Here we go, with barely more than 24 hours until game time. I can't say it's all we're talking about, as in years past, but that's completely unrelated to the game. The Bruins in the office have been quiet. We've been quiet, too. I'm eager to make my New Year's travel plans. Am I going to San Diego? Back to Pasadena? A weekend in Phoenix? A big trip to New Orleans? Probably a win and no other craziness that would take us anywhere but the Rose Bowl to face Penn State. I just need the Trojans to win, baby! Here's some more info:
Kickoff: The actual kickoff time is set for 1:37 p.m., but ABC can kick that time back five minutes, to 1:42 p.m., if the ACC Championship game is running behind.
Weather: There is no threat of rain. The forecast for tomorrow calls for mostly sunny skies, with highs around 75°F, winds light and variable.
Parking: Lot H (reserved) opens at 3:30 a.m. All regular golf course lots open at 7:00 a.m. The cost is $15 for cars. Park-and-shuttle rides, which will run continuously from five hours before kickoff to one hour after the game, are available at the Parsons lot at 100 W. Walnut St. in Pasadena for $2 per person. For Metro Rail passengers, the Memorial Park station is a three-block walk from the Parsons shuttle. Free parking is also available at the Sierra Madre Villa Metro Rail Station.
Police: Pasadena police announced they would be taking a "zero tolerance policy to drunk and disorderly conduct both inside the stadium and on the grounds surrounding the Rose Bowl." Fans are encouraged to report trouble to security personnel or call (626) 793-0906.
Injuries: For USC, OT Nick Howell (ankle), DT Armond Armstead (hand), FB Stanley Havili (ankle), OT Tyron Smith (ankle), FB Adam Goodman (knee), Stafon Johnson (thigh) and Kevin Ellison (knee) are probably; TE Blake Ayles (knee) and LB Luthur Brown (back) are questionable, and TB Allen Bradford (hip), WR Scott Stephens (knee), CB Shareece Wright (neck), OG-OT Martin Coleman (ankle), OT-C Michael Reardon (hip), OG Matt Meyer (foot) and DE-DT Trey Henderson (knee) are out. For the Bruins, OG Nick Ekbatani is expected to play. QB Patrick Cowan, OL Chris Johnson, DB Robert Kibble, DL Ken Lombard, LB Kyle Bosworth, OG Darius Savage, QB Ben Olson, TE Logan Paulsen, QB Nick Crissman, FB Trevor Theriot, DE Tom Blake and DE Chinonso Anyanwu are out.
Ticket Demand: Low. It’s still not sold out. USC was given 25,000 tickets to sell. Approximately 500 tickets remain for the game. They will be available at Gate A, Gate B and North Gate at approximately 10:30 am. StubHub has plenty cheap (some as low as $25). eBay has even more, even cheaper, and Craigslist has the most, and the cheapest.
Parking/Shuttles: For just $2 round trip, fans can ride shuttle buses from the Parsons Engineering parking lot in downtown Pasadena (Walnut and Fair Oaks) to the Rose Bowl. The shuttle will begin operation five (5) hours prior to kick-off (8:30 am) until 30 minutes +/- after kick-off. This is an hour earlier than normal. The return shuttle will run continuously until 60 minutes after the game. Parking at Parsons is free (Parsons parking lot only) Riders of the shuttle will pay $2 per person, round trip to ride the shuttle. The Metro Gold Line will run from downtown Los Angeles (and points further) to downtown Pasadena (approx. one block from the Parsons Lot) on game days. Gold Line patrons are encouraged to use the $2 shuttle from the Parsons lot to and from the Rose Bowl.
Fan Zone: UCLA is sponsoring the Fan Zone in Area H. The Fan Zone opens four hours prior to the game. The Fan Zone contains the AM 570 KLAC/ISP Sports stage, where fans can watch and hear the Bruin pre-game radio show. It also includes the Food Zone, which includes the following restaurants: American Pretzel, Baja Grill, Carl’s Jr., Now You’re Poppin’, PSI Drinks, Robin’s Wood Fire BBQ & Grill, Teri & Yaki and Angelena’s Southern Cuisine. The Alumni Band will also be performing in the Fan Zone.
Bulletin Board Material: USC QB Mark Sanchez: “We never make any game bigger than the rest.” UCLA TB Kahlil Bell: "Last time I checked they bleed like I do." "Everyone wants to put them all up on a pedestal. Last time I checked, they put their pants on one leg at a time just like I do." UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel "To worry about the embarrassment, or the possibility of such, I think is counterproductive. I think we just go out there and we lay it on the line and play."
