Tag: Rose Bowl

Who is Josh Heupel? Breaking down Oregon’s potential opposing HC in the Rose Bowl

Who is Josh Heupel? Breaking down Oregon’s potential opposing head coach in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

The Oregon Ducks have been able to enjoy a nice week away from football after winning the Big Ten Championship Game over the Penn State Nittany Lions earlier this month, earning the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff. 

Because of that, they will now also enjoy another week off, with a first-round bye in the playoff. While Dan Lanning and the Ducks get down to business and prepare for their New Year’s Day game in the Rose Bowl on the field, it’s scouting time off of the field. Oregon will play either the Ohio State Buckeyes or Tennessee Volunteers in the quarterfinal game a couple of weeks from now, with a chance to move on to the semifinals. 

While Lanning’s team prepares for their future opponent, we want to do the same. 

Already this month, we’ve dived deep into the offense and defense for both the Buckeyes and the Volunteers, looking at players to know and what to expect going forward. This week we are going to continue that trend by looking at the man who is leading the charge. 

We started with Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and now we look into Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel.

The Current State of Josh Heupel

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Josh Heupel is very popular at Tennessee and he’s having his best season yet as the Vols head coach. But playing in the same conference as national powers such as Georgia and Alabama has to be hard. Heupel exercised one of those demons as Tennessee defeated the Crimson Tide 24-17 this season, but fell to Georgia 31-17.

It’s safe to say that Heupel is very comfortable in his position in Knoxville as he has Tennessee on the verge of becoming a national power once again. The Vols have been recruiting at a high level with annual Top 10 classes.

Josh Heupel History and Coaching Record

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After his playing days at Oklahoma and a short stint in the NFL, the former quarterback worked his way up in the coaching ranks, beginning as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma in 2004 and as a tight ends coach with Arizona in 2005. He was an assistant for 13 years before getting a head coaching position at Central Florida in 2018.

In that first season with the Knights, they went 12-1 and played in the Fiesta Bowl where they lost to LSU. Two seasons later, he was named head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. Currently, in his fourth season in Knoxville, Heupel is 37-14 as the Vols’ head coach. Tennessee is 10-2 this year.

What This Playoff Run Means for Josh Heupel

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The expanded playoff format and the transfer portal have allowed teams to become better quicker and Heupel has flourished in the portal and recruiting overall. Now we’ll see if they can make a playoff run. Just winning one playoff game would increase Tennessee’s national profile and perhaps lead Heupel to get to the next step in their program.

He’s the seventh Tennessee head coach since Phillip Fulmer retired in 2008. It’s been a carousel, but it seems as if Heupel is going to stay in Rocky Top for quite some time, giving them some much-needed stability. A playoff run would only solidify that.

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Hypothetical odds released for Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio State, Tennessee in 2025 Rose Bowl

Hypothetical betting odds were released for the Oregon Ducks in a Rose Bowl matchup vs. the Ohio State Buckeyes or Tennessee Volunteers.

While the Oregon Ducks don’t know exactly who will be lining up across from them in Pasadena on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl, we know that it will be either the Ohio State Buckeyes or the Tennessee Volunteers.

A rematch vs. the Buckeyes would be electric for the Ducks, but it’s hard to imagine a more entertaining — and visually appealing — matchup than Oregon vs. Tennessee.

Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to be diving into both the Buckeyes and Volunteers to get a good sense of what the Ducks can expect from either team. For starters, though, we can look at what the sportsbooks think of these matchups.

Earlier this week, FanDuel Sportsbook released hypothetical odds for how things would look if the Ducks played Ohio State, and if Oregon played Tennessee.

Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Odds

Point Spread: Oregon Ducks -1.5

Over/Under: 53.5

Oregon Ducks vs. Tennessee Volunteers Odds

Point Spread: Oregon Ducks -4.5

Over/Under: 52.5

It should be no surprise that the Ducks are considered a favorite in either matchup. As the No. 1 team in the nation, the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, and the only undefeated team in all of Division 1 football, Oregon has earned its respect this season.

