1977 Rose Bowl
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| 1977 Rose Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| 63rd Rose Bowl Game | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 1977 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1976 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Rose Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Pasadena, California | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Vince Evans (USC QB) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Michigan by 4 to 6 points[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | James Mercer (Pac-8); (split crew: Pac-8, Big Ten) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 106,182 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Curt Gowdy, Don Meredith | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 26.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||
The 1977 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1977. It was the 63rd Rose Bowl Game. The USC Trojans, champions of the Pacific-8 Conference,[3] defeated the Michigan Wolverines, champions of the Big Ten Conference, 14–6.[4][5][6]
USC quarterback Vince Evans was named the Rose Bowl Player of the Game, and Trojan freshman tailback Charles White, subbing for Heisman Trophy runner-up Ricky Bell, who was injured in the first quarter, rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown.[4][5][6] It was the third consecutive win for the Pac-8 in the Rose Bowl, and the seventh of the last eight.
Michigan
Michigan won their first eight games and spent most of the season ranked first in the polls, until a 16–14 upset loss to Purdue on November 6. They capped off their Big Ten championship with a 22–0 shutout of arch rival Ohio State; they were ranked second in both major polls at the end of the regular season.
USC
Under first-year head coach John Robinson, USC was upset in the season opener at home by Missouri, 46–25.[7] It was the Trojans' fifth-straight regular season loss, dating back to the prior season when John McKay had announced his end-of-season resignation (leaving for the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL). USC won the rest of their games in 1976, climaxed by a 24–14 win over #2 UCLA to clinch the conference championship,[3] and a subsequent 17–13 victory over Notre Dame.[8]
Scoring
First quarter
- No scoring
Second quarter
- Michigan - Rob Lytle, 1-yard run (Bob Wood kick blocked)
- USC - Vince Evans, 1-yard run (Walker kick)
Third quarter
- No scoring
Fourth quarter
- USC - Charles White, 7-yard run (Walker kick)
