Trojans Favored As Penn State Announces Suspensions
No one team has historically dominated the oldest and most famous bowl game in college football quite like the No. 9 USC Trojans (9-3) have the Rose Bowl. The Trojans seek a 35th victory and first in almost eight years in their hometown bowl when they meet the No. 5 Penn State Nittany Lions (11-2) Monday afternoon in Pasadena, California.
And the Trojans, who are listed as 7-point favorites, are likely to see their chances improve after Penn State head coach James Franklin reportedly announced Tuesday the suspension of some players for violating team rules.
Franklin did not say who or how many players will be sitting out, Centre Daily Times reported.
“We have some guys who won’t participate for reasons that we won’t get into right now, for violation of team rules,” Franklin said at the team’s first public appearance before the game at Disney California Adventure “We’ll leave it at that.”
As the game draws closer, the identity of the suspended players and their supposed violations may become clear, but it’s possible the suspensions will hurt Penn State’s chance for a second bowl victory in Franklins three years at the helm and a second all-time Rose Bowl victory.
USC and head coach Clay Helton will roll out a talented and deep offensive attack capable of unloading on Penn State’s No. 45 ranked defense. Freshman quarterback Sam Darnold finished second in the Pac-12 in passing efficiency with a 161 rating, completing 68.1 percent of his attempts for 2,633 yards and 26 touchdowns to only eight interceptions, while sophomore rusher Ronald Jones ranked fourth in the conference with 1,027 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Junior wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who’s projected to be a first-round pick in next spring’s NFL Draft should he leave school, was Darnold’s favorite target and collected 63 receptions for 781 yards and nine touchdowns, both among the top 10 in the conference.
But the Big Ten champion Nittany Lions and Franklin have defied expectations all season and have the firepower to equal USC, especially on the ground. Penn State was third in the conference in scoring – while wrangling the regular season conference title for CFP-bound and rival Ohio State – with 36.7 points a game behind Big Ten passing leader and sophomore quarterback Trace McSorely.
In his first full season under center, McSorely totaled 3,360 yards and 25 touchdowns to five interceptions and led the conference with a 156.6 passer rating.
He’s aided by fellow sophomore and running back Saquon Barkley, a powerfully built back who came within two yards of the Big Ten rushing title with 1,302 yards and a conference-best 16 rushing touchdowns.
On the ground is where this game might be one for either team. The Trojans have gained 207.2 rushing yards per game this season, but have also surrendered 133.7 yards a contest. Penn State’s rushing attack garnered 168.8 yards but also gave up 153.5 a contest.
USC owns the all-time record at 5-4, claiming the last victory – in 2009’s Rose Bowl – 38-24 and 2000’s regular season matchup 29-5.
Betting Odds: USC -7 via Bovada.lv
Prediction: USC over Penn State, 37-31
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