The Rose Bowl is now less than two weeks away, and it is starting to become clear which players will opt out, and what can be expected from both Utah and Penn State.
It’s been easy to overlook the Nittany Lions this season with so much of the attention in the Big Ten being focused on Michigan and Ohio State, but make no mistake, this Penn State team will be a tough matchup for the Utes.
Actually, if you’ve kept up with the way Utah plays football, then you’ll likely feel pretty familiar with the Nittany Lions style of play on the field.
Penn State is a tough, defensive-minded team that will put a ton of pressure on opposing teams’ quarterbacks, force turnovers, and make it difficult to convert on third downs and in the red zone. They’re one of the best in the nation at stopping the run.
The offense takes care of the football and limits turnovers and penalties. They run a balanced attack, but prefer to move the sticks by pounding the ball down the field with their elite pair of freshman running backs.
Simply put, the Nittany Lions want to punch you in the mouth with the ground game and manage the clock while limiting your ability to do the same against them. Sound familiar?
Penn State National Rankings
#7 in Red Zone Defense (71.8%): Allowed just 17 touchdowns in 39 red zone trips to opponents.
#9 in Defensive Points Allowed: Kept opponents to just 18.0 points per game.
#9 in Team Sacks (37)
#13 in Turnover Margin (+9)
#13 in 3rd Down Conversion Defense (30.6%)
#14 in rushing yards allowed (105.2)
#22 in Red Zone Offense (89.6%): Scored a touchdown on 36 of 48 trips to the red zone.
Penn State Players to Watch
QB Sean Clifford, the face of the offense for the past 4 seasons, passed Trace McSorley this season as the all-time school record holder for career passing yards (10,382) and touchdowns (84). He’s a Penn State legend and this will be his final game leading the blue and white into battle.
The Nittany Lions haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since the glory days of Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders, but it’s starting to feel like the glory days may be back. Big Ten Freshman of the year RB Nicholas Singleton ran for 941 yards and 10 touchdowns while sharing the rushing workload with fellow freshman RB Kaytron Allen, who added another 830 yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground.
The Nittany Lions lost its top receiver, Parker Washington, to a season-ending injury in early November. Since that injury, Penn State has turned to WR Mitchell Tinsley (528 yards and 4 TD’s) and its tight ends to pick up the void. TE’s Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson combined for 662 yards receiving and 9 touchdowns on the year.
Defensively, the Nittany Lions will be without First-Team All-Big Ten CB Joey Porter Jr., as he has elected to skip the game to begin preparing for the NFL.
However, they will still have Second-Team All-Big Ten LB Abdul Carter and DL PJ Mustipher, as well as Third-Team All-Big Ten CB Kalen King, DL Adisa Isaac, and S Ji’Ayir Brown.
Carter, just a freshman, was a menace to opposing offenses, compiling 55 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles over the course of the season.
Brown, a senior, anchored the secondary and led the team in tackles, finishing with 66 tackles on the year. The do-it-all defensive back also had 3 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles.
Overall Outlook
Penn State is taking the Rose Bowl seriously. The players have bought in and will have nearly everyone available for the game. Not many players have entered the transfer portal.
This will be head coach James Franklin’s second Rose Bowl appearance. In his first trip in 2017 against USC, he watched his team blow a 49-35 third quarter lead as the Trojans scored 17 unanswered points and upset Penn State 52-49.
There’s still time to get great Utes gear for Christmas and the Rose Bowl!
Straight Up Utes 