Big Ten Bowl Preview: Rose Bowl

Two of the hottest teams in the country meet in the Granddaddy of Them All.

It’s been quite the season for both Penn State and USC. After starting out 2-2 and 1-3, respectfully, both teams rattled off big win streaks. Now they meet in the Rose Bowl in which should be a highly entertaining game.

Game: Rose Bowl

Teams: No. 5 Penn State (11-2, 8-1 Big Ten) vs No. 9 USC (9-3, 7-2 Pac-12)

Time: January 2nd, 5PM EST

Location: Rose Bowl – Pasadena, CA

TV: ESPN

The Nittany Lions were not supposed to be here. At 2-2 and coming off a 39-point beatdown in Ann Arbor, Penn State was at a crossroads and there was a lot of talk of James Franklin’s job being on the line. The Lions then proceeded to rip off 9 straight wins, including an upset of then-No. 2 Ohio State and to cap it, winning a Big Ten championship over Wisconsin.

Penn State is led by its redshirt quarterback, Trace McSorley. He ranks first in the Big Ten in pass efficiency and threw for over 3,300 yards, 25 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. Not to be outdone, Saquon Barkley is the Lions outstanding running back. He was injured at the end of the year, but with a month off to heal should be ready to go against the Trojans.

McSorley has a slew of talented receivers and they could give USC’s secondary fits. Despite Saeed Blacknall being suspended for a teams rules violation, there are still plenty of weapons. Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead needs to make sure tight end Mike Gesicki is involved early and often as his height and hands cause matchup problems.

The Nittany Lion defense isn’t talked about as much as their offense is, but it’s still solid. Their linebacking corps took a hit with the suspension of Manny Bowen, but Koa Farmer should fill in nicely along with regular starters Brandon Bell and Jason Cabinda.

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Penn State’s most improved unit this year is the special teams. Punter Blake Gillikin could be key in this game trying to flip the field position.

The season could not have started worse for the Trojans. They lost to Alabama, Stanford and Utah in their first four games. Then it all turned around, with an eight-game win streak that included wins over Colorado and eventual Pac-12 champion Washington.

Trojan quarterback Sam Darnold is one of the best and accurate passers in the country and has been a huge reason for USC’s turnaround. He also will have the services of the best receivers in the game, JuJu Smith-Schuster. The Lion secondary will be tested by the explosive Trojan offense.

USC is very talented on defense and they held five of their opponents to under 100 yards rushing. The key for them will be limiting Barkley on the ground. Besides fantastic cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, the secondary is one of the Trojans weaker areas on defense. Expect Jackson to keep Lion receiver Chris Godwin on lockdown, but the rest of the Trojan secondary has to step up against a team that is not afraid to throw the deep ball.

Jackson is also explosive as the Trojans kick and punt returner so the Lions will have to avoid and slip ups in their coverage.

This should be a fantastic game and with two high powered offense, could be a shootout.

While USC obviously has an advantage being close to home and the familiarity with the Rose Bowl, both teams are looking to prove doubters wrong. USC feels they are better than their three-loss record indicates and Penn State feels they were snubbed by the playoff committee.

Expect a close and entertaining contest.

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