2010 Rose Bowl
Ohio State (10-2) vs. Oregon (10-2)
Pasadena, CA, Jan. 1, 4:30 pn, ABC
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Team Pages and 2009 Season
Oregon | Ohio State
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2009 CFN
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2007 CFN Rose Bowl Preview |
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National Rankings
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UO |
|
OSU |
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25th |
Total Offense |
71st |
|
32nd |
Total Defense |
5th |
|
7th |
Scoring Offense |
47th |
|
52nd |
Scoring Defense |
5th |
|
6th |
Rushing Offense |
19th |
|
39th |
Run Defense |
5th |
|
92nd |
Passing Offense |
106th |
|
37th |
Passing Defense |
17th |
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46th |
Turnover Margin |
4th |
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Position Ratings
relative to each
other |
|
UO |
5 highest
1 lowest |
OS |
|
4.5 |
Quarterbacks |
4 |
|
5 |
RBs |
4 |
|
3.5 |
Receivers |
2.5 |
|
4 |
O Line |
4 |
|
4 |
D Line |
4 |
|
3.5 |
Linebackers |
4 |
|
4 |
Secondary |
4.5 |
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3.5 |
Spec
Teams |
4.5 |
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4 |
Coaching |
5 |
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Rose Bowl History |
| 2009 |
USC 38, Penn State 24 |
| 2008 |
USC 49, Illinois 17 |
| 2007 |
USC 32, Michigan 18 |
| 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 |
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Wisconsin 17, Stanford 9, January 1, 2000. That was the last time the Big Ten won the Rose Bowl, while the classic 20-17 win over Arizona State in the 1997 game was the last time Ohio State won in Pasadena. A lot has happened since then, and it all leads up to this game that might turn out to be the biggest bowl in recent Big Ten history, at least when it comes to national perception.
The Big Ten gets a bad rap and it’s mostly because of two things: 1) Ohio State vs. the SEC and USC, and 2) USC vs. the rest of the world. Take a look at the recent histories of the SEC vs. Big Ten matchups in the Outback and Capital One bowls and the Big Ten has more than held its own against the upper-division SEC teams, and the league has been fine in most of the other bowl games over recent years. However, USC, who would’ve steamrolled at least 115 other teams in each of the last three Rose Bowls, has been USC, and the Big Ten has gotten in the way on the biggest stage. 2006 Michigan and 2008 Penn State were excellent and deserved to be considered among the top five teams in the country, but the USC teams they faced deserved to be in the top two (and no, 2007 Illinois doesn’t belong in the discussion).
And then there’s the top dog phenomenon. When the killer team at the top of the standings struggles, the rest of the conference is perceived as weak, when in reality, Ohio State had one flat-out dog of an effort in the 2007 BCS Championship Game loss to Florida, and lost games it was supposed to against a superior LSU team for the 2007 national championship and against Texas in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl. Dismissed in the losses on the biggest of stages was that Ohio State hung tight with LSU for three quarters and had the Longhorns dead before Colt McCoy came up with a drive for the ages to pull out the win. Also forgotten was that up until January 8, 2006, all was right with the Buckeye and Big Ten world, but that one loss to the Gators changed everything. In other words, Ohio State really hasn’t been that bad. However, Oregon isn’t 2007 USC or 2008 Texas, and if the Buckeyes lose this one, it’s going to be hard for the Big Ten to put a positive spin on yet another BCS failure.
Oregon overcame a four-game bowl losing streak to be, arguably, the best bowl team over the last two seasons blasting South Florida in the 2007 and Oklahoma State in the 2008 Holiday by a combined score of 98 to 52. While this game is vital for the Big Ten to win, it’s just as important to the Pac 10 to go out and prove that the league isn’t just Pete Carroll and the other nine. And after the way Oregon State clunked in the Las Vegas Bowl against BYU and with the way Utah beat Cal in the Poinsettia, the conference needs a big positive in a big hurry.
