Since Ohio State beat Michigan at the end of the regular season, it appeared that the “game of the year” moniker had been firmly taken hold of by the Buckeyes. Then college football played the Grandaddy of ‘Em All.
The 2017 Rose Bowl’s 10 most bonkers moments, ranked
This was an incredible game, with incredible things to pick from.
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
USC’s 52-49 win over Penn State in the 2017 Rose Bowl had absolutely everything you could want. From stem to stern, it was compelling, and it was exciting. Penn State wrestled a 20-7 deficit back to take the lead after a 28-8 third quarter. USC won the game with a 17-0 fourth quarter. There were incredible catches and runs throughout, and you could never truly look away.
It made you forget for a second that the damn game was over four hours long. But with over 100 combined points, who cares? There were really too many plays to pick from, but I tried. Here are the top 10, (yes 10) plays from the game, ranked.
No. 10: The Kick.
Matt Boermeester’s 46-yard field goal won the game, so it’s in here. After missing from 51 and 49 yards out earlier in the game and being iced with a timeout as well by Penn State, he stepped up and knocked this through.
He was also fairly quickly pressed into duty, thanks to a late interception flipping the field, and giving USC the ball with a chance to win.
No. 9: JuJu Smith-Schuster’s eventually overturned reception.
Perhaps what’s most shocking is that this play was actually righted after review by the ACC officiating crew that had the game. There’s two parts to it, though. USC QB Sam Darnold’s incredible accuracy puts this where only Smith-Schuster can reel it in. Not a bad catch either by the talented WR.
No. 8: Chris Godwin’s tip drill TD.
He’ll be on here more than once; don’t worry. This is just a little taste of how truly wonderful Godwin is as a player. The body control to find this ball, stay upright, and pirouette into the end zone, essentially without breaking stride, is just silly. Godwin is a special talent.
No. 7: Saquon Barkley doing Saquon Barkley things.
My goodness, what a run. Seventy-nine yards. He pops right twice, then oles a defender. He literally jukes another off of his feet and makes another look silly. Then he runs out of a tackle and turns on the jets. He’s a magnificent running back, and this was just another example of why.
No. 6: Mike Gesicki’s incredible catch.
The Penn State tight end has been more than just a safety valve for McSorley all season. He has been steady, and he has been reliable. With his body control on this play, you can see why McSorley trusts him when he needs to get six points.
No. 5: McSorley’s TD bomb, and Godwin’s sideline tightrope.
Given the context more than anything else, this play was huge. McSorley was having an absolutely abysmal first quarter. He threw picks on his first two throws. He didn’t have a completion in the first quarter, but this was the first of seven straight non-halftime drives in which the Nittany Lions scored a touchdown. Watch him throw this thing off of one foot, perfectly. The same home run quality that he’s dazzled us with all season. Oh, and check out Godwin getting not one, but two feet in to score.
No. 4: Whatever the hell this two-point conversion was.
Uhh, sure USC. Not only did this two-point conversion end in a wild way, it started in a very unconventional formation.
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But Darnold made chicken salad out of chicken you-know-what, and saved the day. USC made up the scoring disadvantage, and the Trojans didn’t need to chase points on PATs after they scored future touchdowns.
No. 3: The dang opening kickoff.
To say it was an inauspicious start would be putting it lightly. And that isn’t just because of McSorley’s struggles. The game’s opening kickoff got bungled by Penn State’s Miles Sanders.
But even more than the blunder, Sanders slipped on the Rose Bowl turf. That’s not just some small note either. The Rose Bowl turf is always immaculate. Attendees have been known to take their shoes off on the field just to feel the green stuff between their toes. A loss of footing is just as strange as handling a kickoff this poorly in general.
No. 2: Godwin uses the force.
He doesn’t catch this ball as much as he purely summons it. He reaches his hand out and the ball just sticks to his body. These aren’t the droids you’re looking for, but it is an incredibly catch.
No. 1: USC’s mascot almost stabbing himself in the foot.
Before the game even started, perhaps we should have realized this was going to be a close shave. Tommy Trojan almost stabs himself clear in the foot here.
I am deeply thankful I didn’t watch a young man stab himself on national television. That wouldn’t have been fun. If there’s anything I can say about the Rose Bowl, it’s that it was about as fun as I’ve had watching a football game in a long time.
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