No. 11 Penn State capitalized on a strong second-half play and capitalized on Utah’s key injury to overtake No. 8 Utes 35-21 to win the second Rose Bowl in program history since 1995 Did. Lions quarterback Shawn Clifford capped off a long and successful career with one of his best games. Sr. went 16-of-22 for 279 passing yards and two touchdowns, and had accurate throws throughout the night.
Clifford was the highlight of the night, but Utah’s quarterback situation also marked an important storyline in the game. Utes quarterback Cameron Rising was sidelined in the third quarter with a left foot injury and the team tied his game 21-14. Backup his quarterback Bryson Barnes struggled in relief, throwing an interception on his first drive and failing to put Utah on the scoreboard until Garbage his time. Running backs Jackinden Jackson and Micah Barnard combined for 140 yards and a touchdown, but that wasn’t enough.
After Rising came out, Penn State scored two touchdowns to put the game away, including an 88-yard touchdown pass from Clifford to Key Andre Lambert-Smith. The Pennsylvania Ground Game was also effective. Running back Nicholas Singleton started the game with his 87-yard touchdown his skipper, one of his two on the day, and his 100-yard rushing for the fourth time this season. Cleared his plateau.
Let’s break down the key takeaways from Penn State’s victory over Utah in the Rose Bowl.
Try-on send-off
Clifford has had a few extra opportunities thanks to his six-year career with Happy Valley, but he left with the Nittany Lions all-time after a great Rose Bowl. The senior made 73% of his passes in one of the most productive and efficient games of his long career.
With this win, Clifford joined Kelly Collins as the only quarterbacks to lead Penn State to a Rose Bowl victory. Already leading the program in his career passing yards and passing touchdowns, Clifford passed Trace Mussorley for the most total yards in program history. He took the lead in the program in his yards passed, his touchdowns passed, completion percentage, number of completions and pass attempts, tying him with the quarterbacks with his 31 wins, the most in program history. increase.
While Penn State fans are thrilled that the Drew Aller era will begin in 2023, Clifford will forever be a legend at State College for his efforts.
Sad ending for Utah
Utah put together one of the best two-year runs in program history with consecutive 10-win seasons and a Pac-12 championship. However, the Utes again fell short of “Granddaddy of Them All”, capping off a sour year.
Yute was in great position to contend for the win until Rising went down with a leg injury. Although he completed only eight of his 21 passes, Rising’s rushing ability was crucial in keeping Utah on schedule. The injury reminded Rising’s ejection of a head injury in the 4th quarter in his bowl game against Rose last year against Ohio State. Also, Utah’s bowl another early exit in his game was a disappointing result to an otherwise good season.
Rising has yet to declare the NFL Draft, but if this is the end of his career, he deserves better than this.
There were some bright spots. Running backs Jackson and Bernard look set for now, and receiver Devon Verre posted his first 100-yard receiving performance. Become. Coach Kyle Whittingham’s program will be put to the test this offseason after two successful years.
Pennsylvania State University rose to rapid success
Penn State relied on freshman running backs to earn an 11-win season. But the Rose Bowl offered a better preview of a great future around the corner, with Singleton changing the game with his long touchdown run, Nittany his Lions finding success with unique looks, and his and Kaytron’s success. Both of his Allens scored.
In 2021, Penn State ranked 118th nationally in rushing offense. This season, the Nittany Lions jumped to 43rd place behind freshman running backs. With Singleton and Allen returning, and tackles Ol his Fashanu and Sidan Wallace spurring him into the NFL Draft, Penn State wants to make him one of America’s most successful teams in 2023. should be one. Weaknesses in recent years.
