/ STAFF WRITER
USC has played Penn State in Pasadena before.
The teams last met at the edge of the San Gabriel foothills in the 2009 Rose Bowl, when they were led by Pete Carroll and Joe Paterno.
The sudden end to the iconic coaches’ celebrated tenures in the following years saw NCAA sanctions follow. Any return to the so-called “Grandaddy of Them All” was set back.
In Monday’s rematch, a key step in their respective recoveries, may look a little different from past meetings.
Eight years ago, it was a rout. The Trojans handed the Nittany Lions a 38-24 loss, and scored 24 points in the second quarter to build a 31-7 halftime lead.