Penn State will try to gobble up USC in Rose Bowl
December 9, 2008
Penn State football is thrilled to be headed to the 2009 Rose Bowl and expecting big things out west. its been a great year for the Nittany Lions and Penn State football in general, and the trip to the Rose Bowl is a fantastic way to end the season.
The last time Penn State and USC played in the Rose Bowl was in the 1923 Rose Bowl, when the Trojans beat the Lions 14-3. That was the ninth time that there were Rose Bowl tickets for sale. The 2009 Rose Bowl will be one of the best bowl games of the college football season, so don’t wait to get your Rose Bowl tickets.
This great Rose Bowl match-up of USC vs Penn State is just a blessing for Penn State Football fans, its one for all college football fans. Penn State football has been looking very sharp, and they will need their A game if they are going to take down the Trojans. Penn State and USC have just one loss, and both Rose Bowl teams can claim one of the deepest histories and biggest followings in all of sports. Its no wonder that Penn State football Rose Bowl tickets are some of the fastest selling Rose Bowl tickets we’ve ever seen.
The 2009 Rose Bowl appearence is USC football’s fourth straight Rose Bowl invitation. USC Football has been invited to the Rose Bowl an astounding 34 times.
The Penn Offense will need to play tough to put up points. USC’s defense could be called the best in college football, as their their 3.4 yards-per-play average is among the most impressive in all of college football history.
Penn State has been rewarded for a great season and hard-fought year with this Rose Bowl berth. The Lions have been among the best college football teams all season long. This trip the to granddaddy of them All is their well-deserved prize. Now they just need to take the Rose Bowl trophy home.
Both Penn State football and USC football will need their solid defense if they are going to win the Rose Bowl. Penn State ended the regular college football season fifth in total defense and fourth in scoring defense. Its gonna be tough to go up against USC, as they were the best defensive team in both total defense as well as scoring defense.
While defense will be a major factor in deciding who wins the Rose Bowl, offense is what wins games overall. I know they say defense wins games, but its tough to win if you don’t put up any points! Fortunately for people the buy Rose Bowl tickets, Penn State and USC are capable of putting up big points. Penn State football averaged 40.2 points per game. On the other side the USC Trojans have scored an average of 37.5 in their games.
Both teams also have capable quarterback. Penn State’s Daryll Clark passed for 2,319 yards this season while throwing 17 touchdowns. His Rose bowl counterpart Mark Sanchez threw for 2,794 yards while completing 30 touchdowns.
Both Penn State and USC are just about even in BCS rankings. Penn State is right behind #5 USC at #6. They are both 11-1, as each team was upset during the season. Penn State football fans are still trying to forget the loss to Iowa 24-23 caused by a missed 31-yard field goal just 1 second left on the clock. The Trojans lost to Oregon State 27-21,a team that Penn State beat 45-14. Penn State and USC both played Fiesta Bowl bound Ohio State. USC won 35-3 and Penn State beat the Buckeyes 13-6.
Joe Paterno will have turned 82 by the time the Rose Bowl starts. “We’re delighted to have an opportunity to go out there to Pasadena and play against a team with the caliber and tradition of Southern Cal,” Paterno said in Yahoo Sports. “All of our fans are excited. My team is excited. I hope we can go out there and be competitive with them. I’m a little bit nervous. This is a very, very impressive football team, Southern Cal. They do everything well.”
USC Coach Pete Carroll had nothing but good things to say about Paterno. “He’s brought a tremendous energy and spirit to football and to the game, love of the game that will last forever. I see how feisty he is, how tough he is. I just marvel at all of the years and the excellence,” said Carroll. “He’s stood for college football and for football in general as a true icon in every sense of the word.”
Joe Pa’s lifetime record is 383-126-3. He is an impressive is 23-10-1 in Bowl Game appearances. Paterno the only college football coach to win all four of the major bowls. He first came to Penn State as coach in 1966. Paterno’s 383 wins, 34 bowls and 23 bowl wins are all college football records and a testament to his abilities. Under Paterno, the Nittany Lions made their Rose Bowl record 1-1 when they beat Oregon in 1994.
USC’s Taylor Mays is looking forward to seeing the legendary coach. “I’m going to look for him to shake his hand. It’s cool to play Penn State and Joe Paterno. With all of the history of both schools, it’s a classic matchup,” he said.
Paterno also has a lot of good thing sto say about Carroll. “Pete has done a terrific job .Two or three coaches out there that really changed he whole game of football. Pete certainly has been right there at the top of it,” said Paterno.
Under Carroll, the Trojans hold the country’s best winning percentage. Just like Joe, Carroll has some impressive coaching stats. Since Carroll came to USC seven years ago, USC football has either won or shared in the Pac-10 Championship. They have won at least 11 games and played in a BCS bowl each year. Carroll has an 81-9 record since coking to USC. The Trojans have won 5 of the last 6 bowl appearances they had. USC Football is 5-1 in their all-time BCS bowl games. The last time the Trojans went to the Rose Bowl was for the
2006 Rose Bowl.
Penn State and USC football have battled a eight times overall. The 2009 Rose Bowl will give one of them the head-to-head edge, as they are tied at 4-4 against each other. Their most recent clash was in 2000 in Giants Stadium. You’ll recall Penn State was victorious in that Penn State vs USC game. You might also recall that after that season was when Carroll came aboard.
The 2009 Rose Bowl is going to be a really good show that should cap was has been a great season. And keep in mind that year Penn State football tickets will once again be cack to help you find the best tickets to Penn State football.
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