Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Jensen: McSorley absorbs loss in Rose Bowl for the ages

PASADENA, Calif. - But were you entertained? You will remember the 103rd Rose Bowl, the Highest Scoring of Them All, a game like your granddaddy never saw, one that deserved to end on a last-second field goal driven pure through some uprights.

PASADENA, Calif. - But were you entertained?

You will remember the 103rd Rose Bowl, the Highest Scoring of Them All, a game like your granddaddy never saw, one that deserved to end on a last-second field goal driven pure through some uprights.

It just turned out that those uprights were quickly dropped to the ground to keep Southern California's Trojans from taking them all the way back to campus.

The Nittany Lions? They played the part of brilliant vanquished foil, dropped by a final gut punch. The Nits had been almost out of it, taking hard punches, then somehow right in it, then fully in control. Then four hours and 12 minutes after Monday's Rose Bowl kicked off, it all got away from Penn State in a 52-49 final.

The score gives you a clue that if you missed this one, you missed maybe the game of the college season so far, with only Alabama and Clemson left to fight for the national title and pull off a more exciting football show.

Penn State's seven straight touchdown drives made Monday's edition the highest scoring of the 103 Rose Bowls, fourth quarter still to go.

Before USC said . . . it ain't over.

For all those touchdowns, Penn State had the little problem of not being able to slow the opposing high-octane engine.

And if was going to come down to a turnover, the Nittany Lions made it, an interception when a star of this night and this unforgettable season threw toward a guy having the game of his life.

"At the end of the day, I'm just focused on the outcome," said Nittany Lions quarterback Trace McSorley, sitting at his locker in the corner of a quiet room. "That's the biggest thing about it, just the outcome."

Penn State seemed to have last shot to score except McSorley's pass toward primary target Chris Godwin was picked off by Leon McQuay, who ran back into field-goal range with 38 seconds left.

"I saw the coverage. I think I was just trying to force a play to one of our playmakers," McSorley said. "Chris had been hot all game. He made a ton of plays for us. I took too big of a chance in that situation, knowing the game's tied."

McSorley kept talking about the play. He's an MVP in the locker room, too.

"As opposed to staying through the read and working through everything," McSorley said. "Just predetermined to try to force it to somebody who had been hot."

A reporter came over from Godwin's locker and said Godwin was saying that play was on him, not able to break it up.

"No, that's on me," McSorley said. "I mean, he ran his route. He did his job. I've got to either - if I'm going there I've got to make a better throw or I've got to make a better decision with it."

For all the euphoria that swept over Happy Valley the night of the Ohio State upset, here was its bookend.

McSorley embodied so much of it. How many times did McSorley practically disappear into a tunnel and somehow emerge with the football, upping the ante for USC's defense? That helmet-to-helmet hit he took? He said he's fine.

Pro potential? Who cares, seriously? This kid is special for this level. Penn Staters obviously are thoroughly enjoying him. This night can't change that.

A sense of the moment? McSorley got that the Rose Bowl is for moments. He had talked about "how iconic it is - get a little emotional about that."

Don't forget this: One of those plays when McSorley was running away from trouble, except that's not exactly the right term. McSorley is always running toward something, even when chased.

This time, if USC defenders reached McSorley or he couldn't find some narrow window only he could see before he reached the right sideline - if he couldn't find Chris Godwin - a 13-0 USC lead threatened to turn into a Rose Bowl avalanche. To that point, McSorley had thrown six passes. Two had been intercepted, one had been completed for 2 yards.

Didn't matter. Godwin was available if the QB on the run could get enough steam on the ball.

The 13-yard strike changed everything.

Godwin became his favored target, and came up with spectacular catches, in the corner of the end zone, another one-handed grab of a pass McSorley had thrown behind him, that 72-yarder that almost felt like an encore, a little gift after all the other great plays.

Despite that first quarter doughnut, McSorley had four TD passes. It's just not what he's going to be remember in the end.

Being part of something special? He shook his head. The other quarterback got to be the star, and had five TD passes of his own.

"That's why we love sports," a Rose Bowl usher said as the place emptied out, Trojans band still playing. "That's why we can't stop watching sports."

mjensen@phillynews.com

@jensenoffcampus