Yes, the Big Ten hasn’t won the Rose Bowl since 2000 (however, three of the nine games since then didn’t involve a Big Ten team), but only one non-USC team, Washington in the 2001 win over Drew Brees and Purdue, has won since 1992. To take this even further, the last time some Pac 10 team other than Washington or USC has won the Rose Bowl is 1987 (Arizona State’s 22-15 win over Michigan). Half the players in this game weren’t alive the last time someone other than the Huskies or Trojans won. And to make this even more meaningful for Oregon, the only time the Ducks won the Rose Bowl was 1917 … over Penn.
This year’s team couldn’t have started out worse with the disaster of a performance at Boise State, topped off by the LeGarrette Blount punch heard around the college football world, but the Ducks survived a shootout against Purdue, beat a solid Utah team, and then blew up the Pac 10 beating Cal, Washington State, UCLA, Washington, and USC all by 14 points or more and by a combined score of 208 to 58, or an average of 41.6 to 11.6. However, the Ducks had a few struggles away from Autzen Stadium, losing to Stanford and in double overtime against Arizona, but they were unstoppable with only two games in Pac 10 play, the 24-10 win over UCLA and the 37-33 win over Oregon State, when the offense scored fewer than 42 points. Now the O has to prove that it can still work with time off, and against the best defense it’ll face all season long.
Ohio State’s issues were on offense, sputtering in the passing game, struggling to find any consistency running the ball, and being unable to put away seemingly easy games without a little bit of help. However, the no-name defense was terrific, finishing first in the Big Ten and fifth in the nation. But can that be enough? Can the defensive-minded Buckeyes slow down the tremendous Oregon offensive machine? Out of all the BCS games, this is the biggest coin-flip and the biggest mystery game. And outside of the BCS Championship, it’s probably the most important.
Players to Watch: Ohio State can’t win unless Terrelle Pryor is great, but he hasn’t been a special player this year and he’s going to be hobbling, at best, on a banged up knee. He has a torn PCL which he claims isn’t a big deal, but if it limits his mobility at all and makes him a pure pocket passer, OSU is in big, big trouble. It’s not a coincidence that two of Pryor’s worst games came in losses, completing just 11-of-25 passes for 177 yards and a pick against USC, and throwing two interceptions in the loss to Purdue, but there were times when he was razor-sharp and everything worked at the right time. He dinked and dunked on Iowa, completing 14-of-17 passes for just 93 yards, but for the most part he was erratic when he wasn’t making plays on the move, and he struggled with his consistency. Against the quick Oregon D, he could have problems finding room to run.
Stanford’s Toby Gerhart ran for 1,736 yards and 26 touchdowns, averaging 5.58 yards per carry, and he came within a heartbeat of winning the Heisman. Oregon’s LaMichael James had 96 fewer carries but ran for 1,476 yards and 14 scores averaging 6.87 yards per pop. Had he seen more than 11 carries against Boise State and Purdue at the start of the season, he would’ve been a near-lock to have equaled Gerhart’s rushing total. The slippery, speedy freshman ran for 100 yards or more in nine of the last ten games, with the one time being under the mark against Washington State in a blowout (he was pulled after running for 81 yards and two scores on 13 carries). He’s not afraid of contact, but he’s not going to plow over anyone. It’s his job to make everyone miss in the open field, and he won’t get touched in a one-on-one situation. While James might be the scat back who makes big things happen on the move, QB Jeremiah Masoli will run over, around, and through anyone in his way.
The tough junior made a national mark in the Holiday Bowl win over Oklahoma State with 106 hard rushing yards and three touchdowns, while completing 18-of-32 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown with an interception, and he followed it up with a fantastic all-around season as the leader of the high-powered attack. He only threw five interceptions this year, but he threw one in each of the last three games (to go along with 15 touchdown passes on the season). His job will be to keep the chains moving with his legs and his arm and to make all the right decisions needed to get the ball to his playmakers in spots where they can do something with it.
