Rose Bowl Bowl Player Profile, History & More

2007 Rose Bowl Bowl Player Profile, History & More

USC (10-2) vs. Michigan (11-1)

January 1st, 5:00 p.m. ET, ABC

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Rose Bowl History
2006	Texas 41, USC 38
2005	Texas 38, Michigan 37
2004	USC 28, Michigan 14
2003	Oklahoma 34, Washington St 14
2002	Miami 37, Nebraska 14
2001	Washington 34, Purdue 24
2000	Wisconsin 17, Stanford 9
1999	Wisconsin 38, UCLA 31
1998	Michigan 21, Washington St 16
1997	Ohio State 20, Arizona State 17
1996	USC 41, Northwestern 32
1995	Penn State 38, Oregon 20
1994	Wisconsin 21, UCLA 16
1993	Michigan 38, Washington 31
1992	Washington 34, Michigan 14
1991	Washington 46, Iowa 34
1990	USC 17, Michigan 10
1989	Michigan 22, USC 14
1988	Michigan State 20, USC 17
1987	Arizona State 22, Michigan 15
1986	UCLA 45, Iowa 28
1985	USC 20, Ohio State 17
1984	UCLA 45, Illinois 9
1983	UCLA 24, Michigan 14
1982	Washington 28, Iowa 0
1981	Michigan 23, Washington 6
1980	USC 17, Ohio State 16
1979	USC 17, Michigan 10
1978	Washington 27, Michigan 20
1977	USC 14, Michigan 6
1976	UCLA 23, Ohio State 10
1975	USC 18, Ohio State 17
1974	Ohio State 42, USC 21
1973	USC 42, Ohio State 17
1972	Stanford 13, Michigan 12
1971	Stanford 27, Ohio State 17
1970	USC 10, Michigan 3
1969	Ohio State 27, USC 16
1968	USC 14, Indiana 3
1967	Purdue 14, USC 13
1966	UCLA 14, Michigan State 12
1965	Michigan 34, Oregon State 7
1964	Illinois 17, Washington 7
1963	USC 42, Wisconsin 37
1962	Minnesota 21, UCLA 3
1961	Washington 17, Minnesota 7
1960	Washington 44, Wisconsin 8
1959	Iowa 38, California 12
1958	Ohio State 10, Oregon 7
1957	Iowa 35, Oregon State 19
1956	Michigan State 17, UCLA 14
1955	Ohio State 20, USC 7
1954	Michigan State 28, UCLA 20
1953	USC 7, Wisconsin 0
1952	Illinois 40, Stanford 7
1951	Michigan 14, California 6
1950	Ohio State 17, California 14
1949	Northwestern 20, California 14
1948	Michigan 49, USC 0
1947	Illinois 45, UCLA 14
1946	Alabama 34, USC 14
1945	USC 25, Tennessee 0
1944	USC 29, Washington 0
1943	Georgia 9, UCLA 0
1942	Oregon State 20, Duke 16 (at Durham, N.C.)
1941	Stanford 21, Nebraska 13
1940	USC 14, Tennessee 0
1939	USC 7, Duke 3
1938	California 13, Alabama 0
1937	Pittsburgh 21, Washington 0
1936	Stanford 7, SMU 0
1935	Alabama 29, Stanford 13
1934	Columbia 7, Stanford 0
1933	USC 35, Pittsburgh 0
1932	USC 21, Tulane 12
1931	Alabama 24, Washington St 0
1930	USC 47, Pittsburgh 14
1929	Georgia Tech 8, California 7
1928	Stanford 7, Pittsburgh 6
1927	Alabama 7, Stanford 7
1926	Alabama 20, Washington 19
1925	Notre Dame 27, Stanford 10
1924	Navy 14, Washington 14
1923	USC 14, Penn State 3
1922	California 0, Washington & Jefferson 0
1921	California 28, Ohio State 0
1920	Harvard 7, Oregon 6
1919	Great Lakes 17, Mare Island 0
1918	Mare Island 19, Camp Lewis 7
1917	Oregon 14, Pennsylvania 0
1916	Washington State 14, Brown 0
1902	Michigan 49, Stanford 0

Rose Bowl Player Profile
DT Alan Branch, Michigan – The name “Branch”, which conjures up visions of an object that’s wispy or frail, just doesn’t do justice to Michigan’s larger-than-life presence in the middle of the defensive line.  At 6-6 and 330 pounds, this Branch looks a whole lot more like a tree trunk.  The junior from New Mexico is the prototypical space-eater for the Wolverines, occupying multiple blockers, disrupting plays before they begin and creating daylight for teammates to wreak havoc.  However, don’t make the mistake of confusing Branch with just another wide body.  He is an athlete blessed with the kind of explosion, quickness and speed that should be illegal for an interior lineman his size.  Branch has a tremendous burst and nimble feet, sort of like a larger William Perry, when the Fridge was dominating the ACC for Clemson in the 1980s.  How agile is he?  Branch wasn’t that much smaller in high school than he is today, yet played a little point guard his senior year, averaging six assists a game for the basketball team and took back five punts for scores during his prep career.  Now that’s Branch, as in Cliff Branch.  If you set out to judge the big fella solely on his numbers—23 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks—you’re completely missing his importance to the nations top-ranked rush defense.  Now in his second season as a starter, Branch has become the BASF of college football—he doesn’t make a lot of the plays.  He makes a lot of the players around him better.

