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ROSE BOWL GAME: USC VS PENN STATEDecember 27, 2016Rob FukuzakiClay HeltonJames FranklinPatrick FinneganBrad RatliffPasadena, California ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Rob Fukuzaki. ROB FUKUZAKI: Hey, good afternoon, everybody. What a great day, huh? Everybody having a good time here in cars land? Everybody enjoying their holiday season? It's still going, right? Are you enjoying it? I am standing here in the middle of Route 66, also known as the Highway of Dreams. The real Route 66 travels all across the country and straight into the heart of Pasadena where two extremely talented teams will be facing off this Monday. You know who I'm talking about. Penn State and USC! How many Penn State fans do we have here today? How about Trojan Nation? There's quite a few. Of course we're here in the heart of Southern California. All right, let's start by taking a moment to celebrate their incredible journey ask approximate getting to the Rose Bowl. Thank you, Maynard and McQueen. You guys are really the heart and soul of Cars Land. But today, ladies and gentlemen, we are here to talk some football. Let's turn our attention to this year's Rose Bowl teams who will be facing off on Monday, the 103rd edition of the Rose Bowl game. First, we're going to start with Penn State. These guys overcame some challenges early in the season, and they finished with a nine-game winning streak. Let's hear it for the Nittany Lions. Then there is the University of Southern California. Got off to a little rocky start, but kicked things into high gear with an eight-game winning streak that put them in the top 25 where they remained ever since. Now, as fans know, these two teams squared off in the 95th edition of the Rose Bowl game back in 2009. Right now, I'd like to introduce another fellow football fan. Please welcome Vice President Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney, Patrick Finnegan! PATRICK FINNEGAN: Thanks, Rob. Hey, everybody. Rob, like you and all of you, I am a huge college football fan, and I look forward to the Rose Bowl every year. In fact, it's become a big tradition for my family. We're here today, and we're honored to be here today to continue another great tradition at the Disneyland Resort, where we partner with the Tournament of Roses to introduce the two teams playing in this year's game. Like Rob said, this year Penn State will square off against my alma mater, USC, in what is known as The Granddaddy of Them All. Now, the Rose Bowl game is part of the Tournament of Roses, which dates back to 1890, and the first Rose Bowl game was played on New Year's Day in 1902. So, for all of us college football fans, I know where we're going to be next Monday. We'll be watching the Rose Bowl game, and on behalf of the Disneyland Resort, a big welcome to both teams and best of luck. ROB FUKUZAKI: Thank you very much, Patrick. Ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to turn our attention now to the Tournament of Roses which operates and produces both the 103rd edition of the Rose Bowl game and the 128th Rose Parade. Everybody looking forward to that parade as well? That's when everybody in the Midwest are freezing, they watch TV and they go: We're moving to Southern California right now. This year, the theme of the parade is Echoes of Success. Now, Echoes of Success celebrates the people and organizations and institutions that play a part in the stories of the success of others. Right now it's my great pleasure to welcome the 2017, Tournament of Roses president, Mr. Brad Ratliff. BRAD RATLIFF: Thank you, Rob, thanks, everybody, for coming out today. First thing we're going to do is continue to pray to have this kind of weather on January the 2nd. So any help you can give, that would be great. We've had a great time this year traveling the whole country. Getting ready for the 120th Rose Parade, and 103rd Rose Bowl game. But before we go any farther, I'd like to introduce a few of our ambassadors. I'll start on my far right-hand side. (Introduction of princesses and queen.) This year for me has been a special year. It's a bit of a homecoming similar to our two teams coming back home to play in the Rose Bowl game. I've been very fortunate to live in the shadow of my dad who was the president for the 1999 Rose Parade. So, anyhow, a great year for a homecoming for everybody, and just had a blast for this year, Rob. ROB FUKUZAKI: Let me ask you, I know you've had a lot of great memories of the Rose Bowl game and the Rose Parade. Anything that stands out, number one in your mind? BRAD RATLIFF: Coincidentally, the one game and parade that stands out happened to be the very same year, 2006. It rained like it had never rained before. My daughter was in that parade that year, and don't tell anybody, but I'm a White Suitor, and I went home before the end of the parade because I didn't want to stay out in the rain. But four days later, the best Rose Bowl game ever played, 41-38 in the last 19 seconds, a young gentleman by the name of Vince Young tiptoed into the end zone for one of the best games we've ever seen. ROB FUKUZAKI: Except for Trojan fans. BRAD RATLIFF: Go Bruins. ROB FUKUZAKI: Anything else you'd like to share? BRAD RATLIFF: Well, you know, again, it's been a great year. It's been a bit of a homecoming for my dad and for my me, and I just want everybody to have a great time and continue to pray for the great weather we've got today. Thanks, everybody. ROB FUKUZAKI: Brad, thank you so much. Have a great Rose Bowl game and Rose Parade. I'll talk to Dallas Raines when I get back to the studio, and he'll say, Rob, I'll make sure we've got some good weather. He loves his football, that Dallas Raines. All right. Right now I believe the time has come. Time to meet the head coaches of our teams. Ladies and gentlemen, from Penn State, please welcome head coach James Franklin, and from USC, head coach Clay Helton! As if the players needed an extra height advantage, right? I'd like to congratulate Coach Helton, Coach Franklin on a great regular season. I know you're