USC fights on and on — and wins a thrilling Rose Bowl on a last-second field goal
They fought on, and on, and on, and on.
As a darkly clouded afternoon became a chilly night in Pasadena Monday, theUSC football team fought Penn State for a Rose Bowl championship that seemed continually out of reach.
The Trojans fought through breathtaking Nittany Lions scores, limb-twisting Nittany Lions tackles, and a two-touchdown deficit with less than a dozen minutes remaining in the game.
They fought through deafening noise from thousands of white-clad Penn State fans, a brutal ankle injury to their most explosive player, and yellow penalty flags that constantly fluttered at their feet.
They fought with jabs from a kid quarterback, roundhouses from acrobatic receivers and knockdowns by giant linemen.
They fought and fought and then, in their final breaths they hit Penn State with a force that USC football lore will remember forever.
Sam Darnold tossed a 27-yard touchdown pass to Deontay Burnett with one minute 20 seconds remaining to tie the score. Moments later, Leon McQuay III intercepted a lofted pass from Penn State’s Trace McSorley.
Then, with the stunned Trojans nation holding its collective breath, Matt Boermeester sent them into full scream by kicking a 46-yard field goal as time ran out to give USC a 52-49 victory in arguably their greatest Rose Bowl victory ever.
“If that’s not the definition of ‘Fight On,’ I don’t know what is,’’ said Coach Clay Helton, barking out the Trojan slogan as he stood red-faced amid the postgame madness.
Even before the ball sailed through the uprights, the confident Boermeester turned his back and began running toward the far end of the field. Soon he was followed by sprinting, dancing teammates who were quickly engulfed in hugs and confetti.
“It still doesn’t feel like we won,’’ said nose tackle Stevie Tu’Ikolovatu, the game’s defensive MVP. “This was the scariest, then the craziest.’’
This was enough to bring a 6-foot-9, 360-pound man to his knees, as Trojans tackle Zach Banner watched the field goal, fell to the wet grass and dissolved in tears.
“I’m on the ground and feeling feelings that I don’t know how to describe,’’ he said. “I cried my ass off.’’
This also brought several players to the front of the Trojans band, where they directed the fight song with both the sword and the Rose Bowl trophy while teammates surrounded them with eyes wide with disbelief.
“It’s unreal, it feels fake right now,’’ receiver De’Quan Hampton said. “It feels like a dream.’’
The reality is that with this win, USC emerged from eight years in the probation-cluttered wilderness to become a force in college football again. A Trojans team that began this season with a 1-3 record and Helton on the coaching hot seat has finished with nine consecutive victories and an aura that few other teams can match.
There are probably only two teams that would be favored against USC if they played next week, and both of them, Clemson and Alabama, are playing for the national championship.
“If we’re not back, I don’t know who is,’’ said Willie McGinest, a former Trojans great who was walking the sidelines. “Being without all our scholarships, being undermanned for so many years, then to finish like this, it’s very special.’
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