2017 Rose Bowl: (Actually) an instant classic

People throw around the term “instant classic” around like Oprah tosses around vacations to her audience. However, when you’re talking about the 2017 Rose Bowl, there is no more appropriate descriptor.

By the time Trojan kicker Matt Boermeester booted USC to a 52-49 win over Penn State, the 103rd Rose Bowl already had everything a bowl game could ask for. Let’s start with the points (oh, so many points).

USC and Penn State combined to score 101 points, the highest total ever in Rose Bowl history. And in true Hollywood fashion, the stars showed up to play.

With his running game stalling, true freshman quarterback Sam Darnold played like a grizzled senior, never panicking when things looked bleak. He finished the game 453 yards and five touchdowns to his name. Deontay Burnett emerged as the Trojans next star receiver, catching 13 balls for 164 yards and three touchdowns.

For Penn State, they went punch for punch with USC employing their explosive running back often. Saquon Barkley nearly beat the Trojans by himself, gaining 249 total yards and scoring three times. Nittany Lions quarterback Trace McSorley added four passing touchdowns and drove USC crazy with his scrambling ability.

Numbers are all well and good, but this epic clash was seeped with conflict after the kickoff.

Drama started early with USC jumping out to a 13-0 lead to start the game only to have Penn State roar back with a run of their own. After trading scores to end the first half, the Nittany Lions rattled off 21 unanswered points to start the second half, putting the Trojans behind 42-27.

After trading scores again, USC found themselves down by 14 points headed into the fourth quarter.

Here’s where the fun begins for Troy.

USC scores fourteen unanswered points to start the fourth quarter with Trojan running back Ronald Jones II finding the paint, and Darnold hooking up with Burnett on a 27-yard dime in the middle of field with 1:20 left in the game. After a good return by Penn State, Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin curiously ran the ball, leaving the clock to run, only to start throwing the ball on the next play.

McSorley threw a floater deep down the field that was nearly intercepted by USC safety Leon McQuay III. Even more curious was the next play, when McSorley floated another duck that McQuay was able to get his hands on and return to USC territory.

Enter Matt Boermeester.

Yes, the same Matt Boermeester two field goals earlier in the game. Field goals were never the strength of the Trojan team, yet there was Clay Helton, running the clock down to the final seconds to give his struggling kicker a chance to win the Rose Bowl.

After an icing timeout from Penn State, Boermeester took a deep breath and lined up the kick.