looking forward to this Rose Bowl. You have very similar stories this year, started a little slow out of the gates. Nine-game winning streak heading into Pasadena on Monday. What turned things around, Coach? JAMES FRANKLIN: First of all, let's not talk about the slow start in the twinning of the season. Let's focus on the nine-game winning streak. Really, it's just the guys behind us. They've been awesome. Our leadership has been tremendous in our locker room, and we play hard. I think that's the thing we've been able to do throughout the season, build confidence, play hard, and stick together as coaches and players. ROB FUKUZAKI: Now, Coach, this is the 34th trip for USC to the Rose Bowl. How does it feel to be a part of that legacy? CLAY HELTON: Oh, to be a part of history in such a special game, The Granddaddy of Them All, and to play an unbelievable team in Penn State, it just feels like all the stars are aligned. It's supposed to be right. We're just honored to be a part of it. ROB FUKUZAKI: Okay, I'm going to have you introduce your players representing both schools here on the risers. First, let's start with you, Coach Franklin. JAMES FRANKLIN: Koa Farmer, who is a local guy from California. He's starting outside linebacker/safety for us. Chris Godwin, wide receiver from Delaware, and dynamic player and leader for us. Garrett Sickels, defensive end, one of the more dynamic defensive ends in the country. And our leader on the offensive side of the ball is Brian Gaia, our starting offensive center. ROB FUKUZAKI: How about that for the Nittany Lions. They've put together a fantastic season. And there's one more game to play for them. I'm going to ask a couple of the players some questions really fast before I get to Coach Helton. Let me ask you first, Brian. You're one of the team captains. Let me ask you, you're from Pasadena, Maryland, and you're going to be playing in Pasadena, California. Can you contrast the weather at this time of the year between the two? BRIAN GAIA: Back home right now it's actually decently warm for the wintertime on the East Coast up there. But it's definitely a lot nicer here and a lot warmer here more often. ROB FUKUZAKI: How does it feel to be here in Southern California and play in the Rose Bowl? BRIAN GAIA: It's an honor. This is a great game and a great tradition, and I think we're all super honored to be here. ROB FUKUZAKI: I'm going to grab the mic from you because I want to ask Koa something really fast. Koa is a local product out of Southern California from Lakeview Terrace. How does it feel to come back from Happy Valley to play in your home of Southern California in the Granddaddy of Them All? KOA FARMER: Yeah, it's a dream come true. I grew up ten minutes from the Rose Bowl. Going to these guys' games all the time, going to the UCLA games. It's really an honor and blessing to be playing in the game. ROB FUKUZAKI: Kind of surreal you used to watch it all the time in your backyard and you're going to get to play inside the Rose Bowl? KOA FARMER: It is a blessing, it really is a blessing. ROB FUKUZAKI: The Nittany Lions of Penn State. And now Coach Helton. CLAY HELTON: Well, we'll start out right here. One of the better wideouts of the country, JuJu Smith-Schuster. One of the better three-way players in the country, great defensive back, Adoré Jackson. Quarterback and leads our team, Sam Darnold. And the biggest man I know, offensive tackle, Zach Banner. ROB FUKUZAKI: We're going to give the mic to the quarterback of your offense first. First, Sam Darnold, when you took over, this team sort of caught fire. What do you think was the difference in the winning streak and how the season started? Sorry, Coach, to bring that up, but to contrast? SAM DARNOLD: I think it was just us players coming together as a whole. Without the coaches in there we had a team meeting collectively and we decided enough was enough. We weren't going to lose anymore. I think it really was a whole team effort and just the trust we built with each other and the coaching staff. ROB FUKUZAKI: Do you feel you have the advantage because you're playing right here in your own backyard? SAM DARNOLD: No, not necessarily. Penn State's a great team. Yeah, I mean, besides playing here once before this year, I don't think we have any advantages in that regard. Penn State's a great team, great defense, and we're looking forward to playing them. ROB FUKUZAKI: Let's give the mic to Zach really fast. You're obviously the biggest guy amongst all of these players here on the risers. And you wear the mouse ears very well because no one's going to give you a hard time. ZACH BANNER: Thank you, thank you, I appreciate it. ROB FUKUZAKI: Let me ask you about the turnaround, how you guys came together and went on this eight-game winning streak and got a berth into the Rose Bowl? ZACH BANNER: Yeah, just everybody stepped up across the board. Coach Helton and the staff did a great job putting everything together and the game plan for the rest of the season. Every position from quarterback, defensive backs, the receivers, running backs, offensive line, everybody was doing a great job. We just kind of stepped up together. ROB FUKUZAKI: Now all of the players are going to get to spend their day here at Disneyland Cars Land and have a really good time. Zach, I have to ask you, are there any rides that you're afraid of? ZACH BANNER: Meet me on the Teacups. ROB FUKUZAKI: Oh, meet you on the Teacups, okay. Well, it's great having you, Coach Helton and Coach Franklin and the players from USC and Penn State. Thank you so much for being here as part of the events that lead up to the 103rd playing of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. All right, good luck to you both on Monday. If you don't mind, our cars would like to get a photo with you before you go play in Cars Land. Patrick, if you and Brad could please come right over for a little photo op. Ladies and gentlemen, if you would stay in your seats kindly. We want to take a few more photos. Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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