Penn State went to Pasadena and finished off Utah 35-21 on Monday in the Rose Bowl.
Nittany Lions senior quarterback Sean Clifford went went 16-for-22 (73%) on passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns to finish off his career tied for the most wins in Penn State history with Trace McSorley. Penn State’s last Rose Bowl victory came on Jan. 2, 1995 with a 38-20 victory over Oregon.
Here are five takeaways from Monday night’s win.
Cam Rising was neutralized before his injury
Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz deserves a great deal of credit for stopping the strong Utah quarterback in his tracks for much of the game. Diaz’s coverage was schemed to near perfection for much of the night with Kalen King picking off the decorated Ute. Rising went just 8-for-21 (38%) on passes for 95 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception, along with 10 carries for 47 rushing yards before leaving the game with a knee injury.
Hopefully, Rising’s left knee injury isn’t too serious. He returned to the sideline with a heavy knee brace.
Clifford caps off his collegiate career with a master class
There weren’t many times throughout Penn State’s Rose Bowl matchup with Utah that the redshirt senior quarterback looked overmatched. Clifford made a number of throws to move the chains and began the first half going 12-for-16 (75%) on passes for 146 yards and a touchdown.
Four of his 12 completions were third down conversions, first hitting tight end Tyler Warren for a 15-yard gain to move the ball to Penn State’s 40-yard line. His second third-down conversion came with tight end Theo Johnson finding open space for a 28-yard gain. Clifford later hit KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a 32-yard gain on third and eight. He capped off the same drive with two smooth completions to Kaytron Allen out of the backfield and Trey Wallace, finishing with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Tinsley with 4:47 left in the first half.
Backed up in Penn State territory on third and 10 and minutes waning in the first half with a 14-14 tie, Clifford threw another strike to Tinsley for a gain of 16 to move the chains.
Clifford was surgical.
Then he opened up the fourth quarter with an 88-yard touchdown pass to Lambert-Smith for a 28-14 lead with 14:49 left in the game.
It wasn’t a bad way to finish his time with the Nittany Lions.
Have a day, Curtis Jacobs
Entering the Rose Bowl, Jacobs hadn’t announced a decision on whether he’ll return to the team for the 2023 season. Whatever that decision may be, he easily had one of his best games as a Nittany Lion on Monday, after three seasons with the program.
Jacobs finished the game with five tackles (four solo), two sacks and two tackles for loss. His first sack was big, dropping Rising for five yards with 54 seconds left in the first half on third down to end the quarter.
James Franklin has every right to brag about his team
There was chatter prior to the game that the Nittany Lions would get booted off of the field by Utah. The Football Power Index put Penn State’s chances at 42.6%, compared to Utah’s 57.4%.
Not only did Penn State beat the odds, but it crushed them with a 35-21 victory over PAC-12 champion Utah. Franklin’s team went in with a plan, dodged the punch and clocked the Utes in the mouth. The Nittany Lions weren’t deterred by any means and Franklin can be proud of being the second Rose Bowl champion in school history, tying Joe Paterno’s mark.
Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton welcome the big stage
The Nittany Lions have a backfield that rivals some of the best in recent memory in college football. With Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton only freshmen, they can create a legacy with Penn State that lasts a lifetime.
One of the first steps to creating that legacy was Singleton’s Rose Bowl performance. The young running back began the game with pep in his step with a six-yard gain. His second rush went for 17 yards and while he was stuffed for no gain on the next run, he followed up with a 5-yard rushing touchdown out of the T-Formation to give Penn State a 6-0 lead with 4:58 left in the first quarter.
His next run was even more impressive, bursting for an 87-yard rushing touchdown on third and two on Penn State’s own 13-yard line with 10:17 remaining in the third quarter for a 20-14 lead. Singleton’s touchdown rush was the second-longest in Penn State football history.
Allen later added a 1-yard touchdown rush with 13:20 left in the game for the exclamation point. With his touchdown rush, Allen and Singleton became only the third freshman running back duo since 200 to each record 10 rushing touchdowns, per ESPN Stats and Info.