Oregon will win if ... it gets up early. The last thing Ohio State needs is to try to mount any sort of a comeback by throwing the ball. The Oregon secondary is a strength, the Buckeye passing game finished last in the Big Ten and 106th in the nation, and with a lead, the Duck attack can do what it does best and run the ball to grind out the game. But Oregon can’t be afraid to get the passing game going early on to mix things up. Ohio State will have been drilled for the last month to be disciplined and tough against the run, but Masoli has to open up the attack to go after the good, but not elite OSU corners. Purdue was able to beat the Buckeyes with 281 passing yards from Joey Elliott, USC came up with the win after Matt Barkley got hot on the key late drive, and everyone else struggled to consistently produce through the air. Navy showed that a team cam both run and throw effectively, with Ricky Dobbs completing 9-of-13 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Masoli has to be just as effective.
Ohio State will win if ... the running game cranks out big yards and the team wins the turnover battle. Ohio State’s biggest advantage is its bulk and its toughness. Oregon can be shoved around, and Ohio State will certainly try by barreling the ball with both Dan Herron and Brandon Saine, and it needs to control the clock and keep Oregon’s O off the field. In OSU’s two losses, it ran for 88 yards against USC and 66 against Purdue. It ran for 97 yards in the win over Wisconsin, but that’s because the offense never had the ball. Against everyone else, OSU ran for 150 yards or more and in the last five games, including against Penn State and Iowa, the offense ran for 228 yards or more in each game with 11 touchdowns. The bigger key for a team without a lot of offensive firepower will be the turnovers. OSU gave it away five times in the loss to Purdue and just 12 times the rest of the year on its way to finishing fourth in the nation in turnover margin. Oregon is almost always good for two turnovers a game, and OSU has to take advantage of every mistake.
What will happen: By all logic and reason, Oregon should win this game. The offense is better, Pryor is hurt, and OSU doesn’t have a whole bunch of firepower, but don’t diminish just how good Jim Tressel and his staff are when it comes to preparing for the big games. Again, Oregon isn’t USC of the past few seasons and it’s not a national-title caliber superpower. This is a great Duck team, but it’s not an elite one, and the Buckeye defense, especially if the front four is as inspired like it was against Wisconsin can take over a game. Either this will be an Oregon blowout with an impressive performance that will launch a top five 2010 preseason ranking, or it’ll be a close, tight, Tressel Ball kind of a game with the Buckeyes coming up with the win. Ohio State wins on a late field goal.
CFN Prediction: Ohio State 26 … Oregon 24 ... Line: Oregon -4
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Best Duck Bowl Moment: There have been Rose Bowls, a Cotton Bowl and a slew of minor bowls in Oregon’s history, all of which paled in comparison to the 2002 Fiesta Bowl. Joey Harrington threw four touchdown passes, Steve Smith picked off three passes, and the No. 2 Ducks put a bow on the most successful season in school history by pummeling No. 3 Colorado 38-16.
Best Buckeye Bowl Moment: Beyond the plethora of Rose Bowl wins, nothing could compare to the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. In one of the most thrilling college football games of all-time, Ohio State upset Miami in overtime to cop its first unanimous national championship in 34 years. A distant runner-up was the come-from-behind win against USC in the 1969 Rose Bowl that put the finishing touches on that previous national title.