Earlier this year, the Ducks entered their Week 7 game against Ohio State as 3.5-point underdogs, but beat the Buckeyes at home, 32-31. Now on a neutral field, they enter as a slight favorite.

Oregon and Tennessee have not played in over a decade, with the last game coming in 2013 — a 59-14 pummeling for the Ducks at home.

Ohio State and Tennessee will square off at 5 p.m. PT on Saturday, December 21 in Columbus for a chance to go to the Rose Bowl.

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A Rout in the Rose Bowl: Oregon seeks revenge 30 years after the Penn State beatdown

A look back at the history of the series between the Oregon Ducks and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

The Oregon Ducks are gearing up to play the Penn State Nittany Lions in the 2024 Big Ten Championship, which is something almost nobody expected to be saying a week ago. The Ducks punched their ticket to the conference championship after beating Maryland on their way to a perfect 12-0 season, and Penn State got in because of Ohio State’s stunning loss to Michigan in rivalry week.

This will be Oregon and Penn State’s fifth matchup ever and the first in almost 30 years. The other three games took place in the early sixties, with the Nittany Lions taking two and the Ducks winning one. But the standout game in this series is the 1995 Rose Bowl.

The 1994 season preceding the ’95 Rose Bowl was a special one for Oregon. It was legendary head coach Rich Brooks’s final year with the Ducks, as he left to coach the St. Louis Rams at the end of the season. That year, the Ducks broke a five-year losing streak against the No. 9 Washington Huskies, due in large part to a late pick-six from Kenny Wheaton, on their way to a Pac-10 title.

Penn State was undefeated in the ’94 season leading up to the Rose Bowl. It was Joe Paterno’s 28th year coaching the Nittany Lions. Penn State quarterback Kerry Collins led the Big Ten that year in passing yards (2,679) and touchdowns (21) that season, and the Nittany Lions’ top running back Ki’Jana Carter led the conference as well, with 1,539 rushing yards and 23 TDs.

As the No. 2 team in the country, Penn State was favored to beat the Ducks, and oh boy did they. Oregon lost 38-20, despite outgaining the Nittany Lions. Oregon quarterback Danny O’Neil threw for 456 yards and 2 TDs, but he also threw two interceptions, which ended up being the difference in the game.

The loss to Penn State was tough, but a Rose Bowl appearance was monumental for Oregon football in the 1990s. Thirty years later, the Ducks would still love to go to the Rose Bowl, but they have their eyes set on something greater. Beating Penn State is an important step in that direction.

Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation announces plans for $80 million renovations

A massive facelift coming to the Rose Bowl.

The Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation launched their Lasting Legacy Campaign on Monday to help improve the Rose Bowl and make it a viable location for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and other future sporting events.

In total, the Lasting Legacy Campaign would raise $80 million over multiple years and put that money into eight different projects to improve the Rose Bowl. 

“This ambitious initiative goes beyond mere preservation. The campaign will allow us to enhance the venue to create more generational memories for attendees and the community, while ensuring that the experience meets the modern-day expectations of visitors,” the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation said in their website detailing the project. “The goal is for the Rose Bowl Stadium to remain self-sufficient while continuing to contribute to the economic and cultural soul of Pasadena, Los Angeles County, the State of California and the nation.”

They put the total dollar range of the project at 75-85 million, with the projects being broken into two phases. Phase I includes a South End Zone Field Club, Historic Marquee Sign Refurbishment, East Side Safe Standing Area, Sound System Improvement, Gas/Water Infrastructure and Cellular Service Enhancement. Phase II will be Bowl Seating Improvements and an Upgraded Video Board Experience. 

Some parts of Phase I have been completed already, with the Historic Marquee Sign Refurbishment, Sound System Improvement and East Side Safe Standing Area occurring before the UCLA football season. Funding for all six of the Phase I projects have already been secured, which isn’t yet the case for Phase II.

UCLA football ends season with win over Fresno State

The Bruins end their season on a high note.

