cross midfield until the
fourth quarter after Paus was benched and backup Scott McEwan
brought in. Paus finished 7-of-15 for 45 yards with two
interceptions.
“I’m kinda speechless,” Toledo said after the
game. “We were totally inept. We couldn’t make any
plays.”
It was so bad that even Palmer pitied him in retrospect.
“I felt bad for him,” last year’s victor said.
“I feel for quarterbacks a lot because I know what it is like
to go through.”
But Paus said he wasn’t distracted by the pressure, even
in the face of fans at the Coliseum toting “SUV + DUI =
UCLA” signs.
“I was really focused and ready to play,” he
said. “Obviously, it didn’t work out that way.
“I felt devastated that we lost the game, but at the same
time I was relieved that it’s not going to be any worse
tomorrow,” he added. “I’m not going to open
the paper tomorrow and see something that I couldn’t imagine
would be there.”
It was a team loss, but it left outsiders wondering where the
leadership was.
“What makes a player great is elevating everyone around
him,” USC All-American strong safety Troy Polamalu said.
Which is where these star-crossed brothers meet again. At the
beginning of the season, Paus had retained (or regained) the
respect of his teammates.
“It just made me stronger as a person because it was an
opportunity to keep my head up in the face of adversity, all my own
doings, and show my true character,” Paus said.
Before his season-ending injury, Paus ranked fourth in the
Pac-10 and 16th in the nation in passing efficiency (145.8),
seventh in passing yards (235.3) and ninth in total offense
(222.7). He was second to Cade McNown on UCLA’s career
passing list with 6,877 yards.
Across town, Palmer has led his team to an 8-2, 6-1 Pac-10
record.
“In the huddle Carson is really a general,” Trojan
tight end Alex Holmes said. Palmer is second in the Pac-10 and 10th
in the nation with a 144.4 efficiency rating, completing 62.4
percent of his passes and averaging 296.0 yards per game. One of
his most impressive statistics is his 24 touchdowns to only eight
interceptions. He is now being called a possible Heisman
candidate.
“It feels great,” Palmer said. “The difference
(from last year) is confidence and comfort. I’ve had two
years now with (offensive coordinator Norm) Chow and this offense.
That has been a huge difference.”
Saturday Paus and Palmer should have met one last time. But
their intertwined paths diverged this season ““ Paus broke his
ankle, ending his collegiate career, while Palmer has continued his
spectacular senior campaign.
“He and I had similar types of roller-coaster careers and
playing in the same city I was looking forward to this ‘SC
game to play him,” Paus said.
Instead of his cross-town counterpart of the last four years,
Palmer will face a vision of the future in Olson and possibly
freshman backup Matt Moore.
And instead of preparing to play, Paus will act as a mentor to
his young successors, ensuring that the future is bright.
The full moon hung low over the practice field this week. In
crutches, Paus walked around the sideline in a cast and his lucky
hat, watching Olson and Moore.
There will be a new moon the night before the game. It
won’t be visible, but it will make the other stars shine
brighter.