Notes on a Scorecard - Jan. 2, 1995

DALLAS — Everything you always wanted to know about USC, Texas Tech and the Cotton Bowl:

“We’re not No. 1 and No. 2, but we’ll do our best and, hopefully, it will be a great game,” said Texas Tech Coach Spike Dykes, putting today’s match between the 6-5, unranked Red Raiders and the 7-3-1, 21st-ranked Trojans into perspective. . . .

Practice session regulars say the Trojans have been more animated than before their last two postseason appearances in the Freedom Bowl at Anaheim Stadium. . . .

Not many Trojans are familiar with Texas Tech, but they grew up watching the Cotton Bowl on TV on New Year’s Day before the Rose Bowl. . . .

“We’ve been treated better than we could have expected,” USC Coach John Robinson said. “We owe you a good game.”. . . .

Texas Tech visits Penn State next Sept. 9, prompting defensive end Damon Wickware to say, “I hope we play well here so we won’t be 58-point underdogs.”. . .

Wickware on Rob Johnson: “He’s a good quarterback, but he’s not a great quarterback in my opinion. I think if we can put some pressure on him, we’ll be all right.”. . .

The only other time an L.A. school played in a Cotton Bowl game, Troy Aikman led UCLA to a 17-3 victory over Arkansas in 1989. . . .

Aikman’s Dallas Cowboys were idle over the weekend, a blessing for game publicists. . . .

This is the last time the Southwest Conference champion--Tech shared the title with four others--will be assured a Cotton berth. . . .

Next season, the SWC’s last, the invitations will be open. After that, the No. 2 team in the Big 12, expanded from the Big Eight, will play the Western Athletic Conference champion or the Pacific 10 Conference runner-up. . . .

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One of the most famous plays in college football history unfolded on Jan. 1, 1954, when Alabama reserve Tommy Lewis leaped off the bench, stepped around a couple of teammates, ran down the sideline and tackled Rice running back Dicky Moegle. . . .

Moegle went down on the Crimson Tide’s 42-yard line, but was awarded a touchdown. . . .

It still stands as a Cotton Bowl record 95-yard run. . . .

Moegle, who set other Bowl records with 265 yards rushing and three touchdowns, eventually changed the spelling of his name to Maegle because it was mispronounced so often. . . .

He spent a seven-year NFL career with San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Dallas and later owned and operated a hotel near Rice Stadium in Houston. . . .

USC last played in the Cotton Bowl Stadium on Sept. 29, 1962, when its national championship team defeated Southern Methodist, 33-3, before 14,000. . . .

Sellouts have not been automatic during the game’s 58-year history, but all 68,252 tickets were sold early this time because of the demand from Tech, making its first appearance since 1939. . . .

Texas Tech, which was founded in 1925 and has an enrollment of nearly 25,000, is one of the youngest major universities in the nation. . . .

USC ordered 24 size triple-X Cotton Bowl jackets. Texas Tech ordered four, half of them for assistant coaches. . . .

Red Raider wide receiver Stacey Mitchell is listed at 5-5 and 150 pounds, but says he is only 5-4. . . .

Among visitors to the Trojan camp have been former quarterback Rodney Peete and assistant coach Hudson Houck, both Cowboy employees. . . .

USC is 23-13 in bowls, Texas Tech 4-14-1. . . .

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The three most famous players in Tech history are running back Donny Anderson, linebacker-center E.J. Holub, and split end David Parks. . . .

Holub, a consensus All-American in 1959-60 who starred for the Kansas City Chiefs, underwent his 21st knee operation last month. . . .

Freshman quarterback Zebbie Lethridge, a scrambler, has been sacked 15 times the last two games. . . .

USC is 18-4-1 against Southwest Conference opponents, including victories over Texas Tech in 1978 and 1979. . . .

A Trojan to watch should be tailback Delon Washington from Dallas, who hasn’t played since the Penn State game because of eligibility questions. . . .

The common opponent is Baylor, which lost to USC, 37-27, at the Coliseum and to Texas Tech, 38-7, at Lubbock. . . .

Traveler IV, an Arabian, won’t be able to match Tech mascot Two Bar Boy, a quarterhorse, stride for stride. . . .

My Cotton pickin’ pick is USC 38, Texas Tech 21.