1977 Rose Bowl

The 1977 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1977. It was the 63rd Rose Bowl Game. The USC Trojans, champions of the Pacific-8 Conference,[3] defeated the Michigan Wolverines, champions of the Big Ten Conference, 14–6.[4][5][6]

1977 Rose Bowl
63rd Rose Bowl Game
Michigan Wolverines USC Trojans (10–1) (10–1) Big Ten Pac-8 6 14 Head coach:  Bo Schembechler Head coach:  John Robinson AP Coaches 2 2 AP Coaches 3 3
1 2 3 4 Total Michigan 0 6 0 0 6 USC 0 7 0 7 14
Date	January 1, 1977
Season	1976
Stadium	Rose Bowl
Location	Pasadena, California
MVP	Vince Evans (USC QB)
Favorite	Michigan by 4 to 6 points[1][2]
Attendance	106,182
United States TV coverage
Network	NBC
Announcers	Curt Gowdy, Don Meredith

USC quarterback Vince Evans was named the Rose Bowl Player of the Game, and Trojan freshman tailback Charles White, subbing for Heisman Trophy runner-up Ricky Bell, who was injured in the first quarter, rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown.[4][5][6] It was the third consecutive win for the Pac-8 in the Rose Bowl, and the seventh of the last eight.

Teams

Michigan

Michigan won their first eight games and spent most of the season ranked first in the polls, until a 16–14 upset loss to Purdue on November 6. They capped off their Big Ten championship with a 22–0 shutout of arch rival Ohio State; they were ranked second in both major polls at the end of the regular season.

USC

Under first-year head coach John Robinson, USC was upset in the season opener at home by Missouri, 46–25.[7] It was the Trojans' fifth-straight regular season loss, dating back to the prior season when John McKay had announced his end-of-season resignation (leaving for the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL). USC won the rest of their games in 1976, climaxed by a 24–14 win over #2 UCLA to clinch the conference championship,[3] and a subsequent 17–13 victory over Notre Dame.[8]

Scoring

First quarter

• No scoring

Second quarter

• Michigan - Rob Lytle, 1-yard run (Bob Wood kick blocked)
• USC - Vince Evans, 1-yard run (Walker kick)

Third quarter

• No scoring

Fourth quarter

• USC - Charles White, 7-yard run (Walker kick)

Source:[4][5]

Aftermath

Undefeated Pittsburgh, led by Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett, was the consensus #1 team entering the bowls and played #4 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. USC and Michigan hoped Georgia would upset Pitt to set up the Rose Bowl as a national championship showdown,[9] but Pitt had a dominant 27–3 win earlier in the day to keep its top ranking in the final polls;[10][11] USC finished second and Michigan dropped only to third.[12]

References

1. Snyder, Jimmy "The Greek" (January 1, 1977). "A&M most improved". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 13.
2. "USC's Evans will be ready for Michigan". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. January 1, 1977. p. 2, part 2.
3. "Trojans return to 'their' Rose Bowl". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire services. November 21, 1976. p. C1.
4. "Evans and USC whip Wolverines". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 2, 1977. p. D1.
5. "USC whips Michigan, 14-6, pins No. 1 on itself". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 2, 1977. p. D2.
6. Jares, Joe (January 10, 1977). "The Trojans win an old war". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
7. "Brown tallies three times to beat USC". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). UPI. September 12, 1976. p. 3B.
8. "'Fullback' Bell endorses Dorsett". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire services. November 28, 1976. p. 3E.
9. "Pitt can leave no doubt today". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire services. January 1, 1977. p. 1B.
10. Franke, Russ (January 2, 1977). "Pitt: How sweet it is!". Pittsburgh Press. p. D1.
11. Underwood, John (January 10, 1977). "Marching through Georgia". Sports Illustrated. p. 14.
12. "Pitt (surprise) voted grid title". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). AP, UPI. January 4, 1977. p. 3C.

External links

• Summary at Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan Athletics History