Penn State is out with the old and in with the new; years and lineups.
The Nittany Lions took the field in Pasadena and fathered the Utes in the “Granddaddy of them all”, The Rose Bowl.
This was Penn State’s first Rose Bowl victory since their undefeated 1994 season, where they defeated Oregon in the 1995 Rose Bowl.
No. 8 Utah were the favored foe in this matchup, but with the 2023 draft looming and both teams missing key players, the game was anyones to take.
Penn State was able to do something that it struggled to do all season; hold a lead through all four quarters.
As a Nittany Lion, there were plenty of note-worthy stories around this game. Capping off Clifford’s career with record numbers, Penn State’s rookies taking the reign, Cameron Rising’s phenomenal season and outing, and a tribute to the late Franco Harris.
Sean Clifford’s Victory Lap
Six years, two degrees, countless Penn State records and now a Rose Bowl Victory. Sean Clifford put a storybook ending to an exceptional collegiate career with the Nittany Lions.
Clifford, who signed to Penn State in July of 2015, finally capped his football career with the Blue and White, and what a way to sign off.
As the set starter for the last three seasons, Clifford made his debut as a Nittany Lion by throwing a touchdown on his first ever collegiate pass attempt, and flash forward six seasons, he ended it with a pair of touchdown passes in the Granddaddy of them all.
When bowl game selections were released, Clifford shared an emotional Instagram post of himself as a kid standing outside of the historic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, alluding to one more ride in the Blue and White. Quite the full-circle moment as number fourteen got to end his career in the same stadium to make his younger self proud.
On the touchdown pass to Mitchell Tinsley that gave the Nittany Lions the 14-7 lead, Clifford entered the triple digit club as he tallied his 100th career touchdown.
In their home game against Maryland earlier this season, Clifford surpassed the all-time passing yard record, one that was previously held by Trace McSorely.
Tonight, Clifford officially took over as the all-time offensive statistic record holder. He now leads the record books in Passing Yards (10,661), Passing Touchdowns (86), Completions (833), Completion Percentage (61%), and wins (31).
Not to mention, Clifford and Keandre Lambert-Smith made history with an 88-yard touchdown, making it the longest score in Rose Bowl history, as he went the entire length of the play untouched to find the endzone.
He finished the night with 279 yards on 16 completions, along with two touchdown passes before exiting the game late in the fourth quarter, where he was given the opportunity to walk off by himself to have his farewell moment.
There was nothing but respect all throughout the stadium from both Utah and Penn State fans as Clifford emotionally stepped off the field for the last time.
It has been one hell of a career for Clifford, and he will truly be missed throughout Happy Valley.
Penn State’s Rookies Taking the Reins
With the 2023 NFL draft looming, we have seen lots of key players throughout the league opt-out of both Bowl Games and playoff games to preserve their health. Fortunately, Penn State only had one eligible player opt-out of playing due to the draft, but did lose two key players to injury.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Nittany Lions were missing Joey Porter Jr. JPJ, son of former All-Pro and Super Bowl Champion Joey Porter, has been an All-Star for the Nittany Lions throughout the last two seasons. Anticipated to go in the first round of the draft, he decided to sit out the game for safety reasons.
As for the holes in the offense, Penn State was without wide receiver Parker Washington, and Offensive Lineman Olu Fashanu. Fashanu was declared ineligible due to injury just hours before kickoff, although he was dressed and warmed up.
Washington has been ineligible since November 22nd, missing the season finale against Michigan State. Shortly after the premature conclusion to his senior season, he declared for the NFL draft on December 10th. The general media is still unaware whether sitting out from the Rose Bowl was due to the injury, or draft preservation.
While missing key players, the Nittany Lions were not expected to perform to their highest ability. But, the rookies put on a seamless performance to seal the game. With Washington being a key contributor to their success in the receiving corps, they were expected to rely heavily on the run game in this matchup.
Nick Singleton, Penn State’s leading running back as a true freshman, put the team on the board first with a five yard run to the end zone. Singleton has carried the team with astounding numbers all season, and set records of his own today as he tallied his fourth 100+ yard game all season.
Later in that game, Singleton had an 87 yard carry for another touchdown, tallying 120 total yards on 7 carries throughout the game.
