2003 Rose Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 2003 Rose Bowl was a college football
bowl game
played on January 1, 2003. It was the 89th Rose Bowl game
. It was a match-up between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Washington State Cougars
. The game was won by Oklahoma 34-14. Nate Hybl
who played quarterback
for the Sooners
, was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game.
, this pairing never would have occurred. Oklahoma came into the game Big 12 Champions, while Washington State came in co-champions of the Pac-10. The Rose Bowl normally features the champions of the Big Ten and the Pac-10. However, because the Buckeyes had finished #2 in the BCS, they were set to play in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl
for the national championship against Miami (Fla.) Earlier in the season, Ohio State had defeated Washington State 25-7.
The Orange Bowl had the next pick after the Fiesta Bowl pairing, and #3 (#5 BCS) Iowa was chosen. The Rose Bowl had the next BCS selection. The next, best available team to choose was #8 (#7 BCS) Oklahoma, who won the Big 12 Championship Game, to play Pac-10 winner Washington State. When it came time for the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl to make a second pick, both wanted USC. However, a BCS rule stated that if two bowls want the same team, the bowl with the higher payoff has the option. The Orange Bowl immediately extended an at-large bid to the number 5 ranked Trojans and paired them with at-large number 3 Iowa in a Big Ten/Pac-10 "Rose Bowl" matchup in the 2003 Orange Bowl
. Rose Bowl committee executive director Mitch Dorger was not pleased with the results. This left the Sugar Bowl with #14 BCS Florida State, the winner of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Notre Dame at 10-2 and #9 in the BCS standings was invited to the 2003 Gator Bowl
. Kansas State at #8 also was left out.
, who was fired following the game.
and the agreement between the PAC-10 and Big Ten conferences. The 1944 Rose Bowl had the third smallest crowd played in the Rose Bowl stadium at 68,000. The 1931 Rose Bowl had the second smallest crowd at 60,000. The smallest crowd at the Rose Bowl stadium was the 1934 Rose Bowl at 35,000.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
played on January 1, 2003. It was the 89th Rose Bowl game
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
. It was a match-up between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Washington State Cougars
2002 Washington State Cougars football team
The 2002 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University in the college football season of 2002-2003. The team was led by fourteenth-year head coach Mike Price, and played its home games at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington....
. The game was won by Oklahoma 34-14. Nate Hybl
Nate Hybl
Nate Hybl is a former NFL quarterback. In the NFL, he was part of the Cleveland Browns, and the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mostly working on the practice squads. During his time with the Browns, he was allocated for development in NFL Europe...
who played quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the Sooners
Sooners
Sooners is the name given to settlers in the midwest of the United States who entered the Unassigned Lands in what is now the state of Oklahoma before President Grover Cleveland officially proclaimed them open to settlement on March 2, 1889 with the Indian Appropriations Act of 1889...
, was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game.
Teams
Prior to the BCSBowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
, this pairing never would have occurred. Oklahoma came into the game Big 12 Champions, while Washington State came in co-champions of the Pac-10. The Rose Bowl normally features the champions of the Big Ten and the Pac-10. However, because the Buckeyes had finished #2 in the BCS, they were set to play in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl
2003 Fiesta Bowl
The 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl took place on January 3,2003 in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Miami Hurricanes by a score of 31–24 in double overtime. It also served as the BCS National Championship Game for the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season...
for the national championship against Miami (Fla.) Earlier in the season, Ohio State had defeated Washington State 25-7.
The Orange Bowl had the next pick after the Fiesta Bowl pairing, and #3 (#5 BCS) Iowa was chosen. The Rose Bowl had the next BCS selection. The next, best available team to choose was #8 (#7 BCS) Oklahoma, who won the Big 12 Championship Game, to play Pac-10 winner Washington State. When it came time for the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl to make a second pick, both wanted USC. However, a BCS rule stated that if two bowls want the same team, the bowl with the higher payoff has the option. The Orange Bowl immediately extended an at-large bid to the number 5 ranked Trojans and paired them with at-large number 3 Iowa in a Big Ten/Pac-10 "Rose Bowl" matchup in the 2003 Orange Bowl
2003 Orange Bowl
The 2003 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the USC Trojans on January 2, 2003, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. USC won the game, 38–17...
. Rose Bowl committee executive director Mitch Dorger was not pleased with the results. This left the Sugar Bowl with #14 BCS Florida State, the winner of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Notre Dame at 10-2 and #9 in the BCS standings was invited to the 2003 Gator Bowl
2003 Gator Bowl
The 2003 Gator Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game between the NC State Wolfpack and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida on January 1, 2003. The game was the final contest of the 2002 NCAA Division I–A football season for both teams and...
. Kansas State at #8 also was left out.
Oklahoma Sooners
The Sooners won the Big 12 South and defeated Colorado in the Big 12 Championship game. Kansas State, although ranked higher in the AP poll, lost to Colorado in the Big 12 North, and could not play in the championship game.Washington State Cougars
On October 5, in the 300th game for USC on live television, the Washington State Cougars defeated the USC Trojans 30-27 in overtime. The Cougars scored with 1:50 left to play to force overtime. The Cougars and Trojans ended up tied for first place in the Pac-10, but the Cougars won the tie-breaker by virtue of the head-to-head competition victory. The final game of the season had been moved to December 2 with Washington State at UCLA. Originally it was thought that the Bruins would be the team playing for the Rose Bowl. A 52-21 loss to USC put the Bruins out of contention and the Trojans and Cougars in. Washington State defeated UCLA 48-27 in the Rose Bowl Stadium to advance to the Rose Bowl game. This was the final game for UCLA head coach Bob ToledoBob Toledo
Bob Toledo is a former American football coach and player. Toledo served as the head coach at University of California, Riverside , the University of the Pacific , the University of California, Los Angeles , and Tulane University...
, who was fired following the game.
Second quarter
- OU - 1:51 Savage 12 yard pass from Hybl (DiCarlo kick)
- OU - 1:09 Perkins 51 yard punt return (DiCarlo kick)
Fourth quarter
- OU - 8:02 Fagan 9 yard pass from Hybl (DiCarlo kick)
- WSU - 6:08 Riley 37 yard pass from Gesser (Dunning kick)
- OU - 1:29 Griffin 19 yard run (DiCarlo kick)
- WSU - 1:15 Moore 89 yard kickoff return (Dunning kick)
Aftermath
Due to its untraditional match up, this game drew one of the fewest attendance numbers in the modern history of the Rose Bowl. It was the first time that the stadium held less than the nominal capacity for the Rose Bowl game since before the 1947 Rose Bowl1947 Rose Bowl
The 1947 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game. It was the 33rd Rose Bowl Game. The Illinois Fighting Illini defeated the UCLA Bruins, 45–14. Illinois halfbacks Claude "Buddy" Young and Julius Rykovich shared the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game award. They were named the Rose Bowl Players...
and the agreement between the PAC-10 and Big Ten conferences. The 1944 Rose Bowl had the third smallest crowd played in the Rose Bowl stadium at 68,000. The 1931 Rose Bowl had the second smallest crowd at 60,000. The smallest crowd at the Rose Bowl stadium was the 1934 Rose Bowl at 35,000.