USC 52, Penn State 49
In a wild game that was topped with one of the worst all-time play calls ever, USC outlasted Penn State, coming back from 14 points down to win the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. With under a minute left, Penn State OC Joe Moorhead, who had been calling a solid game up until then, called two pass plays to the right side of the field. The first was batted down, the second was intercepted, setting up the game winning 46 yard FG for USC as time expired. Both teams entered the game with 8 game winning streaks, and was the most entertaining bowl this season.
Penn state scored TDs on 7 straight possessions, including two plays in a row, and racked up a Rose Bowl record 28 point 3rd quarter to erase a one time 13 point USC lead. USC scored 17 unanswered 4th quarter points, including 10 in the final 1:20 of the game.
In a game of shattered Rose Bowl records, Trojan QB Sam Darnold broke a record for TD passes in the game with 5. He completed 33/53 passes for 453 yards, 3 yards short of the Rose Bowl record, and was the hero of the game for USC, throwing one bold strike after another in the win.
Both teams broke the Rose Bowl combined scoring record (83 points) before the 3rd quarter had ended.
Trace McSorley of Penn State also totaled 5 TDs, 4 passing and one rushing in the loss. Darnold and McSorley join Vince Young (2005) and Neil Snow (1902) as the only players in Rose Bowl history to total 5 TDs in the game. Eric Ball was one player who rushed for 4 TDs in the Rose Bowl in 1984 for UCLA in their win over Iowa.
Deontay Burnett blew up in the game, catching 13 passes for 164 yards and 3 TDs. He had only caught 4 TD passes all season entering the game.
Between the ending moments of the 2nd quarter, and the early moments of the 3rd, Penn State scored on 4 consecutive plays.
USC now has 25 Rose Bowl wins all-time, which is the record for wins in any one bowl for any school.
2017 Openers: Akron at Penn State (9/2); Western Michigan at USC (9/2)
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