FanHouse gathers around the TV to bring you insights from Bowl Season '08.
In writing about Five Things To Get You Ready For The Rose Bowl, I said "Penn State is not your average Big Ten team". Yes ... and no. Having watched USC steamroll various Big Ten opponents under Pete Carroll, this Penn State team seemed superior to most if not all of them. Yet it wasn't enough thanks to a chaotic second quarter that saw USC surge from a 7-all tie to an insurmountable 31-7 lead.
Penn State fought valiantly against a bored USC in the second half, enough so that a late USC punting mistake in the last minute very nearly made it a ballgame again. But it was clear who was superior all afternoon, USC's lead peaking at 38-14 before things got silly on the way to a 38-24 victory.
Fitting for a west coast team, USC surged on the strength of its passing game and a handful of ill-timed Penn State penalties.
