Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/775386
THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT A disappointing finish can't spoil one of the greatest Rose Bowls ever played lying at 37,000 feet directly above Colorado, I was surrounded by Penn State fans on my trip home from the Nittany Lions' Rose Bowl ap- pearance. Minus my two traveling colleagues, the exact number was 147 of them, in fact. Many were clad in Rose Bowl hats, sweatshirts and even a few scarves, but the atmosphere was sedate as we hurtled back to State College at 683 mph. They were disappointed, telling me as much in friendly interactions through- out the morning while still in California, and with good reason. They had tra- versed the United States to see their Nit- tany Lions battle Southern Cal in Pasadena, and a pure masterpiece of athletic competition found their side on the short end when time finally ran out. Of course, the players, coaches and an entire regiment of support per- sonnel and Penn State ad- ministrators were feeling exponentially worse at the same time. Under the grey clouds enshrouding Rose Bowl Stadium, a light rain falling on their backs, the Nittany Lions poured their hearts into a gut-wrench- ing, last-second 52-49 loss to the Tro- jans. The defeat left the most bitter of tastes to end what had been a remarkable sea- son. Penn State had led by 14 points in the fourth quarter and seemed headed for another breathtaking victory. But USC rallied, and the Lions' finale was transformed into a haunting loss. I couldn't share in any of the emotion, though. Feeling grateful for my good fortune to have been present at a game I'm un- likely to ever forget, I was thinking about the transcen- dence of sports. In time, I JUDGMENT CALL F LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION A crowd of 95,128 turned out to see one of the most enter- taining Rose Bowl games ever played, as USC rallied to top Penn State. Photo by Gary Generose