Best Trojan Bowl Moment – There have been a ton of memorable Rose Bowl wins in USC’s storied past, however, the 2005 Orange Bowl was the site of the program’s most impressive moment, a 55-19 demolition of unbeaten Oklahoma to win a second straight national championship.  Matt Leinart set an Orange Bowl record with five touchdown passes, while the mighty Trojans raised debates whether they were a modern-day dynasty. 

Best Wolverine Bowl Moment – More three dozen bowl games, 18 postseason victories and 19 trips to Pasadena ensure there are plenty of viable candidates.  Slipping by Alabama in overtime in the 2000 Orange Bowl.  Beating Washington in 1981 for the school’s first Rose Bowl win in 16 years.   How about capping a perfect 1947 season by trouncing USC 49-0?  Still, it’s tough to deny the 1997 squad, which got past Washington State 21-16 in the Rose Bowl.  It wasn’t the sharpest Wolverine effort, but it was enough to give the University its first national title in nearly half a century.

USC's best win ... USC 50 ... Arkansas 14
It took about a half for the USC offense to get on track, and then it exploded as John David Booty threw three second half touchdown passes as part of a 28-point run to make the game a laugher. Arkansas kept it close early on thanks to a one-yard touchdown run from Robert Johnson and some decent defense, but five turnovers, including three fumbles from RB Felix Jones, proved too much to overcome. The Hogs scored midway through the fourth quarter on a one-yard touchdown run from star QB recruit Mitch Mustain, but he threw a late interception that led to a one-yard Allen Bradford touchdown run.

USC's worst performance ... UCLA 13 ... USC 9
UCLA ruined USC's national title hopes when Eric McNeal snuffed out a final USC drive deep in Bruin territory tipping the ball in the air before making the interception. The Bruin offense only managed 235 yards of total offense, but cranked out a 91-yard drive in the first quarter culminating in a one-yard Pat Cowan touchdown run and got two Justin Medlock field goals in the second half. The UCLA defense held USC scoreless after one-yard C.J. Gable run in the final minute of the first half. A holding call in the end zone gave USC a safety on the way to a 9-7 halftime lead.

Michigan's best win ... Michigan 27 ... Wisconsin 13
Michigan took advantage of Wisconsin special teams errors in the first half for ten points highlighted by a 24-yard touchdown catch from Mario Manningham, and then put the game away in the second half on a 38-yard Manningham touchdown grab and a five-yard Mike Hart scoring run. Wisconsin played good defense, but couldn't manage anything but two Taylor Mehlhaff field goals after P.J. Hill took a short pass for a rumbling 29-yard touchdown early in the first quarter.

Michigan's worst performance ... Michigan 34 ... Ball State 26
Michigan needed the full sixty minutes to put Ball State away after a fourth down Cardinal pass in the final minutes fell incomplete in the end zone. The Cardinals jumped out to a stunning early lead with a safety and a 35-yard interception return for a score from Erik Keys, but then the Wolverine offensive line took over leading the way to 40-yard Brandon Minor scoring run and a one-yard Mike Hart run on the way to a 31-12 lead midway through the third quarter. Just when it seemed like Michigan could coast, Nate Davis and Dante Love hooked up for a 54-yard score. A two-yard Larry Bostic scoring run got the Cardinals to within eight midway through the fourth.

2006 Rose Bowl
Texas 41 ... USC 38
In one of the greatest games of all-time, Texas came back from down 12 in the final 6:42 as Vince Young ran for a 17-yard score with 4:03 to play, the defense held USC's LenDale White on fourth down, and then Young led the offense on a ten-play, 56-yard drive culminating in an eight-yard touchdown run on fourth down for the win. Young ran for 200 yards and three touchdowns, but the Trojan rushing attack was equal to the task with 209 yards led by White's 124 yards and three scores. The Trojans appeared to have it won after Reggie Bush dove for a 26-yard touchdown and Dwayne Jarrett caught a 22-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, but Young proved to be too much to stop. USC cranked out 574 yards of total offense, Texas 556.
Player of the game: Texas QB Vince Young completed 30 of 40 passes for 267 yards and ran 19 times for 200 yards and three touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Texas - Passing: Vince Young, 30-40, 267 yds
Rushing: Vince Young, 19-200, 3TD. Receiving: David Thomas, 10-88
USC - Passing: Matt Leinart, 29-40, 365 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: LenDale White, 20-124, 3 TD. Receiving: Dwayne Jarrett, 10-121, 1 TD

