--NO. 8 USC FOOTBALL TO FACE NO. 5 OHIO STATE IN COTTON BOWL
LOS ANGELES--The No. 8-ranked USC football team (11-2) will face No. 5 Ohio State (11-2) in the 82nd Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex., at 7:30 p.m. CT on Dec. 29 on ESPN.
Trojan Athletic Fund members and USC season ticketholders should check their email today (Dec. 3) for ticket information. All other USC fans should visit the Cotton Bowl site (cottonbowl.com) for ticket information. More information about USC’s participation in the Cotton Bowl is at usctrojans.com/bowlcentral.
Official travel packages, including accommodations at the official USC Cotton Bowl fan hotel, transportation to the pep rally and game, tailgate admission and more, will be announced on Monday (Dec. 4).
"We are proud and thankful to be invited to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic," said USC head coach Clay Helton, the only Trojan head coach to have won at least 10 games in each of his first 2 full seasons. “It is a great reward for our football team after winning our program’s first Pac-12 championship since 2008. We look forward to the Trojan Family joining us in Dallas.
"We congratulate Coach Meyer and his Ohio State football team on their outstanding season. We can’t wait for what will be a classic Pac-12/Big Ten bowl matchup."
This will be only USC’s second appearance in the Cotton Bowl. The 1994 Trojans, behind 3 touchdown catches by wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, defeated Texas Tech, 55-14, in the 1995 Cotton Bowl.
This also will be just USC’s second game ever in AT&T Stadium. The Trojans opened the 2016 season there with a 52-6 loss to Alabama.
The game matches teams with storied gridiron traditions. Both rank in the Top 10 nationally in all-time victories (834 for USC, 897 for Ohio State). USC has won 11 national championships and Ohio State has 8. Troy has produced 6 Heisman Trophy winners and the Buckeyes have 7. USC claims 166 All-American first teamers, Ohio State has 196. USC has made 51 bowl appearances (with 34 wins), while Ohio State has 47 (22 wins). Both schools even have nationally-recognized marching bands, famous mascots and distinctive colors.
USC holds a 13-9-1 series record over Ohio State, with wins in the past 7 meetings, including the most recent in 2009 when the Trojans won 18-15 in Columbus. Seven of the meetings have been in the Rose Bowl, with USC winning 4 of those (including 20-17 in the 1985 Rose Bowl in the teams’ most recent bowl clash). USC is 75-28-3 against Big Ten foes.
USC is among the nation's premier bowl teams, with an overall post-season record of 34-17 (not including 1 win and 1 loss later vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record 35-18). Last year, the Trojans defeated Penn State in the Rose Bowl, 52-49, on a last-second field goal.
USC, which played all of its 12 regular season games in 2017 without a bye, was the first South Division representative to win the Pac-12 Championship Game when it defeated Stanford, 31-28, last Friday (Dec. 1).
USC’s offense, which is averaging 489.5 total yards (its highest average since 2005) and 34.5 points, has had 600-plus yards of total offense 3 times this season (the other Pac-12 teams combined have done so just 6 times). Quarterback Sam Darnold, 20-3 as a starter, is on the verge of becoming the first Trojan signalcaller to throw for 4,000 yards in a season (he is at 3,787, while completing 63.7% of his passes with 26 touchdowns). Tailback Ronald Jones II, who has 1,486 rushing yards with 18 TDs in 2017 and 9 100-yard games, is fifth on USC’s prestigious career rushing list (3,555 yards), with 2 Heisman Trophy winners and 2 Heisman runners-up ahead of him. Wide receiver Deontay Burnett, with 74 receptions and 9 TDs in 2017, is 25 yards shy of 1,000 receiving yards.
USC’s defense, which leads the nation in sacks (43) and has 24 takeaways in 2017, is led by inside linebacker Cameron Smith (Troy’s tackle leader—102—for the second year in a row), outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (13 deflections in 2017, the most by a Trojan linebacker since 1998), defensive lineman Rasheem Green (9 sacks in 2017) and safety Chris Hawkins (24 tackles the past 2 games).
Like USC, Ohio State won its league title, defeating previously-unbeaten Wisconsin, 27-21, in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday (Dec. 2). The Buckeyes, under head coach Urban Meyer, are sixth nationally in total offense (523.6) and fifth in scoring offense (42.5), as well as eighth in total defense (292.3).
Quarterback J.T. Barrett has thrown for 2,939 yards with 35 TDs to rank eighth nationally in passing efficiency and he has run for another 732 yards with 10 scores this year. Running back J.K. Dobbins has 1,364 rushing yards (7.5 per carry) with 7 TDs, while fellow running back has added 732 yards and 10 TDs on the ground. Wide receiver K.J. Hill is Ohio State’s top pass catcher (55 receptions, 3 TDs).
Among Ohio State’s top defenders are linebacker Jerome Baker (team-best 67 tackles), safeties Jordan Fuller (60 tackles) and Damon Webb (56 tackles, 4 interceptions) and defensive lineman Nick Bosa (14.5 tackles for loss, 7 sacks).