Stepping up as Penn State’s leading receiver in this game was sophomore Keandre Lambert-Smith. The Virginia native had three receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown. One of those grabs being for the 88-yard touchdown, the longest receiving touchdown in Rose Bowl history.
Although we didn’t see him until late in tonight’s game, true freshman Drew Allar will be taking over for Clifford next season. Despite mixed opinions on Clifford returning for sixth year, having such a talented and experienced leader for Allar to learn from this season was the best option for the future of the Nittany Lions.
Allar came into Penn State as a 6’5”, five-star recruit out of Medina, Ohio, with big shoes to fill, and he exceeded those expectations in his first collegiate outings. Often compared to Josh Allen, Allar has excellent football knowledge at such a young age, and was a seamless transition for the Nittany Lions offense with a bullet for an arm… and this is just the beginning for him.
In just his rookie season, the young star has thrown for 344 yards and four touchdowns, and most importantly, zero interceptions. He has been excellent in relief for Clifford when needed, and the team loves him, making him a perfect option for a starter come the fall.
On the defensive end of the ball, we really saw the rookies step up to the challenge. Freshman Kalen King, who had an outstanding season alone recording 39 total tackles through 10 games, started in the place of Joey Porter Jr. and tallied a huge interception on Cameron Rising early in the first quarter to set the Nittany Lions up for a scoring drive.
Alongside him, we saw a huge performance from freshman Abdul Carter, who arguably is the most passionate player in the Nittany Lions roster. Carter tallied 55 total tackles, 35 of which were solo throughout the season.
Veteran safety Ji’Ayir Brown had another record performance tallying six solo tackles and 1.5 sacks and an interception on the night, further sealing the team’s success and a near second half shutout.
This combined effort and talent showcase from Penn State’s defense sealed the win from five second-half sacks on Utah’s backup quarterback, Bryson Barnes.
This young, talented team shows a lot of promise for the 2023 season.
Long Live No. 34
Penn State legend and Hall of Famer Franco Harris passed away in his sleep on December 20th, 2022.
This heartbreaking and unexpected loss had a huge impact on the Nittany Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers, and football community as a whole.
Harris led the Nittany Lions in scoring in the 1970, and was drafted by the Steelers in 1971.
The Penn State state legend went on to win four of the Steelers six franchise Super Bowls, tallies nine Pro Bowl appearances and was elected into the football hall of fame in 1990.
The Nittany Lions, led by James Franklin, were all seen wearing white no. 34 jerseys as they exited the bus and entered the historic Rose Bowl stadium, to pay homage and dedicate their Rose Bowl victory to the legend himself.
Not only did they wear the jerseys pre-game, but they all played with his initials on the back of their helmet to have him on the field with them.
Cameron Rising is an All-Star
Although Penn State proved incredibly dominant on both sides of the ball, Utah quarterback Cameron Rising deserves much more praise than he is getting. Rising, the 23-year-old junior gave Penn State an absolute run for their money.
Utah made their second consecutive appearance in the Rose Bowl, following the 2022 Rose Bowl where they fell to the 2021 Big Ten powerhouse in thenOhio State Buckeyes.
Rising evidently left the game with a knee injury and was ruled out of the game for the second consecutive year. But prior to his injury, it was the most evenly matched football game we’ve seen either team play this season.
While the numbers may not support it, Rising is an incredibly multi-faceted player. His passing game got worn down all night, as Penn State’s defensive unit lit up their receivers and tight ends, making it tough for him to get a good pass off.
But, he had plenty of great passes that were spot-on that his receiving corps just did not capitalize on, to which he can’t be accountable for those, although his completion percentage begs to differ.
Aside from his passing alone, he is mobile and is incredibly smart. In the Big Ten, the Nittany Lions did not face many mobile quarterbacks, so they lacked the defensive skill set to defend a quarterback so comfortable outside the pocket, and that’s where Rising thrived all night.
Through his two seasons as the starter for the Utes, rising has 908 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns, which are incredible numbers for a quarterback in the collegiate football world.
With another year to play, the California native will continue to prove himself for the Utes all of next season, and will likely be selected early in the 2024 draft.