PASADENA (Jan. 1, 1945) - Tennessee finished 7-0-1 in 1944, but met its match against Southern California in the 1945 Rose Bowl. Tennessee had not fielded a team in 1943 and, given the green light by the conference to do so in 1944, put together an eight-game schedule that assembled talent available.

The Vols got good efforts from the 1944 team, but a lack of depth at key positions cost the Vols against the powerful USC team. Despite the loss, Tennessee coach John Barnhill was named SEC Coach of the Year.

Scoring Summary

USC - Callahan, 11 run with blocked punt (Kick failed)
USC - Salata, 19 pass from Hardy (Kick failed)
USC - Hardy, 9 run (West kick)
USC - MacLachan, 7 run (Kick failed)