The 104th through 108th Rose Bowl Games

We love Rose Bowl history as you can tell. This episode will wrap up the chats about the games and in particular about the 103rd through the 108th Rose Bowl games.

The 2018 Rose Bowl featured a classic match-up of Coach Lincoln Riley's Oklahoma Sooners and the Georgia Bulldogs, coached by Kirby Smart, played on January 1, 2018. The 104th Rose Bowl Game contest was a semifinal for the College Football Playoff. The world would witness the most points ever scored in one Rose Bowl game. Hang on to your hats, as this giant game had the offenses going wild! Oklahoma won the toss and deferred their choice until the second half. Forcing the Bulldogs into punting away the ball, the Sooner's offense trod onto the field for their first series, and what a series it was. Oklahoma's quarterback Baker Mayfield completed three passes, the third being placed into the awaiting arms of receiver Marquise Brown in the endzone to put OU on the board. The Bulldogs would tie the game in the next quarter when Sony Michel broke into the open and ran for a 75-yard touchdown. There were scores a-plenty mostly by the Sooners. As the first half melted away, the scoreboard was changing quickly. The Sooners ran a double reverse play, and Mayfield caught the first pass of his college career to score a touchdown from 2 yards out on a toss by CeeDee Lamb. Georgia got the ball back with only 6 seconds remaining, just enough time for Rodrigo Blankenship to bang through a 55-yard field goal, setting a Rose Bowl record for the longest successful field goal. Oklahoma was up 31-17 at the intermission.
After the half, Georgia played stout defense and pounded the rock with their big O-line. A Sony Michel 38-yard TD scamper later followed Nick Chubb's 50-yard touchdown run and then took the lead when Javon Wims took in a 4-yard TD toss from Mayfield. The Sooners knotted the game at 38 after Dimitri Flowers caught an 11-yard touchdown reception from Baker Mayfield. The OU defense provided the next scoring spark when the Sooners retook the lead after a 46-yard scoop, and Steven Parker scored. UGA’s tough running half back, Chubb, sent the game to overtime with a two-yard TD to tie the game once again. The teams traded field goals in the first OT session in Rose Bowl history. The Bulldogs gained the advantage for the second session when Lorenzo Carter blocked Austin Seibert's 27-yard field goal attempt. Sony Michel provided the game-winning point when he escaped the tackles of the tired Sooner Defense for a 27-yard TD run. The final score was 54-48 Georgia, sending the Bulldogs into the National Championship game. Georgia overcame a 17-point deficit to win the game, the largest deficit to overcome in Rose Bowl history. It was also the fifth most-viewed Cable TV program in history. The Bulldogs would lose to their arch-rival Alabama 26-23 the following week in the title game.

The 105th Rose Bowl featured the ninth-ranked Washington Huskies versus the sixth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Chris Petersen held the head coaching duties at Washington while Urban Meyer guided the Buckeyes from the sideline. Ohio State struck first in this game when Parris Campbell accepted a 12-yard touchdown throw from Quarterback Dwayne Haskins. The Huskies responded with a 38-yard field goal by Peyton Henry. The Buckeyes then rattled off 21 unanswered points on either side of the half featuring a Johnnie Dixon 19-yard scoring reception, Rashod Berry's 1-yard touchdown catch, and a J K Dobbins 3-yard TD run. Washington rattled off three TDs of their own in a row. Drew Sample caught a 2-yard TD toss from Myles Gaskin, and Gaskin ran in two more TDs on his own. However, it was not enough, as Ohio State won 28 to 23.

Head Coach Mario Cristobal accepted the invite to the 105th Rose Bowl game as his number 6 Oregon Ducks traveled to Pasadena to face the Number 8 Wisconsin Badgers of Coach Paul Chryst. This was a great game. Wisconsin seemed to dominate the contest with total yards and time of possession but trailed by one late. Unfortunately, the game came down to a pivotal officiating call. The controversy arose from an offensive pass interference call against Wisconsin near the end of the game. The OPI nullified a Wisconsin first down and eventually gave the ball back to Oregon, who could run the clock down and win the game. Later, the air officiating expert Terry McAulay felt the call was incorrect. Oregon won the game by the slimmest of margins, 28-27.

The 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One was the 107th annual Rose Bowl game played on January 1, 2021. This game, played during the COVID-19 pandemic, was the second time in Rose Bowl history that the game had to be moved from Pasadena. The first remote Rose Bowl occurred in 1942, just after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when it was displaced to North Carolina for safety. This time, with high infection rates in the LA area, it was played in Arlington, Texas. The number 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish would play in their second-ever Rose Bowl against the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. Head Coach Nick Saban has his team ready as they dominated the Irish of Coach Brian Kelly. The Tide jumped out to a 21-7 lead by the half. Bama QB Mac Jones fired two TD strikes to highlight the first-half scoring, two to Heisman winner Devonte Smith and another to Jahleel Billingsley. Smith would score again in the second half to lead the Crimson Tide to a 31-14 victory to advance to the title game. In the National Championship game, Alabama would roll over Ohio State 52-24 ten days later.

The 2022 Rose Bowl was the 108th edition of the New Years' bowl game on January 1, 2022. Head Coach Kyle Whittingham brought his Number 11 Utah Utes into a fray against the Ohio State Buckeyes, ranked 6th in the Nation, and coached by Ryan Day. Utah got the party started when Britain Covey's 19-yard touchdown reception from Cameron Rising got the scoreboard lights on. The Utes struck again on Micah Bernard's 12-yard touchdown reception from Rising to make it a two-score game early. Ohio State cut that lead in half with Marvin Harrison Jr.'s 25-yard touchdown reception from C. J. Stroud. Utah's Tavion Thomas answered with a TD run of 6-yards. The team traded body blows as Buckeye Jaxon Smith-Njigba corralled a 50-yard touchdown pass from Stroud. Utah scored almost immediately. Britain Covey returned the ensuing kick 97-yard for a touchdown. Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba 52-yard touchdown reception from Stroud. Utah completed the first half on Cameron Rising 62-yard touchdown run to lead the game at the half 35 to 21. The Buckeyes stormed back in the second half; Marvin Harrison Jr.'s 8-yard touchdown reception from Stroud and later a five-yarder would help them get back into this game. Teammate Jaxon Smith-Njigba also got into the rally as he snagged a 30-yard touchdown reception from C. J. Stroud to put OSU up by a TD. Utah's Dalton Kincaid recorded his name in the Rose Bowl annals by catching a 15-yard touchdown reception from Bryson Barnes to knot the score at 45. However, with 9 seconds left, Ohio State found the game-winner on a 19-yard field goal by Noah Ruggles. The final score was Ohio State 48 and Utah 45.

A Very Special thanks to information obtained from the following brilliant internet sites: On This Day Sports, the Sports Reference's family of website databases & Stathead.com.

Banner photo is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons of