1980 Rose Bowl

1980 Rose Bowl
1980 Rose Bowl
66th Rose Bowl Game
USC Trojans	Ohio State Buckeyes
(10–0–1)	(11–0)
17	16
Head coach: ; John Robinson	Head coach: ; Earle Bruce
AP	Coaches
3	2
AP	Coaches
1	3
Date	January 1, 1980
Season	1979
Stadium	Rose Bowl
Location	Pasadena, California
MVP	Charles White (USC RB)
Favorite	USC by 7½ points
Referee	Gene Calhoun (Big Ten) ; (split crew: Big Ten, Pac-10)
Attendance	105,526
United States TV coverage
Network	NBC
Announcers	Dick Enberg, Merlin Olsen,; and O. J. Simpson
Nielsen ratings	28.6
Rose Bowl
< 1979	1981 >

The 1980 Rose Bowl was It was the 66th edition of the college football bowl game, played on Tuesday, January 1, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The USC Trojans, champions of the Pacific-10 Conference, defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes, champions of the Big Ten Conference, 17–16.^[3]^[4]

USC's Heisman Trophy running back Charles White was named the Player of the Game (for a second time, having shared the previous game's award with Rick Leach), rushing for a record 247 yards, including the game-winning touchdown with little more than a minute remaining in the contest.^[5]

Ohio State went into the game with an 11–0 record, and was one of two undefeated and untied teams in the nation, along with Alabama. Had the Buckeyes won the game, they would have likely won at least a share of the national championship, as they were ranked first in the AP Poll at kickoff.^[1]^[6]

The game received a 28.6 Nielsen Rating, making it one of the highest-rated college football games of all time.^[7]

USC, having suffered a shocking 21–21 tie with Stanford (a home game in which they led 21–0 at halftime) that cost them the #1 ranking in mid-October,^[8] was runner-up in both final polls, behind Alabama.

This was the sixth consecutive Rose Bowl win for the Pac-10, with ten wins in the last eleven.^[1]

Scoring

First quarter

USC – Eric Hipp 41-yard field goal

Second quarter

USC – Kevin Williams 53-yard pass from Paul McDonald (Hipp kick)
OSU – Vlade Janakievski 35-yard field goal
OSU – Gary Williams 67-yard pass from Art Schlichter (Janakievski kick)

Third quarter

OSU – Janakievski 37-yard field goal

Fourth quarter

OSU – Janakievski, 24-yard field goal
USC – Charles White 1-yard run (Hipp kick)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Ohio State hopes to snap Big Ten's Rose Bowl jinx". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 1, 1980. p. 20.
^ "Latest line: college football bowl games". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 1, 1980. p. 20.
^ "White carries USC as far as one man can". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 2, 1980. p. 1D.
^ Looney, Douglas S. (January 14, 1980). "A beautiful Rose, even for 'Bama". Sports Illustrated. p. 28.
^ "Trojans' White runs sweet as a 'Rose'". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 2, 1980. p. C1.
^ "New year starts with fight for No. 1". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire service reports. December 31, 1979. p. 4B.
^ "Fiesta Bowl Sets Record for TV". The New York Times. January 6, 1987.
^ "For Cards, a tie is a win; for USC, a loss". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire service reports. October 14, 1979. p. 3B.