More Honors: Seven Trojans, including six players and Coach Carroll, were named to the Orange Bowl’s 75th anniversary all-time team. Quarterback Matt Leinart, receiver Steve Smith, tight end Dominique Byrd, linebacker Lofa Tatupu, safety Troy Polamalu and kicker Ryan Killeen were among the 23 players named to the team. Though USC has only played in two of the 74 Orange Bowl games, they filled nearly one-quarter of the all-time team spots.
Recruits: There will be many highly regarded high school players attending the game. For UCLA, five blue-chippers make their official visits this week: OG John Martinez (Cottonwood HS) Salt Lake City, UT (considering USC, UCLA and LSU), OT Xavier Su'a-Filo (Timpview HS) Provo, UT (considering BYU, LSU, Miami, Stanford, UCLA, Utah and USC), WR Markus Wheaton (Chandler HS) Chandler, AZ (considering USC, UCLA, Cal, Oregon, Oregon State and Colorado), CB Brandon Driver (Santa Rosa) Santa Rosa, CA (leaning toward Utah, UCLA and Kansas State) and OT Joel Gray (Hebron HS) Lewisville, TX (committed to Texas Tech). Also this weekend, USC is hosting S Anthony Leon (College of the Sequoias) Visalia, CA (considering USC, Oregon and Minnesota). John Martinez and Xavier Su'a-Filo made their official visits to USC last Saturday.
Seniors: This will be the final regular season game for USC's 17 seniors. If they win, they will have finished their four years with four wins over Notre Dame, three over UCLA, and four Rose Bowls. Josh Pinkard and Jeff Byers are both seeking an additional year of eligibility. Junior Taylors May is expected to leave for the NFL:
No. Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Birthday Cl.(Ath/Ac) Exp. Hometown(High School/JC/College)
1 TURNER, Patrick WR 6-5 220 5/19/87 Sr./Sr. 3V Nashville, TN (Goodpasture)
4 ELLISON, Kevin S 6-1 230 1/8/87 Sr./Sr. 3V Inglewood (Redondo Union)
7 HARRIS, Cary CB 6-0 180 3/22/87 Sr./Sr. 3V Pacoima (Notre Dame)
10 CUSHING, Brian LB 6-3 255 1/24/87 Sr./Sr. 3V Park Ridge, NJ (Bergen Catholic)
18 BUEHLER, David PK 6-2 225 2/5/87 Sr./Sr. 2V Anaheim (Canyon/Santa Ana JC)
36 PINKARD, Josh S-CB 6-2 210 4/2/86 Sr.*/Sr. 3V Oxnard (Hueneme)
41 HILLIER, Matt FB 6-2 210 10/17/85 Sr.*/Sr. — La Canada (Loyola/Pasadena CC)
43 MAIAVA, Kaluka LB 6-0 230 3/22/87 Sr./Sr. 3V Wailuku, HI (Baldwin)
44 WOIDNECK, Greg P 6-0 200 6/9/86 Sr.*/Sr. 2V Brea (Brea Olinda/Arizona State/Mt. San Antonio JC)
47 MATTHEWS, Clay LB-DE 6-3 240 5/14/86 Sr.*/Sr. 3V Agoura Hills (Agoura)
53 BYERS, Jeff OG-C 6-4 285 9/7/85 Sr.*/Sr. 2V Fort Collins, CO (Loveland)
58 MAUALUGA, Rey LB 6-2 260 1/20/87 Sr./Sr. 3V Eureka (Eureka)
75 MOALA, Fili DT 6-5 295 6/23/85 Sr.*/Sr. 3V Buena Park (Western)
79 WEISS, Andrew DE 6-9 230 4/11/86 Sr.*/Sr. SQ San Marino (San Marino)
81 WASHINGTON, Gerald DE 6-6 255 4/23/82 Sr.*/Sr. 1V Vallejo (Vallejo/Chaffey JC)
84 MOORE, Kyle DE 6-6 270 10/25/86 Sr./Sr. 3V Kathleen, GA (Houston County)
88 MILLER, Jimmy TE 6-5 250 3/4/86 Sr.*/Sr. 2V Thousand Oaks (Westlake)
The game will also mark the final home game for 20 Bruin seniors (16 active) --- RB Kahlil Bell, DL Tom Blake, LB Joshua Edwards, WR Marcus Everett, OL Scott Glicksberg, WR Ryan Graves, LB John Hale, DL Brigham Harwell, DB Bret Lockett, DB Chris Meadows, DL Chase Moline, DB Michael Norris, QB Ben Olson, P Aaron Perez, OL Micah Reed, DL Nathaniel Skaggs. Injured retired seniors include QB Patrick Cowan, OL Chris Johnson, DB Robert Kibble and DL Ken Lombard.
