2009 Rose Bowl Breakdown: USC vs. Penn State

When the 95^th Rose Bowl is played on New Year's Day, it will feature a pair of teams who share something in common. Both teams suffered one road loss during the season that has been a lasting reminder throughout their season and has resulted in their exclusion from the chance to play for a national title. Instead college football fans will be treated the first traditional meeting between the top team from the Pac-10 and the Big Ten conference since 2004.

The game features a changing of the guard at the head coach position, from old school to new school. In one corner there is Penn State's Joe Paterno, who owns the record for most victories with 383. The 82 year old Paterno led Penn State Nittany Lions to an 11 - 1 record during the 2008 regular season though many have said the game has passed him by. Then there is Pete Carroll, the young vibrant coach of USC Trojans, who has brought the team and led them to an 11 - 1 record. When it comes to bowl games Carroll owns a 5 - 2 record since he began coaching USC, while Paterno has recorded a 23-10-1 record, making him the all time leader in bowl victories.

When it comes to the offensive side for the Rose Bowl, these two teams boast potent offenses that are capable of putting points up on the board. USC is led by their quarterback, Mark Sanchez who has completed 64.3% of his passes for 2,794 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Penn State's signal caller, Daryll Clark, has helped bring success to the spread offense. In 2008, he completed 60% of his passes for 2,319 yards with 17 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. Clark was dangerous when running the ball by scoring 9 times as he rambled for 265 rushing yards.

When it comes to these scoring machines, USC gains the advantage with their three head monster at the running back position. Carroll has effectively used McKnight, Johnson, and Gable throughout the season while racking up over 170 yards on the ground in 11 of their games. Each back ended the season with over 600 yards while scoring a total of 19 touchdowns.

But the real stars of this game are going to be the defensive units of both teams. The Trojans, led by linebacker Rey Maualuga, allowed opponents to score only 7.8 points per game, while earning three shutouts during the season. The Nittany Lions are no slouch when it comes to their defense either, allowing their opponents to average 12.4 points per game. The man who makes the defense go is end Aaron Maybin, who notched 12 sacks while chasing around Big Ten quarterbacks.

The last time these two teams met was in 2000, when the Trojans beat the Nittany Lions 29 - 5. Though we should expect a closely contested game the results will be the same. The Trojans will earn a win and secure a victory in the Rose Bowl to celebrate the New Year.

Statistics courtesy of http://sports.yahoo.com/