Where: At Pasadena, Calif.
When: 3 p.m., today.
TV: KMGH-7.
Series record: 4-4.
Last meeting: 2000, USC 29-5.
What’s at stake: For USC, a record 24th Rose Bowl victory in 33 tries and a sixth BCS bowl win under coach Pete Carroll in the last seven years. For Penn State, a record 24th bowl victory for 82-year-old coach Joe Paterno, who has coached the Nittany Lions to 383 wins since 1966 — one ahead of Florida State’s Bobby Bowden’s total.
Key matchup: Penn State’s high-powered offense against USC’s dominating defense. The Nittany Lions averaged 452.2 yards to rank 15th in the country and 40.2 points to rank 11th during the regular season. The Trojans led the nation in total defense (206.1 yards) and scoring defense (7.8 points).
Players to watch: Penn State — Daryll Clark completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,319 yards and 17 touchdowns with only four interceptions. TB Evan Royster rushed for 1,202 yards. LB Navorro Bowman was involved in a team-leading 98 tackles and DE Aaron Maybin had 12 of his team’s 32 sacks.
USC — QB Mark Sanchez has completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 2,794 yards and 30 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. TBs Joe McKnight, Stafon Johnson and C.J. Gable combined to rush for 1,892 yards and 19 touchdowns, and WRs Damian Williams and Patrick Turner combined to catch 93 passes for 1,374 yards and 18 TDs. LBs Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing and Kaluka Maiava were the top three tacklers. Facts and figures: A Big Ten team hasn’t won the Rose Bowl since Wisconsin topped Stanford 17-9 nine years ago. … USC has a 30-16 overall record in bowl games. Alabama holds the record with 31 bowl victories. …
The Associated Press
