1989 Rose Bowl

Teams

Michigan Wolverines

Main article: 1988 Michigan Wolverines football team

Michigan opened the season with consecutive narrow losses to Notre Dame and Miami (FL) who were ranked #13 and #1 respectively at the time. But they recovered to go unbeaten the rest of the way, their only blemish being a 17–17 tie at Iowa. A 17–3 win over defending Big 10 champ Michigan State proved to be the difference as Michigan won the Big 10 by one game over Michigan State.

USC Trojans

Main article: 1988 USC Trojans football team

USC opened the season with nine straight wins and rose to #2 in the rankings. They faced sixth ranked rival UCLA, who was 9–1 and had been ranked #1 for a couple of weeks earlier. The game in Pasadena was one of the notable ones in the UCLA–USC rivalry in that it was for the Pac-10 championship (Rose Bowl berth), and a possible Heisman Trophy for either starting quarterback, Troy Aikman of UCLA or Rodney Peete of USC. Peete was found to have measles in the days before the game; USC used a strong ground game and "bend but don't break" defense, in front of the largest Rose Bowl regular season crowd in history, to beat the Bruins 31–22.

The win set up a rare #2 USC vs. #1 Notre Dame matchup the following week in Los Angeles, which the undefeated Irish dominated, 27–10. It was the fifth straight loss for the Trojans in the annual rivalry, a winless streak that continued until 1996.

Game summary

Behind the passing of Heisman Trophy runner-up Rodney Peete and running of Aaron Emmanuel, USC scored two touchdowns in the second quarter and took a 14–3 to halftime. Despite their lack of early success, Michigan stuck with its pounding running attack led by a huge offensive line and running back (and game MVP) Leroy Hoard. They began to wear down the Trojans and USC's offense began to sputter. By the fourth quarter, Michigan's offensive line took over and the Wolverines took a 22–14 lead into the last two minutes. Peete tried to lead the Trojans to a touchdown and game tying two-point conversion but Michigan's defense forced an interception to effectively end the game.

Aftermath

The Irish undefeated season, with victories over Michigan, Miami, USC, and then finally West Virginia in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl, cemented their claim on the National championship that year.

References

References

1. (December 31, 1988). "The latest line: college bowls". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
2. Friend, Tom. (January 3, 1989). "Free-wheeling Wolverines beat USC, 22-14". Eugene Register-Guard.
3. Buursma, Bruce. (January 3, 1989). "Schembechler smells the Roses". Spokesman-Review.
4. Woolford, Dave. (January 3, 1989). "Hoard, Brown top dogs for Michigan in Rose Bowl". Toledo Blade.
5. (January 3, 1989). "Michigan rallies past USC". Wilmington Morning Star.
6. (January 3, 1989). "Michigan win keeps coach healthy". The Bulletin.
7. link. (2008-03-06 , [[2008 Rose Bowl]]. Retrieved January 26, 2008.)
8. JAY HOVDEY. Unbeaten U.C.L.A. Is Upset. New York Times. October 30. 1988 Quote:''U.C.L.A.'s best running play ended when the tailback Eric Ball fumbled at the Bruin 37 after a gain of 17 yards. The fumble occurred midway through the third quarter, when UCLA led, 27–13. Five plays later, Washington State scored the second of four successive touchdowns. The fumble was typical of the seesaw nature of the game.''
9. Telander, Rick. (November 28, 1988). "On top in L.A.".
10. Crowe, Jerry. (November 20, 1988). "USC wins, for Peete's sake". Eugene Register-Guard.
11. (November 20, 1988). "Peete, USC claim rose-colored win". The Bulletin.
12. Telander, Rick. (December 5, 1988). "Go get 'em, men".
13. Fainaru, Steve. (November 27, 1988). "Irish lose two, but still the one, 27-10". Eugene Register-Guard.
14. Maisel, Ivan. (November 27, 1988). "Irish knock Trojans off their horses". Spokesman-Review.
15. (November 27, 1988). "USC seniors never beat Notre Dame". The Bulletin.
16. (December 2, 1996). "Irish may stay home after loss". Spokesman-Review.