USC takes in pageantry of the Rose Bowl

Playing in the “Granddaddy of Them All” — the Rose Bowl Game — comes with some of the grandest pre-game festivities and pageantry in all of college sports.

USC and Penn State will take the field Monday afternoon after undergoing a week filled with hype and buildup for the playing of the 103rd Rose Bowl Game. From a day of fun in Disney’s Cars Land to chowing down on hearty meals, players on the USC and Penn State rosters were treated to a week composed of unique experiences in honor of Monday’s Rose Bowl.

“It’s been amazing. I’m so grateful and blessed to be here,” said junior wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster on the week’s festivities. “It’s been so much fun being a part of the Rose Bowl.”

The week’s activities commenced with an opening press conference at Disneyland California Adventure on Dec. 27.

Both USC and Penn State players were treated to a full day of activities at Disneyland. Select players and the head coaches from both teams participated in a Rose Bowl ceremony in the Cars Land portion of the theme park.

“I had a lot of fun going on the Cars ride,” freshman wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said. “Being at Disney was just such a cool experience for us, they had lots of fun things for us to do there.”

Following the day at Disney, both teams continued their bowl preparation by participating in practices on Wednesday and Thursday.

On Thursday night USC participated in one of the great Rose Bowl traditions as a team: the 61st-annual Lawry’s Beef Bowl. Trojan players and coaches were treated to a night filled with fine-dining at the world-famous Lawry’s Prime Rib restaurant in Beverly Hills.

All-American cornerback and Jim Thorpe Award-winner Adoree Jackson was selected as an honorary chef for the night.

“It was fun. I do it all the time at my house, but nobody ever gets to see it,” said Jackson on serving meals at Lawry’s. “Everybody got to see my carving skills and how I put my plate together.”

Jackson served several meals to coaches and teammates Thursday night.

“Adoree’ (Jackson) cut way too big a piece of meat for me,” head coach Clay Helton joked. “What a special moment that was for our team at Lawry’s.”

Friday morning saw both USC and Penn State participate in Rose Bowl Media Day at the L.A. Hotel Downtown. All players on both teams were available to the media for a duration of 45 minutes.

Both Helton and Penn State head coach James Franklin addressed the media and had a photo opportunity together Saturday morning at the L.A. Hotel Downtown.

The week’s activities commenced on Sunday afternoon at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California.

Following the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony — which saw former USC running back Ricky Ervins be inducted — both teams had full roster and coaching staff photo opportunities.

In addition to participating in this week’s festivities, players were gifted a Fossil watch, Ogio backpack, adjustable NewEra Snapback hat and a gift sweet, per Sports Business Daily.

In a hectic week filled with venues and attractions, USC was able to experience some normality due to their location in Southern California. While Penn State took a 2,600-mile cross-country journey to the Rose Bowl, the Trojans will take nothing more than a 40-minute bus ride to the stadium on game day.

“It’s been extremely comfortable for us to wake up every day and to be able to go to our normal home facility and spend the whole day there to have our meetings and practices,”Helton said. “[Proximity] has provided a lot of normalcy for our team; we’ve been able to develop a routine.”

Players and coaches are well aware of the fact that all of the events and media attention which come with playing in the Rose Bowl are a testament to the stature of the game.

“You hear the cliché, ‘It’s the Grandaddy of Them All,’ but it really is that,” senior offensive lineman Zach Banner said. “Being able to experience all of this with my brothers has been amazing.”