Memorable Anniversaries - 15 years (1993: UCLA 27-21). John Robinson's return to USC coach is ruined by a Marvin Goodwin end zone interception on third-and-goal with 50 seconds left to send UCLA to the Rose Bowl (where they lost to Wisconsin) instead of USC. The Trojans needed a win or a tie to clinch sole possession of the Pac-10 title. The Trojans finished tied with UCLA for the Pac-10 title, and went to the Freedom Bowl to beat Utah instead.
Memorable Anniversaries - 20 years (1988: USC 31-22). The Measles Bowl. Rodney Peete beats the Measles and then leads #2 USC (9-0) to a second consecutive win over the Troy Aikman-led #6 Bruins (9-1). The Rose Bowl was on the line for both teams, the Heisman Trophy was believed up for grabs, and USC was still in the hunt for the national title. Barry Sanders got the Heisman, Notre Dame got the national title, and USC lost to Michigan in the Rose Bowl. Somehow Aikman, not Peete, made the college football HOF. It was also my first USC/UCLA game. I was one of 100,741.
Memorable Anniversaries - 30 years (1978: USC 17-10). Charles White ran for 145 yards. USC took a 17-0 halftime lead then held on to win 17-10. USC went on to beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
Memorable Anniversaries - 35 years (1973: USC 23-13). Anthony Davis rushes for 145 yards and Pat Haden leads USC to the Pac-10 championship to face Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.
General Rose Bowl Venue Information: General information about the Rose Bowl can be accessed at the official Rose Bowl website (www.rosebowlstadium.com)
Fan Code of Conduct: The Fan Code of Conduct requires all fans to adhere to the following:
- Fans may enjoy the game day experience free from obscene or abusive language, gestures or behavior.
- Fans maintain that the progress of the event is not disrupted by Fans' actions or by unauthorized persons entering the playing field or restricted areas of the stadium.
- Fans respect others by sitting in the seat location as indicated on their ticket.
- Fans will be treated in a consistent, professional and courteous manner by all stadium staff and team personnel.
Fans not adhering to the Fan Code of Conduct provisions will be subject to ejection without refund, revocation of season tickets and if in violation of city ordinances or other laws, may also be subject to arrest and prosecution. The following activities do not comply with the established Fan Code of Conduct:
- Verbal or physical confrontation, including dangerous, abusive or profane behavior.
- Attempting to enter the field area or other restricted areas of the stadium.
- Smoking, except in designated areas.
- Improper resale of tickets, such as scalping.
- Interfering with or failure to comply with security procedures, emergency procedures or requests from staff regarding stadium operations. Fans must present their ticket to stadium personnel when requested.
- Intoxicated fans in and around the Rose Bowl Stadium will be denied entry or will be subject to arrest or ejection from the stadium.
If someone is interfering with your enjoyment of the game, please notify stadium ushers or security personnel of the problem immediately.
Responsibility: Season ticket account holders are responsible for the actions of their guests in possession of the tickets. Persons violating this Fan Code of Conduct may have their ticket privileges revoked, regardless of whether or not the spectators in violation are the season ticket holders of record.
Prohibited Items:
- Noisemakers including thunder sticks, musical instruments, whistles, air horns and boom boxes
- Weapons or projectiles
- Alcoholic beverages
- Glass, metal or hard plastic containers of any size
- Hard or soft sided coolers of any size
- Plastic drink containers (except 2 liters or less with factory seal intact)
- Backpacks, bags and purses larger than 14" square
- Boxes or wrapped packages of any size
- Unsliced fruits or vegetables
- Animals (other than service animals required because of a disability)
- Balls, toys or sports equipment
- Banners, signs or flags
- Helium balloons
- Laser pointers
- Poles or sticks
- Unauthorized video cameras, monopods or tripods
- Skates, skateboards, scooters or bicycles
- Strollers
Beat the Bruins!
Beat the Bruins!
Beat the Bruins!
Beat the Bruins!
Beat the Bruins!
Fight On!
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