From Star teammate David Lassen:

Lydell Sargeant's view of the USC football team proved to be all too accurate.

Sargeant, the only Southern Californian on the Penn State roster - he played at Cabrillo High in Lompoc - talked earlier in the week about how he consistently spoke well of the Trojans during his time in State College, Pa.,

"I pump up all the USC guys when I was going through college because I know them," said Sargeant, who attended USC summer football camps and played in all-star games with some of the current Trojans.

"I've always said I think Mark (Sanchez) is the best quarterback I've ever seen personally."
And so, of course, Sanchez went out and completed 28 of 35 passes for 413 yards, tying a Rose Bowl record with four touchdown passes.

"Mark did a good job throwing to the receivers that were open and really reading our coverages," Sargeant said.

From Star teammate Bob Buttitta:

PASADENA -- For much of Thursday's Rose Bowl game, former local standouts Kevin Thomas, Josh Pinkard and Clay Matthews were all on the field playing for USC's top-rated defense.

There were many plays where Thomas, the former Rio Mesa standout, and Pinkard, who starred at Hueneme, were holding down the corners, while Mathews, who played at Agoura, was stalking the Penn State quarterback from his defensive end spot.

Thomas said it was a thrill to be part of a defense that many people have called the best college defensive unit in the country.

"It's great playing on a defense with such great success," Thomas said. "The caliber of athletes we have, it's definitely a blessing. I am thankful to be part of this until I'm sorry to see it come to an end. Hopefully, we can improve next year.

"We definitely made a statement tonight. We have been playing a lot of these Big Ten teams an for us to come out and be so successful I think it says something about the team we have the confidence we play with."

Quarterback Daryll Clark set a Penn State bowl record by passing for 273 yards, two less yards than Sanchez threw for in the first half.

Mark Sanchez completed 80 percent of his passes (27 of 35) Thursday afternoon to tie a Rose Bowl record for completion percentage.

Sanchez tied the mark set by Ira McKee of Navy in 1924. McKee completed 16 of 20 passes in a 14-14 tie with Washington

Mark Sanchez threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, completing 18 of 23 passes, as USC raced out to a sturdy 31-7 halftime lead over Penn State in the Rose Bowl.

So does this USC team deserve considering to win the Associated Press national championship?

Sanchez hits Damien Williams for 17 yards on third-and-12 from the Penn State 36 to improve to 6 for 8 on third down conversions.

The junior then hits David Ausberry with on a 19-yard scoring strike against the grain for a 24-7 USC lead.

Sanchez has completed 16 of 20 passes for 225 yards for two touchdown passes and a touchdown run.

USC running back Joe McKnight has left the game with a "toe sprain," according to an announcement in the press box.

His return is "questionable."

After Anthony McCoy was stopped for a 3-yard out on third-and-5 from the Penn State 15, USC kicker David Buehler shook off his Rose Bowl problems by converting a 30-yard field goal.

Buehler missed all three field goals he attempted here against UCLA last month.

USC quarterback Mark Sanchez heats up for a 14-7 Trojans lead.

The junior completes passes of 15, 26 and 27 yards to three different receivers before finishing the drive himself with a 7-yard quarterback draw with 12:27 left in the first half.

These may be two of the Top 10 defenses in the country, but they've already combined to allow touchdown drives of 80, 80 and 86 yards.

Penn State responds to what could have been a pair of back-breaking penalties by tying the game.

Following the negation of Butler's 50-yard catch and run, Royster picked up 7 yards, Stephfon Green earned 16 on a textbook middle screen, Butler cut inside two defensive backs for 28 on a slant and Daryll Clark picked up the rest on a quarterback draw that tied the game, 7-7, with four seconds left in the first half.

Mr. Buttitta interjects, "a great drive by Clark, the quarterback."

USC gets the first break as Penn State's All-American defensive end Aaron Maybin strip sacks Mark Sanchez on the Trojans' second possession.

But the turnover is negated by an offsides penalty on Maybin.

Six plays later, Damien Williams catches Sanchez's 27-yard scoring strike for a 7-0 USC lead.

Each offense goes three and out in its first possession. After three minutes, we're looking like that 3-0 Sun Bowl Oregon State and Pittsburgh gave us yesterday.

Maybe these two Top 10 defenses will dominate this Rose Bowl after all.

Update: Three possessions, three punts. "Only 17 away from the 20 punts in that (Sun Bowl) game the other day," adds Lassen.

The Star's three-man team of myself, David Lassen and Bob Buttitta are in place here at the Rose Bowl.

Mr. Buttitta points out that you can still see a hint of the Bruins logo under the USC end zone logo .

Mr. Lassen points out that the announced temperature is "the federally mandated 70 degrees."

I was impressed with the silent flyover from the Stealth Bomber, rather than the typical roaring varieties.

Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark on the task of facing USC in the Rose Bowl Thursday:

"This is a different team than [other teams Penn State has faced]. They're a little bigger, a little stronger. It is a real intense football team. You can't beat these guys by being tricky. You just have to line-up and play."

"The entire defensive unit [stands out]. You have 11 guys get after the ball as soon as it's thrown or handed off. They're really intense. They have speed. The stats don't lie."

