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The 1979 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1979. It was the 65th Rose Bowl Game. The USC Trojans, champions of the Pacific-10 Conference, defeated the Michigan Wolverines, champions of the Big Ten Conference, 17-10. USC running back Charles White and Michigan quarterback Rick Leach were named the Rose Bowl Players of the Game.

Teams

Michigan Wolverines

Michigan came into the game ranked 5th with a 10-1-0 record. Their only loss was to Purdue. Michigan tied for the Big 10 title with Michigan State and earned the Rose Bowl berth based on their win over the Spartans.

USC Trojans

USC came into the game ranked 2nd in the UPI and 3rd in the AP with a 11-1-0 record, their only loss coming in Tempe, AZ to Arizona State 20-7. USC defeated UCLA 17-10 to win the Pac-10 conference.

Scoring

First quarter

• USC - Hoby Brenner, 9-yard pass from Paul McDonald (Frank Jordan kick)

Second quarter

• Michigan - Gregg Willner, 36-yard field goal
• USC - Charles White, 3-yard run (Frank Jordan kick)
• USC - Frank Jordan, 35-yard field goal

Third quarter

• Michigan - Roosevelt Smith, 44-yard pass from Rick Leach (Gregg Willner kick)

Fourth quarter

• No score

Aftermath

In the Sugar Bowl, Alabama (ranked #3 in the UPI and #2 in the AP) upset #1 Penn State, 14-7. Thus, USC vaulted into the #1 spot in the UPI poll while Alabama was #1 in the AP poll despite USC's easy early season win at Tuscaloosa over Alabama, 24-14.

References

External links

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