 Texas quarterback Vince Young and Michigan linebacker LaMarr Woodley were named the Rose Bowl Players of the Game, the first time that the Rose Bowl separately recognized an offensive and defensive player of the game.The contest marked the first time Texas and Michigan faced each other in football, despite the long history of each school's football program, and also marked the first Rose Bowl in which a Big Ten team appeared without an opponent from the Pacific-10 Conference.ABC broadcast the game nationally in 720p format, the first time the Rose Bowl was telecast in HDTV in the United States.