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| 1996 Rose Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 82nd Rose Bowl Game | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Rose Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Pasadena, California | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Keyshawn Johnson (USC WR) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Randy Christal (Southwest Conference) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Spirit of Troy,Northwestern University Wildcat Marching Band | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 100,102 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Keith Jackson (play-by-play) Bob Griese (analyst) Lynn Swann (sideline) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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The1996 Rose Bowl was the 82ndRose Bowl Game. It was the 50th game in the series featuring theBig Ten Conference and thePacific-10 Conference.[1] TheUSC Trojans defeated theNorthwestern Wildcats, 41–32, on the strength of two touchdown passes from USC quarterbackBrad Otton to wide receiverKeyshawn Johnson.[2] Johnson was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game.
The game was presided over by the 1996 Tournament of Roses Royal Court and Rose Parade Grand MarshalKermit the Frog. Members of the court were: Queen Keli Hutchins, San Marino,San Marino High School; Princesses Lissa Anderson, Pasadena,Blair High School; Sarah Clinton, Arcadia,Arcadia High School; Nancy Grace, South Pasadena,Mayfield Senior School; Katherine Kingston, San Marino,San Marino High School; Jennifer Lai, Pasadena,Westridge School for Girls; and Sara Packer, La Canada,La Canada High School.
The Northwestern Wildcats had a string of losing seasons stretching back to 1972, and had not appeared in the Rose Bowl for 47 years, a win in January1949. The Wildcats opened the 1995 season with a surprise 17–15 win at #9Notre Dame on September 3, 1995. That Notre Dame finished at number 6 and went to theOrange Bowl. However, Notre Dame set the record for largest drop in the rankingsAP Poll in the Top-25 era when the next AP poll was released, dropping 16 spots to #25 (this record was beaten byMichigan afterlosing toAppalachian State during the first week of the2007 season). The Wildcats, who were then ranked in the AP poll for the first time since 1971, fell out of the spotlight when they lost toMiami University in their next game. They won againstAir Force andIndiana to get back to #25 in the polls. On October 2, the Wildcats had another win that brought them back into national attention, a 19–13 victory overMichigan inAnn Arbor. The Wildcats won the rest of their games with a perfect 8–0 record in theBig Ten Conference. In response to the Wildcats earning a berth in the Rose Bowl, announcerKeith Jackson uttered the quote "We've had all the romance; now let's find out if she can dance."
The USC Trojans opened with six wins until losing at Notre Dame, 38–10, on October 21. On October 28, USC andWashington played what would be the deciding game for the conference atHusky Stadium. Down 21–0 in the fourth quarter, the Trojans scored three straight touchdowns, with the final coming with 33 seconds remaining. The game ended in a 21–21 tie. A Washington loss toOregon on November 4 put USC in the lead in the Pac-10 race. Coming into theUCLA–USC rivalry game, the Trojans already had the Rose Bowl berth by virtue of more non-conference victories than Washington, even though a loss to theBruins would leave both teams with a 6–1–1 record. The Trojans lost to the Bruins, 24–20.