Penn State head coach Joe Paterno compared the USC defense Tuesday with the one famously featured by the 1978 Alabama team the Nittany Lions faced for the national championship in the Sugar Bowl, saying "They're one of the better defensive teams I've ever seen."

"[USC's defense] is right up there at the top. We've played a great defensive game in 1978 when we played Alabama in the Sugar Bowl for the National Championship. John Majors, the old coach at Pitt and then at Tennessee, said it was the best defensive football game he has even seen. It was pretty close.

"Southern California hustles. They get good position. They take advantage of any mistake you make. They are very impressive. They have big kids who can run. [Brian] Cushing, a kid we tried hard to get. The outside linebacker, the middle linebacker, two safeties, you are looking at kids big enough to play linebacker. That can do some things that they can do in the secondary, rush the passer well. They're smart. They come off blocks well.

"They're one of the better defensive teams I've ever seen. They've been consistent. Every time you give up 11 touchdowns in a year against some of the teams they have played. You have played darn good defense. They do everything well. If you make a mistake they hurt you . Tie that in with the kicking game. That kid kicks off the ball and you start from your 20. It's a formidable combination of their great kicking game and their defense. Smart tough kids who come after you after every down. They don't let up. They come after you after every blow."

Legendary Penn State head coach Joe Paterno was the highlight of the Rose Bowl's annual media day.

The 83-year-old jokingly berated photographers for their flash photography, pointing to the other end of the ballroom at the Marriott Downtown Los Angeles and telling them "to shoot the trophy, it's down there!"

He also didn't hold back with the reporters, signing off the podium with a laugh by saying "I don't give a darn about your New Year, but I hope mine is happy."

Click the jump for more of what Paterno had to say (per the Tournament of Roses):

Big Ten champion Penn State is settling into Southern California for its Rose Bowl clash with USC later this week.

Linebacker Josh Hull had time to go fishing off of the Santa Monica Pier:

"I took some time out of my schedule to go fishing off of the Santa Monica Pier. I didn't catch anything. [Kicker Collin] Wagner was the only one to catch anything. Other than that we are laying low. Getting something to eat. Taking in as much as we can. It's a lot different. No doubt about that."

Hull said that USC's offensive is filled with "dynamic" players:

"The thing that impresses me the most about them is that every skill player on the team is dynamic. They have the capability of making plays every time they get the ball in their hands. They're extremely fast. They are a very well coached team and they don't make many mistakes. It is going to come down to playing a perfect football game. It will be very similar to our Ohio State game. The team that makes the first mistake is the team that will lose."

Fullback Dan Lawlor said Penn State will attempt to build off what Oregon State accomplished in USC's lone loss of the season:

"Oregon State was a great team. We watched that game a lot. We have to build off of what Oregon State did well and what they didn't do well. We just have to have a great strategy going into the game and be ready to play."

For more reaction from the Tournament of Roses, including the Nittany Lions' excitement for the Lawry's Beef Bowl, click the jump.

Speaking after practice Saturday at Howard Jones Field, USC head coach Pete Carroll thinks that the Rose Bowl against Penn State could be a low-scoring game:

"Logically, everyone will think this would be a really low scoring game. We'll try to do that, that's the only way I ever think. These are two high-powered offenses as well, so it will be interesting to see come game time."

Carroll is looking forward to coaching against Penn State's legendary coach Joe Paterno:

"It's a nice aspect of this game. It's fun to have this opportunity and I look forward to it. It's exciting to have the opportunity to go against him in such a big setting and big match-up. I have great respect for him, like everyone has and he is well-deserving of all of it."

After an up-and-down season, USC quarterback Mark Sanchez says the Trojans' offense is "starting to click." :

"We are coming around and I think we are going to peak at just the right time. The offense as a group looks fast. We are playing fast. We know what we are doing and that makes things a lot easier."

USC tailback Stafon Johnson seems excited about the potential for a physical game against a Big Ten Conference opponent:

"That's the type of game that you want. Smash mouth football, down hill football on both sides. We just want to make sure we capitalize on third downs and execute in the red zone."

For more reaction provided by the Tournament of Roses, click the jump.

Two one-loss teams will play in the Bowl Championship Series national title game, but No. 5 USC (11-1) won't be one of them. The Trojans are set to play No. 6 Penn State (11-1) on New Year's Day in the Trojans' fourth straight Rose Bowl appearance.

"That's just how it is," said defensive end Clay Matthews, an Agoura High product. "That's just how it works. I'm sure Penn State is thinking the same thing."

USC has won all five meetings against Big 10 Conference opposition under Pete Carroll by an average margin of 35-14.

"For whatever reasons, the loss that we had just hung on us," said USC coach Pete Carroll of the Trojans 27-21 upset at Oregon State on Sept. 25. "It didn't seem like it ever changed, the opinion of that (loss).

"We had a bad quarter and a half all season... There's nothing we can do about it."

USC allowed only 56 points in the nine games since the loss in Corvallis, an average of 6.2 per game. It's allowed just seven points in the third quarter all season, a 5-yard touchdown run by Arizona's Nic Grigsby on Oct. 25.

"I'm not politicking because it doesn't feel right," added Carroll. "We just accept what it is."