USC edges Penn State, 52-49, in highest-scoring Rose Bowl ever
Southern California place kicker Matt Boermeester celebrates after kicking the game winning field goal against Penn State during the second half of the Rose Bowl on Monday, Jan. 2, 2017, in Pasadena, Calif. Credit: AP / Gregory Bull
PASADENA, Calif. — All season long, Penn State thrived on comebacks, overcoming deficits of at least 10 points in the second half of four victories, including the Big Ten championship game. Yesterday, however, Southern Cal flipped the script in the Rose Bowl.
The Nittany Lions, who had won nine straight games, scored touchdowns on seven straight possessions to overcome an early 13-point deficit and take a 14-point lead into the fourth quarter. But then Penn State went strangely conservative and saw the Trojans rally to win the highest-scoring Rose Bowl ever, 52-49, on Matt Boermeester’s 46-yard field goal as time expired.
“Game was on the line, but you’ve got to keep true to your technique and trust it,” said Boermeester, a left-footed kicker who had gone 2-for-4 on previous attempts in the game.
“We worked so hard throughout the season, it just sums it all up,” holder Wyatt Schmidt said. “Zach [Smith] gave me a perfect snap. Matt gave a perfect kick. Laces were out, and it just worked out perfectly. Best kick operation of the year, which most people don’t see. It’s a surreal moment and it worked out perfectly to how great of an ending that was.”
USC freshman Sam Darnold completed 33 of 53 passes for 453 yards and five touchdowns. Deonta Burnett caught 13 passes for 164 yards, including three for touchdowns. The third one tied the score at 49 with 1:20 left.
The winning points were set up by a third-down interception thrown by Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley. Leon McQuay returned the interception 32 yards to the Penn State 33 with 27 seconds left. “I didn’t know whether to block or celebrate” after the pick, USC defensive lineman Stevie Tu’ikolovatu said. “I kind of did both.”
“I tried too much to force it to Chris [Godwin],” McSorley said. “He had been making plays for us all game long, so that was the guy in my mind . . . To come back, to climb back like we did and not finish, it hurts.”
USC was out of timeouts, but one running play and one spike left enough time for Boermeester’s kick. “Keep competing and good things will happen to you,” coach Clay Helton said.
“This was the first time I’ve cried after a loss,” Penn State safety Malik Golden said.
“It was just two really good football teams playing at the highest level and competing until the absolute very end,” Helton said. “The greatest players shined brightest on the biggest stage. It’s what fairy tales are made of.”
McSorley threw for four touchdowns and passed for 254 yards. Lions sophomore running back Saquon Barkley scored three touchdowns and rushed for 194 yards.
McSorley threw interceptions on his first two pass attempts, both in the first three minutes, as USC raced to a 13-0 lead. But starting early in the second quarter, when Barkley raced 24 yards for a touchdown on a third-and-6 play, the Lions’ offense was as efficient as it ever has been.
After USC built a 27-21 halftime lead, Penn State remarkably scored touchdowns on three consecutive offensive plays in a span of 2:39 early in the third quarter. Those touchdowns came on a 79-yard run by Barkley, a 72-yard pass from McSorley to Godwin and a 3-yard run by McSorley after an interception by Brandon Bell. That gave Penn State a 42-27 lead.
“That game doesn’t really define us,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “I wouldn’t be any more proud tonight sitting here with a win . . . after what might have been the most exciting Rose Bowl game ever.”
With AP
