 Despite standing only 6'1" 200 lbs., he had great speed (4.48 40 yard dash time) for a quarterback, and tremendous strength, which made him an incredibly difficult player to contain.For the year he would finish with over 1,000 yards of total offense and 8 total touchdowns (663 yards, 1 touchdown passing and 337 yards, 7 touchdowns rushing).Tony Rice's first encounter with Southern Cal happened to be only his second start of his young career on October 24, 1987 as the sophomore quarterback caught the #18 ranked USC Trojans (8-4) by surprise, 26-15.