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USC Bowl History (22-10-2)

2005	Rose	Texas 41, USC 38
2004	Orange	USC 55, Oklahoma 19
2003	Rose	USC 28, Michigan 14
2002	Orange	USC 38, Iowa 17
2001	Las Vegas	Utah 10, USC 6
1998	Sun	TCU 28, USC 19
1995	Rose	USC 41, Northwestern 32
1994	Cotton	USC 55, Texas Tech 14
1993	Freedom	USC 28, Utah 21
1992	Freedom	Fresno State 24, USC 7
1990	John Hancock	Michigan St 17, USC 16
1989	Rose	USC 17, Michigan 10
1988	Rose	Michigan 22, USC 14
1987	Rose	Michigan St 20, USC 17
1986	Citrus	Auburn 16, USC 7
1985	Aloha	Alabama 24, USC 3
1984	Rose	USC 20, Ohio State 17
1981	Fiesta	Penn State 26, USC 10
1979	Rose	USC 17, Ohio State 16
1978	Rose	USC 17, Michigan 10
1977	Bluebonnet	USC 47, Texas A&M 28
1976	Rose	USC 14, Michigan 6
1975	Liberty	USC 20, Texas A&M 0
1974	Rose	USC 18, Ohio State 17
1973	Rose	Ohio State 42, USC 21
1972	Rose	USC 42, Ohio State 17
1969	Rose	USC 10, Michigan 3
1968	Rose	Ohio State 27, USC 16
1967	Rose	USC 14, Indiana 3
1966	Rose	Purdue 14, USC 13
1962	Rose	USC 42, Wisconsin 37
1954	Rose	Ohio State 20, USC 7
1952	Rose	USC 7, Wisconsin 0
1948	Rose	Michigan 49, USC 0
1945	Rose	Alabama 34, USC 14
1944	Rose	USC 25, Tennessee 0
1943	Rose	USC 29, Washington 0
1939	Rose	USC 14, Tennessee 0
1938	Rose	USC 7, Duke 3
1932	Rose	USC 35, Pittsburgh 0
1931	Rose	USC 21, Tulane 12
1929	Rose	USC 47, Pittsburgh 14
1924	Christmas Festival	USC 20, Missouri 7
1922	Rose	USC 14, Pittsburgh 3

Michigan Bowl History (18-19)

2005	Alamo	Nebraska 32, Michigan 28
2004	Rose	Texas 38, Michigan 37
2003	Rose	USC 28, Michigan 14
2002	Outback	Michigan 38, Florida 30
2001	Citrus	Tennessee 45, Michigan 17
2000	Citrus	Michigan 31, Auburn 28
1999	Orange	Michigan 35, Alabama 34 (OT)
1998	Citrus	Michigan 45, Arkansas 31
1997	Rose	Michigan 21, Washington State 16
1996	Outback	Alabama 17, Michigan 14
1995	Alamo	Texas A&M 22, Michigan 20
1994	Holiday	Michigan 24, Colorado State 14
1993	Hall of Fame	Michigan 42, North Carolina State 7
1992	Rose	Michigan 38, Washington 31
1991	Rose	Washington 34, Michigan 14
1990	Gator	Michigan 35, Mississippi 3
1989	Rose	USC 17, Michigan 10
1988	Rose	Michigan 22, USC 14
1987	Hall of Fame	Michigan 28, Alabama 24
1986	Rose	Arizona State 22, Michigan 15
1985	Fiesta	Michigan 27, Nebraska 23
1984	Holiday	Brigham Young 24, Michigan 17
1983	Sugar	Auburn 9, Michigan 7
1982	Rose	UCLA 24, Michigan 14
1981	Bluebonnet	Michigan 33, UCLA 14
1980	Rose	Michigan 23, Washington 6
1979	Gator	North Carolina 17, Michigan 15
1978	Rose	USC 17, Michigan 10
1977	Rose	Washington 27, Michigan 20
1976	Rose	USC 14, Michigan 6
1975	Orange	Oklahoma 14, Michigan 6
1971	Rose	Stanford 13, Michigan 12
1969	Rose	USC 10, Michigan 3
1964	Rose	Michigan 34, Oregon State 7
1950	Rose	Michigan 14, California 6
1948	Rose	Michigan 49, USC 0
1901	Rose	Michigan 49, Stanford 0