The UCLA Bruins finished the season the way they started. Taking down Fresno State 20-13, the Bruins closed out an eventful first season in the Big Ten with a win.

The Bruins secured Saturday’s victory with a 15-play, 78-yard drive. Late in the fourth quarter at the Rose Bowl, UCLA’s offense took command of the low-scoring affair to give the Bruins a two-score lead, 20-10. In the waking minutes of the game, the Bruins’ defense stiffened, and their special teams secured the win on the onside kick.

In what was likely quarterback Ethan Garbers’ final game in a Bruins uniform, the senior finished with 289 yards on 26-40 passing and the game-clinching drive.

Finishing 5-7 on the year, the Bruins weathered a difficult schedule under first-year head coach DeShaun Foster. Though the Bruins’ coaching staff often showed some inexperience, the marked culture shift in Westwood should follow them into 2025 and bear fruit down the line.

With a bevy of talented players joining the program next season, UCLA has set itself up for success in the future as they say goodbye to several key seniors. Though the sun sets for UCLA’s 2024 college football season, the future remains bright for the Bruins.

Rose Bowl fan attendance rises in DeShaun Foster’s first year

Despite their record, fans showed up for the Bruins in droves.

The UCLA Bruins have not given fans at the Rose Bowl much to cheer about this season. Only 1-4 at home this season, the Bruins’ lone win over Iowa was the only game where UCLA fans left satisfied.

That said, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, the Bruins have seen an uptick in attendance at the Rose Bowl in their first season in the Big Ten and are close to reaching a notable benchmark.

Bolch wrote on X Monday afternoon, “UCLA’s average of 49,162 fans for home games this season at the Rose Bowl is on pace to be its highest since 2018, when it averaged 51,164 during coach Chip Kelly’s first season.”

The uptick is not a surprise, however. With new excitement surrounding first-year head coach DeShaun Foster paired with marquee match-ups on their schedule like USC, Oregon, and Iowa, fans had good reason to show up and show out for the Bruins.

UCLA football falls to USC Trojans in Big Ten slugfest

The UCLA Bruins fell short against rival USC at the Rose Bowl.

The UCLA Bruins fell to the USC Trojans on Saturday night 19-13, losing to their biggest rival at the Rose Bowl. Dropping to 4-7 on the season, the Bruins are no longer eligible for a bowl game in the 2024 college football season.

Despite a strong performance by Bruins’ quarterback Ethan Garbers, who finished with 265 yards on 20-29 passing and a touchdown, the UCLA’s offense failed to convert at critical junctures and let the game slip away.

In Saturday night’s performance, the Bruins were an abysmal 3-11 on third down and 0-3 on fourth down, with playcalling and execution proving to be the deciding factor.

On the most crucial play of the contest, trailing 16-13 with just under five minutes remaining from their own 34-yard line, head coach DeShaun Foster opted to keep the offense on the field to extend the Bruins drive.

Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy drew up a quarterback sneak for Ethan Garbers, who was stuffed at the line of scrimmage, turning the ball over to the Trojans and effectively ending the game.

Though the Bruins were competitive with the Trojans all night, UCLA was a dollar short and a day too late in all three phases. Scoreless in the fourth quarter, UCLA could not rise to the occasion in the game’s biggest moments.

Saturday’s loss marked the beginning of the end of the Bruins’ first season in the Big Ten and another example of how far the team still has to go. The Bruins look to regroup and reset for their final game next week against Fresno State.

DeShaun Foster estimates how many recruits will be at UCLA vs. USC

The Bruins are likely to draw hundreds of recruits as they take on rival USC.

The UCLA Bruins take on the USC Trojans this weekend, renewing one of college football’s greatest rivalries. Now, taking their rivalry to the Big Ten, the Bruins are looking for more than just bragging rights as serious bowl implications take center stage.

If that were not enough, there are tons of prospective recruits who will be in attendance. According to Tracy McDannald of UCLA Rivals, head coach DeShaun Foster estimated that upwards of 700 recruits could be at the Rose Bowl on Saturday. As a result, the Bruins have an incredible opportunity.

