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1990 - USC 17 Michigan 10
Bo Schembechler tries to do it again but he walks off the Rose Bowl turf for the last time with a 17-10 loss to USC and a 2-8 mark for this unlucky career in Pasadena. Larry Smith's Trojans (8-2-1) utilize a 22 of 31 passing performance by southpaw freshman, Todd Marinovich and a 126-yard running day by Pasadena's own Ricky Ervins to take a hard-earned victory over the Wolverines (10-1). Ervins scored the winning touchdown with at 14-yard run with 1:10 remaining. Michael Taylor completes 10 of 19 passes for Michigan and the previous year's star Leroy Hoard runs for 121. USC gets its victory chance and saves its neck when a holding penalty nullifies a trick play calling for punter Chris Stapleton to run on fourth and two from his 46-yard line. He gains 24 big yards, but the penalty forces a kick with USC taking over for its winning drive. No, Pasadena isn't Bo's town.
1991 - Washington 46 Iowa 34
The Washington Huskies of Don James (9-2) defeat Hayden Fry's Iowa Hawkeyes (8-3) in the Rose Bowl's highest scoring game ever 46-34. Quarterback Mark Brunell passes for two touchdowns and runs for two more. Iowa never quits after trailing 33-7 at halftime. Greg Lewis rushes 128 yards in 19 carries for the Huskies. In the 20-point fourth quarter "never say die" Iowa resurgence, quarterback Matt Rodgers runs for two scores and passes for one.
1992 - Washington 34 Michigan 14
In what many believe is the best performance ever against a high-rated team in the Rose Bowl, Washington mauls No. 4 Michigan 34-14 to gain a share of the national championship with Miami. Don James' Huskies make their record 12-0 for the season as their defense holds Michigan to 72 yards and sacks quarterback Elvis Grbac five times while limiting Heisman winner Desmond Howard to one pass reception. Washington quarterback Billy Joe Hobert, just a sophomore, completes 18 of 34 passes, two for touchdowns. He shares Player of the Game honors with defensive tackle Steve Emtman. The 1991 Player of the Game, Mark Brunell, leads two Washington scoring drives as Hobert's backup, 7 for 8 as a passer. Tight end Aaron Pierce catches seven passes and split end Mario Bailey hauls in six.
1993 - Michigan 38 Washington 31
Washington attempts to win three consecutive Rose Bowl games but falls short as undefeated but thrice-tied Michigan outlasts the Huskies 38-31 before a crowd of 94,236. The suspenseful offensive show featured Player of the Game Tyrone Wheatley of Michigan who scores on runs of 56, a record 88 and 24 yards. The 225-pound running back finds wide open country after he breaks through a jammed line of scrimmage and races away from futile Washington chasers. Quarterback Elvis Grbac engineers a winning drive midway in the fourth quarter, throwing a 15-yard scoring pass to tight end Tony McGee who catches six passes for the day. Michigan outgains 9-2 Washington 483 yards to 413 in a game that see-saws to a 31-31 tie before the Grbac-McGee connection settles it. The record breaker for the game, however, is the southpaw Washington quarterback Mark Brunell who passes and turns to three-time career highs in Rose Bowl action -- passing yardage (560), total offense (618), completions (39), touchdown passes (5), and touchdowns involved (7). Brunell hits Jason Shelley for a 64-yard touchdown pass and Mark Bruener for 18 years and another tally. The all-time, one-game Rose Bowl rushing record eludes Wheatley who has 235 yards before being sidelined by painful back spasms.
1994 - Wisconsin 21 UCLA 16
Wisconsin finally wins a Rose Bowl Game, defeating UCLA 21-16 in the Badgers' fourth try before 101,237 spectators, most of them clad in red. UCLA coach Terry Donahue says "we certainly didn't get the feeling we were playing on our home field." Whatever feeling the Bruins have, they don't show a healthy look as they fumble the ball away five times and add an interception for six costly turnovers. Coach Barry Alvarez of the Badgers insists it isn't luck; "...our defense had something to with it." Bruin quarterback Wayne Cook has a chance to pull the game out of the fire at the finish, but he runs instead of passing from the Badger 18 and is tackled on the 15-yard-line while the clock runs out. Player of the Game is Wisconsin's Brent Moss who has 158 yards in 36 carries with two touchdowns. Wisconsin quarterback Darrell Bevell scampers 23 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, actually the game winning points. UCLA's All-American pass receiver J.J. Stokes sets a school and Rose Bowl record of 14 receptions for 176 yards, but he also makes a costly fumble. Another Bruin who can't hold onto the pigskin is quarterback Cook who undoes his impressive 288 passing yardage.
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