| Year Game Played: | 1939 |
| Game Name: | Rose Bowl |
| Subheader: | 25th Rose Bowl Game |
| Football Season: | 1938 |
| Visitor Name Short: | USC |
| Visitor Nickname: | Trojans |
| Visitor School: | University of Southern California |
| Home Name Short: | Duke |
| Home Nickname: | Blue Devils |
| Home School: | Duke University |
| Visitor Record: | 8–2 |
| Visitor Conference: | PCC |
| Home Record: | 9–0 |
| Home Conference: | SoCon |
| Visitor Coach: | Howard Jones |
| Home Coach: | Wallace Wade |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | 7 |
| Home Rank Ap: | 3 |
| Visitor 1Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 7 |
| Home 1Q: | 0 |
| Home 2Q: | 0 |
| Home 3Q: | 0 |
| Home 4Q: | 3 |
| Date Game Played: | January 2 |
| Stadium: | Rose Bowl |
| City: | Pasadena, California |
| Mvp: | Al Krueger (USC E) Doyle Nave (USC QB) |
| Odds: | USC by 10 to 14 points[1] [2] |
| Referee: | Bob Morris (Pacific Coast; split crew: Pacific Coast, Southern) [3] |
| Attendance: | 93,852 |
The 1939 Rose Bowl was the 25th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Monday, January 2 and concluded the 1938 college football season.
The seventh-ranked USC Trojans of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) downed the undefeated #3 Duke Blue Devils of the Southern Conference, 7–3.[3] [4] [5] [6]
Scoreless after three quarters, Duke gained the lead with a 23-yard field goal by Tony Ruffa early in the fourth. However, backup quarterback Doyle Nave of the Trojans completed four straight passes to sophomore end "Antelope" Al Krueger, who outmaneuvered Eric "The Red" Tipton and scored the winning touchdown with one minute remaining. Krueger's touchdown marked the first points scored against Duke during the season.[4] [5]
For his performance in the game, Krueger was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in the class of 1995.[7]
No scoring
No scoring
No scoring
| Team Stats | USC | Duke | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First downs | 13 | 5 | |
| Rushing yards | 128 | 84 | |
| Passing (att–com–int) | 30–12–3 | 13–4–2 | |
| Passing yards | 81 | 59 | |
| Total offense | 209 | 143 |