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The 1949 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game. It was the 35th Rose Bowl Game, and the third since the Big Nine conference and PCC agreed to an exclusive agreement to match their conference champions. The Northwestern Wildcats defeated the California Golden Bears 20-14. Northwestern halfback Frank Aschenbrenner was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game (although the award was created in 1953 and selections were made retroactively).^[1]

The game was memorable largely because the Wildcats were underdogs going into the game but nevertheless pulled off an upset over a conference powerhouse. This Rose Bowl was the Wildcats' first berth even though it had only won a bid to the game because conference rules prevented two-time Big 9 champion Michigan from going in successive years. California had a perfect record going into the game and had averaged 28 points per game over the course of the season.^[2] Although neither team had faced each other before,^[2] Coach Waldorf had previously been the Wildcats coach between 1935 and 1946 before leaving for the Golden Bears. NU's Coach Voight was only 33 years old and had been named All-American under Waldorf 11 years earlier.^[3]

Teams

NU Wildcats

Northwestern had finished 8-2 in the Big 9 conference, losing only to perennial powerhouses Michigan (0–28) and Notre Dame (7–12).^[3] Northwestern blanked UCLA 19–0, Purdue 21–0, and Syracuse 48–0. NU rallied from three turnovers and a 16 point deficit to defeat Minnesota 19–16 as well as defeating Ohio State 21–7, Wisconsin 16–7, and Illinois 20–7.^[3] Big 9 conference rules prevented two-time champion Michigan from making a successive trip to face the PCC champion, so second-place Northwestern won a bid to the Rose Bowl instead.^[2]

Cal Golden Bears

Game summary

Frank Aschenbrenner ran 73 yards, the longest touchdown return in Rose Bowl history,^{[4 ]} although the subsequent kickoff was returned 63 yards by Jackie Jensen for a touchdown. In the second quarter, the Wildcats were awarded a touchdown in a controversial call when Art Murakowski fumbled the ball entering the endzone, but miss the point-after.^[5] Although Jensen is injured early in the third quarter, Cal mounted a 56-yard drive for a touchdown and point-after giving them a one-point lead. In the fourth quarter, with less than 3 minutes and 88 yards to go, the Wildcats launched a historic drive: Aschenbrenner made the only complete pass of the game to Stonesifer for 18 yards, followed by a 14-yard run by Perricone, a 5-yard penalty against Cal, and then a Statue of Liberty play and 45-yard run by Ed Tunnicliff for a touchdown. The Bears attempted a passing drive in the last minute, but PeeWee Day intercepted a pass to end Cal's hopes of a title.^[3]

Both Aschenbrenner's and Jensen's runs were from scrimmage, not returns. Final touchdown was not a "statue of liberty" play but involved a direct snap from center to a running back (Tunnicliff) from a T-formation set.

References