Bowl season is heating up as we face the final weekend of college football, leading to the Rose Bowl on Monday. The playoff games will draw everyone’s attention Saturday, but let’s not forget the Grandaddy of them All! The Rose Bowl is arguably the most prestigious of all bowl games, and this year’s matchup features a top Big Ten team in 9th ranked Penn State and the PAC-12 champion and 7th ranked Utah. While this is not your father’s Rose Bowl matchup, it should prove a worthy game to watch.
The Teams
Penn State – The Nittany Lions finished the season at 10-2, with their only two losses coming at the hands of the Big Ten’s two playoff teams, Michigan and Ohio State. In their other ten games, the Nittany Lions outscored their opponents 382-131, for an average of 38-13. They scored 30 or more points in nine of those ten games, with five resulting in over 40 points, including a 55-point game at Rutgers.
This team can score, but they also do a good job of keeping opponents out of the end zone. In their ten wins, Penn State allowed only 16 touchdowns, and four of them came in the opener at Purdue. They are ranked 15th in the nation in total defense and are tied for 9th in scoring defense. Their 24 takeaways rank among the top 20 in the nation. When not facing playoff-caliber opponents, Penn State is a well-balanced and dangerous football team.
Utah – The Utes (10-3) are riding the momentum of a PAC-12 title game victory over the Trojans of Southern Cal. In beating the Men of Troy, the Utes not only bounced USC from the playoffs but they also secured their second straight – and second ever – Rose Bowl bid. Last season, Utah lost a heartbreaker to Ohio State 48-45, as the Buckeyes kicked the game winning field goal with only 0:09 on the clock. The Utes are seeking redemption this year.
Utah certainly has the offense to put up another 45 points in this year’s Rose Bowl. They rank 17th in total offense and 8th in scoring offense. They have scored at least 30 points in 11 of 13 games, with 7 of those resulting in 40 points or more. They twice eclipsed 60 points – 73 against Southern Utah and 63 at Colorado. This team can score in bunches!
Much like their Rose Bowl foe, the Utes also play stout defense. They rank 19th nationally in total defense and 23rd in scoring defense. Like Penn State, they also have 24 takeaways. They are fast and they flock to the ball. They play complimentary football.
With two high scoring teams that also play very good defense, it will be interesting to see which side wins out. Will this year’s Rose Bowl be another track meet like last year? Or will it be a slug fest whose winner gets the last turnover?
Storylines
One question on the minds of many is if Penn State can prove its worth. After all, they are the third best Big Ten team. And although they played Ohio State tough for three and a half quarters, their two losses were by double digits. Do they belong? It would behoove the Nittany Lions to play with a chip on their shoulders and show that they do indeed belong in this big game.
Another big question is if Utah can gain redemption from last year’s Rose Bowl loss and avoid going 0-2 in the Granddaddy game. Hopefully they can build off their PAC-12 championship performance and repeat last year’s Rose Bowl flurry of points. With USC and UCLA departing the league soon, Utah is looking to make its mark as the top program in the PAC-12. A Rose Bowl dub would help cement that position.
And as with all bowl games, a major wildcard is the opt-out hit that each roster will withstand. Penn State had a few key players declare for the draft but decide to play the Rose Bowl. However, star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has opted out and electric wide receiver Parker Washington will not play in the game because of injury.
For Utah, star running back Tavion Thomas is out. He has not played since sustaining an injury November 19th. Clark Phillips, a standout cornerback, is another major Utah player who has opted out of the Rose Bowl. And tight end Dalton Kincaid, who played injured in the PAC-12 title game, has decided that he will not play in the Rose Bowl in hopes of recuperating in time for the NFL draft.
❤️❤️ @Utah_Football pic.twitter.com/xMdPVQQGqD
— Dalton Kincaid (@_DaltonKincaid) December 12, 2022
Players to Watch
Sean Clifford, Quarterback, Penn State – This will be the final collegiate game for Clifford, the sixth-year senior who is closing out his fourth season as the starting quarterback for the Nittany Lions. In those years at the helm, Clifford has amassed 10,382 yards passing, which is a career record at the school. He holds six other school records, including most career touchdowns (84) and most career completions (817).
