[1] USC running back Sam Cunningham scored four touchdowns in the second half and was named the Player of the Game, as the favored Trojans won 42–17.
They had help from new head coach Pepper Rodgers' UCLA Bruins, who had defeated #1 Nebraska to start the season, led by junior college transfer quarterback Mark Harmon.
This was the first year that freshmen were eligible for varsity football in the University Division (now FBS) due to the NCAA rescinding an earlier rule, and it was the first of four Rose Bowl appearances for freshman Archie Griffin.
The Buckeyes and Wolverines shared the Big Ten title, and the conference's athletic directors voted to give Ohio State the Rose Bowl bid.
Because the Big Ten and Pac-8 did not yet permit teams to play in any postseason game except the Rose Bowl, the Wolverines stayed at home.
USC running back Sam Cunningham exploded for four touchdowns in the second half and Anthony Davis added another as the Trojans coasted to a 32-point lead.
Cunningham set three modern Rose Bowl records with four touchdowns in his final college football game.
It was the first of four consecutive Rose Bowl appearances for the Buckeyes under head coach Woody Hayes and two-time Heisman trophy winner Archie Griffin.
Prior to the game contest, Hayes pushed a camera into the face of a local news photographer,[4] screaming, "That'll take care of you, you son of a bitch."
The Buckeyes had eight eventual NFL first round selections: Tim Fox, Archie Griffin, Kurt Schumacher, Doug France, Neal Colzie, John Hicks, Rick Middleton, and Randy Gradishar Sports announcer Keith Jackson identified the 1972 USC Trojans as the greatest team he ever saw.