Ohio State Bowl History
(18-22)
|
2009 |
Fiesta |
Texas 24, Ohio State 21 |
|
2008 |
BCS Champ |
LSU 38, Ohio State 24 |
|
2007 |
BCS Champ |
Florida 41, Ohio State14 |
|
2006 |
Fiesta |
Ohio State 34, Notre
Dame 20 |
|
2004 |
Alamo |
Ohio State 33, Oklahoma
State 7 |
|
2003 |
Fiesta |
Ohio State 35, Kansas
State 28 |
|
2002 |
Fiesta |
Ohio State 31, Miami 24
(2 OT) |
|
2001 |
Outback |
South Carolina 31, Ohio
State 28 |
|
2000 |
Outback |
South Carolina 24, Ohio
State 7 |
|
1998 |
Sugar |
Ohio State 24, Texas A&M
14 |
|
1997 |
Sugar |
Florida State 31, Ohio
State 14 |
|
1996 |
Rose |
Ohio State 20, Arizona
State 17 |
|
1996 |
Citrus |
Tennessee 20, Ohio State
14 |
|
1995 |
Citrus |
Alabma 24, Ohio State 17 |
|
1993 |
Holiday |
Ohio State 28, Brigham
Young 21 |
|
1992 |
Citrus |
Georgia 21, Ohio State
14 |
|
1991 |
Hall of Fame |
Syracuse 24, Ohio State
17 |
|
1990 |
Liberty |
Air Force 23, Ohio State
11 |
|
1989 |
Hall of Fame |
Auburn 31, Ohio State 14 |
|
1986 |
Cotton |
Ohio State 28, Texas A&M
12 |
|
1985 |
Citrus |
Ohio State 10, Brigham
Young 7 |
|
1984 |
Rose |
Southern California 20,
Ohio State 17 |
|
1983 |
Fiesta |
Ohio State 28,
Pittsburgh 23 |
|
1982 |
Holiday |
Ohio State 47, Brigham
Young 17 |
|
1981 |
Liberty |
Ohio State 31, Navy 28 |
|
1980 |
Fiesta |
Penn State 31, Ohio
State 19 |
|
1979 |
Rose |
Southern California 17,
Ohio State 16 |
|
1978 |
Gator |
Clemson 17, Ohio State
15 |
|
1977 |
Sugar |
Alabama 35, Ohio State 6 |
|
1976 |
Orange |
Ohio State 27, Colorado
10 |
|
1975 |
Rose |
UCLA 23, Ohio State 10 |
|
1974 |
Rose |
Southern California 18,
Ohio State 17 |
|
1973 |
Rose |
Ohio State 42, Southern
California 21 |
|
1972 |
Rose |
Southern California 42,
Ohio State 17 |
|
1970 |
Rose |
Stanford 27, Ohio State
17 |
|
1968 |
Rose |
Ohio State 27, Southern
California 16 |
|
1957 |
Rose |
Ohio State 10, Oregon 7 |
|
1954 |
Rose |
Ohio State 20, Southern
California 7 |
|
1949 |
Rose |
Ohio State 17,
California 14 |
|
1920 |
Rose |
California 28, Ohio
State 0 |
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Oregon Bowl
History (9-13)
|
2008 |
Holiday |
Oregon 42, Oklahoma State 31 |
|
2007 |
Sun |
Oregon 56, South Florida
21 |
|
2006 |
Las Vegas |
BYU 38, Oregon 8 |
|
2005 |
Holiday |
Oklahoma 17, Oregon 14 |
|
2003 |
Sun |
Minnesota 31, Oregon 30 |
|
2002 |
Seattle |
Wake Forest 38, Oregon
17 |
|
2002 |
Fiesta |
Oregon 38, Colorado 16 |
|
2000 |
Holiday |
Oregon 35, Texas 30 |
|
1999 |
Sun |
Oregon 24, Minnesota 20 |
|
1998 |
Aloha |
Colorado 51, Oregon 43 |
|
1997 |
Las Vegas |
Oregon 41, Air Force 13 |
|
1995 |
Cotton |
Colorado 38, Oregon 6 |
|
1994 |
Rose |
Penn State 38, Oregon 20 |
|
1992 |
Independ. |
Wake Forest 39, Oregon
35 |
|
1990 |
Freedom |
Colorado State 32,
Oregon 31 |
|
1989 |
Independ. |
Oregon 27, Tulsa 24 |
|
1963 |
Sun |
Oregon 21, SMU 14 |
|
1960 |
Liberty |
Penn State 41, Oregon 12 |
|
1958 |
Rose |
Ohio State 10, Oregon 7 |
|
1949 |
Cotton |
SMU 21, Oregon 13 |
|
1920 |
Rose |
Harvard 7, Oregon 6 |
|
1917 |
Rose |
Oregon 14, Penn 0 |
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