View source for 1975 Rose Bowl

{{Infobox NCAA football yearly game
 |Game Name=Rose Bowl
 |Date Game Played=January 1
 |Year Game Played=1975
 |Football Season=1974
 |Optional Subheader = '''61st Rose Bowl Game'''
 |Visitor School=[[Ohio State University]]
 |Visitor Name Short=Ohio State
 |Visitor Nickname=Buckeyes
 |Visitor Record=10-1
 |Visitor AP=3
 |Visitor Coaches=2
 |Visitor Coach=[[Woody Hayes]]
 |Visitor1=0
 |Visitor2=7
 |Visitor3=0
 |Visitor4=10
 |Visitor Total=17
 |Home School=[[USC]]
 |Home Name Short=USC
 |Home Nickname=Trojans
 |Home Record=9-1-1
 |Home AP=5
 |Home Coaches=4
 |Home Coach=[[John McKay (American football)|John McKay]]
 |Home1=3
 |Home2=0
 |Home3=0
 |Home4=15
 |Home Total=18
 |Type=bg
 |Stadium=[[Rose Bowl (stadium)|Rose Bowl]]
 |City=[[Pasadena, California]]
 |Attendance =
 |Odds=
 |MVP = [[Pat Haden]] (USC QB)<br>[[John McKay, Jr.]] (USC SE)
 |Anthem = 
 |Halftime =
 |US Network = [[NBC]]
 |US Announcers = [[Curt Gowdy]], [[Al DeRogatis]] 
}}
The '''1975 Rose Bowl''' was a [[college football]] [[bowl game]] played on January 1, 1975. It was the 61st [[Rose Bowl Game]]. Fifth ranked [[USC Trojans]] defeated third ranked [[Ohio State Buckeyes]] 18-17 in one of the most exciting games in the history of the Rose Bowl.<ref>[http://www.tournamentofroses.com/photogallery/RBGtimeline/1970sb.htm Rose Bowl Timeline]</ref> USC quarterback [[Pat Haden]] passed to Shelton Diggs for the two-point conversion that gave the Trojans the Rose Bowl victory and the UPI's college football national title.

==Ohio State==
The defending Rose Bowl champs were the nation's top ranked team for much of the season, until they were upset by Michigan State at East Lansing on November 9 by a score of 16-13. Two weeks later, the Buckeyes earned the Rose Bowl berth with a 12-10 victory over Michigan, when kicker Mike Lantry's last second field goal attempt sailed just wide.

==USC==
USC was upset by Arkansas 22-7 in Little Rock in the season opener, then reeled off 5 straight wins before a 15-15 tie at home against California. They won their final four games, the most dramatic being a season ending 55-24 win over Notre Dame in which the Trojans trailed 24-0.

==Scoring summary==
===First quarter===
* USC — [[Chris Limahelu]] - 30-yard field goal.<ref>"USC Football 1975" media guide</ref>

===Second quarter===
* OSU — [[Champ Henson]] - 2-yard run (PAT - Tom Klaban kick)

===Third quarter===
* No scoring.

===Fourth quarter===
* USC — [[Jim Obradovich]] 9-yard pass from [[Pat Haden]] (PAT - Limahelu kick).
* OSU — [[Cornelius Greene]] 3-yard run (PAT - Klaban kick)
* OSU — Klaban - 32-yard field goal.
* USC — [[John McKay, Jr.|J. K. McKay]] 38-yard pass from Haden (PAT - Haden pass to [[Shelton Diggs]])

==Aftermath==
Undefeated Oklahoma was the #1 team in the AP poll, but were on probation so they could not go to a bowl game. The UPI poll did not consider teams on probabation, so going into the bowl games, they had Alabama #1, followed by Ohio State, Michigan, and USC.  USC's dramatic Rose Bowl win enabled them to leapfrog both Ohio State and Michigan, and when Notre Dame upset Alabama in the Orange Bowl, 13-11, USC was voted #1 in the UPI poll.

==Game notes==
* Third straight time the two teams meet in the Rose Bowl.
* [[John McKay (American football)|John McKay]] wins fourth national title.
* John McKay ends his Rose Bowl career with a 5-3 record, tying [[Howard Jones (football coach)|Howard Jones]] for victories.
* [[Anthony Davis (USC running back)|Anthony Davis]] injured and plays less than 1 quarter.
* Pat Haden & John McKay were named co-MVPs.
* USC kicker Chris Limahelu, 59,  died of prostate cancer on April 7, 2010.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*{{cite web | url = http://www.tournamentofroses.com/photogallery/RBGtimeline/1970s.htm | title = Rose Bowl Game Timeline | publisher = tournamentofroses.com | accessdate = 2008-10-07| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080918050251/http://www.tournamentofroses.com/photogallery/RBGtimeline/1970s.htm| archivedate= 18 September 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= yes}}

==External links==
* [http://www.rosebowlhistory.org/rose-bowl-1975.php Summary at Rosebowlhistory.org]

{{Rose Bowl navbox}}
{{Ohio State Buckeyes bowl game navbox}}
{{USC Trojans bowl game navbox}}

[[Category:1974–75 NCAA football bowl games|Rose Bowl]]
[[Category:Rose Bowl]]
[[Category:Ohio State Buckeyes football bowl games]]
[[Category:USC Trojans football bowl games]]


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