MIAMI (AP) -- When Pete Carroll walked off the field after the Orange Bowl 25 years ago, he was sold on coaching.

The season on Lou Holtz's Arkansas staff, punctuated by a 31-6 Orange Bowl victory over Oklahoma that denied the Sooners the national title, gave Carroll his first taste of the big time.

It also provided much of the philosophy and approach that he went on to use as coach of the NFL's New York Jets and New England Patriots, and now with the Southern California Trojans.

The memories came flooding back to Carroll when Holtz, now the South Carolina coach, visited the Trojans' practice over the weekend as they prepared for the Jan. 2 Orange Bowl against Iowa.

"I introduced him to the team and told them a story about how the last time we were in the Orange Bowl and had a remarkable week down here, and how he did just a fantastic job of putting together a great win against Oklahoma," Carroll said.

"It was one of the great memories I have of coaching, one of the things that really showed me what the top end can be like. I was hooked from that point on."

Carroll spent his first three years in coaching as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, University of Pacific. He went to Arkansas to coach the secondary in 1977.

"The whole year at Arkansas was so much different from what I had seen the first three years at the University of Pacific," Carroll said. "It was a magical year. It was a great time to be in the Southwest Conference, which was fantastic then, with Earl Campbell at Texas, the big guns at Texas A&M, so many great players, and we had a great year."

And laid a foundation for the young assistant.

"He (Holtz) left a lasting impression about organization, approach, gamesmanship, leadership," Carroll said. "I'm still doing things I learned from him."

The year with Holtz provided the young assistant a springboard. Carroll then went to Iowa State to join Earle Bruce's staff.

When Holtz visited the Trojans' practice over the weekend, it was not as a mentor but as a student, boning up on Carroll's defensive approach.

"It was really special. He called up and said he was close enough and wanted to come and see us and I was thrilled to have him. Basically we talked football," Carroll said.

"He was taking notes on everything he saw. . .He was all over. I admire that greatly. I was very grateful that he wanted to come and talk with me."

Holtz said he was very impressed by USC's aggressive defense, and the way Carroll has the players working together.

Carroll, who guided the Trojans to a 10-2 record and into the Orange Bowl after going 6-6 and losing 10-6 to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl his first year, has made the quick turnaround at USC look relatively easy.

"After being with Arkansas, I was fortunate enough to go to more bowl games, including the Rose Bowl (under Bruce at Ohio State), and I thought that was just the way coaching was, a big bowl game every year, and that it was easy," Carroll said, grinning.