Penn State takes down Utah in Rose Bowl Victory

PASADENA, Calif. – The Penn State football team (11-2, 7-2 Big Ten) defeated Utah (10-4, 7-2 PAC-12) 35-21 in the Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 2. The Nittany Lions put up 448 yards of total offense and recorded two takeaways in the program’s second Rose Bowl win.

Sean Clifford led the way for the Nittany Lion offense, going 16-for-22 with 279 yards and two touchdowns. Clifford became Penn State’s program leader in total offense, eclipsing Trace McSorley’s mark of 11,596 yards. Clifford’s 88-yard touchdown pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith in the fourth quarter became the longest passing play in the history of the Rose Bowl.

Nicholas Singleton capped off his historic true freshman season with 120 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the Rose Bowl. Singleton’s 87-yard touchdown run in the third quarter is the third-longest run in Rose Bowl history and the second-longest in Penn State bowl history. With the run, the Nittany Lions now own two of the five longest rushes in the history of the Rose Bowl, including Ki-Jana Carter’s 83-yard run in the 1995 Rose Bowl.

With the 88-yard pass and the 87-yard run, the Nittany Lions became the first team in Rose Bowl history with 80-plus yard receiving and rushing touchdowns in a game.

Kaytron Allen and Mitchell Tinsley recorded the additional Nittany Lion scores in the game, and Lambert-Smith finished with a career-high 124 receiving yards.

Two takeaways set the tone on defense for the Nittany Lions. Kalen King and Ji’Ayir Brown recorded interceptions as Penn State turned in a solid defensive outing. Curtis Jacobs picked up a career-high two sacks in the game while Brown and Chop Robinson collected 1.5 sacks each. Penn State totaled six sacks and nine tackles for loss in the contest.

Penn State made the first splash play of the day. With the Utes inside Nittany Lion territory on their second drive of the game, Kalen King intercepted Cameron Rising at the 18-yard line to bring the Penn State offense back on the field.

The Nittany Lions found the end zone on the very next drive on a touchdown run by Nicholas Singleton. Penn State entered the red zone on a 28-yard strike by Sean Clifford to Theo Johnson at the 13-yard line. On a third-and-two play, Singleton took a handoff and exploded into the end zone for the five-yard score that resulted in the only points in the first quarter for either team.

Utah tied the game with a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on its subsequent possession. The Utes took 7:12 off the clock as Rising found Thomas Yassmin for the score. The score put Utah on the board and tied the game 7-7 with 7:55 remaining in the second quarter.

A Mitchell Tinsley touchdown catch capped off Penn State’s next drive, as the teams traded touchdowns in the second quarter. The Nittany Lions constructed a six-play 70-yard drive, including a 32-yard reception by KeAndre Lambert-Smith and a 20-yard grab by Harrison Wallace, that resulted in Clifford’s 85th career touchdown pass.

The Utes answered right back, making it 14-14 with the game’s fourth consecutive scoring drive. Utah used a six-play, 75-yard drive to tie the game with 2:09 left to play in the opening half.

As the Utes were driving with under a minute left in the half, Curtis Jacobs sacked Rising on third down, sending the game to halftime tied 14-14.

In the third quarter, Singleton scored his second touchdown of the game on an 87-yard scamper that broke the 14-14 deadlock with 10:17 remaining in the frame. The Nittany Lions began the drive at their own five-yard line and ran just two plays before Singleton found a hole and dashed downfield for the score.

The Nittany Lion defense showed out once again as it intercepted Utah for the second time. Ji’Ayir Brown picked off Bryson Barnes with 6:07 left in the third quarter to record his 16th career takeaway.

With the score sitting at 21-14 entering the fourth quarter, the Nittany Lions completed the longest passing play in Rose Bowl history to extend the lead to 28-14. In an almost identical beginning of the drive to the Singleton touchdown, Penn State ran just two plays before Clifford aired out a pass to Lambert-Smith for an 88-yard score.

Penn State tacked on another fourth-quarter touchdown to make it 35-14 at the 10:36 mark as Kaytron Allen scored on a one-yard run. The Nittany Lions took 2:44 to record a five-play 47-yard scoring drive.

The Utes scored the game’s final touchdown with 0:25 remaining in regulation but the result was unchanged as the Nittany Lions won 35-21.