Buckeyes win squeaker as Rose Bowl and Rose Parade return to Pasadena

In what CBS Sports writer Tom Fornelli called "a Rose Bowl Game that will live for the ages," the Ohio State University Buckeyes defeated the University of Utah Utes 48-45 Saturday.

The Utes took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but stellar performances by OSU quarterback C.J. Stroud and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba drove a successful comeback culminating in a game-winning field goal with nine seconds left.

Smith-Njigba racked up 347 yards receiving and scored 3 touchdowns, breaking the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision record for most yards receiving as well as OSU records for most receptions and yards receiving in a season.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation and Reading Rainbow actor LeVar Burton served as grand marshal of the Rose Parade, which included 20 marching bands, 18 equestrian units, dozens of floats, and a flyover from a military B2 bomber, The Associated Press reports.

Ticketholders for the parade bleachers and the football game were required to wear masks and to show proof of vaccination or of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the event.

Last year's game was played in Arlington, Texas, due to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D) ban on crowds at sporting events. It was the first time since 1942, when events on the West Coast were canceled for fear of Japanese invasion, that the Rose Bowl was played outside Pasadena. The 2021 parade was canceled entirely.