Rose Bowl an unbelievable experience
Bill Hughes
Penn State and USC await the opening kickoff of the 2017 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Jan. 2.
PASADENA, CALIF. 鈥� The pomp, circumstance, and pageantry that surrounds the Rose Bowl is well documented, but until experiencing it on Jan. 2, I truly did not have an appreciation for the spectacle of the event.
USC蘑菇视频 thrilling 52-49 win over Penn State on Jan. 2 in the Rose Bowl may be considered the greatest version in the 103-year history of the 鈥淕randdaddy of Them All,鈥� but it is still hard to believe that I was fortunate enough to be there.
Heck, it is still hard to fathom the fact that Penn State was there considering how the season started.
When Penn State played a year ago in the TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, it was my first opportunity to experience a Nittany Lions bowl game live.
It was unique, and I decided that day that I would try to attend Penn State Bowl games from then on out.
I landed at LAX Saturday morning and had a weekend full of events planned leading up to the Rose Bowl.
Seeing Disneyland in Anaheim and going to an L.A. Kings NHL game at the Staples Center on New Year蘑菇视频 Eve were unique, and the L.A. Rams NFL game at the Coliseum on Sunday on USC蘑菇视频 campus was different.
Attending the Penn State pep rally at L.A. Live, the entertainment complex in downtown Los Angeles, was an eye-opener as it was only then that I realized how many Penn State fans actually made the trip.
After grabbing dinner with Jason Marchewka, a high school classmate at Belle Vernon, Hollywood was the next stop and it provided several hours of entertainment.
The parking lot at the Rose Bowl, known the other 364 days of the year as the Brookside Golf & Country Club, opened at 4 a.m. Jan. 2 and after arriving less than an hour later, fans were already tailgating and making the two-plus mile walk to the Rose Parade.
Experiencing the Rose Parade live gave the event a different meaning.
Having seen it for years on TV, it was not until Monday that I was able to appreciate how detailed the floats are, and TV truly does them no justice.
For Diane Hough, a math teacher at Elizabeth Forward High School, she shared similar feelings on the Rose Parade, which she attended with a friend who lives near Pasadena in LaCanada Flintridge.
鈥淲e started on (Sunday) by heading to the stadium to check on the judging of the floats,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e were able to get up close and personal to the floats, ask questions, about how they are made, and take pictures.
鈥淎fter going to the parade Monday, we went to a tailgate and the atmosphere was very exciting and I would definitely do it again.鈥�
After walking back from the parade, I went into the Rose Bowl Fan Fest before heading into the stadium.
I had been to the Rose Bowl for a tour in 2014, but being there with 95,000 people is something that I will never forget.
The energy in the stadium was electric, and with USC蘑菇视频 campus being 17 miles from the Rose Bowl, the crowd was obviously predominantly Trojans fans.
Nonetheless, I would venture to guess that there were at least 30,000 Penn State fans there.
Watching the game on TV all these years, I always thought it was cool seeing the game start in daylight and ending at night.
Witnessing the slow change was breathtaking, and there truly was a 鈥渂ig game鈥� feel all night long.
Yough athletic director Tom Evans was at the event, and he shared his feelings.
鈥淚 have been to numerous big sporting events and many famous stadiums,鈥� said Evans, who is known for going to sporting events when his schedule permits. 鈥淎nd this Rose Bowl is the best game I have been to and most amazing event that I have experienced.鈥�
Watching the game live was like watching it in slow motion.
The ebb and flow, the emotion, the big plays, it all played into the event.
At the game, I met James Bender, a lifelong fan who now lives in Wallingford, and he was also at the 1995 Rose Bowl.
鈥淚n 鈥�95, everyone knew we were good and that 1994 team was one of the best of all-time,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his year蘑菇视频 game was a bonus from a magical season.
鈥淣o one thought this team would play in the Rose Bowl, and to see your favorite team playing in the most storied game in college football, it just doesn鈥檛 get any better than this, unless we had won.鈥�
The game was indeed a bonus, as this type of success wasn鈥檛 expected for another year or two.
But having now tasted the environment and experience, it is something that I want to get used to.
The Rose Bowl was my 11th Penn State game of the season that I attended, and I still don鈥檛 think it has set in how great of a game it really was.
I have been fortunate enough to see Duke, my favorite basketball team, win a national title, go to 25 of the 30 MLB stadiums, and half of the Big Ten football stadiums.
The game on Jan. 2 wasn鈥檛 even the first time I witnessed Penn State lose on the last play of the game as I was 10 rows up in the end zone in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Oct.15, 2005, at the Big House when Penn State lost to Michigan.
But this one, it really hasn鈥檛 set in that I was there for it.
As USC celebrated on the field after Matt Boermeester kicked a 46-yard field goal on the last play of the game, I could only smile.
I just sat through the best bowl game of the season and maybe the best Rose Bowl game ever.
As I left the stadium, I could only wonder, will I ever see a game like this again?
I don鈥檛 know that I will, but one thing I do know is that the Blue-White game is April 22, and it can鈥檛 get here soon enough.