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Oregon beats Florida State in the Inaugural College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual
The inaugural College Football Playoff began where the first bowl game began – the venerable and iconic Rose Bowl Stadium. A crowd of 91,322 was in Pasadena on New Year’s Day to take in the Rose Bowl Game presented Northwestern Mutual that featured the Oregon Ducks (#2) and the undefeated Florida State Seminoles (#3).
The Seminoles pulled off five come-from-behind wins this season but could not escape the Oregon team that did what nobody could since 2012 – beat Florida State. Behind their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Marcus Mariota, the Ducks put an end to Florida State’s 29-game winning streak, it’s six-game bowl winning streak and its aura of invincibility with a resounding 59-20 victory.
The 2015 Rose Bowl Game’s role as the first national semifinal games – featuring the last two Heisman Trophy winners; Oregon's Marcus Mariota (2014) and FSU’s Jameis Winston (2013) -- spurred the teams into a virtual rewrite of the Rose Bowl Game record book. All told, the teams set or tied 14 previous Rose Bowl Game records.
The Offensive Player of the Game was presented to Marcus Mariota while the Defensive Player of the Game was presented to linebacker Tony Washington Jr.
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