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1985 - USC 20 Ohio State 17
The Big Ten, which beat the West with hard-nosed "men against boys" football in the 40s and 50s, succumbs to the physical might of the Pac-10 as Ted Tollner's 8-3 USC smashes Earl Bruce's 9-2 Ohio State 20-17. The Pac-10 takes the lead in the Rose Bowl series 20-19 with its 13th victory in the last 15 meetings. The swarming USC defense causes Buckeye quarterback Mike Tomczak to throw three interceptions while being forced to take the air 37 times when running star Keith Byars is checked following an early 50-yard sprint. Tim Green is flawless at the Trojan controls and gets big offensive contributions from kicker Steve Jordan (two 51-yard field goals), Timmie Ware, Joe Cormier, Fred Crutcher and Kennedy Pola. Ohio State kicker Rich Spangler connects for a record 52-yard field goal and Chris Carter catches nine passes.
1986 - UCLA 45 Iowa 28
Terry Donahue runs his personal Rose Bowl winning streak to three as UCLA (8-2-1) subdues the 10-1 Iowa Hawkeyes of Hayden Fry 45-28. It is "a Ball" for UCLA, Eric Ball to be exact. Replacing the injured Gaston Green, freshman Ball scores four touchdowns and gains 227 yards. Backup quarterback Matt Stevens, sub for the injured David Norris, picks Iowa apart, passing for one score and going over himself another time. Iowa quarterback star Chuck Long is sacked four times while completing 29 of 37 passes.
1987 - Arizona State 22 Michigan 15
Arizona State makes its debut as a Rose Bowl team by defeating Michigan 22-15. John Cooper's 8-1-1 team from Tempe overcomes a 15-3 lead gained by the favored 10-1 Michigan invaders of Bo Schembechler. Jim Harbaugh goes from feast to famine, directing, Michigan to two quick touchdowns before being sacked twice and throwing three costly interceptions. Jeff Van Rapphorst rallies the Sun Devils with two touchdown strikes to Bruce Hill. The quicker Sun Devils harass Harbaugh thereafter and dominate with standouts being Stacy Harvey (11 tackles), Darryl Harris (109 yards running), pass interceptors Eric Allen, Robby Boyd and Greg Clark plus, of course, Player of the Game Van Rapphorst.
1988 - Michigan State 20 USC 17
After 16 losses in the last 18 Rose Bowl games, the Big Ten is ready for some relief, which is provided by coach George Perles of Michigan State, a rugged coach who asks no favors or gives any. Perles' 8-2-1 Spartans defeat Larry Smith's 8-3 USC 20-17. The Trojans have a chance to pull it out after John Langeloh breaks a 17-17 tie with a 36-yard field goal four minutes before the finish. USC drives to the Spartan 30 when quarterback Rodney Peete can't handle center John Katnik's snap, the ball recovered by Michigan State's Todd Krumm. Lorenzo White gains 113 yards and scores two touchdowns for the Perles, and Langeloh winds up with two field goals. Linebacker Percy Snow makes 17 tackles for the Spartans. Peete throws two touchdown passes to Ken Henry and runs 54 yards himself, but one slippery muff costs him.
1989 - Michigan 22 USC 14
The 100th anniversary of the Tournament of Roses and the 75th football game headlining the annual festival features Bo Schembechler's second victory in nine tries. Michigan (8-2-1) defeats USC (10-1) by a 22-14 margin, Larry Smith's second loss in two tries as Trojan mentor. Quarterback Demetrius Brown loosens up the Trojans with passes in the first half and then unleashes runner Leroy Hoard who crosses the goal line twice in the fourth quarter and winds up with 142 total yards. Rodney Peete of USC scores twice in the second quarter after Michigan's Mike Gillette hits a 49-yard field goal. "We forgot to show up in the second half," says Peete in explaining what happens after that.
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