1970 Rose Bowl

Teams

Michigan

After early season losses to #9 Missouri and unranked Michigan State, the Wolverines won four straight games before their showdown with heavily-favored and top-ranked Ohio State for the Big Ten championship. Michigan shocked the college football world by upsetting the top-ranked Buckeyes 24–12 to tie for the conference title and receive the Rose Bowl bid. (Ohio State was ineligible anyway because of the Big Ten's "no repeat" rule, which was rescinded in 1971.)

Just days before the Rose Bowl, first-year head coach Bo Schembechler, age forty, suffered a mild heart attack and had to miss the game; defensive coordinator Jim Young was the acting head coach.

USC

Aided by a pass interference penalty on fourth down followed by a controversial last-minute touchdown, USC earned the Rose Bowl berth with a 14–12 win over rival UCLA in their regular season finale. The only blemish on their record was a 14–14 tie at Notre Dame in mid-October. The Trojans were making their record fourth consecutive Rose Bowl appearance, as the Pac-8 did not have a "no repeat" rule.

Game summary

The score was tied at 3–3 at halftime. With three minutes to play in the third quarter, USC quarterback Jimmy Jones threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Bob Chandler to give the Trojans a 10–3 lead. A scoreless fourth quarter ensured the USC victory.

Scoring

First quarter

• USC – Ron Ayala 25-yard field goal

Second quarter

• Michigan – Tim Killian, 20-yard field goal

Third quarter

• USC – Bob Chandler, 33-yard pass from Jimmy Jones (Ron Ayala kick)

Fourth quarter

• No scoring

Statistics

:{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center" ! Statistics !! USC !! Michigan

Aftermath

• USC finished the year undefeated with one tie, earning a #3 ranking behind undefeated and untied #1 Texas and #2 Penn State.
• Chandler went on to play in the NFL for 11 years with the Buffalo Bills and the Oakland Raiders.
• Michigan finished 8–3 and was ranked 9th in the AP poll (released in January) and 8th in the UPI poll (released after the regular season in early December).

References

References

1. (January 1, 1970). "Wolverines undefeated in Rose Bowl". Reading Eagle.
2. Stevenson, Jack. (January 2, 1970). "'Wild Bunch' produced for Trojans". Reading Eagle.
3. Hannen, John. (January 2, 1970). "Trojans jolt Michigan". Toledo Blade.
4. (January 2, 1970). "McKay still runs tailbacks". The Bulletin.
5. Loomis, Tom. (November 23, 1969). "Michigan demolishes Ohio State 24 to 12". Toledo Blade.
6. (November 23, 1969). "Wolverines cry 'We're No. 1' after surprising Buckeyes". Eugene Register-Guard.
7. (December 1, 1969). "Bye-bye, No. 1".
8. (March 7, 1970). "Big 10 upholds Rose Bowl ruling". Toledo Blade.
9. (January 2, 1970). "Wolverines miss Bo's leadership". Eugene Register-Guard.
10. (January 3, 1970). "Bo recovering from heart attack". Toledo Blade.
11. (November 23, 1969). "USC drives 68 yards in dying minutes to top UCLA". Eugene Register-Guard.
12. (October 19, 1969). "Favored Irish, USC tie, 14-14 when kick fails". Eugene Register-Guard.
13. Historical Media Guide, ''Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association'', 2009