The 1970 Rose Bowl was the 56th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Thursday, January 1. The USC Trojans, champions of the Pacific-8 Conference, defeated the Michigan Wolverines, champions of the Big Ten Conference, 10–3. USC flanker Bob Chandler scored the only touchdown and was named the Player of the Game.

Teams

Michigan

After early season losses to #9 Missouri and unranked Michigan State, the Wolverines won four straight games before their showdown with heavily-favored and top-ranked Ohio State for the Big Ten championship. Michigan shocked the college football world by upsetting the top-ranked Buckeyes 24–12 to tie for the conference title and receive the Rose Bowl bid. (Ohio State was ineligible anyway because of the Big Ten's "no repeat" rule, which was rescinded in 1971.) Just days before the Rose Bowl, first-year head coach Bo Schembechler, age forty, suffered a mild heart attack and had to miss the game; defensive coordinator Jim Young was the acting head coach.

USC

Aided by a pass interference penalty on fourth down followed by a controversial last-minute touchdown, USC earned the Rose Bowl berth with a 14–12 win over rival UCLA in their regular season finale. The only blemish on their record was a 14–14 tie at Notre Dame in mid-October. The Trojans were making their record fourth consecutive Rose Bowl appearance, as the Pac-8 did not have a "no repeat" rule.

Game summary

The score was tied at 3–3 at halftime. With three minutes to play in the third quarter, USC quarterback Jimmy Jones threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Bob Chandler to give the Trojans a 10–3 lead. A scoreless fourth quarter ensured the USC victory.

Scoring

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

Statistics

! Statistics !! USC !! Michigan

Aftermath