Unfinished business.
That’s the mindset of the Utah football team going into the 2023 Rose Bowl.
Last year, the Utes lost a 48-45 thriller to Ohio State in Pasadena in Utah’s first-ever Rose Bowl appearance.
“It’ll be a great matchup. Penn State’s a great team. The Rose Bowl’s got such great history especially between the Pac-12 and the Big Ten. I think it’ll be a special moment, a special game,” — Utah safety R.J. Hubert
With that experience under its belt, Utah wants to accomplish something the program has never done since it joined the Pac-12 in 2011 — win “The Granddaddy of Them All.”
“Definitely unfinished business. You know, it’d be good to get that nasty Rose Bowl taste out of our mouth from last year and get out there and knock ’em down this year,” Utah cornerback Clark Phillips III said.
Ohio State and Utah combined for 1,146 yards of offense and 93 points, but after Utah held a 14-point lead at halftime, the Buckeyes outscored the Utes 27-10 in the second half.
Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud (573 yards, six touchdowns) and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (347 yards, three touchdowns) set Rose Bowl records in the win as Utah running back Micah Bernard had to start at cornerback due to injuries at the position.
“It was cool to go to the Rose Bowl last year, but it was a letdown that we lost. Even though we gave a great effort, a loss is a loss, so there were really, I feel, like no consolation prizes for losing the Rose Bowl,” Utah safety R.J. Hubert said. “I feel like we made a lot of people proud, but it wasn’t good enough to our standards. Winning is our standard here.”
This time, the Utes want to start the new year on a high note, lifting the Rose Bowl trophy to ring in 2023.
To do that, No. 8 Utah has to beat No. 11 Penn State.
The Nittany Lions got into the Rose Bowl as the best nonplayoff team from the Big Ten.
Penn State is 10-2, with its only losses coming to playoff teams Michigan and Ohio State.
Penn State’s offense averages 35.8 points per game, 20th in the NCAA, and the Nittany Lions’ defense allows just 18 points per game, 10th best in the country.
The Nittany Lions’ offense features senior quarterback Sean Clifford, who has thrown for 2,543 yard and 22 touchdowns and a potent rushing attack — freshman Nicholas Singleton, rushed for 941 yards and 10 touchdowns and freshman Kaytron Allen gained 830 yards and scored nine touchdowns.
Penn State has two tight ends with over 300 receiving yards — Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson.
“It’ll be a great matchup. Penn State’s a great team. The Rose Bowl’s got such great history especially between the Pac-12 and the Big Ten. I think it’ll be a special moment, a special game,” Hubert said.
On defense, the Nittany Lions are led by safety Ji’ayir Brown, who leads the team in tackles (50) and interceptions (3) and linebacker Abdul Carter, who leads the team in sacks with 6.5.
“Good team, based on the film that I’ve watched thus far, I think that they’ve got a good quarterback. A good defense, it’s solid and then they also run a similar style offense and defense to us, I think in the fact that they use their tight ends and they’re able to mix things up,” Phillips said.
Penn State will be missing one key defensive player, cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who opted out of the Rose Bowl and declared for the NFL draft. He’s rated as one of the best cornerbacks in the 2023 draft.
This will be the last traditional Rose Bowl — a standalone bowl game between the Pac-12 and Big Ten. Next season, the Rose Bowl will be the site of the College Football Playoff semifinal and from 2024 on, it will be a host for the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff.
“It’s such a prestigious bowl. We’re happy to be there to be a part of the fourth New Year’s Six Bowl game in this program’s history. So it’s a blessing to be there and we want to win this thing this time,” Hubert said.
The significance of playing in the final traditional Rose Bowl game is not lost on Utah’s team.
“That definitely adds more shine to it. Definitely makes it a little bit more significant and memorable for us,” Phillips said.
But once all of the bowl activities have wound down and the whistle blows, Utah will treat it as just another football game.
“I think just realizing, hey, it’s just another game. Settle your nerves. Just play one down at a time,” Hubert said.
