52 49 9 9 5 5 Champion USC Trojans football | 9 9 5 5 13 14 Stadium Rose Bowl | |
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Date January 2, 2017, 1:30 PM PST Location Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California, United States Similar 2016 Rose Bowl, 2017 Sugar Bowl, 2016 Orange Bowl, 2017 Cotton Bowl Cla, 2017 College Football | ||
The 2017 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 2, 2017 at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California. This 103rd Rose Bowl Game matched the Big Ten Conference champions Penn State Nittany Lions against the USC Trojans of the Pac-12 Conference, a rematch of the 1923 and 2009 Rose Bowls, the former the first appearance for either team in the bowl and the latter the most recent appearance for either team. It was one of the 2016–17 bowl games that concluded the 2016 FBS football season. Sponsored by the Northwestern Mutual financial services organization, the game was officially known as the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual. USC received the Lathrop K. Leishman trophy for winning the game.
Contents
- A game to remember 2017 rose bowl usc vs penn state
- Pre game activities
- Teams
- 9 USC Trojans
- 5 Penn State Nittany Lions
- Other
- Related events
- References
The contest, played on January 2 in keeping with the game's standard practice when New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, was televised on ESPN with a radio broadcast on ESPN Radio and XM Satellite Radio, which began at 1:30 PM (PST) with kickoff at 2:10 PM (PST). The Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association was the organizer of the game. The Rose Bowl Game was a contractual sell-out, with 64,500 tickets allocated to the participating teams and conferences. The remaining tickets were distributed to the Tournament of Roses members, sponsors, City of Pasadena residents, and the general public. Ticket prices were $150 and $210. The bowl game was preceded by the 2017 Rose Parade, the 128th annual Rose Parade which began at 8:00 a.m. (PST) on game day with a theme of "Echoes of Success."
A game to remember 2017 rose bowl usc vs penn state
Pre-game activities
The game was presided over by the 2017 Rose Queen, the Royal Court, Tournament of Roses President Brad Ratliff, and the grand marshals Janet Evans, Allyson Felix, and Greg Louganis.
After the teams' arrival in Southern California, the teams participated in the traditional Lawry's Beef Bowl in Beverly Hills and the Disney Media Day at the Disneyland Resort in nearby Anaheim. The Rose Bowl Hall of Fame ceremony luncheon was held prior to the game at the Rose Bowl, where outstanding former players and participants were inducted into the hall. This year's honorees were Bobby Bell, from the University of Minnesota; Ricky Ervins, University of Southern California; Tommy Prothro, Oregon State University and UCLA; and Art Spander, award-winning sportswriter.
The bands and cheerleaders from both schools participated in the pre-game Rose Parade on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena along with the floats.
Teams
The teams playing in the Rose Bowl game were the highest ranking teams from the Pac-12 Conference and Big Ten Conference that were not selected to play in a College Football Playoff semifinal game. The teams were officially selected by the football committee of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association on Selection Sunday on December 4, 2016, based on the final rankings by the CFP committee.
#9 USC Trojans
The Trojans started the year with a dismal 1–3 record, but after a Week 4 loss at No. 24 Utah the Trojans reeled off an eight-game winning streak, including an upset win over No. 4 Washington to break them into the Top 25 where they have remained since. USC was led by freshman quarterback Sam Darnold, 1,000-yard rusher Ronald Jones II, receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster, Darreus Rogers and Deontay Burnett, defensive end Porter Gustin, and all-purpose player Adoree Jackson.
They were coached by Clay Helton, who led them to a 9–3 season (after going 5–4 in 9 games as interim head coach last season). The team wore its white jerseys and used the east bench during the game.
#5 Penn State Nittany Lions
The Nittany Lions started the season off 2–2 after losses to Pitt and No. 4 Michigan but finished the regular season on a 9–game winning streak, including a pivotal 4th-quarter comeback victory over #2 Ohio State that led to Penn State receiving a Top-25 national ranking for the first time since 2011. Penn State added a Big Ten Championship with a comeback win over #6 Wisconsin to close out the season. The Nittany Lions were led by sophomore duo quarterback Trace McSorley and 1,000+ yard rusher Saquon Barkley and junior wide receiver Chris Godwin.
They came into the game 11–2 (8–1 Big Ten), a big improvement from the last two seasons under head coach James Franklin (finished 7–6 both seasons). The team wore its dark jerseys and used the west bench on game day.
Other
The Nittany Lions and Trojans had previously played nine times, with USC leading the series 5–4, and had played twice in the Rose Bowl in (1923 and 2009) with USC winning both games. The 2017 match was the highest scoring game in the bowl's history, with a total of 101 points, breaking the record set five years earlier at the 2012 Rose Bowl game.