1943 Rose Bowl The 1943 Rose Bowl game , played on January 1 , 1943 was the 29th Rose Bowl game . The University of Georgia Bulldogs defeated the UCLA Bruins 9 - 0 . The game returned to the Rose Bowl stadium after being played at Duke Stadium the year before . Charley Trippi of Georgia was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game when the award was created in 1953 and selections were made retroactively . After the 1942 Allied victory in the Battle of Midway and the end of the Japanese offensives in the Pacific Theater during 1942 , it was deemed that the West Coast was no longer vulnerable to attack , and the Rose Bowl game continued on in the Rose Bowl Stadium . The Tournament of Roses parade itself still was not held due to the war . Teams . UCLA Bruins . UCLA won the Pacific Coast Conference title for the first time in school history . The Bruins also won their first victory in the UCLA - USC rivalry . This Rose Bowl game was the first appearance for the Bruins in any post season matchup . The previous season saw UCLA and USC tie 7 - 7 in a matchup of lower tier teams . They played on the eve of World War II on December 6 , 1941 . In 1942 , the Bruins and Trojans met with the Rose Bowl on the line for both teams . On December 12 , 1942 UCLA defeated USC for the first time 14 - 7 . Georgia Bulldogs . The Tournament of Roses committee were responsible for selecting and inviting the opposing team . Georgia was the number two team in the nation behind number 1 Ohio State . The Western Conference , forerunner of the Big Ten Conference , did not permit their teams to play in bowl games until the 1946 agreement between the Big Ten and Pacific Coast Conference . The Bulldogs featured 1942 Heisman Trophy winner Frank Sinkwich and Maxwell Award winner Charley Trippi . The Bulldogs had been named national champions by the Berryman , DeVold , Houlgate , Litkenhous , Poling , and Williamson polls . Georgia had played their first bowl game the previous year , the 1942 Orange bowl . Scoring summary . Both teams went scoreless until the fourth quarter . Aftermath . Charley Trippi of Georgia was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game when the award was created in 1953 and selections were made retroactively . Lynn " Buck " Compton , who played for UCLA , later earned a Silver Star for his meritorious action at Brécourt Manor . The action was later dramatized in episode two of the HBO miniseries " Band of Brothers " . This was Georgia ' s one and only appearance in the Rose Bowl game . With the advent of the Bowl Championship Series , the possibility exists that Georgia could be invited to play in the Rose Bowl game . For the 2008 Rose Bowl , a hopeful matchup was examined that Georgia might play USC , but the Sugar Bowl would not give up the Bulldogs . Myth . A myth about the game is circulating the web as a piece of incorrect trivia . " " In 1943 , Percy Clark of UCLA made the mistake of being tackled behind the goal line while attempting to return a punt against Georgia [ in the Rose Bowl ] , " wrote Arizona Republic columnist David Casstevens in 1996 . " UCLA lost the game , 2 - 0 . One newspaper carried the headline : Clark 2 , UCLA 0 . Clark was ostracized by classmates and quit college a week later . He moved to the woods in Oregon , where he spent many years as a recluse . " " The winning score was 9 - 0 , not 2 - 0 . The safety was scored by Red Boyd by blocking a punt . The UCLA media guide does not list any Percy Clark as a letterman , nor any " Percy " nor " Clark " who lettered in the 1940s . Game facts . According to Lynn " Buck " Compton ( See " Call of Duty " by Lt . Lynn Buck Compton , Life , before , during , and after the " Band of Brothers ) , shortly after the game , the entire Senior Class of those players , who were also in ROTC , were taken into the military , prior to graduation and sent to Officer Candidate School . Buck went on to Ft . Benning Georgia .