Despite this success, Clifford isn’t exactly a beloved leader among the fanbase. Just troll the Nittany Lion social media platforms and it will be easy to find criticism of the veteran signal-caller. Some of it is justified – Clifford can be turnover prone; his 31 career interceptions are among the top five all time for PSU quarterbacks. (The leader is Todd Blackledge, the current broadcaster – whom I love to hear call games – with 41 interceptions). However, Clifford has shown a lot of moxie, and his leadership is an asset that does not show up in a box score.
Look for Clifford to try to effectively manage this game, with minimal turnovers and a few big plays. If he does this, Penn State will be in a position to win when the fourth quarter comes along.
Cam Rising, Quarterback, Utah – With their top rusher and top receiver out of this game, all eyes will be on Utah’s quarterback Cam Rising. The junior threw for 2939 yards this season with 25 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions. He can also create with his legs, as he has 409 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
This could be Rising’s last game in a Utah uniform. The rumor mill is abuzz with talk of Rising leaving after this game. But nothing has been announced. And NFLDraftBuzz ranks Rising as the 16th best quarterback and a 7th round pick. That is not a vote of confidence to turn pro. So perhaps Rising will use this game to elevate not just his draft status but also his transfer stock? Look for the dynamic quarterback to have a big game so he can overcome the loss of his top two weapons while improving his options for next year.
Keys to Victory
Penn State’s best path to victory is through a ball control offense, stout defense, and a few big plays either via Clifford’s arm or the defense’s ability to create turnovers. A steady diet of freshman running backs Nick Singleton (941 yards) and Kaytron Allen (830 yards) are needed to keep the explosive Utah offense off the field. If Penn State can successfully run the ball and sustain drives, and if Sean Clifford can manage the game with no errors, then Penn State will have an excellent chance to be the 2023 Rose Bowl champions.
For Utah, they gave up too many points in last year’s Rose Bowl loss. If they concede 40 points again this year, they are not likely to win. So the Utah defense will need to limit the Penn State rushing attack and put Sean Clifford in third-and-long situations. Then they can bring the pressure and try to force Clifford to be the turnover prone quarterback that he can be. If the Utah defense can do this, they should have enough playmakers on offense to pull out the victory in Pasadena.
Prediction
The loss of star cornerback Clark Phillips will hurt Utah, but will Penn State’s loss of wide receiver Parker Washington negate that loss? I think so. And I also think that Utah has too much speed and big play capability for the NIttany Lions. In their two losses, Penn State succumbed to big plays while not gaining nearly enough big plays of their own. Unfortunately, I see the same script for this one as the Utes score late to seal the win. Utah 34 Penn State 24
Afterthoughts
- What is the future of the Rose Bowl? When the Rose Bowl becomes part of an expanded 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024, will this game lose its luster? Will the Big Ten/PAC-12 tie-in disappear? Will a Big Ten champion USC not be able to face its former PAC-12 brethren in a future Rose Bowl? These questions put more emphasis on winning this year’s game. Penn State and Utah have the opportunity to carry their conference flag and win this game in what could be the second-to-last traditional Rose Bowl of our lifetimes.
- And despite the Big Ten/Pac 12 tie-ins and typical FOX Sports broadcasts, this game will air on ESPN at 5pm EST on Monday, January 2nd.
- Be sure to tune in early and catch a glimpse of the blimp shot that shows half the stadium in white and the other half in red. That aerial shot is one of my favorites of the bowl season!
- As of this publication, Utah is favored by 2.5 points and the over/under is 52. While I don’t condone gambling, if you scroll up, you will see that I favor the Utes and the over : )
- Happy New Year – here’s wishing all my readers a happy and healthy 2023!
To read more of my articles on college football, click here.
For More Great Football Content
Follow us on Twitter at @GridironHeroics for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Football news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE
