Zach Banner remembers it as a rainy day in his hometown of Tacoma, Washington. He was 15 years old back then, as he sat in his house watching USC play Penn State in the 2009 Rose Bowl.
"It's not a lot," Banner admitted of his memory. "I mean, I haven't looked up the stat book or anything, but I remember it to this day."
Banner did not grow up a USC fan. He didn't grow up a college football fan in general. The sport in the Northwest was basketball, as it shielded young athletes from the constant rain of the area. Banner admits he rarely, if ever, watched college football.
But on January 1, 2009, Banner was watching college football. He had watched Rose Bowls of the past, and he knew the significance of the game. What he didn't know was that seven years later, he would be getting ready to play in a Rose Bowl of his own, in the same matchup of USC vs. Penn State.
Over 1000 miles south of Banner's home, closer to where the game was actually being played, Chris Hawkins watched the same matchup intently. In his home of Rancho Cucamonga, watching every Rose Bowl Game had become a tradition.
The then-eighth grader was rooting hard for USC, as he had done for the entirety of his childhood, when he saw a play that was forever implanted into his memory.
"Taylor Mays. My one big memory from that game." Hawkins recalled with a smirk. "One of the biggest hits I've ever seen. It set the tempo of the game to show that USC was not to be played with."
The hit, is as eye-opening today as it was in 2009, when Mays flew across the middle of the field and vaulted his entire body into a Penn State receiver. Mays connected, but also hit fellow teammate Kevin Thomas in the process, knocking both down with a force that merited a penalty flag for helmet-to-helmet contact.
"Just thinking about that Rose Bowl and the many more that we watched before that, there's plenty of memories of California kids growing up watching that game," linebacker Michael Hutchings said. "And everybody remembers Taylor Mays taking out a Penn State player and his teammate."
For players on the offensive side of the ball, it's not Mays who they remember. It's the guy who lined up under center clad in cardinal and gold that stood out the most.
"I do remember the whole team was stacked," quarterback Sam Darnold said. "I remember Mark Sanchez ballin out there."
Sanchez threw for over 400 yards and four touchdowns in the game, leading the Trojans to a 38–24 victory over the Nittany Lions in what was USC's last appearance in the storied game.
But not all players getting ready for the 103rd version of the game remember the last time USC played in it. Porter Gustin and Iman Marshall, younger players who were both just 11 years old at the time, recall very little of actually watching the game. Tyler Petite, then 12, said bits and pieces stick out, but that it's mostly a blur.
"It's kind of funny to me because when you really think about it, it was not that long ago," Petite said with a laugh. "But I guess so much has really happened since then."
Eight years. Three different coaches. Countless of players who have come and gone, just as the sanctions that USC received are finally done. A lot has happened, a lot has indeed changed.
Yet one thing that has remained unaltered is the No. 24 that is imprinted onto the far side of USC's Howard Jones-Brian Kennedy practice field. Sandwiched in between a bolded, yellow "Fight On!" and a number six for the amount of Heisman Trophy winners the program has, that "24" on the padded wall is for the number of Rose Bowl victories the Trojans boast—the most of any college football program.
24 victories in 34 appearances, a number that also is tops in the history of the game referred to as, "the granddaddy of them all." The catch phrase fittingly alludes to a game that is symbolic in the lore of college football, just as that same game is emblematic and representative of USC's domination on the sport itself.
To wit: Since the game originated in 1902, USC has participated in it at least once during every US President's term in office.
"To play in the Rose Bowl, that's something that you want to do as a USC Trojan, it's what you need to do" safety Chris Hawkins said. "We've got the most wins in history and I think we gotta keep it going."
Despite the relationship USC has forged with a game of this magnitude, that "24" has remained at bay since 2009. After the turn of the century brought the Trojans four Rose Bowl victories in nine years, the tumult that has followed the program the last five or so years has prevented them from even sniffing roses.
Until now, that is.
Now, every player — veteran or freshman, defense or offense, young or old — no matter if they remember 2009 or not, gushes and lights up at the realization that this historic game will be the one that culminates their season.
Hawkins, a known film buff, said he has watched the 2009 matchup five times in full since the announcement that this USC team would once again play Penn State in the Rose Bowl.
For a team that began the season 1–3, playing in the Rose Bowl was a laughable impossibility. For a team that finished with an eight-game winning streak, the game now represents a chance to show their true talent and capability, a chance to repeat what some remember to be the most important part of that 2009 Rose Bowl: a USC victory.
"I've always been a USC guy growing up, so for me to be able to play in this game is very special," wideout Darreus Rogers said, as he gestured slightly toward the wall of USC accolades. "I'm just trying to make that 24 over there a 25."
Annenberg Media