LOS ANGELES — For the second straight season, Utah is hoping for the vaunted, historic Rose Bowl to morph into Rice-Eccles Stadium West.
Ute fans turned out in droves in Pasadena last New Year’s Day to watch their team drop a 48-45 heartbreaker to Ohio State.
When No. 8 Utah takes on No. 11 Penn State Monday (3 p.m., MST, ESPN) in the Granddaddy of Them All, it is expected similar support.
“It’s amazing. Our fan base is amazing. It’s the same thing that happened last year. The fans that came out last year to the Rose Bowl were unbelievable. It felt like a home game again in California,” said wide receiver Devaughn Vele.
“I’m expecting the same thing this year. Our fans are big supporters of everything that we do. They were with us even when everything seemed to be against us. We’re always grateful to them. It’s an honor for us to play for them on such a big, national stage.”
According to the school, Ute fans have purchased more than 30,000 tickets through the Utah Ticket Office, surpassing the 30,000 mark in sales for the second straight year.
Last year, the red-clad Utah fans and the red-clad Ohio State fans created a giant red wave at the Rose Bowl.
This time, there will be contrasting colors as thousands of blue-clad Penn State fans will also be in attendance.
“It was awesome, being able to run out in front of all of the fans and everything. I felt like there were a lot of Utah fans there,” said safety Cole Bishop. “We’ll have a lot of fans traveling this year. It will be cool to have the red and the blue where you can see the ratio because last year, everyone was in red. It was hard to tell. It’s an amazing atmosphere.”
There are plenty of events for Utah fans to attend leading up to Monday’s game.
On Sunday, from 12-1 p.m. (PST), there’s a free Pep Rally at The Bloc (700 W. 7th St. in downtown Los Angeles), featuring President Taylor Randall, athletic director Mark Harlan, football alumni, select members of the Utah football team, the marching band, spirit team and Swoop. Promotional T-shirts will be handed out to the first fans in attendance and “Unwavering Belief” rally towels will be available to all fans.
Also Sunday, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (PST), there’s the Rose Bowl Bash at Rose Bowl Stadium Lot K. It’s an opportunity for fans to take their picture with the Rose Bowl trophy and interact with other fans.
On Monday, a U Alumni Pregame Tailgate will be held from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (PST). Tickets are required for this event, which will featured food and drink as well as Rose Bowl giveaways.
And also Monday, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., the Rose Bowl Game Public FanFest will be held on the golf course located north of the stadium. It is free of charge.
Utah tight end Thomas Yassmin will feel right at home in the Rose Bowl.
“It’s awesome. It was the case with the Pac-12 championship last year and this year. Utah supporters are something else,” he said. “Being in California, we more or less have that home field advantage. It’s always an unbelievable feeling going out there and it’s like another home game at Rice-Eccles.”