For prospective recruits, rivalry games are the perfect way to showcase a program’s ability, pride, and amenities. Add to that the Rose Bowl’s historic charm and UCLA could sway some undecided recruits with just one win.

At 4-6 this season, the Bruins have, in many ways, overachieved relative to expectation. With a talented 2025 recruiting class on the way, the Bruins have a chance to improve their recruiting board and take down their biggest rival at home on Saturday.

Oregon vs. Wisconsin: Series history features a run for the roses

Check out the rose-filled history between the Oregon Ducks and Wisconsin Badgers football programs.

Unlike most of Oregon’s new conference foes, there is some history between the Oregon Ducks and the Wisconsin Badgers. Just six games have been played between these programs, but two have taken place on college football’s greatest stage: the Rose Bowl.

The Ducks and the Badgers first shared the field in Pasadena in 2012 as the No. 6 and No. 9 teams, respectively. Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas led the Ducks to a win over current Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson and the Badgers. Eight years later, Oregon and Wisconsin met in the Rose Bowl again, this time led by Justin Herbert, and the Ducks defeated the Badgers once again.

The Ducks won the 2012 Rose Bowl 45-38, and the game was the perfect example of a shootout. So many Ducks had great days, including Darron Thomas — who threw for 3 TDs and over 250 yards — and LaMichael James — who rushed for 159 yards and a TD.

The real star, however, was De’Anthony Thomas. Thomas had four catches for 34 yards, but he truly made his mark in the run game. On just two carries, Thomas rushed for 155 yards and two TDs. His first rush was a 91-yard inside zone for the score, and a little later, he took a jet sweep 64 yards to the end zone. It was the perfect display of talent for one of the most athletic college players ever.

Eight years later, Oregon and Wisconsin won their conferences once again, punching tickets to the Rose Bowl. This time, it was QB Herbert and RB Jonathan Taylor leading the teams. This game was even closer than the 2012 matchup with Oregon winning 28-27.

Herbert, usually a pocket passer, led the Ducks to a win in an unusual way. Instead of getting the ball into the end zone with his arm, Herbert rushed for three TDs  — all on read-option QB keeps. The Ducks’ other touchdown came from safety Brady Breeze, a native Oregonian like Herbert, who delivered a fumbled ball to the endzone after a botched punt.

The 2020 Rose Bowl victory was the final game of Herbert and Breeze’s college careers. It’s hard to ask for a better ending.

Oregon and Wisconsin’s other four matchups came from two regular-season home-and-home series, spanning from 1977-1978 and 2000-2001. Wisconsin was 3-1 in those games, but the Ducks took the most recent regular season game.

This week’s game will be Oregon’s first trip to Camp Randall Stadium in almost 25 years, which is not an easy place to play. The Badgers are unranked, but they’re a dangerous opponent. Oregon and Wisconsin may not be in a run for the roses this weekend, but beating the Badgers is an important step on the Oregon Ducks’ path to a championship, with a chance to clinch a spot in the Big Ten Championship on the line.

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Notre Dame, USC to be featured throughout NBC tripleheader Nov. 23

Don’t make any plans for that day.

Notre Dame and USC make up an intersectional rivalry unlike any other in the country. One upcoming Saturday will showcase both schools on national TV perhaps like never before.

NBC Sports has a longtime association with Irish football, and USC now is part of a Big Ten which has its games broadcast by the same company. And the stars are aligning for one heck of day.

NBC will kick off a tripleheader of coverage involving both schools with the Irish and Trojans women’s basketball teams meeting in Los Angeles at 4 p.m. EST. All eyes will be on that to see whether [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] and [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] get the best of JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen. Both duos are incredibly dangerous.

Next will be the Irish football team’s annual Shamrock Series game with Army at Yankee Stadium. Wrapping up the day’s coverage will be the Trojans football team facing UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Both games will be the teams’ last before playing each other at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum the following week.

Clear your schedule for Nov. 23, Irish fans. It will be the right day to do so.

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