My pregame prediction: USC 34, Illinois 17.
I thought Illinois could keep it close, but USC would be too much to handle.
We stayed in Burbank on New Year's Eve, skipped the parade, and walked to the Rose Bowl from Brittany's Aunt's house in Pasadena. We arrived at the game at 12:30, hungry. Kickoff was scheduled for 2:10 pacific.
We got a $3 bottle of water, $5.25 medium soda, and the $6 macho nachos that consisted of just your typical rounded tortilla chips and nacho cheese sauce (not exactly macho, per se) but was filling enough for the two of us.
Our seats were facing the mountains, in a corner near the USC endzone. I've marked the student sections above. The entire east side was mostly USC fans, with the west side, including where we were, mostly mixed. The stadium itself was incredibly tight, especially in the legroom department, which was a mixed blessing. It was a pain in the ass when anyone was trying to leave or get to their seats, but row 40 felt really close.
Here's the view of the Illinois section to my left.
The USC fans in our section were overwhelmingly respectful and nice. Whatever.
The pregame festivities were nice, including 4 parachuters (that had stayed at our Burbank hotel). They flew in flying a Rose Bowl flag, Illinois flag, USC flag, and American flag.
The game started and it was 14-0 before we knew what happened. Then USC got the ball back with 7 minutes left in the first, and I was afraid that my worst fear was about to come true: this was going to be a blowout.
But then, Illinois intercepted a Booty pass and returned it to the 20. A first down got it to the 10, and this was Illinois' first chance to make it a game. Reda missed a 29 yard field goal. Ugh.
USC made it 21-0 late in the first half, and it seemed the game was slipping away. We needed a touchdown to get back in this before halftime. With under a minute remaining, Illinois drove the length of the field, but had to settle for a field goal.
Halftime: USC 21, Illinois 3
At this point I wanted to use the restroom and eat, but the lines for both were too long. Longest lines I've ever seen. I did get Adam to come over from the Illinois section to sit with us for a little bit.
I joked with Adam, that he was a good luck charm, and that Illinois was about to turn it around in the 2nd half.
Illinois forced a punt and then on their 2nd play, Mendenhall took it 79 yards to the house. It was an 11-point game. Of course, if we had converted our previous red zone trips to touchdowns, it would already have been 21-21.
It was at this point that Adam, had to go to the bathroom.
Illinois forced another point, and Mendenhall broke tackles turning a short pass into a 55 yard game. Illinois was on the 23 yardline, only down 11 in the 3rd quarter. This was not a blowout. This was a few plays away from a one possession game!
And then it happened.
In an instant, Illinois caught a pass inside the 10, and then had it popped out. Fumble. USC recovered. And that was the game.
Well, if it wasn't then, it was when USC fumbled a lateral that turned into a 65-yard run. And then converted a pass interference call into a touchdown. 28-10.
It was at this point that Adam returned from the bathroom.
The game was over. Of course Illinois would go on to get 17 points, just as I predicted. Unfortunately, USC already had 49 at that point, including a record 633 yards.
It was a great experience and I was glad I got to go. Plus, I've kept my Illinois bowl streak intact--6 years and counting! Although, next time, it would be nice, if Illinois, could, you know, win.
No comments:
Post a Comment